Wifey and I have owned our little condo on Kaheka since it was erected in 1982/1983. Over the ensuing 30 years we have been absent more than resident and during those times we simply rented out the place but always kept it as our fall back for a residence in our (cough) “Golden Years”.

Ours is a great place to live. The neighbors are diverse and interesting. The staff and manager are good people and competent. It’s a friendly building and, while we know more pet names than pet owner’s names, everybody is willing to help each other. There’s plenty of humor and goodwill – the social lubricant that eases the inevitable friction of packing 175 units into a very small footprint. Perhaps most of all, we residents love the garden-like atmosphere of the grounds.

Last Saturday we had condo party to celebrate the unofficially official 30th anniversary of Hale Kaheka. The AOAO Board (of which I am a member) cooked up the scheme and we attacked the advertising and planning of the event with a vengeance because previous social functions during the holiday season were not well attended. We vowed that this production was to be different; an affair to remember if you’ll pardon the shameless movie reference.

It turned great. We got over 2.5x our expected turn out but still had plenty of food and goodies for all. The AOAO provided burgers, hot dogs, potato salad and fixings while enthusiastic “Potluckers” kicked in some of their favorite recipes – they were all tasty! – ranging from kimchee to cheesecake and from pasta to kalua pig. The kids played in the pool while the adults lounged on the lawn under umbrella tables and a canopy area. Many stayed the entire 3 hours of the event.

It was a great day and an exhausting one. Our team of volunteers worked very hard to make everyone welcome. We had door prizes, party favors, a history table extolling the past 30 years of the building and music.

Living in a condo is a compressed lifestyle. You are surrounded by people all the time. Your neighbor’s dinner is your room fragrance for the evening. Privacy is relished and protected as a scarce commodity. That’s part of the challenge to break through and get folks to mingle and it’s a great thing to see folks come together as a condo ‘ohana and spend an afternoon talking story, eating, laughing and reaffirming the bonds of a common residence. Good fun.