Resting in Peace

Life does not cease to be funny when people die any more than it ceases to be serious when people laugh.

-George Bernard Shaw

 

This bit of lava graffiti, placed on the side of the road near the Four Seasons Hualalai, caused a blend of mystery and cheer late last week, as friends began arriving on the Kona Coast.  Plans had been made to scatter the last bit of Armand Singer's ashes atop Mauna Kea on Saturday and Mondo was one of Armand's nicknames. The other Mondo, remains a mystery.

Starting out just after 7am on Saturday, six of us piled into a borrowed 4 wheel drive SUV and very comfortably began our ascent from sea level, up to the world's tallest mountain. We stopped at the visitor information station for a half hour altitude adjustment and then resumed "the climb".

The clean air and bright sky assured us that we were in the right place at the right time, something first stated by a white owl that flew in front of us, lower down the mountain.

At the summit, surrounded by observatories built to focus far out into space, we stopped and cast Armand's remaining ashes to randomly settle into the earth forever.

We descended slowly to spend the rest of the day at  Mauna Kea Beach. It was a day of extremes: sea level to mountain top, crisp cold air and warm ocean breezes, laughter and tears. At the end, laughter prevailed.

Armand's mountain climbing buddy, Larry Schwab, has said that Armand had been to the highest points in all fifty states. On Saturday, Armand's daughter Ann (pictured above) took him back to the highest point in the 50th state and the tallest mountain in the world. Mondo, rests in peace.



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 ~Photo of "R.I.P. Mondo" by Francesco Pierre-Nina, The Tanzania Safari Company
~Photo of the mountain tops was taken with my iPhone from a moving vehicle. :D
~Photo of Annie, grabbed from my Flip camcorder.

Mahalo to Jim and Karen Gremp for the use of their vehicle!