Two weeks here and construction on the ohana/studio addition has begun! Mike has been acquiring many of the tools he'll need for this project and has met with his chosen building materials supplier. Yesterday, he rented a cement-cutting saw - quite an amazing contraption with a place to attach our garden hose so it keeps cool while cutting - and after many false starts and a few minor repairs, the slab was cut to accommodate the foundation blocks. That was Step 1. Now we await the first delivery from the supplier; it's supposed to arrive 'sometime next week' and have everything needed for the foundation and floor framing. While we wait, we have to figure out what to do with all these chunks of concrete laying about... maybe use 'em to border raised beds?
Kerry has easily slipped into the Hawaiian lifestyle in the week she's been here. Of course, she's been coming to the islands since she was 6, so that helps. She has already connected with the local Dive Shop and signed up for the next set of SCUBA classes, which start just next weekend. This has been a longtime dream of hers: to become SCUBA certified. So she's been swimming laps and treading water every chance she gets to build up her endurance. This is a great activity for her since she's been bothered with shin splints lately and hasn't been able to do much hiking or running (which she normally enjoys). Another Island goal of Kerry's is also being met: she's learning Japanese! Found some cool online courses to start with; if we find something local, she'll do that too. Her third goal for her time here is to find a job, and with the way things have been falling into place for her, we have no doubt that the right one will show up soon!
We start each day by sharing a papaya. Still getting plenty of avocados, lemons, and guavas from our yard, and other fresh produce every Sunday from the Maku'u farmer's market. We've picked ulu (breadfruit) from the tree at the Ahalanui warm pond, one of the places where we like to swim. As soon as it's cut from the tree, it'll start to drip its sticky latex sap; this can be used for boat caulking (it's that sticky!) or to bind deep cuts. To cook the ulu, I cut it in half, boil/steam until tender (an hour or so), cool it enough to handle, then peel and cut out the core. Then this time I cut it up into bite-sized chunks and semi-mashed them. Sauteed onion, garlic and hamburger, added in the ulu, along with 'a little dis, a little dat'... and ended up with a yummy dinner - it was ono (means delicious).
Five more boxes of media mail arrived all in one day, but some of our mail is still being redirected back to Idaho!?! Go figure. We'll try again to stop the previous mail-forward request (from May) and get the post office system straightened out - wish us luck! So glad Chris is at one end to intercept and forward the stragglers before they end up yoyoing back and forth forever! Thank you Chris!
A couple nights ago, Kerry and I were invited to a women's new moon circle at Suzannah's house in Hawaiian Acres, upcountry. (She's a mutual friend of a friend, but that friend didn't show up.) Her moon lodge is a platform way up high amongst ancient ohia trees, and there was the most awesome nightview of the stars and of the glow from Madame Pele's latest lava flow! It was so nice to make some new friends. We enjoyed singing and chanting together, lovely cups of tea, and peaceful deep lulls in the conversation, but the real bonding came in descending the ladder - two of us needed some extra help and encouragement there, and then there were big hugs all around and a light Hawaiian rain when everybody made it down safely! Kisses from heaven.
PS: I love hearing from those of you who have written to me or posted comments. Feel free to continue!
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