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Elizabeth Weintraub
Photos and Video of 12 Meter Cliff Jumping at South Point Hawaii
Vika Gerassimenko after cliff jumping at South Point Hawaii
Cliff jumping at South Point Hawaii was not one of my dreams. However, because exclusive buyer’s agent Josh Amolsch and his beautiful fiancée Vika Gerassimenko are visiting us over the Labor Day weekend at our house in Hawaii, we supported Vika’s leap off the cliff at South Point. As I explained in the car, if somebody was chasing me, firing a gun in my direction and threatening to kill me, I might find a reason to leap off this cliff. Otherwise, no.
But cliff jumping at South Point was a goal Vika needed to accomplish. I can understand that. We all have goals we want to achieve in life. It is very important that once we picture a goal in our minds that we realize our dream. The thing is anything you can imagine you can pretty much do, within the realm of reason. I say this because I might say I want to dance on the head of a pin, and I know that won’t happen. OK, maybe a pinhead. I would dance on a pinhead. I know a lot of pinheads. Sorry to admit.
Josh Amolsch jumps off the cliff at South Point Hawaii
I would be remiss if I didn’t say that I was unaware that Josh opted in for cliff jumping at South Point. After all, like he put it, if Vika jumps and he does not, I would write about it, even though I assured him I would not need to point out that fact. In any case, I suspect Vika encouraged him to take a risk, to put his life at risk, and to engage in cliff jumping at South Point. Although, after watching his face when he emerged from the water, well, let’s just say he was stoked.
Vika Gerassimenko, Elizabeth Weintraub and Josh Amolsch at South Point Hawaii
Here are the three of us after both Vika and Josh had completed cliff jumping at South Point Hawaii. I’m such a short little squeak sandwiched between these two giants. There are so many ways to die that I don’t need to elaborate. I am reminded of it every day. Like how the poet Tom Clark, buddy of Allen Ginsberg, was killed after walking a few blocks from his home in Berkeley when he was hit by a car. Stuff happens every day that we can’t always anticipate or prevent.
Cliff diving at South Point Hawaii? Well, it’s preventable. However, if you’re really into the excitement of it all, here is a video of Josh Amolsch leaping into the abyss:
Realtor Day Off at A-Bay Waikoloa, Hawaii
What should we do on our Realtor Day Off? Exclusive buyer’s agent Josh Amolsch and his fiancée, Vika, had several choices of things to do yesterday. That was their first full day visiting Adam and Elizabeth Weintraub at their house in Hawaii. With Labor Day approaching, and our fall market about to commence the week after, going to Hawaii sounded like an excellent plan. Choosing an activity was more difficult than putting together our game plan, though.
There are so many things to do on the Big Island. Last year I dragged my husband to my old haunts at The Marriott Waikoloa Beach north of Kona. We figured it was an experience Josh and Vika would appreciate as well.
The first stop was the free parking lot at the Lava Lava Beach Club where we would have lunch. Signs all over said No Beach Parking. People follow signs in Hawaii. OK, clarification: tourists do. This is one of my favorite spots for lunch. Although the menu has changed quite a bit. They used to feature lunch specials with a grilled fish platter, but no more.
When I say it is Realtor Day Off, I mean it was Thursday. It doesn’t necessarily mean that we Sacramento real estate agents take off for the day. But it means we might not be glued to our computer so much, and we try to slip in a little bit of fun. Look at how quiet and calm the view to the south appears. Not a big crowd for a Thursday.
After lunch involving sandwiches, salads, and I was lucky enough to get a Tahitian Limeaid, which was very good, we sauntered down the old ruins path. This is a paved path that leads to ancient ruins, plenty of tropical vegetation and the cats of the Waikoloa Canoe Club at Anaeho’omalu Bay. My favorite one-eyed cat was gone. Looked like a new litter.
We ended up at the beach in front of the Marriott. All beaches in Hawaii are public. These guys in front of us were fishing for halalu. These are juvenile akule or bigeye. At first I thought maybe they were catching the fish for bait but no. It was dinner. To feed their family. Fry up with a little oil, the guy said. And man, were they hauling them in. Hundreds. July and August are popular months to catch these little fish.
On our way back to Kona, I asked Adam to keep an eye out for traffic on the side of the road near the 82nd marker on the Queen Kaahumanu Highway. A few days back, I read in West Hawaii Today that tourists were stopping along the highway to observe a lava tube there. A million times I’ve driven that stretch and not noticed. WHT reported that some people crossed the highway by wandering into on-going traffic while looking at their phones.
The lava tube was created by the 1801 Huehue lava flow from Hualalai. Here I am crouching down while Adam shoots the tube. Can’t wait to see what we come up with to do today since Realtor Day Off is over.
Exclusive Buyer’s Agent Josh Amolsch Arrives in Kona!
We’re so excited that our exclusive buyer’s agent Josh Amolsch arrived in Kona yesterday with the beautiful Vika! This is the first time that my husband and I have had the opportunity to welcome guests during our stay at our house in Hawaii. We tell all of our friends that they can come to visit us anytime but so far nobody has taken us up on that offer.
Of course, I have gone to Hawaii with exclusive buyer’s agent Barbara Dow in the past, but that was before we bought our house. Being with Barbara in Maui was a blast. One summer, Barbara and I spent 10 glorious days on the top floor of the Fairmont in Wailea on the lovely island of Maui. I will always treasure those memories and photos. See, the thing about the Elizabeth Weintraub Team is everybody is like family to me. We are not just real estate agents in Sacramento. We share common values and believe in always, without fail, doing the right thing.
For the clients who have been fortunate to work with our exclusive buyer’s agent Josh Amolsch, well, I hear over and over how grateful they felt working with Josh. He always goes that extra step. Each client is unique and special. Plus, Josh has an abundance of compassion for our clients. He loves to receive 5-star reviews from his buyers and works tirelessly toward that goal.
Sure, he might be a punk rock star at times, playing lead guitar at clubs about town in his spare time, but his heart is in real estate. Doesn’t matter if he’s selling million-dollar homes in El Dorado Hills or an investment property in Oak Park, I never tire of listening to his successes. His eyes light up when he talks about how much money he saved his buyers. He prides himself on his ability to negotiate, and we often discuss strategies together. He soaks up knowledge like a sponge.
If you’re looking for exclusive buyer’s agent Josh Amolsch and wondering why he doesn’t answer his phone at 8 AM, it’s because Hawaii does not adhere to daylight saving. We are three hours behind California. We are still working through the Labor Day weekend, even though we are all in Kona. More adventures are sure to follow.
Fishing in Kona with Captain Bobby on the Cherry Pit
Elizabeth Weintraub caught an Ono fishing in Kona.
When my friend Linda mentioned she had plans to go fishing in Kona, I pretty much invited myself to go along. She seemed a bit surprised to learn that I love to fish. Perhaps because I am more of a lake fishing person than an ocean sea-going mama. Although, I did go deep-sea fishing 7 years ago in Kona on the Fire Hatt with Captain Chuck.
Above is my 21-pound ono. I’d like to say I caught it but the truth is the boat catches the fish. I just reeled it in. We don’t bait our own hooks and we don’t pull our fish out of the water. Captain Bobby on the Cherry Pit handles the entire boat without a deck hand, and that is part of his duties.
But hey, this is the fish I caught. And you should note that I am not left holding the bloody head like my friends. Nope, I got the slimy tail to hold.
Sunrise over Hualalai fishing in Kona
This fishing in Kona trip was set up by Vern Bowen from Roseville, CA. Vern and his wife Pam are a hoot. Last enjoyed their company during the Sunday Stroll in Kailua Village. They used to live next door to Linda in Roseville, but then Linda moved back to Kona. Small world. Only deal was we had to be at Honokohau Harbor by 5:00 AM.
As we chugged over small waves heading north along the shoreline, I watched the water curl into those unnatural pointy shapes you see in bad oil paintings. Every white crest resembled a shark. I was definitely hallucinating and this was not my free flash back we were promised and never got.
Linda Lynn caught an Ono fishing in Kona.
Linda made it look so easy when she reeled in her ono. That fish practically swam toward the boat. Captain Bobby said the stripes on the ono tend to fade once they are out of the water for a while. In fact, Linda’s ono had more stripes than my Ono but hers weighed a little under 12 pounds.
Vern Bowen pulled in a male mahi-mahi fishing in Kona.
When we saw this fish that Vern caught with live bait, we didn’t know what it was. Despite the fact that the back of Vern’s shirt features an illustration of mahi-mahi eating small fish. But yes, it is a very emerald green and glittery fish. Their brilliant color fades after it is out of the water.
Vern Bowen caught the biggest Ono fishing in Kona.
Here is Vern’s 23-pound ono. We trolled with lures for a long time. Probably left the harbor around 5:45 and headed north toward the airport, arriving near the Makai Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion Plant. That structure, which turns sea water into energy, was part of our visit to the Kona Natural Energy Laboratory tours a year ago.
Vern and Pam Bowen, Elizabeth Weintraub and Linda Lynn pose with ono and mahi-mahi from fishing in Kona.
Right after I reeled in my ono, I began to feel a bit seasick. It was tough reeling it in. Toward the end, I was doing a two-fisted reel, and then I collapsed on the bench, panting. Still, I would do it again. Fishing in Kona is one of the great experiences in life. Now we have fresh fish to serve our houseguests, Josh Almosch and Vika, when they arrive in Kona today.
If you don’t know, Josh is an exclusive buyer’s agent on the Elizabeth Weintraub Team. Work hard. Play hard.
Hawaii Finches and Visit to Poi Dog Deli
For a Monday leading up to Labor Day weekend, it was very busy for Sacramento real estate as well as visiting Poi Dog Deli. Worked on 3 offers yesterday. Two I am certain are moving into escrow for my sellers and the third sale has a better than average chance of acceptance as well. Usually this time of year the market slows until the weekend after Labor Day weekend. At which point, I will be back in Sacramento.
Seemed like a good time to try out Poi Dog Deli. We’ve watched them put up the signage for this place and waited a long time for it to open. It is across the street from Safeway on Henry Street. Henry Street is named after a famous person in Kailua-Kona. Henry Opukaha’ia, who is credited with bringing missionaries in 1820 to Hawaii to convert native Hawaiians to Christianity.
Although I had good intentions to visit Poi Dog Deli during my last trip to Kona in June, just never got around to it. Always so much to do in paradise. Since I’m going fishing today, though, seemed like a good place to pick up a sandwich for the boat. So we popped over yesterday for lunch and to get a take-out. I really had my eye on the Pig Notorious, but it’s hot sandwich and I preferred a cold sandwich for the fishing charter.
The bacon-and-turkey sandwich filled the bill. Plus, Poi Dog Deli gives you a homemade pickle. It’s worth going there for lunch just for the pickles. You can also choose from a good selection of beers. I opted for a salad with a generous scoop of chicken salad, oranges, strawberries and half an avocado. Did I mention the Voodoo HOT potato chips?
Felt like somebody dug through my old record collections from the 1960s and plastered them on the walls. Allen Toussaint, Jefferson Airplane, Chuck Berry and Janis Joplin. There is also an element of New Orleans on the walls.
Then I spent a good part of the afternoon working on identifying this bird in the photo above. It is a photo I shot at Kailua Village Sunday Stroll of saffron finches and pigeons scurrying below the lava wall pecking seed. In the center of this photo is an odd bird out. He has a black cap, a gray body, white blotches on his cheeks and a red beak.
I’m the kind of person who cannot let this go. I need to identify that bird. And I finally did. It is a Java Finch. Sometimes referred to as a Java Sparrow or Paddy bird. Do you see him in the photo?
