I used to say that this blog was documenting my transition from one life to the other, but that transition seems to be well completed now. This is definitely home, and it feels so good to be back to it!
We were gone for 3 weeks, visiting 2 of our 3 kids: Kerry in Lynnwood, and Chris & Katie & their beautiful kiddos in Bonners Ferry. (Lori's turn next time.) Had some wonderful fun times with Jimmy & Kirsi, our adorable grandchildren who I just can't get enough of. Our good friends, Karen & Weezil, were great hosts, providing us with the whole top floor of their old farmhouse, a minivan to use, lovely fresh produce for the garden, and much solace and good company throughout our 2 weeks there. They taught us a game called Rummikub, which we'd play just about every night before bedtime. We were able to connect with several other friends, too, for which I am truly grateful.
(You will notice a marked lack of news about the rest of the relatives and the old farm; this is not accidental. Most of you already know what happened anyway.)
We definitely lightened our load even further on this trip! Had a huge sale - broke all my old yardsale records! - and now have only a tiny unit with the last few treasures that we simply don't yet have room for here. Much was given away, and a few last armloads of books traded at the best bookstore I've ever come across anywhere, Bonners Books. I managed to use up all my credit there too, which means new books coming over soon! Mike built 4 wooden crates to fill a 4'x4' pallet, 4' tall, which will ship out from Port of Seattle on Sunday and make its way to Port of Hilo within 2-3 weeks. One of the crates is filled with books! Now that we have the dehumidifiers to keep the damp under control, it's not so nerve-wracking to bring our treasured tomes to the island.
Another few days with Kerry, much cooler temps and a really nice time, and then HOME AT LAST!!!!! YES!!!
We gave ourselves a few days to decompress, rising early each morning to watch the sunrise over the ocean (our inner clocks still on west coast time). Hacked back the jungle and mowed the lawns right away - it's just astounding how much things grew in only 3 weeks! Lots of banana peppers, tomatoes & kale in the screenhouse; chickens all healthy and happy (mahalo Ivy & Tim!). Vacation rental guests were nicely settled in (mahalo Willow!). And our studio was just exactly as we left it.
And now life is getting back into full swing. This weekend we will be attending a Gourmet Camp-Out with our International Dinner group. A great chance to try out our new camping gear! It'll take place at Kalopa State Park, way up on the Hamakua Coast. We've never been there before but are looking forward to hiking through huge old trees, visiting & eating with friends, sleeping in our tent, and just generally having a good time.
Lots of grandkid pics will follow, but not today... I gotta get going. It's another beautiful day here on the Big island, after a rainy night and morning, and I want to get outside!
A hui hou,
Liz
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Playing Tourist
My mom is in the middle of her 2-1/2 week visit here, so we've been going to all the scenic view points, waterfalls, museums, beaches, shops, and so on. It's been great fun playing tourist, although day after day rubbing elbows with real tourists is rather wearing. Ahh, well - life as a local, eh? ;-)
We had a big Backyard Barbeque Bash on the 3rd to kick off the Independence Day weekend, so Mom got to meet many more of our new friends at that time. That was a fun party and our first big to-do since we moved here! 26 people attended, 3 bbq's and a hibachi, loads of good food & drink, lots of laughs... but no fireworks. In Hawaii, one must buy a permit to set off even the sidewalk variety fireworks or any type of firecrackers (and there are more of them than I ever imagined!); no aerials allowed. We thought of going in to Hilo in the evening for their big display, shot out over the Bay from Coconut Island with the County Brass Band playing accompaniment to the spectacle. It's supposed to be a pretty good show and someday we'll do it. But we had been up at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (HVNP) for most of the day on the 4th. We did all the sights around Crater Rim Drive; had lunch at the edge of Kilauea Crater; did the wine-tasting at Volcano Winery. So that was enough fun for one day and we just turned in early instead.
The next day was our regular First Sunday Beach Day. It started out with drenching downpours, but Richardson Beach Park is invariably the first spot to dry out; little by little the clouds thinned out and finally disappeared and we had sunshine before long. It was a great day for swimming in the ocean! Mike stayed out snorkeling for a couple hours, and he has the sunburned back to prove it! Only one big old honu (sea turtle) that day; usually there are a dozen or so at Richardson's.
I guess we needed some kind of excuse to get all the way back up to the Waipi'o Valley overlook. Happy to report the area is as gorgeous as ever. And Laupahoehoe Point is still hauntingly beautiful, with a new information board about the tsunami that wiped out the town in the 1940's. Up in Kamuela/Waimea (yes, the town has 2 names), we were disappointed to find that the Parker Ranch Museum has closed. We peeked in the window, into the darkened interior and it looks stunning; I wonder if they will reopen at some point?
It hasn't all been running around sight-seeing: I scheduled in some relaxing days at home, just hanging out & catching up. We've done the Ahalanui Warm Pond once already and will go back there again before Mom's vacation is over next week. And today I'm baking bread and catching up on correspondence. Later this afternoon, we'll drive up to Fern Forest to see the big Akatsuka orchid greenhouse and have dinner with friends.
Meanwhile, I've also been making all the necessary arrangements for our own upcoming trip back to Idaho one more time. Gotta see those grandkids!! Haven't even met little Kirsi yet, and we are sooo looking forward to seeing Jimmy again, and Chris & Katie, too, of course! We'll be spending time in Lynnwood with Kerry before & after the Idaho portion. So those will be the fun parts of the trip.
The other major reason for going is to retrieve the rest of our belongings from the old farm. We can't keep our stuff there any longer, so we will be doing a ton of transporting, sorting, packing, and I don't know what-all. Neither of us is looking forward to this aspect one bit, but it has to be done so we'll grit our teeth and get through it somehow. Thank you to our long-time good friends, Karen & Weezil, for allowing us to stay at their place for the duration; it'll be good to see them again, too.
Okay, that's enough for now. Write back!
Aloha, Liz
PS: I've added the 'followers' widget to the sidebar, for those of you who would like to know when I've updated here. Plus, it would be fun for me to know who's reading! ;-)
We had a big Backyard Barbeque Bash on the 3rd to kick off the Independence Day weekend, so Mom got to meet many more of our new friends at that time. That was a fun party and our first big to-do since we moved here! 26 people attended, 3 bbq's and a hibachi, loads of good food & drink, lots of laughs... but no fireworks. In Hawaii, one must buy a permit to set off even the sidewalk variety fireworks or any type of firecrackers (and there are more of them than I ever imagined!); no aerials allowed. We thought of going in to Hilo in the evening for their big display, shot out over the Bay from Coconut Island with the County Brass Band playing accompaniment to the spectacle. It's supposed to be a pretty good show and someday we'll do it. But we had been up at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (HVNP) for most of the day on the 4th. We did all the sights around Crater Rim Drive; had lunch at the edge of Kilauea Crater; did the wine-tasting at Volcano Winery. So that was enough fun for one day and we just turned in early instead.
The next day was our regular First Sunday Beach Day. It started out with drenching downpours, but Richardson Beach Park is invariably the first spot to dry out; little by little the clouds thinned out and finally disappeared and we had sunshine before long. It was a great day for swimming in the ocean! Mike stayed out snorkeling for a couple hours, and he has the sunburned back to prove it! Only one big old honu (sea turtle) that day; usually there are a dozen or so at Richardson's.
I guess we needed some kind of excuse to get all the way back up to the Waipi'o Valley overlook. Happy to report the area is as gorgeous as ever. And Laupahoehoe Point is still hauntingly beautiful, with a new information board about the tsunami that wiped out the town in the 1940's. Up in Kamuela/Waimea (yes, the town has 2 names), we were disappointed to find that the Parker Ranch Museum has closed. We peeked in the window, into the darkened interior and it looks stunning; I wonder if they will reopen at some point?
It hasn't all been running around sight-seeing: I scheduled in some relaxing days at home, just hanging out & catching up. We've done the Ahalanui Warm Pond once already and will go back there again before Mom's vacation is over next week. And today I'm baking bread and catching up on correspondence. Later this afternoon, we'll drive up to Fern Forest to see the big Akatsuka orchid greenhouse and have dinner with friends.
Meanwhile, I've also been making all the necessary arrangements for our own upcoming trip back to Idaho one more time. Gotta see those grandkids!! Haven't even met little Kirsi yet, and we are sooo looking forward to seeing Jimmy again, and Chris & Katie, too, of course! We'll be spending time in Lynnwood with Kerry before & after the Idaho portion. So those will be the fun parts of the trip.
The other major reason for going is to retrieve the rest of our belongings from the old farm. We can't keep our stuff there any longer, so we will be doing a ton of transporting, sorting, packing, and I don't know what-all. Neither of us is looking forward to this aspect one bit, but it has to be done so we'll grit our teeth and get through it somehow. Thank you to our long-time good friends, Karen & Weezil, for allowing us to stay at their place for the duration; it'll be good to see them again, too.
Okay, that's enough for now. Write back!
Aloha, Liz
PS: I've added the 'followers' widget to the sidebar, for those of you who would like to know when I've updated here. Plus, it would be fun for me to know who's reading! ;-)
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Summer Solstice
It has been interesting to be here in Hawaii in June. Our first time ever! Last year during this month we were in Bonners Ferry & Seattle, and prior to our moving here, our vacation times ranged from the end of winter to mud season. So it really is our first ever June on the islands.
And it has been hot! Well, not today - so far - but in general. Today we're getting a succession of quick rain showers, with bright, already-hot sunshine in between. The trend is generally clearing though, which will be good for the beach croquet potluck party we've been invited to attend this afternoon.
We've been having to skip our morning walks many days. If we don't get started early enough, it's way too hot for our usual 3 mile route. On the days we do get going early, it's a lovely way to get up and moving. Saying good morning to the neighbors and folk we meet along the way is a big part of what makes this so enjoyable.
Our crossing guard friend, Manny, is an elderly local fellow who mans the crosswalks in front of the Keonepoko elementary school down the street. We always wave or talk story with him when he's out there. Now that school's closed for summer break, he's not out there twice a day of course, but it turns out that his morning walking route and ours overlap, so we do get to see him now and then still!
A couple days ago, Joe, one of the maintenance workers for the water system at the top of our street, stopped his rig to hand us a bag of mountain apples, "for a snack while you walk." These are a popular tropical delicacy, very thin-skinned and juicy. The skin can range from bright apple red to pale pink, or even brownish-red. The aroma on first bite is of rose petals! Amazing! And the texture is like a crisp and juicy pear, with one very large brown seed inside. Very refreshing and delicious.
One thing we have really noticed is that the sun moves much further to the north than we thought possible at these low latitudes. Not like north Idaho of course, but still. As the day progresses, the sun will shine through the windows on each side of the house. Good thing we didn't further thin out the kukui tree protecting the northwest window. The setting sun filters through its big green leaves and makes the nicest patterns inside. After today, old Sol will slowly make its way back southward to set behind the flanks of Mauna Loa.
I hope you are enjoying this longest day of the year!
And happy Father's Day, too!
:-)
And it has been hot! Well, not today - so far - but in general. Today we're getting a succession of quick rain showers, with bright, already-hot sunshine in between. The trend is generally clearing though, which will be good for the beach croquet potluck party we've been invited to attend this afternoon.
We've been having to skip our morning walks many days. If we don't get started early enough, it's way too hot for our usual 3 mile route. On the days we do get going early, it's a lovely way to get up and moving. Saying good morning to the neighbors and folk we meet along the way is a big part of what makes this so enjoyable.
Our crossing guard friend, Manny, is an elderly local fellow who mans the crosswalks in front of the Keonepoko elementary school down the street. We always wave or talk story with him when he's out there. Now that school's closed for summer break, he's not out there twice a day of course, but it turns out that his morning walking route and ours overlap, so we do get to see him now and then still!
A couple days ago, Joe, one of the maintenance workers for the water system at the top of our street, stopped his rig to hand us a bag of mountain apples, "for a snack while you walk." These are a popular tropical delicacy, very thin-skinned and juicy. The skin can range from bright apple red to pale pink, or even brownish-red. The aroma on first bite is of rose petals! Amazing! And the texture is like a crisp and juicy pear, with one very large brown seed inside. Very refreshing and delicious.
One thing we have really noticed is that the sun moves much further to the north than we thought possible at these low latitudes. Not like north Idaho of course, but still. As the day progresses, the sun will shine through the windows on each side of the house. Good thing we didn't further thin out the kukui tree protecting the northwest window. The setting sun filters through its big green leaves and makes the nicest patterns inside. After today, old Sol will slowly make its way back southward to set behind the flanks of Mauna Loa.
I hope you are enjoying this longest day of the year!
And happy Father's Day, too!
:-)
Monday, June 8, 2009
I'm baaaaaaack!
Okay, okay, I'll try to get this going again. I cannot believe how many hits I got during my long absence!! Awesome and encouraging.
There's no way to fill in all the details of the past 3 months, but those of you who have kept in touch know what's been going on with us during that time anyway. Suffice it to say, winter is long gone, spring has passed too, and we are well into summertime weather. Whoo-hoo!
I love the days when the tradewinds are a-blowing, cooling us and refreshing both air and spirits. When the trades die down, the island simmers in the heat and humidity, and the vog (volcanic haze) rolls down the mountain to choke out Hilo Bay. Fortunately for us, we were led to this wonderful little spot on the east side of the island, where the sun rises first and the freshest air blows. It doesn't take much of a breeze to clear away the vog from here, but we do feel for the folks elsewhere on the island chain, especially when the Kona winds blow from the south-southwest. Then the vog is carried right up the chain. Intersting to be so dependant on the winds and which direction they're coming from.
The garden grows like a weed, like a jungle. And the jungle grows like mad, too! Our liliko'i (passion fruit) vine has been flowering for a while now but only recently began setting fruit. We are so looking forward to bucketsfull of the luscious, juicy, tangy, sweet-tart goodness that is liliko'i. Every couple days we get a owlful of cherry tomatoes, a handful of strawberries, several calamondons. There's plenty of greens each day: bok cho, mizuna, chard, kale, broccoli, Okinawan spinach, sweetpotato greens, and more. We eat pretty well from the garden. We got about a dozen figs in the spring, and are still awaiting any sign of banana flowering. Oh, and homegrown papayas - yummmmm.
The chickens are all laying so well that we have to keep lining up customers to buy the extra eggies. Not a problem. My friend, Devany, is a food writer and will be doing a feature on our hens and their pretty three colors of eggs. I'll let you know when she posts it.
We have a couple weeks in between guests right now, hoping to get some more projects done before Mom comes to visit, before hurricane season really gets going, and before we leave for 3 weeks on our own vacation. Towards that end, Mike is laying pipe out to the screenhouse & chickens so that when the rains stop for a week at a time (or longer) the birds will still have water. Extremely important! Other projects lined up & ready to go are making hinged windows for ventilating the studio better, finishing touches on Mike's shop, and maybe even getting some trimwork done inside... Hey, a girl can dream, can't she? ;-)
We have really settled in here. We do our 3 mile walks almost every day. I've just about figured out how to garden in this climate and with this (lack of) soil. We are finally getting some good friendships going. I feel very happy to be here now.
There's no way to fill in all the details of the past 3 months, but those of you who have kept in touch know what's been going on with us during that time anyway. Suffice it to say, winter is long gone, spring has passed too, and we are well into summertime weather. Whoo-hoo!
I love the days when the tradewinds are a-blowing, cooling us and refreshing both air and spirits. When the trades die down, the island simmers in the heat and humidity, and the vog (volcanic haze) rolls down the mountain to choke out Hilo Bay. Fortunately for us, we were led to this wonderful little spot on the east side of the island, where the sun rises first and the freshest air blows. It doesn't take much of a breeze to clear away the vog from here, but we do feel for the folks elsewhere on the island chain, especially when the Kona winds blow from the south-southwest. Then the vog is carried right up the chain. Intersting to be so dependant on the winds and which direction they're coming from.
The garden grows like a weed, like a jungle. And the jungle grows like mad, too! Our liliko'i (passion fruit) vine has been flowering for a while now but only recently began setting fruit. We are so looking forward to bucketsfull of the luscious, juicy, tangy, sweet-tart goodness that is liliko'i. Every couple days we get a owlful of cherry tomatoes, a handful of strawberries, several calamondons. There's plenty of greens each day: bok cho, mizuna, chard, kale, broccoli, Okinawan spinach, sweetpotato greens, and more. We eat pretty well from the garden. We got about a dozen figs in the spring, and are still awaiting any sign of banana flowering. Oh, and homegrown papayas - yummmmm.
The chickens are all laying so well that we have to keep lining up customers to buy the extra eggies. Not a problem. My friend, Devany, is a food writer and will be doing a feature on our hens and their pretty three colors of eggs. I'll let you know when she posts it.
We have a couple weeks in between guests right now, hoping to get some more projects done before Mom comes to visit, before hurricane season really gets going, and before we leave for 3 weeks on our own vacation. Towards that end, Mike is laying pipe out to the screenhouse & chickens so that when the rains stop for a week at a time (or longer) the birds will still have water. Extremely important! Other projects lined up & ready to go are making hinged windows for ventilating the studio better, finishing touches on Mike's shop, and maybe even getting some trimwork done inside... Hey, a girl can dream, can't she? ;-)
We have really settled in here. We do our 3 mile walks almost every day. I've just about figured out how to garden in this climate and with this (lack of) soil. We are finally getting some good friendships going. I feel very happy to be here now.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Voggy Volcano
Today we got to do something we have been excited about for some time now: helping at the hula kahiko (old style hula) performance up at Volcano Park. After the last performance in February, we talked with Marcia Hee, the woman who coordinates the whole thing and asked if we could help since it's one of our favorite parts of living here. She was delighted, and we were even more delighted that she actually called! So we got up early today in preparation for this event. What fun!
Well, it was soooooooooooooo voggy that we weren't sure we'd even be able to get out of the car. In fact, I stayed in the car while Mike tried to find out if the performance was even going to happen at all. He came back needing a Benadryl duw to his allergic reaction to the sulphur in the air. Oh dear, what were we getting ourselves into?
But the wind shifted just a bit, just enough to allow us workers to get everything set up inside the Kilauea Visitor's Center instead of outside on the hula platform. Not the same as those wonderful outdoor performances, I know, but better seating anyway, though a limited amount of it.
Mike & I were put in charge of the signs, all needing to be redone a bit and put in different than usual spots, due to the change in venue. Then he stayed outside to redirect foot traffic (the Benadryl worked wonders), and I went inside to help people figure it out from there. Also helped an older Japanese couple who had questions about the park and had a hard time making themselves understood - no problemo for me though - I'm pretty good with all these wonderful accents we hear on the islands.
As the auditorium filled up, I had the not-so-fun job of guarding the door and telling people they had to wait to see if there would be room for them inside. Most of them were nice about it, and in the end, we managed to get everybody in, many standing along the sides & in the back. Then the performance started. I stayed in the doorway to help stragglers find a place or wait for a place. Mike came in for a bit, then left to chat with a friend. It was very hot & stuffy indoors with so many people all packed in together; we reopened the doors and waves of heat poured out. Maybe the a/c wasn't working?
I managed to see glimpses of the performance and 2 entire dances, helped keep the doorway cleared for the keiki (children) dancers to come & go, each one so adorable.
At then as people were leaving, I gathered the little survey forms - only about 18-20 were turned in out of about 300 people. Mike & Wes (the friend) had already taken down most of the signs so that was easy.
Next, we both were recruited to help pass out drinks & snacks for the dancers & kumus (teachers) & drivers. I was busy pouring and refilling cups with pineapple-gingerale punch; there were boiled sweetpotatoes to munch on, peanut-butter brownies, & cookies - all much appreciated by the young dancers after their hour-long performance. They were all so sweet. We got to talk story with one of the driver-dads, and we even got hugs from several of the girls.
Marcia, the coordinator, was very enthusiastic about our help and happy that we wanted to do it again next time. She gave us each a ti lei and many hugs. Said she kept coming across our card (that we gave her last month) and so remembered us and remembered that she really liked our energy. Of course, that made us feel good!
After all that, we had lunch at the Volcano House. They have a wondeful buffet room overlooking the Kilauea Crater, today filled with fumes. Huge gusts of wind rattled the windows as rain clouds got lost in the crater - all very dramatic and exciting!
Now we are glad to be back home where the air is clear and warm, very windy though. Opened up the house to air it out, and just hanging out for the rest of the afternoon, taking a little R&R time for ourselves.
Hoping you are each enjoying your weekend, too! :-)
Well, it was soooooooooooooo voggy that we weren't sure we'd even be able to get out of the car. In fact, I stayed in the car while Mike tried to find out if the performance was even going to happen at all. He came back needing a Benadryl duw to his allergic reaction to the sulphur in the air. Oh dear, what were we getting ourselves into?
But the wind shifted just a bit, just enough to allow us workers to get everything set up inside the Kilauea Visitor's Center instead of outside on the hula platform. Not the same as those wonderful outdoor performances, I know, but better seating anyway, though a limited amount of it.
Mike & I were put in charge of the signs, all needing to be redone a bit and put in different than usual spots, due to the change in venue. Then he stayed outside to redirect foot traffic (the Benadryl worked wonders), and I went inside to help people figure it out from there. Also helped an older Japanese couple who had questions about the park and had a hard time making themselves understood - no problemo for me though - I'm pretty good with all these wonderful accents we hear on the islands.
As the auditorium filled up, I had the not-so-fun job of guarding the door and telling people they had to wait to see if there would be room for them inside. Most of them were nice about it, and in the end, we managed to get everybody in, many standing along the sides & in the back. Then the performance started. I stayed in the doorway to help stragglers find a place or wait for a place. Mike came in for a bit, then left to chat with a friend. It was very hot & stuffy indoors with so many people all packed in together; we reopened the doors and waves of heat poured out. Maybe the a/c wasn't working?
I managed to see glimpses of the performance and 2 entire dances, helped keep the doorway cleared for the keiki (children) dancers to come & go, each one so adorable.
At then as people were leaving, I gathered the little survey forms - only about 18-20 were turned in out of about 300 people. Mike & Wes (the friend) had already taken down most of the signs so that was easy.
Next, we both were recruited to help pass out drinks & snacks for the dancers & kumus (teachers) & drivers. I was busy pouring and refilling cups with pineapple-gingerale punch; there were boiled sweetpotatoes to munch on, peanut-butter brownies, & cookies - all much appreciated by the young dancers after their hour-long performance. They were all so sweet. We got to talk story with one of the driver-dads, and we even got hugs from several of the girls.
Marcia, the coordinator, was very enthusiastic about our help and happy that we wanted to do it again next time. She gave us each a ti lei and many hugs. Said she kept coming across our card (that we gave her last month) and so remembered us and remembered that she really liked our energy. Of course, that made us feel good!
After all that, we had lunch at the Volcano House. They have a wondeful buffet room overlooking the Kilauea Crater, today filled with fumes. Huge gusts of wind rattled the windows as rain clouds got lost in the crater - all very dramatic and exciting!
Now we are glad to be back home where the air is clear and warm, very windy though. Opened up the house to air it out, and just hanging out for the rest of the afternoon, taking a little R&R time for ourselves.
Hoping you are each enjoying your weekend, too! :-)
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