Like a page taken from the Old Testament, the rain on the north shore of Kauai lasted forty days and forty nights. Endless rains dumped a record ten and a half inches a day of hard, -even cold–pounding water from the darkened skies. An unbroken chain of black thunderheads hovered above the mountain range ringing the valley.  Mt. Waialeale, one of the rainiest spots in the world, was our backyard neighbor.  Pele’s rage was in full force and we, the apparent sinners, had become the targets and recipients of her greatest wrath. Sadly, we, had no idea how grievously our once idyllic Hawaiian paradise would betray us…

Paula and Percy and their two young children were one of the few of our tribe who actually lived in a real live house.  We all were invited to use their space for showers once a week, meals cooked with real burners and a real oven for baking…