15 CRAIGSIDE

SORRY, MY SUNDAY BLOG WAS COMPLETED IN TIME.  BUT I FORGOT TO CLICK THE POST BUTTON.  TO READ IT, CLICK ON THIS.

I've now lived at 15 Craigside, a retirement community, for a little more than a decade.  Fifteen years ago I saw this building coming up on land adjacent to 2101 Craigside, an un-related condominium.  Both structures are on the Mauka (mountain or northside)-Diamond Head (eastside) corner of Nuuanu Avenue and Judd Street, land previously the campus of Iolani High School.  They moved to their present Ala Wai site in 1953.

I had moved into my Craigside condo in 1982, returning from three years working in the U.S. Senate.  Above, typical sunset, double rainbow and day view from our penthouse second floor.  My wife had passed away around that time when 15 Craigside was clearing land.  They opened in March of 2011.  To the right my first Craigside, and below, how it towers over 15 Craigside.  I had no particular interest in moving out of my penthouse overlooking all of Honolulu, but one Saturday morning late in 2013 I strolled over to take a look at the inside of that building.  There was someone who seemed to be in charge of talking to future residents, so I got a full tour.  

At the end, word came that an apartment, which had been reserved since the beginning and never been occupied, suddenly became available, so I was asked whether I might want to see it.  Apartment 1212 is ideally located on the top residential floor, with an ocean view in-between the two towers of the Craigside condo complex.  This is about the only 15 Craigside unit almost completely shielded from those two buildings.  There is a Solarium on the 13th floor for social activities, and would have, I thought been a possible noise problem.  However, that room only covered half of the roof away from my side.  I thought, if I was the first person to sign up for apartment selection before the opening, 1212 would have been my selection.  So I wrote a $20,000 check, and move in five month later in May of 2014.

For those reading this posting interested in moving here, the cost of buy-in a decade ago was $400,000, plus, there was a $5000/monthly fee.  This cost is now up closer to $6000/month, so I presume the buy-in must also be higher.  Although I anticipated this, say you go on a two-month around the world trip, and I've been on several of them during my stay here, I now need to give the Association $12,000, in addition to the global journey costs.  Another waste, but my time in Purgatory is getting short.

Three meals/day come for "free," but after my calculation, I only eat in our dining room around 20% of the time.  Maybe 20% of the time I come down and take out food for $1.50/meal, but that's about it.  What a waste of my money.  I do go shopping and a few restaurants now and then, but most of my time now is having the take-out salad and soup to maintain my weight, with the actual meal enhanced with what I otherwise purchase.  We do have a table with friends every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights, plus special occasions like Prime Rib Night.

The monthly cost of course goes to other activities, and there is a swarm of wellness classes, from strength training to tai chi to fall prevention.  Ukulele and singing sessions, films, important sport events on a huge screen and guest artists in our theater, bingo, line-dancing, and name it.  Maybe half a dozen activities daily.  Lot of religious stuff because the sister site, Arcadia, which was built more than half a century ago, is closely affiliated with Central Union Church.

15 Craigside is surrounded by religious reminders, like churches and graveyards.  When I first moved in, some of my Sunday postings joked that we actually lived in Purgatory, which is a plus, for this means you won't ever go to Hell, and are here being purified for transition to Heaven.  

When I grew up in Kakaako, my neighborhood was at least 90% Asian, mostly Japanese.  15 Craigside?  Around 90% Asian, so I sort of returned to my roots.  I might add that I would almost rather just luxuriate here than go around the world.  There is considerable security with guards.  A second floor hospital floor, basement clinic, wellness center for exercising and more.  They clean your room weekly, re-making your bed with new sheets and pillow-covers, changing towels, etc.  Maybe why living here is secure and safe, they promise to take care of you until you pass away.

So with that background, here is what I've been doing these past few weeks.  Living here does not means being stuck in a building.  I still drive, and go golfing almost weekly.  There are four of us at the Ala Wai Golf Course for a Buddhist tournament.

I was in a team of three with John, who also lives in 15C, and Tommy.

David, another 15C resident, won a $150 door prize.

I walked 8316 steps today.

I typically have lunch in my room, here with sashimi and roast duck.  The wine was an outstanding Sparkling Shiraz from Australia.

My lanai garden.

Calamansi above and world's largest green onion plant below.  Note my watch at the base.

Special lunches are regularly served.  Below a Poke Bar with beer.

Karaoke on Friday night in our Solarium.

My final Sun Bursts of the season in our floor elevator lobby...overlooking graveyards.  And a double rainbow.

Yes, this must be Purgatory here.

Hurricane Hone is moving away.

Hurricane Gilma was at 100 MPH earlier today, but again today as yesterday, jumped back up to 110 MPH,  Highly unusual.  Models, though, predict considerable diminution before approaching Hawaii.

Tropical Storm Hector will remain so and pass south of Hawaii.

Typhoon Sanshan, now up to 110 MPH and expected to strengthen into a Category 3 by Tuesday, is also acting strangely, with the track continuing to moving westward.  Now Sanshan is expected to make landfall over Kyushu on the western coastline halfway between Kagoshima and Fukuoka.

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