Psalm 89:47
“Remember how fleeting is my life. For what futility you have created all men!”

Life IS fleeting.  Yes, you’ve heard that observation many times before…and today it swirls through the voids of my cerebral cage as I write this long-belated memoir of an evening de Italia at KonaBabe Dossie and husband Harry’s, where we celebrated our friendships and were encased in a shroud of wellbeing.Recently, Dossie sent an email to the Kona Babes, informing us that Harry was involved in a serious auto accident in L.A.  Fortunately he survived, but with significant injuries and a probable lengthy recovery.  News like this tends to pull one into a slump, while allowing the mind to explore dark pockets of inherent calamity – not a healthy place to be.  So instead, I chose to be in an uplifted state and visualize the last time I saw them …….. healthy and throwing a party!!

Reflecting back to April and happier times, our beaming hostess, Dossie, welcomed us to her themed “Viva Italiano” dinner at the front door, exuding her characteristic enthusiasm.

Always well-organized, our flame-haired chica had emailed invites stating that drinks, lasagna and chicken marsala were being provided by the hosts and supportive menu items from attendees would be greatly appreciated.

Cocktails and pupu’s (complimenting the theme, of course!) kicked off the late afternoon affair – just in time for the infamous Kona Sunset – viewed off the spacious lanai.  The ‘green-flash paparazzi’, cameras (and one iPad) in hand, snapped away while other non-believers grouped elsewhere to confer about…….  what could be more important than a sunset??

Harry tended bar, assisted by various bystanders who felt the urge to pour and mix.  Fortunately the kitchen was spacious, allowing several willing helpers to move adeptly without colliding into each other.

Colors of the Italian flag – red, white and green – could be seen in thoughtful flower arrangements, clothing, some food items, and even a few cocktails.  Of course, I would expect nothing less from our hostess, an accomplished artist with a keen appreciation for detail.

It was difficult to focus on any one conversation with an open floodgate of savory aromas drifting around from the kitchen, causing drool-type salivation and possible hallucination!  In fact, when the mountainous tray of lasagna was removed from the oven, I fancifully likened it to Mt. Vesuvius about to erupt!  That led me to imagine what the hot, molten ingredients would taste like at this juncture – scalding good and delizioso!

Our hostess tended to her sumptuous chicken marsala while pupus and conversations flowed abundantly around us.

Looking back through the photos, I can’t help but think about the friendships we have forged in this group.  Everyone is special and the love is evident when we are all together.  Some of the Kona Babes live here fulltime, some part time, a few have moved away permanently – it doesn’t matter however;  once a Kona Babe – always a Kona Babe.

The support that we give each other is tremendous and really appreciated.   No matter where we are, the bond of sisterhood is apparent – never to be underestimated.  How lucky are we to have that with our girlfriends?

Back to the party, girlfriends chatted up each other while the men grouped together to discuss – well, who really knows what they discuss!  I looked around the spacious and inviting home and thought that habits never seem to change.  It’s true – Men  are from Mars and Women are from Venus!

You’d think that after plowing through the delectable dinner buffet, there’d be no room at the inn for any dessert!  Wrong!  There were so many tempting choices that most of us forged ahead and piled our plates with **samples** of each item.

(**samples** = ROTFLMAO – an abbreviation apparently overused on Facebook.)

Below, I offer a birds-eye view of the dessert table, before the carnage of flying serving utensils and over-eager diners ravaged the presentation.

We dined on the lanai at various tables.  The quiet hum of individual conversations mixed pleasantly with the balmy evening breeze.  Snapping a couple of photos to preserve the event, I thought that we probably wouldn’t be together like this for awhile as some were (temporarily) leaving the islands within the next few weeks.

As always, the Babes jumped right into the business of cleaning up the evidence of a wonderful evening!  Good food, great friends, an enjoyable evening in Kona – we are so very lucky to be here in paradise!

Mahalos go out to Dossie and Harry for hosting such a  delightful soiree.   It appears they are pros at it and obviously work well together.  Which brings me back to their  current status.  Dossie has kept us updated on the progress of Harry’s recovery.  Her recent email made us all smile at her playful demeanor :

“Yesterday, I gave Harry a shampoo and haircut–outside rinsing with the
hose. It was quite a production. His wounded leg was the only thing dry
at the conclusion. We had to laugh. And no, I had never cut hair before,
but he still is handsome, and so I’m proud of myself.”

Mei related a story about Harry that made us all sit up and take notice!  Just before he left town to join Dossie at their home on the mainland, he golfed (what was possibly) the best game of his life at Kona Country Club in Keauhou.   She recounted that to watch him play was almost like  observing Rembrandt executing a masterpiece.  People on the golf course stopped their game to watch him in action – it was that amazing.  And he knew it too – reliving the moment with friends and so grateful – as if some undeserving gift was bestowed on him.  Shortly thereafter, he suffered the near-fatal car crash.  In retrospect, life hands us the good with the bad, so at the end of the day – all you can do is  experience all that life offers with eyes wide open and full of wonder,  and  cherish those dear to you and hold them close to your heart…