I get together with my good friend Merle every so often.  Our schedules are such that Sunday brunch is usually the best time for us to get together. The last time we got together, we went to Wiki Fresh. (Read  that post here.) This particular morning, we decided to go to Imiloa Sky Garden.  (Previous Sky Garden post)

As I walked in, I passed a table at which my good friend’s parents were sitting and having breakfast.  I got the info on when my friend would be visiting Hilo again from Colorado where she currently lives.I finally made it to our table and sat down with Merle and Erin and we began talking about keeping in shape and traveling, topics that go hand in hand for us.  In order for us to enjoy and fulfill our travel goals, it behooves us to stay healthy and in shape.  As we chatted, we noticed a former colleague of ours coming into the restaurant.  We talked for a few minutes and she told us that they have a small group of people getting together for a surprise birthday celebration for another friend of ours. As that group trickled in, we saw and greeted a couple of other friends we knew.  The count is now up to four unexpected meetings with Hilo friends.We enjoyed the buffet brunch and began digging into our salad, pot stickers, and salt & pepper shrimp.  A few minutes in, the table next to us was seated and we found that it was my high school classmate, Neil having lunch with his father, Myron, who was visiting Hilo from Texas, his current home.  I knew Myron from a lifetime ago when we were both volunteer hunter safety instructors in Hilo. Both Neil and Myron are avid travelers and the travel conversation with Merle and Erin now included Neil and Myron.  Good fun! Now the count of awesome Hilo people hugs is up to six.

As we progressed with our meal, we saw another former colleague.  Marlyn was there for a baby shower and was in a private room so we didn’t see her earlier.  The final count of people we didn’t expect but were happy to hug during our two-hour brunch is seven.  That doesn’t include the very friendly Safeway cashier that we recognized and the owner of Leung’s who was enjoying her meal.  Merle and I decided that if we want to really have a serious and complex conversation about preparing for future travel, we have to do it in a place where we won’t be distracted by the appearance of awesome Hilo people. So lucky to live in Hilo.  Living Hilo Style.