A Walk to the Post Office (Finale)

Now that we have our mail our trek home begins.
We don't go back the way we came. We go down Haunani, partially for the scenery but mostly because I like loops. Out-and-back walks/runs annoy me. (Just another quirk, I suppose.)

Mark calls Huanani "the gauntlet" because of the number of dogs that live along the street and who enjoy barking at us. There are no less than seven houses on this road with dogs that think Bandit and I should be vaporize off the planet. Oh, and when I mention seven houses that by no means implies seven dogs. More like fifteen.

So off we go.

Before we come to the first lurking canine, we pass the old school house. All the public schools in Volcano were shut down a number of years ago. The only thing I've seen the old school used for is as a recreation area. It has an incredibly well manicured playing field.
In 2000 the community started up a charter school called Volcano School of Arts and Sciences. It has about 100 students and centers education around (you guessed it!) art and science.

But I digress. We do not pass the charter school on our Post Office walk.

We continue up Haunani. Dog #1 is taking a nap. We sneak quietly by.
Dog #2 is a big, old black lab. Occasionally he has a small terrier accomplice. Not today, though. This geriatric dog manages to muster a most amazing amount of energy in his vehement verbal assault. I didn't get a good picture because this is one of the few dogs that Bandit feels compelled to talk back to. The picture taking was definitely compromised. Clicking while pulling along a barking, 60 lb. dog is hard. I think I see a glimpse of Dog #2's foot behind the hapu'u fern. In the end, we pass.


The next doggie house is just up the way. In fact, it's two doggie houses across from one another. Dog #3 is another big, old black lab. He looks so much like Dog #2 I'm convinced they're related. (Yes...I clearly have time on my hands.)

Across the street is a three-dog household that really turns up the volume when we walk by. Very cute pups though. Like Bandit, they wag their tails while barking furiously. Takes away a bit of the effect, but I go along.

Up the road a bit we get barked at by two small dogs. This day they do not escape to chase us down the road as in past passings.

Next is the four-dog yard.
Lots o' noise.


The yard next door has some serious-looking dogs. I think they are a pointer and a Belgian Malinous. The pointer seems harmless, but I don't think I would want to meet the Malinous when he was in a bad mood.
No pics of these two because they were off leash with the gate open and I was just happy that their owner told them to "stay".

We then continue our journey with a turn on to Laukapu (forbidden leaf is the loose translation).



On the corner is a group of pups that are so consistently barky that their people have tried to silence them by making the fence solid, so they can't see through it. It works....a bit. Definitely an improvement from our visits in the past pre-solid fencing. A cute pack that usually has three and occasionally four.

The two huge, old labs at the corner of Wright and Laukapu aren't out on their lawn this day. They are sweet. Very large. Quite slow. When we don't want to deal with greeting them nose-to-nose (always chance of tempers flaring) we just keep walking and pass their patch of lawn before they mosey over and reach us.

A few blocks later we are back to our road.
A helicopter buzzes overhead taking visitors to view the volcano from above.
I'm happier on the ground.

Then we are home sweet home.
Another great day in Hawaii.