What a sweet deal...

On September 11th, no, NOT that one, but the one in 1992, Hurricane "Iniki" spun toward Kauai. We were visiting in Oregon, and phoned Hale 'Aha to tell the Bockelmans we would be praying for them. They were putting plywood sheets over the windows upstairs. They had a newlywed couple and an older couple there celebrating an anniversary.

Ruth told us, weeks later when phone service was restored, that the windows and doors WITH their frames, blew in on the main floor, allowing rain to soak everything. Ruth and Herb and the guests all huddled dowstairs on the ground floor, with mattresses against the doors and windows. They peeked out the garage door once, and saw a small tornado heading straight up the ravine toward the house. Iniki circled overhead for an unbelieveable 3 hours, destroying things on the other side, as the hurricane came around from the other way. When it was finally over, the guests helped sweep up shattered glass, and pulled up the soggy carpets. Everyone slept upstairs in the Penthouse, which was still dry.

Herb, being a builder phoned in an order for lumber and supplies on the first ship coming their way. So, instead of being out of business for a year or more, like many other hotels, he and Ruth had Hale 'Aha up and running by February of '93. Herb took the opportunity to strengthen all the doors and windows, and changed hallways and entries, to make an even more attractive suite out of one of the bedrooms. The Honeymoon Suite now had it's own entry and private dinette.

He improved their own quarters on the ground floor by turning half the garage into a nice big office, and by adding a kitchenette where the washer and dryer used to be. He made the new laundry area available to all the guests (though it was necessary to remind them NOT to dry their hiking boots in the dryer!) By adding walls and windows around the ground level lanai, he and Ruth now had their own dining area and space to entertain their friends. He added a back door, with lighted path, so their friends could come visit without disturbing the B & B guests.

Because the island was stripped bare of leaves and tree branches, and hotels were still closed and houses and buildings blown away or destroyed, not many tourists wanted to come visit Kauai. So, Ruth invited Bob and me to come manage the inn six weeks for them that following November and half of December while there wouldn't be too much to do. She even suggested that we could invite any of our relatives to come and stay for free, if they wouldn't mind contributing toward the food they ate. We began to put the word out.

When Doug, one of our close business associates heard what we were going to do that winter, he commented, "How'd you get such a sweet deal?"