Haena State Park on Kauai, Part 1

Sometimes, things work out better than you dare to dream

At the end of my first memoir, Freckled: a Memoir of Growing Up Wild in Hawaii,​ I visited the “Forest House” cottage with Mom as it lay rotting and crushed under the branches of an enormous invasive monkeypod tree, being eaten alive by the jungle (read that post here.)

I concluded the memoir with the thought that at least the house’s bones would become part of a park to benefit everyone, and not just a rich man's back yard. That was enough of a happy ending for me. But it turns out, that wasn’t the end of the Forest House (officially named Montgomery House) after all. 

Several years ago, a friend forwarded me a Facebook post written by one of the archaeologists working for the state park system. I’ve never met Alan Carpenter, but I feel as if I know this thoughtful, self-deprecating family man who goes above and beyond in his dedication to his Hawaii state archaeology and park resource management job. He is a living example that one person, properly placed, can make a huge difference.

…