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?