Hello friends,

I write you this day as I'm hours away from departing from my favorite place on earth. I hope you are doing well this first day of July and enjoying your day off. The weather has just been perfect for me on Oahu, as I have spent the last couple of weeks working and basking in the sun and beaches of the North shore and beyond.

 I've had this trip planned for months now, and I arrived here in Waihlua on the14th of June, with my good friend and former Gigs participant Yohana. She asked me back in the spring of I would be willing to fly back to the islands and remodel her guest bathroom. It didn't take much convincing, as you can imagine, I only added if she could wait until June. I explained that it is the hottest time of the year back in Tucson, and it would be the best time for me to escape from the brutal triple digit temperatures of Arizona. Yohana agreed to wait a few months and I made all the arrangements necessary to be able to leave home for the entire month. She also allowed me to invite two of my five sisters who had never been to this wonderful island!

 I worked tirelessly all of April and May, and left some of my accounts in my brother's care, while the rest of my projects were put on hold. I then drove to the Bay area and after spending 8 days with the kids and grandchildren, I arrived here a week ahead of my sistas, in order to complete my project on time. The second bathroom which I was to remodel was the one they would be using, so I had seven days to finish it up.

 Yohana did a wonderful job of having or acquiring  the materials and tools I would need, since I was only able to bring a few hand tools with me. She also has many friends which we were able to borrow tools from to cut down on the expenses. We did however have to buy and rent some items needed to complete the tile and drywall portions. Her house, like many here in Hawaii,  doesn't have central air, so at times it got pretty hot and humid working inside, although it was only 78 degrees outside. For me,  it was still way better than working in 100+ temps back home, plus I had the luxury of walking to the beach minutes away after work each day!

 Finally on the 24th my sistas Angie and Ester arrived in Honolulu. They were so excited about their first visit and Yohana graciously placed the traditional lai around their head when we picked them up. Yohana fed us and took care of our every need from the get go and I, as a former resident myself, took them to a different part of the island each day. Both my sisters enjoyed the scenery and food tremendously,  but especially the beaches! Like me, they love the warm waters and tropical settings that define this place. We ended a great week last night at the Polynesian cultural center's luau! Yohana was happy with her new bathroom and invited me next year to remodel the next one, and I happily agreed to come back again!

Now it's time for me to get back to my routine of working and writing, until my next adventure! I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend and thanks for checking in! Stay safe and cool wherever you call home.

Juanjohn

Hello friends,

with much delay and frustration, I am finally able to write you after almost 3 weeks. I am doing fine here in the Bay Area, working and preparing to depart to Hawaii this Thursday. I hope all are well and safe wherever you call home.

I apologise for the long wait, but I was locked out of my website for over a week and unable to post any thing on my blog page. I went back and forth with the site administrators and technicians trying to figure out why I was unable to access my account. Everything is fine now so I'll give you short rundown of the last couple weeks.

 I last wrote you from San Antonio Texas, and after arriving home in Tucson for a couple weeks, I drove here to my son's house in Union City, California. I had been planning this trip for a few months now, escaping from the extreme heat in Arizona for the month of June. When I left it was 105 degrees with no relief in sight, as most months of June are in Tucson. I'm just hanging out with the grandkids in this cool 72 degree weather in the Bay Area, and working during the day with my friends in Los Gatos, who I met on my tour last year. I'm getting used to this working and traveling all over America, and benefiting from the dozens of new friends I made on the road. My next stop is once again flying over the Pacific, and staying on the island of Oahu with my friend Yohana for a couple of weeks and helping her remodel her bathroom. There is no better place to escape the heat and drought of the southwest than the cool waters of the North Shore! To make things even more fun, my two sisters, Angela and Ester, will be joining me on the island towards the end of the month. It will be their first visit to the islands, and they are super excited about visiting! Thanks goes to our lovely host, Yohana, for allowing all three of us to crash at our house for a week. I'll make sure to write you on a more timely basis, and should post some pictures of the beautiful Hawaiian paradise next week.

It also looks like my book is making some progress, finally. After much delay with the manuscript, the proofreader has finally completed that portion. It has been in her hands for 6 months now, unfortunately, because of an untimely death in her family, she was not able to devote much time to the the project. It's been very frustrating for me, watching the weeks and months go by without any progress. But I had to let things play out with her situation, knowing that these things happen and patience and empathy is needed. At least now when I get back home in July, I can begin the next step of this publishing journey. We'll see what comes next.

Enjoy the rest of your week friends, and stay cool this summer. Thank you for your long suffering and devotion, and always for your loyal support. I will write you sooner than later, I promise!

Juanjohn