What I Did Last Summer

Lots of good times this summer, and therefore LOTS of photos!  (You have been warned!!)
 
First, there was plenty of work on the piggery, our biggest on-going project.  Pen #3 was built, filled, and finished.  Pen #4 as well.  The last two pens are underway now... the end is in sight!  And the first litters of piglets were raised and sold off successfully, with much demand for more.  At the request of our UH-Hilo Ag Extension Agent, I started a blog (yes, another blog!) all about the piggery.  You can see it here to read all about that aspect of the farm:   http://hubbellshogheaven.blogspot.com/

In other farm-related news, I started a new flock of 13 young chickens, and added more to the laying flock as well.  We acquired a beautiful and well-behaved rooster, Apollo, to watch over the 27 layers.  He's huge!  And Mike designed and built a new coop/yard for the newer birds.  Consider it the revised edition of the Hubbell Bubble; he just used what we had lying around.

The gardens are growing well, providing us with more and more tropical foodstuffs, some of which is becoming familiar to our tastebuds:  cassava, moringa, white and purple sweetpotatoes, taro, plantain, tamarillo...  We are planting more food every day: ulu (breadfruit), gourds, more bananas, more pineapple, more cassava & taro & pineapple, and another variety of liliko'i (passionfruit).  And of course, there are orchids!  We have the perfect climate for them to grow outdoors with almost no care.  Gotta take advantage of that!

By far the biggest and best thing I did this past summer was my solo two-week trip to the mainland.  I managed to see both my sisters, two of my kids, two of my grandkiddos, several old friends, AND attend the Daybreak School reunion!  It was a whirlwind trip, and so very much worth it.

I started the California portion with a too-brief visit with each sister.  We packed as much visiting as we could into just a few short days, with the Daybreak reunion sandwiched in the middle.  There was another reunion of sorts during this time too, with our long-time friends, the Livingston brothers, or at least two of them!  And the Daybreak reunion was extended in a way by staying with my highschool friend, Jan.

Then on to Idaho! It was nice to stay with our longtime friends and neighbors, Karen & Weezil, and to be back in the woods and mountains I know and love so well. The best part was that I got to spend every day with Chris & Katie and their wonderful kiddos, Jimmy & Kirsi. We did lots of hiking, picked wild raspberries and huckleberries, had barbecues, played in the water, and just generally enjoyed each other's company in the height of a Boundary County summertime.

After that, it was on to Port Orchard to visit Kerry in her new home, tucked away behind an old apple grove.  While she was at work in Seattle, I read or wandered about, enjoying the quiet days, the beaches and the views... and I took advantage of the ferry dock, only a 5-minute walk away, in order to explore a little further afield.

And finally, back home I flew, back to the island and the humidity and the gentle warm air.  It felt so good to be home again, as it usually does after traveling.  I have always loved to wander and explore, but I love to come home again, too.