It's been raining like crazy these past few days, even more than the usual rainy amount we get on this wet side of the island. Got another 4" just today, and it wasn't even raining nearly as hard as it has been!! Everything's growing madly - it's a jungle out there! Some of our screenhouse plants are not enjoying the extra humidity levels though (it hovers between 86-98%) and are succumbing to various humidity-related diseases, especially the tomatoes. We're still getting a few but I think I'll replant them with a more resistant variety. I need a bigger screenhouse already! The green beans have reached the ceiling and are cascading back down and the snap peas are following suit. It's an 8-foot ceiling, by the way!! We need a step stool just to pick vegies for our dinner!
The baby White Pearl chicks have graduated to the big pen with the others. Everybody seems to be getting along just fine, establishing their pecking order and squawking over the coconut halves that Mike splits open for them every couple days. It'll be another few months before we start getting eggs from these birds.
I had to pack away most of our books to protect them from the high humidity. I'm having a heck of a time keeping the mildew in check in the studio side of the house. The older hale/guest house side doesn't have as much trouble with this, probably because there's less stuff in it, but also because it has dried out over the years. This is the first winter for living in the studio and it hasn't quite dried out all the way after the drenching it got during construction! It's odd for me to not have a bookcase full of favorites and references ready at hand. We bought some shallow plastic storage bins, fixed weatherstripping along the rim of each to create an airtight seal, and added in silica desiccant along with the books. I can still get to them, but it's a bit more hassle. Better than losing them to the moisture though! We've done this for other susceptible items as well; it really helps. In our 'real' house, we are going to build a 'dry room' big enough to be a library too. Don't know when that'll be, but I'm having fun drawing up plans for it. :-)
Still not missing the snow. There's snow on Mauna Kea, almost a foot last I heard, and everyone's excited to see it. Hope everyone's surviving the winter weather in whatever form it takes in your area.
Here's wishing you all a Happy New Year in 2009!
Aloha, Liz
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Going Into Winter
Aloha One & All~
I have a few minutes while the brownies are baking (for the beach day potluck) to get you caught up with the latest. After a long bout of the flu and subsequent sinus infection, I'm feeling much better these days, almost back to my normal amount of energy. The winter season is definitely here with our nighttime temperatures dipping down to - don't sip anything hot - 60*. I know, I know, but it really does feel chilly! With the humidity up to 97% at night, it gets to us. I guess we're thoroughly acclimatized.
Last week we attended a very interesting talk at the Lyman Museum in Hilo, 'Growing Vanilla in Hawaii'. Actually, the speaker went into various cultivation methods that he's seen around the world. He and his wife (who was sitting right behind us) run a good-sized vanilla farm up north in the Hamakua mauka (upcountry) area. They are also a homeschooling family, so we had fun talking to them about that as well. It's amazing how much time goes in to vanilla production! For example, did you know that a vanilla flower only blooms for 4 hours, during which time it must be fertilized by hand? It takes 9 months to grow a vanilla bean from the time it's fertilized,and another 9 months for the curing process. So although vanilla is productive year-round, it's no wonder the cost for the real stuff is so high. And well worth it too, in my opinion, since the imitation product is made from wood pulp - yech!
I'm taking a Hawaiian Herbal Medicine course, taught by David Bruce Leonard who wrote the book Medicine at Your Feet. This class is just what I've been looking for! I am finally learning who all these green growing things are and what they can be used for. He takes us on herb-walks, too, and forest hikes, as well as classroom time. And the emphasis is not just on endemic plants or just on Polynesian introductions, but on everything that grows here which makes so much more sense from a food and herbal perspective. So I'm finally recognizing some of the 'weeds' in the yard and finding uses for them which, of course, brings them out of the weed category. And I'm finding some cool new places to hike!
Our chickens are all growing fast. Haven't lost a single one which is something of a minor miracle in these parts from what we've heard. Mike's mongoose-proof fencing is working like a charm, and we often hear very frustrated mongoose swearing at us from the jungle! We can see where they've tried to dig through the cinder to get under the fence, but with that extra skirting around it, they can't get through. Every few days, Mike will chop a coconut in half and lay it out in the chicken yard; chickens love coconut! And they've learned that the greens we toss in are not going to attack them after all but actually taste pretty good. Silly birds. Fresh eggs are still months away - sigh. But fresh produce from the screenhouse is ongoing! We've had 4 pickings of green beans already, and loads of lettuce, mizuna and cucumbers for salads. A few stray strawberries now and then. The bok choi is all done and the peas have yet to bloom. I declare this screenhouse experiment a complete success!
Pahoa had its annual Christmas Parade yesterday. This brought home to us the fact that we've lived here for over a year now. Events are starting to repeat themselves. Picture of last year's parade are on my Picasa page; I didn't bring a camera this time. But here is a wonderful little local news video of the parade: http://www.bigislandvideonews.com/puna/20081206pahoaparade.htm
(You can see us standing in the background once in a while! We're leaning against the yellow building across the street from the judge's stand, along with good friend Willow. At the very end is the easiest to see us.)
Oh, the brownies are done - time to get ready for Beach Day! Gotta smear on the sunscreen, fold up the beach chairs, and sort out the snorkel gear. I don't miss the snow one bit!
Aloha,
Liz
I have a few minutes while the brownies are baking (for the beach day potluck) to get you caught up with the latest. After a long bout of the flu and subsequent sinus infection, I'm feeling much better these days, almost back to my normal amount of energy. The winter season is definitely here with our nighttime temperatures dipping down to - don't sip anything hot - 60*. I know, I know, but it really does feel chilly! With the humidity up to 97% at night, it gets to us. I guess we're thoroughly acclimatized.
Last week we attended a very interesting talk at the Lyman Museum in Hilo, 'Growing Vanilla in Hawaii'. Actually, the speaker went into various cultivation methods that he's seen around the world. He and his wife (who was sitting right behind us) run a good-sized vanilla farm up north in the Hamakua mauka (upcountry) area. They are also a homeschooling family, so we had fun talking to them about that as well. It's amazing how much time goes in to vanilla production! For example, did you know that a vanilla flower only blooms for 4 hours, during which time it must be fertilized by hand? It takes 9 months to grow a vanilla bean from the time it's fertilized,and another 9 months for the curing process. So although vanilla is productive year-round, it's no wonder the cost for the real stuff is so high. And well worth it too, in my opinion, since the imitation product is made from wood pulp - yech!
I'm taking a Hawaiian Herbal Medicine course, taught by David Bruce Leonard who wrote the book Medicine at Your Feet. This class is just what I've been looking for! I am finally learning who all these green growing things are and what they can be used for. He takes us on herb-walks, too, and forest hikes, as well as classroom time. And the emphasis is not just on endemic plants or just on Polynesian introductions, but on everything that grows here which makes so much more sense from a food and herbal perspective. So I'm finally recognizing some of the 'weeds' in the yard and finding uses for them which, of course, brings them out of the weed category. And I'm finding some cool new places to hike!
Our chickens are all growing fast. Haven't lost a single one which is something of a minor miracle in these parts from what we've heard. Mike's mongoose-proof fencing is working like a charm, and we often hear very frustrated mongoose swearing at us from the jungle! We can see where they've tried to dig through the cinder to get under the fence, but with that extra skirting around it, they can't get through. Every few days, Mike will chop a coconut in half and lay it out in the chicken yard; chickens love coconut! And they've learned that the greens we toss in are not going to attack them after all but actually taste pretty good. Silly birds. Fresh eggs are still months away - sigh. But fresh produce from the screenhouse is ongoing! We've had 4 pickings of green beans already, and loads of lettuce, mizuna and cucumbers for salads. A few stray strawberries now and then. The bok choi is all done and the peas have yet to bloom. I declare this screenhouse experiment a complete success!
Pahoa had its annual Christmas Parade yesterday. This brought home to us the fact that we've lived here for over a year now. Events are starting to repeat themselves. Picture of last year's parade are on my Picasa page; I didn't bring a camera this time. But here is a wonderful little local news video of the parade: http://www.bigislandvideonews.com/puna/20081206pahoaparade.htm
(You can see us standing in the background once in a while! We're leaning against the yellow building across the street from the judge's stand, along with good friend Willow. At the very end is the easiest to see us.)
Oh, the brownies are done - time to get ready for Beach Day! Gotta smear on the sunscreen, fold up the beach chairs, and sort out the snorkel gear. I don't miss the snow one bit!
Aloha,
Liz
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Happy Thanksgiving!
I'll be roasting a turkey tomorrow, along with Portuguese sausage-cornbread stuffing. Mike requested mashed potatoes & gravy, and my favorite pumpkin pie for dessert. Also on the menu for the feast are fresh green beans and a green salad from the screenhouse, chunky cranberry sauce, my well-loved cranberry bread. Mike's brother Matt will be flying in from Maui to join us for the long weekend so we're hoping for a let up in the rain long enough to do some fun sight-seeing while he's here.
We have guests arriving the day after Thanksgiving - get this: They are from Bonners Ferry too, but didn't realize we also were until well after the booking! We have mutual friends back there and have heard eachother's names before, and maybe we do know eachother but never put the names with the faces... It will be fun to find out! After these folks leave, we have a bit of space with no bookings; if it stays that way, we plan on getting some house projects done.
Oh, a couple days ago we took a trip to the nearby Rozett's Nursery and came away with two new fruit trees to plant: a Brown Turkey fig, and a calamondon. The latter is a small citrus that is a cross between a lime and a kumquat, very juicy and sweet-tart, excellent for juice and pretty darn good in a gin and tonic, too. Good thing it produces year-round! And the flowers smell heavenly so we're planting it upwind of the bedrooms. Mmmmm....
Here's wishing each of you a very Happy Thanksgiving, wherever and however you're spending it!
Aloha,
Liz
We have guests arriving the day after Thanksgiving - get this: They are from Bonners Ferry too, but didn't realize we also were until well after the booking! We have mutual friends back there and have heard eachother's names before, and maybe we do know eachother but never put the names with the faces... It will be fun to find out! After these folks leave, we have a bit of space with no bookings; if it stays that way, we plan on getting some house projects done.
Oh, a couple days ago we took a trip to the nearby Rozett's Nursery and came away with two new fruit trees to plant: a Brown Turkey fig, and a calamondon. The latter is a small citrus that is a cross between a lime and a kumquat, very juicy and sweet-tart, excellent for juice and pretty darn good in a gin and tonic, too. Good thing it produces year-round! And the flowers smell heavenly so we're planting it upwind of the bedrooms. Mmmmm....
Here's wishing each of you a very Happy Thanksgiving, wherever and however you're spending it!
Aloha,
Liz
Saturday, November 8, 2008
We've Got Chickens!
Well, actually what we've got is baby chicks. Three of them are Auracanas, the kind that lay those blue-green eggs. And the newest ones are Pearl Leghorns, they look just like Easter chicks! We got 4 of those. Since these babies are a couple weeks apart in age, they are in separate brooder cages for now, the older ones on the porch and the littles in the livingroom. Eventually, they will all occupy the coop together. In the meantime, we are baby-sitting some young hens while their person is away on the mainland for 5 weeks. So there are definitely chickens in my life again!
The screenhouse grows like the jungle that surrounds it, giving us plenty of greens these days. Tomatoes and cucumbers are setting fruits; the green beans are blossoming and have reached the roof already! Snap peas, carrots, basil, broccoli are all doing really well. Everything else is pretty small still, but it's all getting bigger every day. The rain barrel drip system is working great. The only glitch was yesterday when it didn't get turned off after the timer rang; by the time we thought about it again - you guessed it - the barrel was empty and the beds were very well watered! We were very glad to hear the rains last night!
This evening we will be attending the first get-together of our International Cooking Group. I think there are 20 or so people due to show up, all bringing dishes from host Noel's chosen region: Shanghai, China. I'm in the middle of a major lumpia-making project, so if this post seems a little disjointed it's because I have to keep jumping up the turn them as they cook. I made a test batch a couple weeks ago - thought it would be a good idea since I'd never made them before - and they turned out ono (delicious)! A little plum sauce for dipping and, my oh my, what a yummy appetizer.
The bookings for the vacation rental keep trickling in. We just had a local family and their inlaws from O'ahu, with a cute little 1-year-old girl. Today, a guy who used to live in Pahoa arrived with a couple colleagues for a longer stay while they all attend a teacher training conference. Then some of Mom's friends from Bellingham will spend a night with us! And right after that we have some folks from Bonners Ferry coming to look for land to buy!! That gets us through November with flying colors! After that, there's a big blank until mid-February, but I have a feeling it won't stay that way for long: we seem to get lots of bookings just a few weeks ahead. And we already have a whole batch for the springtime. Interesting business we're in these days... I really enjoy meeting our guests from all over the world.
We'll be taking the homeschool group on a hike to Kaloli Point next week, weather permitting. It's not necessarily that rainy weather would stop us - we're all used to the 'kisses from heaven' - but if there's a storm or big waves from something out at sea, I wouldn't want to take kids out there. It's a lovely wild area of cliffs and rocks, tidepools and freshwater springs, all backed by jungle and the old ancient trail. My kind of place!
May you each find your kind of place and fun things to do!
Aloha, Liz
The screenhouse grows like the jungle that surrounds it, giving us plenty of greens these days. Tomatoes and cucumbers are setting fruits; the green beans are blossoming and have reached the roof already! Snap peas, carrots, basil, broccoli are all doing really well. Everything else is pretty small still, but it's all getting bigger every day. The rain barrel drip system is working great. The only glitch was yesterday when it didn't get turned off after the timer rang; by the time we thought about it again - you guessed it - the barrel was empty and the beds were very well watered! We were very glad to hear the rains last night!
This evening we will be attending the first get-together of our International Cooking Group. I think there are 20 or so people due to show up, all bringing dishes from host Noel's chosen region: Shanghai, China. I'm in the middle of a major lumpia-making project, so if this post seems a little disjointed it's because I have to keep jumping up the turn them as they cook. I made a test batch a couple weeks ago - thought it would be a good idea since I'd never made them before - and they turned out ono (delicious)! A little plum sauce for dipping and, my oh my, what a yummy appetizer.
The bookings for the vacation rental keep trickling in. We just had a local family and their inlaws from O'ahu, with a cute little 1-year-old girl. Today, a guy who used to live in Pahoa arrived with a couple colleagues for a longer stay while they all attend a teacher training conference. Then some of Mom's friends from Bellingham will spend a night with us! And right after that we have some folks from Bonners Ferry coming to look for land to buy!! That gets us through November with flying colors! After that, there's a big blank until mid-February, but I have a feeling it won't stay that way for long: we seem to get lots of bookings just a few weeks ahead. And we already have a whole batch for the springtime. Interesting business we're in these days... I really enjoy meeting our guests from all over the world.
We'll be taking the homeschool group on a hike to Kaloli Point next week, weather permitting. It's not necessarily that rainy weather would stop us - we're all used to the 'kisses from heaven' - but if there's a storm or big waves from something out at sea, I wouldn't want to take kids out there. It's a lovely wild area of cliffs and rocks, tidepools and freshwater springs, all backed by jungle and the old ancient trail. My kind of place!
May you each find your kind of place and fun things to do!
Aloha, Liz
Monday, October 20, 2008
More Pics!
Bike Ride to the Coast - and one of our favorite spots to hang out on a hot afternoon.
Volcano Park Backcountry - an area we never knew about, a new favorite spot!
Enjoy!
Volcano Park Backcountry - an area we never knew about, a new favorite spot!
Enjoy!
Friday, October 17, 2008
Screenhouse Pictures
By popular request, the photos are now ready. Come and see our latest project!
Already the plants in these pictures - taken last week - are at least twice as big! They love it out there and so do we. :-)
Already the plants in these pictures - taken last week - are at least twice as big! They love it out there and so do we. :-)
Monday, October 13, 2008
October Full Moon
Okay, I can't keep away forever! Got just enough replies to my plea for conversation, so here I am again, ready to send out my news.
Life is good. We are doing well. I am doing well. This little place feels more and more like home. :-)
It's so fun being able to garden year-round! Sure takes the pressure off, as opposed to getting it all done in a 3-month growing season. We've been filling up the screenhouse with tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans, carrots, mizuna, lettuces, bok choi, cilantro, eggplant, a watermelon, strawberries, green onions, basil. They are growing like mad once they get transplanted into the wonderful jungle compost and cinder mix. The screenhouse is a lovely place to spend a morning or evening, puttering about, watering and weeding, all tucked away in an opening in the ohia trees with huge tangly ferns all around. It's like a greenhouse but with screened walls; no need for extra heat, just for rain and bug protection. There's a nice little rain barrel for the drip-watering system.
Sometimes I truly forget what time of year it is. The season changes here are so subtle, not like in Idaho where it kinda hits you over the head with its drama! The rainy season approaches and we will notice that. The rains aren't as bad as the cold, for me, but hopefully it won't be quite as inundating as last year. One of the signs of fall and winter here is the return of the humpback whales - and they've been sighted already! Yesterday, we drove out to one of our favorite areas, Kaimu, to enjoy the old lava fields, the ocean, and look for whales - didn't see any but it was a perfectly lovely day anyway.
Let's see, what else occupies my time? I'm taking country line-dance classes. What a hoot! And what great exercise! At least it's not all country music. Still active with the local homeschool group: helping with Teen Lit Club, which I love (currently reading The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde); and mentoring parents who need a little boost or ideas to make it work. We'll be leading the group on an adventure hike out to Kaloli Point in a couple days, to explore tidepools and watch for whales.
The vacation rental business is still trickling in; we get about 1 booking a month these days. In between reservations, we take down the connecting door between the hale and the studio and spread out a bit: I set up my worktable in the Sunrise Room and get out the sewing machine, paints, or crafts, and enjoy a nice workspace. I do my morning stretches in the Orchid Room, our old bedroom - such a pleasant place in the early mornings where I can watch the sun rise. The studio is nice too, so when we contract back into this smaller space, it's fine. It's an interesting way to live...
The volcano starts and stops; Pele is turning over in her sleep. The lava flow continues it's course to the ocean and as long as it does so, all is well. It's when the flow stops that everyone becomes jittery. We had a little earthquake a couple nights ago but - having grown up in California, and also having lived close to the train tracks in Idaho - we never even felt it!
Life goes on. I'm reminded of this old saying:
What to do when times are good: chop wood, haul water.
What to do when times are bad: chop wood, haul water.
Aloha,
Liz
Life is good. We are doing well. I am doing well. This little place feels more and more like home. :-)
It's so fun being able to garden year-round! Sure takes the pressure off, as opposed to getting it all done in a 3-month growing season. We've been filling up the screenhouse with tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans, carrots, mizuna, lettuces, bok choi, cilantro, eggplant, a watermelon, strawberries, green onions, basil. They are growing like mad once they get transplanted into the wonderful jungle compost and cinder mix. The screenhouse is a lovely place to spend a morning or evening, puttering about, watering and weeding, all tucked away in an opening in the ohia trees with huge tangly ferns all around. It's like a greenhouse but with screened walls; no need for extra heat, just for rain and bug protection. There's a nice little rain barrel for the drip-watering system.
Sometimes I truly forget what time of year it is. The season changes here are so subtle, not like in Idaho where it kinda hits you over the head with its drama! The rainy season approaches and we will notice that. The rains aren't as bad as the cold, for me, but hopefully it won't be quite as inundating as last year. One of the signs of fall and winter here is the return of the humpback whales - and they've been sighted already! Yesterday, we drove out to one of our favorite areas, Kaimu, to enjoy the old lava fields, the ocean, and look for whales - didn't see any but it was a perfectly lovely day anyway.
Let's see, what else occupies my time? I'm taking country line-dance classes. What a hoot! And what great exercise! At least it's not all country music. Still active with the local homeschool group: helping with Teen Lit Club, which I love (currently reading The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde); and mentoring parents who need a little boost or ideas to make it work. We'll be leading the group on an adventure hike out to Kaloli Point in a couple days, to explore tidepools and watch for whales.
The vacation rental business is still trickling in; we get about 1 booking a month these days. In between reservations, we take down the connecting door between the hale and the studio and spread out a bit: I set up my worktable in the Sunrise Room and get out the sewing machine, paints, or crafts, and enjoy a nice workspace. I do my morning stretches in the Orchid Room, our old bedroom - such a pleasant place in the early mornings where I can watch the sun rise. The studio is nice too, so when we contract back into this smaller space, it's fine. It's an interesting way to live...
The volcano starts and stops; Pele is turning over in her sleep. The lava flow continues it's course to the ocean and as long as it does so, all is well. It's when the flow stops that everyone becomes jittery. We had a little earthquake a couple nights ago but - having grown up in California, and also having lived close to the train tracks in Idaho - we never even felt it!
Life goes on. I'm reminded of this old saying:
What to do when times are good: chop wood, haul water.
What to do when times are bad: chop wood, haul water.
Aloha,
Liz
Sunday, September 14, 2008
It's Been Almost 1 Year!
Aloha to anyone still reading this blog.
On September 27, Mike & I will have lived in Hawaii for 1 year! We have learned a lot in this time, and are still learning all the time.
I haven't been keeping up on it much lately, as you will have noticed. Decided to go back to the old route of writing letters to those who write to me.
Here's a short summary of our latest news:
We are thoroughly enjoying our first summer in Hawaii. Not nearly as hot as we thought it might be.
Mike is building a screen house for growing vegies, etc.
Planted a Valencia orange tree and a liliko'i vine. Still have lime and abiu trees to put in the ground.
My 'birthday orchids' are reblooming!
Even getting our first ripe strawberry!
The avocados are almost ready.
Still getting a trickle of guests for the vacation rental.
Recently discovered Google chat and truly enjoy 'talking' with my daughters that way!
Hawaii County Fair is next weekend; I wonder what that'll be like?
So if you're wondering about our further adventures, send an email, call, or (gasp!) take pen to paper! If you write to me, I will write back.
Aloha & blessings,
Liz
On September 27, Mike & I will have lived in Hawaii for 1 year! We have learned a lot in this time, and are still learning all the time.
I haven't been keeping up on it much lately, as you will have noticed. Decided to go back to the old route of writing letters to those who write to me.
Here's a short summary of our latest news:
We are thoroughly enjoying our first summer in Hawaii. Not nearly as hot as we thought it might be.
Mike is building a screen house for growing vegies, etc.
Planted a Valencia orange tree and a liliko'i vine. Still have lime and abiu trees to put in the ground.
My 'birthday orchids' are reblooming!
Even getting our first ripe strawberry!
The avocados are almost ready.
Still getting a trickle of guests for the vacation rental.
Recently discovered Google chat and truly enjoy 'talking' with my daughters that way!
Hawaii County Fair is next weekend; I wonder what that'll be like?
So if you're wondering about our further adventures, send an email, call, or (gasp!) take pen to paper! If you write to me, I will write back.
Aloha & blessings,
Liz
Monday, August 4, 2008
Wedding Photos!
I finally got all the photos downloaded, organized, uploaded, and linked. There are 8 albums of them on my Picasa page. Hope you enjoy them. They sure bring back some happy memories :-)
Monday, July 28, 2008
Home-Grown Pineapple!
I just picked my very first home-grown pineapple from my own garden!
There have been others but I'd never been around to enjoy them; our guests got to have those ones. So this is my very first one!
It is soooo delicious, juicy and sweet. One of the best I've ever eaten - of course! ;-)
About 9" long, not counting the leaves at the top. Just enough for slices to go alongside dinner. :-)
We will plant the top again. That's how my pineapple patch was started - by planting the tops of those we'd bought and eaten. So cool! There are two more coming on, so this will be a repeat performance. :-)
In other news, Mike has finally put up a rain gutter on the side of the house where our new entry is. Yay! No more last-minute showers on us as we run into the house during a rain! Hey, every little bit of dry helps!
Oh, and here's a downpour to test it out... So far, so good.
Yikes! This squall is getting blustery - gotta go close windows. More later.
There have been others but I'd never been around to enjoy them; our guests got to have those ones. So this is my very first one!
It is soooo delicious, juicy and sweet. One of the best I've ever eaten - of course! ;-)
About 9" long, not counting the leaves at the top. Just enough for slices to go alongside dinner. :-)
We will plant the top again. That's how my pineapple patch was started - by planting the tops of those we'd bought and eaten. So cool! There are two more coming on, so this will be a repeat performance. :-)
In other news, Mike has finally put up a rain gutter on the side of the house where our new entry is. Yay! No more last-minute showers on us as we run into the house during a rain! Hey, every little bit of dry helps!
Oh, and here's a downpour to test it out... So far, so good.
Yikes! This squall is getting blustery - gotta go close windows. More later.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Mangos or Mangoes?
Well, that is a question, isn't it? I've seen it spelled both ways around here and they both look silly to me, so which one is correct? No matter how it's spelled, mango season is upon us and mango trees all over Puna are loaded with this lusciously sweet and juicy fruit. And for the most part, they go unpicked! The smell of rotting and fermenting fruit hits us suddenly as we drive along the beach road or through the jungle. I'm amazed that more folks aren't out there taking advantage of this free food source. What a waste! The cost in the grocery stores ranges from $2-4 a pound!! In Hawaii!!
Needless to say, Mike and I go out and glean these wonderful fruits as much as we can. There's a tree down the road that we've been picking from, so sweet and yummy. Mike went and bought a long pole picker, the kind with a wire basket and little grab-hooks on the end. Now our evening walks include fruit collecting. Yesterday evening while we were swatting mosquitoes and picking mangos, we met some more of our neighbors who were delighted that the tree next door to their place was being picked. They told us this was a 'piri mango', one of the local Hawaiian types; good for eating fresh or for pickling if the fruit is picked green. We go for the ripes fruits and cut the flesh into cubes to eat. And I've been stashing some bags of cubed mango in the freezer for later. (The neighbors also told us where there were some more good trees just waiting to be picked.) yummmmm....
All our media mail boxes have now arrived and, amazingly, all the books fit in the one bookcase we have! Just. Okay, there are a few on the bedside table (of course). And all my cookbooks take up a shelf in the kitchen - that's normal, right? (I didn't even bring all my cookbooks yet.)
We had a lovely long bike ride today, down the main street in our neighborhood a ways, and then out on the old railroad grade that runs towards Hilo. This is one of our favorite bike rides. It's a dirt and rock road now that stretches on a fairly even grade through what looks like African savanna: wide open grasslands with lovely big shade trees here and there. I keep expecting to see a herd of giraffes strolling off in the distance! Instead, we see the blue, blue ocean on one side (makai) and the distant volcanoes on the other (mauka). Today we could see the smoke, ash & steam plumes from all three vents: Halema'uma'u up at Kilauea Crater, Pu'u O'o Crater further down the rift, and finally the huge plume down at the ocean entry near the Kaimu-Kalapana area. What an awesome sight!
Love and aloha,
Liz
Needless to say, Mike and I go out and glean these wonderful fruits as much as we can. There's a tree down the road that we've been picking from, so sweet and yummy. Mike went and bought a long pole picker, the kind with a wire basket and little grab-hooks on the end. Now our evening walks include fruit collecting. Yesterday evening while we were swatting mosquitoes and picking mangos, we met some more of our neighbors who were delighted that the tree next door to their place was being picked. They told us this was a 'piri mango', one of the local Hawaiian types; good for eating fresh or for pickling if the fruit is picked green. We go for the ripes fruits and cut the flesh into cubes to eat. And I've been stashing some bags of cubed mango in the freezer for later. (The neighbors also told us where there were some more good trees just waiting to be picked.) yummmmm....
All our media mail boxes have now arrived and, amazingly, all the books fit in the one bookcase we have! Just. Okay, there are a few on the bedside table (of course). And all my cookbooks take up a shelf in the kitchen - that's normal, right? (I didn't even bring all my cookbooks yet.)
We had a lovely long bike ride today, down the main street in our neighborhood a ways, and then out on the old railroad grade that runs towards Hilo. This is one of our favorite bike rides. It's a dirt and rock road now that stretches on a fairly even grade through what looks like African savanna: wide open grasslands with lovely big shade trees here and there. I keep expecting to see a herd of giraffes strolling off in the distance! Instead, we see the blue, blue ocean on one side (makai) and the distant volcanoes on the other (mauka). Today we could see the smoke, ash & steam plumes from all three vents: Halema'uma'u up at Kilauea Crater, Pu'u O'o Crater further down the rift, and finally the huge plume down at the ocean entry near the Kaimu-Kalapana area. What an awesome sight!
Love and aloha,
Liz
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Back Home Again!
Wow! What a trip! It is sooo nice to be back to our island home - and it really does feel like home.
Lori & Dave's wedding was absolutely perfect, with the two of them just beaming at eachother the whole time. It was really nice to see so many of you, my friends and family. It was just at that most ideal part of springtime when the lilac hedge is in full bloom and there are flowers just everywhere! Even the weather cooperated, just in time.
Moving out of our Idaho home was extremely hard and painful - but it's done now, and that's the end of that.
We found Kerry's cute little studio apartment in Seattle in only 3 days! Spent another week getting her moved in and set up. Managed to have some fun times, too, riding the bus, going into downtown, exploring some of the parks. She's now taking classes at the Bartending Academy, making new friends and connecting with old ones. Going through that hard time of adjusting to living on her own.
As soon as Mike and I landed on the Big Island, we knew we were in the right place, and as we drove to our hale and studio, the sense of coming home after an ordeal settled into our hearts. We wake up each morning thinking how amazing it is that we are living here! Everything was just as we left it, nothing gone amiss, only this: the grass was a foot high and going to seed, jungle-y vines were taking over the fences and creeping into the yard, and my fuzzy Mexican oregano was stretching far and wide along the entire back fence garden! Several days of weeding, mowing, and chopping have got the yard and garden looking well-maintained again.
The avocados and pineapples coming along nicely, making our mouths water in anticipation while just looking at them. Even the little cherry tomato I quickly stuck in the ground the day before we left has grown to a quite large plant and has little green tomatoes forming already! I bought a couple bell peppers, an eggplant, and another tomato and transplanted them all into containers. Also have a couple trays of various seeds started. I know it's pretty late in the season to begin a garden, but it's worth a try, and remember, we don't have a frost date here!
The weather has been beautiful here, although for those who rely on rain catchment systems, it isn't so nice. That's one of the reasons we bought in this particular subdivision: it has it's own water system. The ocean water has been so clear, just great for snorkeling and calm enough that I enjoy swimming out there too. Lovely tradewinds blowing gently.
Went to see the lava flow along the coastline for our Independence Day fireworks display, courtesy of Mother Nature and Madame Pele. There was a lot of fountaining and gushing lava into the ocean, which sends up huge billows of steam and sparks of molten rock. Don't worry, we were probably 1/2 mile away in the County viewing area. Lava was also pouring down the pali (cliffs) above the old Royal Gardens subdivision that has been inundated with flows since the 1980's. And the sky was lit up with the glow of reflected fire - so beautiful in this setting (as opposed to, say, the night-time glow of a forest fire).
Just got the word that the bins and crate that we shipped out of Seattle have arrived in Hilo already. Still have 7 media mail boxes to come.
Until next time,
Aloha, Liz
Lori & Dave's wedding was absolutely perfect, with the two of them just beaming at eachother the whole time. It was really nice to see so many of you, my friends and family. It was just at that most ideal part of springtime when the lilac hedge is in full bloom and there are flowers just everywhere! Even the weather cooperated, just in time.
Moving out of our Idaho home was extremely hard and painful - but it's done now, and that's the end of that.
We found Kerry's cute little studio apartment in Seattle in only 3 days! Spent another week getting her moved in and set up. Managed to have some fun times, too, riding the bus, going into downtown, exploring some of the parks. She's now taking classes at the Bartending Academy, making new friends and connecting with old ones. Going through that hard time of adjusting to living on her own.
As soon as Mike and I landed on the Big Island, we knew we were in the right place, and as we drove to our hale and studio, the sense of coming home after an ordeal settled into our hearts. We wake up each morning thinking how amazing it is that we are living here! Everything was just as we left it, nothing gone amiss, only this: the grass was a foot high and going to seed, jungle-y vines were taking over the fences and creeping into the yard, and my fuzzy Mexican oregano was stretching far and wide along the entire back fence garden! Several days of weeding, mowing, and chopping have got the yard and garden looking well-maintained again.
The avocados and pineapples coming along nicely, making our mouths water in anticipation while just looking at them. Even the little cherry tomato I quickly stuck in the ground the day before we left has grown to a quite large plant and has little green tomatoes forming already! I bought a couple bell peppers, an eggplant, and another tomato and transplanted them all into containers. Also have a couple trays of various seeds started. I know it's pretty late in the season to begin a garden, but it's worth a try, and remember, we don't have a frost date here!
The weather has been beautiful here, although for those who rely on rain catchment systems, it isn't so nice. That's one of the reasons we bought in this particular subdivision: it has it's own water system. The ocean water has been so clear, just great for snorkeling and calm enough that I enjoy swimming out there too. Lovely tradewinds blowing gently.
Went to see the lava flow along the coastline for our Independence Day fireworks display, courtesy of Mother Nature and Madame Pele. There was a lot of fountaining and gushing lava into the ocean, which sends up huge billows of steam and sparks of molten rock. Don't worry, we were probably 1/2 mile away in the County viewing area. Lava was also pouring down the pali (cliffs) above the old Royal Gardens subdivision that has been inundated with flows since the 1980's. And the sky was lit up with the glow of reflected fire - so beautiful in this setting (as opposed to, say, the night-time glow of a forest fire).
Just got the word that the bins and crate that we shipped out of Seattle have arrived in Hilo already. Still have 7 media mail boxes to come.
Until next time,
Aloha, Liz
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Just Before We Go
Thought I'd better make one more entry here before we're back in Idaho (temporarily!) and on dial-up. I posted a few more photos, too:
*May Field Trips
*New Countertops
*A Walk Through the Garden
We've mostly been working on getting things wrapped up enough before heading back to Bonners Ferry for Lori and Dave's wedding. (Lots of planning and such for that, too, although I think we're pretty much as ready as we can be from a distance.) Many of our recent field trips were to do some of the things we always meant to do but never got around to, and to do them while Kerry is still with us. After the wedding, she'll be moving to Seattle, and we'll help her get started there before we head home again. This is definitely a working vacation. Already Mike and I are looking forward to coming back to the island!
I love the new countertops that Mike built for me. He had phone support from Matt but did all the work himself - and they turned out beautifully! And they are truly appreciated. The finished wood facing edge is so smooth. We'll install the door pulls after our return, and do trim-work throughout the studio, and paint the siding, and finish the outside trim, and repair the water pump, and..., and..., and... You know how it goes.
We've had a few guests staying at Hale Pomaika'i this spring, a party of 4 just left yesterday. It's so fun to be here to meet the people who choose our vacation rental, and to help them with planning their daily excursions. We have had very positive responses from every one of them. I find that I really enjoy playing hostess/concierge. I hope we will be able to continue doing this in spite of the downturn in tourist travel to Hawaii. It's about as exotic a location as you can get without a visa! If only the economy will get itself straightened out...
Mike and I have transplanted those that needed it: bouganvillea, ulu, hibiscus, Okinawan spinach. The latter is interesting: its leaves are lance-shaped and green on top, purple underneath; it's very mild, eaten as a salad green or in stir-fries.
Packing is proceeding apace. There are suitcases and duffle bags lining the floors, as is usual before a 5-week trip. And for Kerry it's a one-way trip, so ALL her stuff gets packed. Lists abound, you can be sure! We pick up a rental car tomorrow so we can just store our car here at home. Leaving early on Thursday, with an overnight at a hotel in Spokane (due to our midnight arrival). Jim is picking us up on Friday and letting us use his minivan while we're back in Bonners. Still no idea on the status of our house on the farm, or what we'll do with all our stuff there. But, wedding first, and lots of family coming for that! It'll be a great time!
Aloha, Liz
*May Field Trips
*New Countertops
*A Walk Through the Garden
We've mostly been working on getting things wrapped up enough before heading back to Bonners Ferry for Lori and Dave's wedding. (Lots of planning and such for that, too, although I think we're pretty much as ready as we can be from a distance.) Many of our recent field trips were to do some of the things we always meant to do but never got around to, and to do them while Kerry is still with us. After the wedding, she'll be moving to Seattle, and we'll help her get started there before we head home again. This is definitely a working vacation. Already Mike and I are looking forward to coming back to the island!
I love the new countertops that Mike built for me. He had phone support from Matt but did all the work himself - and they turned out beautifully! And they are truly appreciated. The finished wood facing edge is so smooth. We'll install the door pulls after our return, and do trim-work throughout the studio, and paint the siding, and finish the outside trim, and repair the water pump, and..., and..., and... You know how it goes.
We've had a few guests staying at Hale Pomaika'i this spring, a party of 4 just left yesterday. It's so fun to be here to meet the people who choose our vacation rental, and to help them with planning their daily excursions. We have had very positive responses from every one of them. I find that I really enjoy playing hostess/concierge. I hope we will be able to continue doing this in spite of the downturn in tourist travel to Hawaii. It's about as exotic a location as you can get without a visa! If only the economy will get itself straightened out...
Mike and I have transplanted those that needed it: bouganvillea, ulu, hibiscus, Okinawan spinach. The latter is interesting: its leaves are lance-shaped and green on top, purple underneath; it's very mild, eaten as a salad green or in stir-fries.
Packing is proceeding apace. There are suitcases and duffle bags lining the floors, as is usual before a 5-week trip. And for Kerry it's a one-way trip, so ALL her stuff gets packed. Lists abound, you can be sure! We pick up a rental car tomorrow so we can just store our car here at home. Leaving early on Thursday, with an overnight at a hotel in Spokane (due to our midnight arrival). Jim is picking us up on Friday and letting us use his minivan while we're back in Bonners. Still no idea on the status of our house on the farm, or what we'll do with all our stuff there. But, wedding first, and lots of family coming for that! It'll be a great time!
Aloha, Liz
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Finally, Photos!
Okay, here's what you've been waiting for... the latest pics of our studio that we're now living in.
There are 4 new folders on my Picasa site:
**March Studio Progress
**New Driveway
**My Garden and Beyond
**Merrie Monarch Parade 2008
The tradewinds are back and clearing away the vog. Actually, it never did get bad here in Pahoa, but on the days we were in Hilo and Kona, it was pretty awful. It does affect me more than Mike; I had a bad sinus headache the day after that 2-days-in-a-row ordeal. Better now with our lovely fresh air. The volcano keeps puffing away up at the craters, and oozing out down by the ocean entry in the Kaimu-Kalapana area. Isn't it interesting what one gets used to?
We enjoyed the Maku'u Farmer's market this morning. Hadn't been there in a couple months or so, and it was really fun rubbing elbows with the locals and tourists, meeting friends and neighbors, gathering veggies for the week. I'm also gathering veggies from my garden: chayote, green beans, basil, oregano and parsley every day! You know I'm happy with that! :-)
Earth Day was a big to-do in Hilo. Up at the University there were a hundred booths, loads of entertainment and music, lots of freebies and info. Very much fun! And then last week, we met up with the homeschool group to do the Panaewa Rainforst Zoo. Also a good time. This is a little local zoo just outside Hilo that focuses on rainforest animals. They have a big white tiger named Namaste who was a no-show the day we were there. He was probably sleeping under the bamboo. ;-)
Aloha for now,
Liz
There are 4 new folders on my Picasa site:
**March Studio Progress
**New Driveway
**My Garden and Beyond
**Merrie Monarch Parade 2008
The tradewinds are back and clearing away the vog. Actually, it never did get bad here in Pahoa, but on the days we were in Hilo and Kona, it was pretty awful. It does affect me more than Mike; I had a bad sinus headache the day after that 2-days-in-a-row ordeal. Better now with our lovely fresh air. The volcano keeps puffing away up at the craters, and oozing out down by the ocean entry in the Kaimu-Kalapana area. Isn't it interesting what one gets used to?
We enjoyed the Maku'u Farmer's market this morning. Hadn't been there in a couple months or so, and it was really fun rubbing elbows with the locals and tourists, meeting friends and neighbors, gathering veggies for the week. I'm also gathering veggies from my garden: chayote, green beans, basil, oregano and parsley every day! You know I'm happy with that! :-)
Earth Day was a big to-do in Hilo. Up at the University there were a hundred booths, loads of entertainment and music, lots of freebies and info. Very much fun! And then last week, we met up with the homeschool group to do the Panaewa Rainforst Zoo. Also a good time. This is a little local zoo just outside Hilo that focuses on rainforest animals. They have a big white tiger named Namaste who was a no-show the day we were there. He was probably sleeping under the bamboo. ;-)
Aloha for now,
Liz
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Lovin' It!
Okay, so it's been 2-1/2 weeks since we moved into our little studio addition... and we love it! :-)
I think Kerry was on to something when she said it's because we built this place ourselves. We've always lived in houses we designed and built ourselves, and now we are again, and truly, it does feel like home. I love the way the light plays across the walls and fills the entire space with a glow. I love the view of the ohia and kukui trees and looking over the top of the viney jungle ferns. I love sitting outside on our deck right at tree level, and the birds that break out into song and dance every morning and throughout the day. I love the smooth bamboo floors. I love being further from the road and the lesser amount of road noise. It's working out well with our paying guests in the hale, and it's so much fun to be here to greet them when they first arrive. And I'm having fun creating a new entry garden for our new entry.
But it is small. The biggest problem is that the countertops are not in yet. I'm working off of a 2'x18" piece of plywood that is now warped from humidity... so we'll be remedying this asap. I think we'll fly Matt over from Maui to take advantage of his professional expertise in finish-work; it'd be cheaper than hiring the local firm to install it the way we want. Plus, we get an extra visit in this way! I've picked out the laminate I want already and we'll get that locally, of course. After that, it'll pretty much just be trim and finishing touches to do... but since I've never had that done anyway, it'll really feel like home. ;-)
I plan on posting several more lots of photos as soon as I have enough time to download about 150 pics from my camera and sort them all out. Hopefully this weekend, maybe later today... unless we decide to go do something fun - swimming, take a hike, get the bikes down for a ride... Anyway, I'll let you know when they're ready.
Wedding plans are proceeding and things are coming together on that front. We had to completely rearrange our tickets to the mainland after all the airplane collapses in the last weeks. But fortunately Mike got us all rescheduled, refunded and rebooked - and we're arriving in Bonners on the same day as originally planned! That's a relief! Kerry's bridesmaid gown arrived in yesterday's mail. It fits perfectly and is absolutely gorgeous! We're very happy with the company we used. (Let me know if any of you need a lead on custom-made formals for a low price.) Now Mike and I have to find our wedding day outfits...
Mostly, we are relaxing and enjoying our new home and island life. We're taking a breather, now that the building rush is over and before the next flurry of activity. There's only a month before we go back to Idaho for the wedding and moving the rest of our stuff and getting Kerry set up in Seattle and all that. Until then, we hope to enjoy our tropical surroundings to the fullest and especially to do 'all the fun stuff' with Kerry while we still have her with us.
Aloha, Liz
I think Kerry was on to something when she said it's because we built this place ourselves. We've always lived in houses we designed and built ourselves, and now we are again, and truly, it does feel like home. I love the way the light plays across the walls and fills the entire space with a glow. I love the view of the ohia and kukui trees and looking over the top of the viney jungle ferns. I love sitting outside on our deck right at tree level, and the birds that break out into song and dance every morning and throughout the day. I love the smooth bamboo floors. I love being further from the road and the lesser amount of road noise. It's working out well with our paying guests in the hale, and it's so much fun to be here to greet them when they first arrive. And I'm having fun creating a new entry garden for our new entry.
But it is small. The biggest problem is that the countertops are not in yet. I'm working off of a 2'x18" piece of plywood that is now warped from humidity... so we'll be remedying this asap. I think we'll fly Matt over from Maui to take advantage of his professional expertise in finish-work; it'd be cheaper than hiring the local firm to install it the way we want. Plus, we get an extra visit in this way! I've picked out the laminate I want already and we'll get that locally, of course. After that, it'll pretty much just be trim and finishing touches to do... but since I've never had that done anyway, it'll really feel like home. ;-)
I plan on posting several more lots of photos as soon as I have enough time to download about 150 pics from my camera and sort them all out. Hopefully this weekend, maybe later today... unless we decide to go do something fun - swimming, take a hike, get the bikes down for a ride... Anyway, I'll let you know when they're ready.
Wedding plans are proceeding and things are coming together on that front. We had to completely rearrange our tickets to the mainland after all the airplane collapses in the last weeks. But fortunately Mike got us all rescheduled, refunded and rebooked - and we're arriving in Bonners on the same day as originally planned! That's a relief! Kerry's bridesmaid gown arrived in yesterday's mail. It fits perfectly and is absolutely gorgeous! We're very happy with the company we used. (Let me know if any of you need a lead on custom-made formals for a low price.) Now Mike and I have to find our wedding day outfits...
Mostly, we are relaxing and enjoying our new home and island life. We're taking a breather, now that the building rush is over and before the next flurry of activity. There's only a month before we go back to Idaho for the wedding and moving the rest of our stuff and getting Kerry set up in Seattle and all that. Until then, we hope to enjoy our tropical surroundings to the fullest and especially to do 'all the fun stuff' with Kerry while we still have her with us.
Aloha, Liz
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
It's Moving day!
I'll catch you all up later, but wanted to say: we're officially moving in to the studio today!! I got to use my new kitchen for the first time last night :-) And we'll be sleeping in our new bed tonight! Paying guests are arriving tomorrow... and it looks like we'll make our deadline after all! Whew.
;-)
Okay, gotta go, time for the 'puter to be unplugged...
;-)
Okay, gotta go, time for the 'puter to be unplugged...
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Happy Easter!
Easter Sunday started out rather rainy - not like this winter, just normal tradewind rains - but has since turned into a lovely day with sunshine, clouds, and light breezes. I got a bit more weeding done after breakfast. Mike's been working on the studio. And now I'm trying to catch up pictures on Picasa and news on this blog. New pictures have been posted: "More Studio Views".
Last night we had our good friends (from Idaho who moved here before us) over for a 'sneak preview' of the studio, dinner, and games. Even the little ones seemed to have fun exploring and climbing the furniture. Kerry, Pohaku and Cedar got out the giant frisbee to throw around on the front lawn. I gave Molly and Willow a tour of my garden plantings. And Mike and David finally got a chance to catch up with eachother a bit. We all enjoyed some lively discussions using the Socratic method of questioning that Kerry, Willow, Molly and I had been reading about in our Literature Club. A good time was had by all.
Much of my time of late has been spent with wedding planning. It is, shall we say, an 'interesting' process trying to coordinate info and ideas between Hawaii and Philadelphia. Thank goodness Julie has joined in, bridging the gap from her home in Bonners. It's been a real blessing.
The big news item from the Big Island is, of course, the volcano. Yes, the eruption has resumed. Yes, there was an explosion up at Halema'uma'u (the crater where Pele lives), inside Kilauea Crater. And no, they have never seen anything quite like that before. And no again, no one seems to know why it happened or what it means. The town of Volcano has not been evacuated as some news is reporting, but there are evacuation plans forming, just in case. The lava is flowing again and it's a bit closer than the old flow field, but still on the other side of the rift zone from us. The reason this is considered safe (a relative term, we all know) is that it has found a clear path to the sea, so it should keep going that way. We'll see... And, no, we still have not gone out to see it but plan to soon, maybe this afternoon.
We have 1 more week before our first guests arrive, and April is getting pretty booked up already! It's nice to have the inquiries and reservations trickling in again. Our new driveway gets pushed in tomorrow and then we can clear out the carport, etc on this side. We'll have our own entry to the studio to maintain privacy for our guests and for ourselves. I'm pretty sure we'll be 'camping in' for a bit before we can actually move in. All part of the adventure!
Mahalo nui loa to those who wrote to me and called recently. It gets kinda lonely here sometimes out on this rock in the middle of the Pacific. Love and aloha, Liz
Last night we had our good friends (from Idaho who moved here before us) over for a 'sneak preview' of the studio, dinner, and games. Even the little ones seemed to have fun exploring and climbing the furniture. Kerry, Pohaku and Cedar got out the giant frisbee to throw around on the front lawn. I gave Molly and Willow a tour of my garden plantings. And Mike and David finally got a chance to catch up with eachother a bit. We all enjoyed some lively discussions using the Socratic method of questioning that Kerry, Willow, Molly and I had been reading about in our Literature Club. A good time was had by all.
Much of my time of late has been spent with wedding planning. It is, shall we say, an 'interesting' process trying to coordinate info and ideas between Hawaii and Philadelphia. Thank goodness Julie has joined in, bridging the gap from her home in Bonners. It's been a real blessing.
The big news item from the Big Island is, of course, the volcano. Yes, the eruption has resumed. Yes, there was an explosion up at Halema'uma'u (the crater where Pele lives), inside Kilauea Crater. And no, they have never seen anything quite like that before. And no again, no one seems to know why it happened or what it means. The town of Volcano has not been evacuated as some news is reporting, but there are evacuation plans forming, just in case. The lava is flowing again and it's a bit closer than the old flow field, but still on the other side of the rift zone from us. The reason this is considered safe (a relative term, we all know) is that it has found a clear path to the sea, so it should keep going that way. We'll see... And, no, we still have not gone out to see it but plan to soon, maybe this afternoon.
We have 1 more week before our first guests arrive, and April is getting pretty booked up already! It's nice to have the inquiries and reservations trickling in again. Our new driveway gets pushed in tomorrow and then we can clear out the carport, etc on this side. We'll have our own entry to the studio to maintain privacy for our guests and for ourselves. I'm pretty sure we'll be 'camping in' for a bit before we can actually move in. All part of the adventure!
Mahalo nui loa to those who wrote to me and called recently. It gets kinda lonely here sometimes out on this rock in the middle of the Pacific. Love and aloha, Liz
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Ides of March News
Things are happening so fast now I hardly have time to keep track of them!
The new bathroom is just about done! Floor laid, cabinet, sink, tub and toilet installed. The tiles around the tub/shower turned out beautiful; it was Mike's first tile job so he's justifiably proud of it. The whole interior of the studio is taped, textured and painted, ceiling fans are up, lights wired, temporary kitchen sink set up, stairs to the porch are being built... It's great! Just waiting on both electrical and plumbing inspectors to give their stamps of approval so we can proceed.
We got a small dumptruck load of crushed rock (3/4 minus, according to Mike) delivered today; it'll get used for tamping under the pier blocks, the stairway posts, and a few muddy spots here and there. Also, the guy who delivered it, Ashley, will be helping us clear our driveway and turnaround area on the next lot. This needs to get done before our own deadline of the end of this month. Our first vacation rental guests arrive at the beginning of April, so we need to clear out the carport before then.
We took plenty of photos all along the way and they'll get posted soon. If anyone's interested, let me know and I'll get on it sooner (hint, hint). ;-)
And besides all this, the volcano is actively flowing lava again! We've been so busy that I'm the only one who has seen it, and that was at a great distance one evening after Sufi-dancing. The volcano is coming to life in other ways too: Halema'uma'u, the crater within Kilauea Caldera and home to Pele, has opened up a new rift that's putting out massive amounts of sulphur dioxide and steam! And it glows at night!!! Exciting times!!
And the tradewinds are back, bringing lovely breezes and showers again, so our drought is over and the grass is no longer crispy. I picked my first batch of green beans from my second crop this winter! (Ha! I've never been able to say that before!) All the carrots were harvested a week ago - so yummy and crispy. The avocado is in full bloom, there's a pineapple beginning to develop, and little squashes and chayote are forming for future delectables.
This afternoon, we took some well-earned time off and drove into Hilo to watch a matinée. We saw 'Mad Money' which was a fun one. As we say hereabouts, "I'd pay a dollar to see that." And that's how much it costs at The Kress! Afterwards we went out for pizza at Big Island Pizza, and sat at an outside table to enjoy it and watch the airplanes making their big turn before landing at the Hilo airport. It was a lovely change for pace for us after weeks of working hard. :-)
Until next time... aloha, Liz
PS: I haven't been hearing much response lately and I'd really like to know who all is reading these letters, just to know if someone's missing out. If you want to leave a comment, use the little icon underneath each blog entry. Or if you're family, you know my email. :-)
The new bathroom is just about done! Floor laid, cabinet, sink, tub and toilet installed. The tiles around the tub/shower turned out beautiful; it was Mike's first tile job so he's justifiably proud of it. The whole interior of the studio is taped, textured and painted, ceiling fans are up, lights wired, temporary kitchen sink set up, stairs to the porch are being built... It's great! Just waiting on both electrical and plumbing inspectors to give their stamps of approval so we can proceed.
We got a small dumptruck load of crushed rock (3/4 minus, according to Mike) delivered today; it'll get used for tamping under the pier blocks, the stairway posts, and a few muddy spots here and there. Also, the guy who delivered it, Ashley, will be helping us clear our driveway and turnaround area on the next lot. This needs to get done before our own deadline of the end of this month. Our first vacation rental guests arrive at the beginning of April, so we need to clear out the carport before then.
We took plenty of photos all along the way and they'll get posted soon. If anyone's interested, let me know and I'll get on it sooner (hint, hint). ;-)
And besides all this, the volcano is actively flowing lava again! We've been so busy that I'm the only one who has seen it, and that was at a great distance one evening after Sufi-dancing. The volcano is coming to life in other ways too: Halema'uma'u, the crater within Kilauea Caldera and home to Pele, has opened up a new rift that's putting out massive amounts of sulphur dioxide and steam! And it glows at night!!! Exciting times!!
And the tradewinds are back, bringing lovely breezes and showers again, so our drought is over and the grass is no longer crispy. I picked my first batch of green beans from my second crop this winter! (Ha! I've never been able to say that before!) All the carrots were harvested a week ago - so yummy and crispy. The avocado is in full bloom, there's a pineapple beginning to develop, and little squashes and chayote are forming for future delectables.
This afternoon, we took some well-earned time off and drove into Hilo to watch a matinée. We saw 'Mad Money' which was a fun one. As we say hereabouts, "I'd pay a dollar to see that." And that's how much it costs at The Kress! Afterwards we went out for pizza at Big Island Pizza, and sat at an outside table to enjoy it and watch the airplanes making their big turn before landing at the Hilo airport. It was a lovely change for pace for us after weeks of working hard. :-)
Until next time... aloha, Liz
PS: I haven't been hearing much response lately and I'd really like to know who all is reading these letters, just to know if someone's missing out. If you want to leave a comment, use the little icon underneath each blog entry. Or if you're family, you know my email. :-)
Friday, February 29, 2008
New Pictures Posted!
There are 4 new albums on my Picasa page:
~ February's Studio Progress
~ The Great Outdoors
~ Chinese New Year Festival
~ An Inside Look into Our Everyday Life (which is really just whatever didn't fit in the other ones)
Let me know what ya think.
Oh, and by the way, you may have heard about Kilauea's latest excitement, but I want to tell you that the newly flowing lava is not headed our way... so far, so good. I would like to drive out to the Kaimu/Kalapana area at night to watch it flowing down the pali - supposed to be quite a sight!
~ February's Studio Progress
~ The Great Outdoors
~ Chinese New Year Festival
~ An Inside Look into Our Everyday Life (which is really just whatever didn't fit in the other ones)
Let me know what ya think.
Oh, and by the way, you may have heard about Kilauea's latest excitement, but I want to tell you that the newly flowing lava is not headed our way... so far, so good. I would like to drive out to the Kaimu/Kalapana area at night to watch it flowing down the pali - supposed to be quite a sight!
Friday, February 22, 2008
Sheetrock and Flooring and Vog, Oh My!
The rains finally stopped just a couple days after our visitors left. We've been enjoying warm, sunny days for a week now! It's lovely to dry out. Gorgeous pink and orange sunrises every morning, starry skies at night - perfect. The big ol' Hawaiian moon has been glowing down on us all night. Didn't get to see any part of the lunar eclipse on Wednesday though: there was a cloud bank just above the horizon blocking our view. By the time it was high enough, of course it was all over. Oh well, maybe next time - in December 2010!
Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa have both been beautifully snow-capped and showing themselves every day. Today the vog is so thick we can't see either of them. Usually the vog - the volcanic haze - goes over to the Kona side of the island. When the tradewinds stop, like today, it'll come over the eastside and settle in the Hilo Bay area, but kinda stay overhead of us here in Pahoa. Not today though; today we can see it, smell it, and even kinda taste it - and it's bad, sulphur-y. Yuck. We need a little wind to clear it away, and some is due to blow in this weekend.
Work on the studio progresses apace. Mike is having fun with taping and mudding the sheetrock these days. No really, he's having a blast! He's built his own scaffolding from some of the extra pieces of wood laying about, the better to reach the high ceiling. Yesterday was another Hilo day for us; we bought our 2 ceiling fans, a toilet, and went to several more flooring shops until we finally found what we were looking for at a price that wasn't exorbitant. We'll have a light-colored bamboo snaplock 'engineered' floor for the whole studio, except the bathroom, which will be Tarkett fiberfloor. It's all coming together! And it looks like we're still pretty much on schedule for moving in by the end of March. I'm so amazed at how fast it's going!
We started carving into the jungle to create a driveway on our next-door lot. The land is level, not too many big rocks or pukas (holes in the ground; this is an older lava flow, after all) so we may be able to do all the clearing by hand - our preference if at all possible. Our goal is to keep all the ohia trees growing, and just take out the 'weed trees' and some of the guava, etc. It'll take a few more days of work to hack our way back as far as we want the driveway to go. Then we'll go over it all again, cutting off the stobs and pulling out a couple old rotten trunks, add a load of gravel to smooth it out for driving on, cut into the fencing surrounding this yard, and put in a gate to connect the two properties. That'll be the studio's entrance as well as a start for our 'real' house, as we call it.
I'll post some more photos soon. We had fun at the Chinese New Year festival in Hilo, and there'll be some pics of the studio, too. Until next time, aloha.
Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa have both been beautifully snow-capped and showing themselves every day. Today the vog is so thick we can't see either of them. Usually the vog - the volcanic haze - goes over to the Kona side of the island. When the tradewinds stop, like today, it'll come over the eastside and settle in the Hilo Bay area, but kinda stay overhead of us here in Pahoa. Not today though; today we can see it, smell it, and even kinda taste it - and it's bad, sulphur-y. Yuck. We need a little wind to clear it away, and some is due to blow in this weekend.
Work on the studio progresses apace. Mike is having fun with taping and mudding the sheetrock these days. No really, he's having a blast! He's built his own scaffolding from some of the extra pieces of wood laying about, the better to reach the high ceiling. Yesterday was another Hilo day for us; we bought our 2 ceiling fans, a toilet, and went to several more flooring shops until we finally found what we were looking for at a price that wasn't exorbitant. We'll have a light-colored bamboo snaplock 'engineered' floor for the whole studio, except the bathroom, which will be Tarkett fiberfloor. It's all coming together! And it looks like we're still pretty much on schedule for moving in by the end of March. I'm so amazed at how fast it's going!
We started carving into the jungle to create a driveway on our next-door lot. The land is level, not too many big rocks or pukas (holes in the ground; this is an older lava flow, after all) so we may be able to do all the clearing by hand - our preference if at all possible. Our goal is to keep all the ohia trees growing, and just take out the 'weed trees' and some of the guava, etc. It'll take a few more days of work to hack our way back as far as we want the driveway to go. Then we'll go over it all again, cutting off the stobs and pulling out a couple old rotten trunks, add a load of gravel to smooth it out for driving on, cut into the fencing surrounding this yard, and put in a gate to connect the two properties. That'll be the studio's entrance as well as a start for our 'real' house, as we call it.
I'll post some more photos soon. We had fun at the Chinese New Year festival in Hilo, and there'll be some pics of the studio, too. Until next time, aloha.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Studio Update
Yay! All the windows are in, thanks to Dad's help. And the electrical inspector finally showed up! AND the building inspector gave us the go-ahead, too! At last, we can get going on this project again. :-)
We've got 2 bookings confirmed for April so there's a deadline coming up for completion. Shouldn't be a problem, says Mike. We can always 'camp in' for a few days, says me. ;-)
We've got 2 bookings confirmed for April so there's a deadline coming up for completion. Shouldn't be a problem, says Mike. We can always 'camp in' for a few days, says me. ;-)
Monday, February 4, 2008
Flash Floods!
We've had rain for 4 days and nights with about a 15 minute break a couple days ago. And again right now, it's finally let up for the past 25-30 minutes. We're not talking comforting pitter-patter of rain on the roof here: this is monsoon-like deluges! Someone up there has turned all the firehoses on full blast and walked away and totally forgot about 'em. The kind where you actually hear the silence when it stops.
On Saturday we drove in to Hilo - in the downpour - and noticed on the way all the ditches beginning to overflow, people's yards flooding, a few fire engines pumping out a couple homes. Once in Hilo itself, we saw the big drain canal gushing with muddy brown water creating standing waves! Many of the streets downtown were closed, even the highway. These are still closed too, with 3 feet of water slowly receding, and high surf crashing in to take its place. We went above Hilo to Rainbow Falls, a picturesque waterfall usually, but this time it was a torrential monster. We could actually hear it from the parking lot, still inside the car! And it was enormous and scary! Such raw power of Nature!
There has been much damage over the weekend from this storm, and it's not done with us yet! They say this stalled storm will linger over the islands through Thursday at least. That's as far as the forecast goes, so who knows what'll come next? But we are all safe and sound in our neighborhood. Only one little drip in the studio that Mike managed to fix by rescrewing one screw so the plastic seal connected properly. And lots of extra soil being washed into our driveway that I'll probably scrape off and add to my garden beds. Hey, I'll take what I can get! :-)
Oops, here comes the rain again. Excuse me, I need to run around closing up windows again!
Sure beats shoveling snow and scraping ice!! ;-)
On Saturday we drove in to Hilo - in the downpour - and noticed on the way all the ditches beginning to overflow, people's yards flooding, a few fire engines pumping out a couple homes. Once in Hilo itself, we saw the big drain canal gushing with muddy brown water creating standing waves! Many of the streets downtown were closed, even the highway. These are still closed too, with 3 feet of water slowly receding, and high surf crashing in to take its place. We went above Hilo to Rainbow Falls, a picturesque waterfall usually, but this time it was a torrential monster. We could actually hear it from the parking lot, still inside the car! And it was enormous and scary! Such raw power of Nature!
There has been much damage over the weekend from this storm, and it's not done with us yet! They say this stalled storm will linger over the islands through Thursday at least. That's as far as the forecast goes, so who knows what'll come next? But we are all safe and sound in our neighborhood. Only one little drip in the studio that Mike managed to fix by rescrewing one screw so the plastic seal connected properly. And lots of extra soil being washed into our driveway that I'll probably scrape off and add to my garden beds. Hey, I'll take what I can get! :-)
Oops, here comes the rain again. Excuse me, I need to run around closing up windows again!
Sure beats shoveling snow and scraping ice!! ;-)
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Happy January!
Aloha one and all! I'm back at last and ready to get y'all updated. First I want to let you know that I've added 2 new albums of photos which will almost get you caught up with our building progress. Just use the address on the sidebar here to get you to my Picasa page; the newest albums are called 'Building the Studio-3' and 'Pahoa Christmas Parade'.
The holidays seem like a long time ago already, and it doesn't even feel like how we think of wintertime at all. So now that I'm feeling well again (after a horrendous cold that lasted over a week) I'm just charging right ahead with Spring! Planting seeds, transplanting, weeding and watering when it goes too long between rains ~ not often, but it happens occasionally even on this wet side of the island. There are baby squashes setting on the vines. The chayote has climbed w-a-y up the ohia in the frontyard but has yet to set any fruit. The second crop of green beans is coming up nicely. Everything's growing so well and the flowers are blooming like mad now that the days are getting a little longer again. We had rain for 5 weeks straight, every day and night. Didn't like that so much, but since then it's been lovely, really a nice mix of weather: some rain, some downpours, some sunshine, some clouds, rainbows.... yeah, like that :-) So if that's our wintertime weather here, we can certainly handle it.
The studio-ohana is coming along nicely. Bob Dakujaku is a great guy who did the plumbing and wiring for us. He's been so nice and great fun to talk story with. The plumbing inspector was all smiles when he came out, even gave us a bagful of rambutan, a spiky red fruit - delicious! Now we're waiting on the electric inspector to get here, do his thing, and give us a pass so we can proceed with putting up sheetrock. Mike's still keeping busy with all the fiddly bits that need doing. He created some great skylights in the livingroom, so we don't have a dark cave in here anymore! Yay!! Right now, he's working on finishing off the doorway between the existing house and the studio, and the new doorway into the Lagoon Room. Oh, he just walked in to inform me that he got the sliding glass door installed just now! Yes, he keeps busy :-)
The Shanghai Circus came to Hilo and we were excited to be able to see them in real life! With balancing acts, Chinese acrobatics, jugglers, contortionists, kung fu demonstrations, wire acts, and so much more... they were totally fantastic! I highly recommend them if they ever come your way! Then yesterday, we all spent the day in Hilo again, ordering kitchen cabinets, comparing flooring options and countertops, choosing fertilizer for the fruit trees and palms, discovering a cute little lunch place (Millie's), getting our library cards, and finally, picking up groceries on the way home. What a long day. I sure slept well last night!
The holidays seem like a long time ago already, and it doesn't even feel like how we think of wintertime at all. So now that I'm feeling well again (after a horrendous cold that lasted over a week) I'm just charging right ahead with Spring! Planting seeds, transplanting, weeding and watering when it goes too long between rains ~ not often, but it happens occasionally even on this wet side of the island. There are baby squashes setting on the vines. The chayote has climbed w-a-y up the ohia in the frontyard but has yet to set any fruit. The second crop of green beans is coming up nicely. Everything's growing so well and the flowers are blooming like mad now that the days are getting a little longer again. We had rain for 5 weeks straight, every day and night. Didn't like that so much, but since then it's been lovely, really a nice mix of weather: some rain, some downpours, some sunshine, some clouds, rainbows.... yeah, like that :-) So if that's our wintertime weather here, we can certainly handle it.
The studio-ohana is coming along nicely. Bob Dakujaku is a great guy who did the plumbing and wiring for us. He's been so nice and great fun to talk story with. The plumbing inspector was all smiles when he came out, even gave us a bagful of rambutan, a spiky red fruit - delicious! Now we're waiting on the electric inspector to get here, do his thing, and give us a pass so we can proceed with putting up sheetrock. Mike's still keeping busy with all the fiddly bits that need doing. He created some great skylights in the livingroom, so we don't have a dark cave in here anymore! Yay!! Right now, he's working on finishing off the doorway between the existing house and the studio, and the new doorway into the Lagoon Room. Oh, he just walked in to inform me that he got the sliding glass door installed just now! Yes, he keeps busy :-)
The Shanghai Circus came to Hilo and we were excited to be able to see them in real life! With balancing acts, Chinese acrobatics, jugglers, contortionists, kung fu demonstrations, wire acts, and so much more... they were totally fantastic! I highly recommend them if they ever come your way! Then yesterday, we all spent the day in Hilo again, ordering kitchen cabinets, comparing flooring options and countertops, choosing fertilizer for the fruit trees and palms, discovering a cute little lunch place (Millie's), getting our library cards, and finally, picking up groceries on the way home. What a long day. I sure slept well last night!
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