Susan Huestis Carter

Profile Updated: September 7, 2018
Susan Huestis
Residing In Pahoa, HI USA
Spouse/Partner Dennis Carter
Children Troy Ablan, born 1977
Yes! Attending Reunion
Comments

I attended Macalester College for a year, then married Ken Ablan (class of 1967) and moved to Germany. I worked at my family businesses after coming back to Minnesota. Our son Troy was born in 1977. We moved to Missouri and built a house of red cedar logs and native stone on Bull Shoals Lake. I was a Relief Teaching Parent at the Methodist Children’s Home in Little Rock AR. I worked in the cutting office of a shirt factory. After some accounting and word processing classes, I had my own office working for the CFO of a boat trailer company. We divorced after 20 years. My son and I moved back to MN. Again I worked at the family businesses since 1989, as the Commercial Real Estate Broker and CFO.

I married Dennis Carter in 1992. In 2004, we restored an 1886 home, turning it into a Bed & Breakfast in Saint Paul for six years. After our “Once in a Lifetime” vacation in Hawaii, we put our house on the market in 2008. In 2010 we moved Dennis and all the furniture to a rental home near Pahoa Hawaii, which we used as a B&B for six years. I still had to work full time in MN and only vacation in HI, working remotely in MN. I managed the websites and the reservations. As Dennis has said, he cooked the food and I cooked the books. Our house finally sold in 2014. Our final commercial building sold in 2016, and we got the notice to vacate from the rental in HI. We are so glad to be done with all the B&B issues.

I found a small one level home on one acre with an ocean view in Leilani Estates online, which we closed on before I even actually stepped foot into it. We love it, never wanting to move again. I left MN in late September 2016. I’m not totally retired, but working remotely very part time this year to finish up MN issues.

Starting on Monday, April 30th, 2018, we felt multiple minor earthquakes at our home in Leilani Estates near Pahoa Hawaii, which was a new experience for me. Due to new fissures and toxic gases, on May 3rd we were required to evacuate and took whatever we could fit into our car. Happily, about 25 miles away our very good friends in Hilo had a room for us in their home that used to be a B&B. We are so grateful and fortunate, especially compared to other displaced families. Our outside cat would not have wanted to be kidnapped, so a new open bag of cat food and lots of water was left on our lanai. The next day a 5.4 and then a 6.9 earthquake really shook the house in Hilo, which was much more vibration than we had ever experienced.

We attempted to return home when only residents were allowed on Sunday, May 6th. We were told that the power had been turned off in our area. Lava had crossed the main road and fumes coming out of cracks in the side roads were too scary for me then.

Tuesday we carefully crossed some road cracks for a short distance and made it back for another carload. Our cat was there to loudly reprimand us for being gone, and soon took off. There was still plenty of cat food and water. We had just recently filled our home freezer with meat, so we ordered a new freezer to be delivered to where we were staying. We got another carload Wednesday. I left Dennis in Hilo to take delivery of the freezer on Thursday, May 10th. The billows of smoke coming out of the “best” side road just west of fissure 9 we had been using, Moku, were so thick I could not see ahead, but I just sped on through, since I was so determined to empty the freezer (which had stayed mostly frozen). Our Malama Street surface was still fine. Most of the greenery had turned yellow from the toxic fumes.

Since I had a chronic cough afterwards, I decided it was not worth another trip. We had what we needed and then some, and we are safe in Hilo. The roads are all blocked now. Daily we go online to see the updated maps, recent news, and videos. The lava continues to flow northeast before heading to the ocean and we are southeast of the current main fissure 8, which is still going crazy. So far our house has been spared. So many have been destroyed. We just have to wait until Pele, the volcano goddess, stops fuming.

The lava was flowing 26,000 gallons per second, and destroyed 720 homes. Ours is still standing, but not habitable, so we moved everything to another home in a safer zone. Then the lava flow paused in our old neighborhood. We look forward to unpacking in our new home after the reunion.

Susan's Latest Interactions

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Jul 01, 2023 at 3:33 AM
Jul 01, 2022 at 3:33 AM
Jul 01, 2021 at 3:33 AM
Jul 01, 2020 at 3:33 AM
Susan Huestis Carter posted a message. New comment added.
Dec 16, 2019 at 3:46 PM

Posted on: Dec 16, 2019 at 1:51 PM

So glad to see that you signed up. Our houses on Sibley Highway have sold many times since we lived there. We missed you at the reunions and hope you will be able to come in the future.

Jul 01, 2019 at 3:34 AM
Susan Huestis Carter added a photo to her profile gallery.
Sep 07, 2018 at 9:03 AM
Ready for the season to begin while visiting Minnesota.
Sep 07, 2018 at 8:58 AM
Susan Huestis Carter has a birthday today. New comment added.
Sep 08, 2018 at 12:11 PM

Posted on: Jul 01, 2018 at 3:33 AM

Susan Huestis Carter added a photo to her profile gallery.
Jun 24, 2018 at 2:21 AM
Dennis, Troy Ablan, & Susie August 2015. The photo made me look thin and I'm not.
Susan Huestis Carter added a photo to her profile gallery.
Jun 24, 2018 at 2:09 AM
Susie and Dennis July 2017.
Susan Huestis Carter added a photo to her profile gallery.
Jun 24, 2018 at 2:07 AM
This is 3 years ago.
Susan Huestis Carter changed her profile picture.
Jun 24, 2018 at 2:04 AM
Susan Huestis Carter added a photo to her profile gallery. New comment added.
Jun 25, 2018 at 11:10 PM

Posted on: Jun 23, 2018 at 4:11 AM

This shows Fissure 8 about 1/2 mile from our house, 160' high and growing. We did not expect a new volcano in our neighborhood.
Susan Huestis Carter added a photo to her profile gallery. New comment added.
Jun 24, 2018 at 2:19 PM

Posted on: Jun 06, 2018 at 3:14 AM

Map of recent lava flow. Fissure 8 is about 1/2 mile from our home.
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Posted: Sep 07, 2018 at 9:08 AM
Ready for the season to begin while visiting Minnesota.
Posted: Jun 24, 2018 at 2:25 AM
Dennis, Troy Ablan, & Susie August 2015. The photo made me look thin and I'm not.
Posted: Dec 16, 2019 at 4:21 PM
Susie and Dennis July 2017.
Posted: Jun 24, 2018 at 3:04 AM
This is 3 years ago.
Posted: Jun 24, 2018 at 6:09 PM
This shows Fissure 8 about 1/2 mile from our house, 160' high and growing. We did not expect a new volcano in our neighborhood.
Posted: Jun 24, 2018 at 6:09 PM
Map of recent lava flow. Fissure 8 is about 1/2 mile from our home.