Hawaii Artists -- Phil and Lunel Haysmer

Our new home in the small community of Volcano on the Big Island is surrounded by a beautiful ohia tree forest filled with nectar producing lehua blossoms loved by our native birds. Occasionally, while we are landscaping we come across an old root from a dead tree. Phil had found one two years ago and he has been waiting to see what it "wants to be." A few weeks ago this rather gnarly root "spoke" to him and it said -- "I AM KAMAPUA'A" -- and Phil took up the challenge to "find him" in there!  Here's the result. The stand is made from curly koa tree wood. 

Not shown here (but in many previous blogs) are many of Phil's hand carved and painted bas relief featuring many of Hawaii's flora and fauna as well as traditional navigational canoes. A large selection of these are featured prominently at the Michael Jayme Gallery Honaka'a -- a charming town north of Hilo.  (520 279 7462)

 

To Everything There Is A Season

One of the spacious carports -- beginning rock walls

...even for catching up our blog followers with the latest month of news. (Can't believe it's been over a month since our last blog update.)

From Ecclesiastics come the the words:
To everything there is a season...and
a time to every purpose under heaven..
a time to cast away stones, and
a time to gather stones together.

For over a year we've been "casting away stones"... from the lava/stones that changed our lives too suddenly and dramatically last year.

Now, both figuratively and literally, we are gathering stones together.

Things are moving quickly on the building projects and beginning landscaping. As our regular blog followers know, the art studio was completed many weeks ago; we are both spending happy times there.

Next came the carports: Completing both of the new carports meant also providing large spaces to work even if it is raining.

New table -- without the 3 leaves

Sheetrock done

The purchase of this house included all the furniture -- except a large dining room table. We've known what we wanted -- something solidly classic in wood, with leaves to expand space for dinner parties. We began what we expected would be a long search, but found the perfect table on our second stop!!

Work on the lanai (just off the back porch) began in earnest in September: framing in the space, exterior walls first, then windows, drywall inside, texture and painting. We have beautiful tiles for the floor and assembly has even begun on our new cedar hot tub.

Carving first on Monkeypod wood

Lanai walls textured and painted -
 Phil inspects the extra deep tub

Phil has been continuing his new art direction -- carving and painting -- similar to those we shared on our July 1st blog entry. The one pictured here is of the 'Apapane bird - an endemic Hawaiian honeycreeper who drinks the nectar from the lehua blossoms of our ohia tree forest that surrounds our home. They live in packs and their lovely songs echo in the forest. Their crimson feathers were once used to adorn capes, helmets and leis of the Hawaiian nobility.

Adding color

A time to gather stones together!!

Lunel still works on pages in her journals, but is spending more and more time in the yard; it's a whole new big canvas for her, but her approach this time will be tempered by wiser maintenance choices -- more trees and flowering shrubs -- less weeding.

One of her projects is utilizing the beautiful chunks of lava our excavator dug up for electricity and water to the art studio as well as clearing spaces for the two new carports.

During September we also sold and bought a different truck -- one day! Our contractor needed a new work truck and friends in Leilani just happened to be selling theirs. Even though we planned to eventually replace the older work truck -- we were pleasantly surprised when it all came together so easily.

Although cooler seasonal fall weather is slowing coming, we still have many bright sunny days with temperatures between 70-80 and we both are enjoying it. Nice that the lanai and hot tub will be done before winter season!
(yes, we DO have 'winter' here in Volcano, Hawaii -- at 3500 elevation)

In Living Color!

What a busy month! We've received a few emails checking in on us since we have not created a new blog entry lately -- so here's the scoop!  We've been busy!

Work on the art studio is progressing very well, sheet rock going up this week, railings will be done, and beautiful "Lehua Doors" will be going up soon too.

Lehua Blossom (Lay HU ah)

OK, you say, what are "Lehua Doors" -- well early this year we were surprised by the COLOR of the ohia blossoms as they were such a deep orange/red and were visible from every window in the house.



Phil is making art out of left over scraps of wood from the building project, and has just finished one of Poliahu -- one of Pele's sisters who is associated with the snow on the volcanoes.

Lunel continues to work in her art journals filled with drawings, illustrations, poems
and quotes. She continues to learn about and work with the effects of on-going PTSD symptoms. Working in a densely packed 4' space for over a year, she's thrilled to know the new art studio will be completed soon.

About the knees, since friends are asking: The plan, for now, is prolotherapy injections that admittedly may or may not work. The MRI images for both knees were graphic and depressingly honest, so surgery may be an eventuality. After the year we have been through, it is understandable that another 6-month "recovery" would not be anyone's first choice.

Designing a new lanai (again) that will be adjacent to the house -- when what we had was so beautiful is a challenge, especially remembering all the amazing art that we had placed so strategically.

Phil is getting bids on installing whole-house solar which will include the latest Tesla storage batteries.

Giant Rhubarb

Younger selves in Santa Cruz CA

Lunel is getting information on replacing the wonderful cedar hot tub that we both will be glad to have again.

And then there's Rhubarb for one of Phil's favorite treats -- grows amazing here at 3500 in Volcano

Both of us have experienced a slowing-down we have to acknowledge and honor. The last year of various kinds of trauma and recovery has taken its toll, and although we are enjoying our new home,  it is still NEW as are all the things we are slowly replacing from wedding rings to underwear, from books to art -- as we also acclimate to new cooler weather, new neighborhood and new colorful opportunities.

This week we also celebrated our 33rd anniversary -- goodness 1986 seems like a LONG time ago -- we were a LOT younger!

What's in a Name?

Nahelenani Street

It was during our 2011 vacation to the Big Island that we first got the idea to retire here. Many of the necessary logistics such as divesting a lot of our "stuff," finding a buyer for our 22-year old gallery, and selling our 1860's Victorian were just plain work. But one of the FUN things was discovering the richness of the Hawaiian language.

Some of the first words we learned were typical vocabulary like 'aina, mahalo, and aloha, or learning the different kinds of lava formation like pahoehoe or a'a. When we made the offer on our first home in Leilani Estates and found out that our street name was LUANA -- of course we looked up that word too: Luana: to be at leisure, to enjoy pleasant surroundings and associates and to enjoy oneself. 

Luana -2012 - Healthy Trees

At that time our lovely one acre of land was thick with Hawaii's native 'Ohi'a trees, but in less than two years most of the trees were dying from a fungus that was spreading rapidly - hence the name "Rapid Ohia Death" or ROD. The photos here show the difference in about 18 months' time.

Luana - 2013-14 - dead trees

That is just one of the reasons we are so delighted with our new street name of Nahelenani, because it means nahele (forest) nani (beautiful.) Once again, we are blessed to be safely snuggled into forest of beautiful 'ohi'a trees that are now bursting with lehua (lay-HOO-a) blossoms.

We loved "Leilani Estates" and are heart-broken over the lost of our home in May 2018. Leilani was a larger subdivision with dozens of streets -- all with beautiful Hawaiian names like Moku (island) or Hapu'u (fern), etc.. Our new subdivision of "Ohia Estates" however, only has two street which makes it easier to get acquainted with our new neighbors.

Trees on our new property

If you are interested in learning 
more about the ROD "Rapid 'Ohi'a Death" 
you can click on this link:

  ROD - great photos and explanation

Salmon Surprise!

Yesterday morning was overcast and raining, so while we were sitting out on the lanai being pleasantly distracted by Ms. Tasha puppy (now six weeks old,) we looked toward the north boundary of our property and thought we saw salmon-colored blossoms on a young ohia tree.  Going out for a closer look, we were right -- it is a young tree that did not bloom last year at all.

We have written previously about the plight of our ohia tress on the island -- the blight/fungus that is killing so many. (here is the LINK to that blog:  Dying Ohia Trees

Nearly all trees have red blossoms. While there are yellow blossomed trees they are infrequent, and we have two. The salmon are the most rare, so we feel really lucky.

The legend of the Ohia tree and the Lehua blossom.  The legend says that one day Pele met a handsome warrior named Ohia and she asked him to marry her. Ohia, however, had already pledged his love to Lehua.  Pele was furious when Ohia turned down her marriage proposal, so she turned Ohia into a twisted tree.  Lehua was heartbroken, of course. As the gods took pity on Lehua and decided it was an injustice to have Ohia and Lehua separated, they turned Lehua into the  flower on the Ohia tree so that the two lovers would be forever joined together.  Hawaiian folklore says that if you pluck this flower you are separating the lovers, and that day it will rain.

Rain, Rain (and more Rain -- UA!)

As I write this blog entry, it is raining and I am, therefore, not outside puttering in the yard. It is funny how this simple observation reveals so much about our daily lives here in Puna on the Big Island of Hawai'i. Weather seems to be the prime mover of our activities.

"Ola i ka wai a ka 'opua" 

(There is life in the water from the clouds)

Looking at this rain chart, you will see that we get an average of 130-140 inches of rain a year. Now, that sounds like a lot, even considering we live in a true rain forest, but (and people rarely believe this) it rains 80% of that at night!!

"Kahiko o ke akua" 

(The Gods' adornment: The gods express their approval with rain)

View from our office window.

Sitting here at the computer, I can look out and see the Melodious Laughing Thrush and the olive green Chinese White Eye eating bugs on our ohia trees -- now loaded with bright red lehua blossoms. There are many references in song and proverbs to the rain here in Puna -- and its association with the fragrance of the lovely lehua blossoms on our ohia trees.

"Ka ua moaniani lehua o Puna" (The rain that brings the fragrance of the lehua of Puna)

I can also see the beautiful ohia tree carving I just cleaned up and carved as a tribute and reminder of our beloved corgi, Dexter.  Speaking of Rain (ua) Phil just finished a new piece of wood art called "Tropic Rain Hawai'i" using up some of his interesting scraps of wood left over from making his lovely reef fish.

(CLICK on any photo for a better look)

Note:  These quotes are from a comprehensive compilation of Hawaiian proverbs and poetic sayings by Mary Kawena Pukui entitled, 'Olelo No'eau

Spring Equinox

The other evening the sky was so dramatic Phil went outside around 5:30 pm, camera in hand, and took two photos both within a minute of each other. The mackerel clouds covered the whole sky and the moon was nearly full.  The first photo (left) was facing due east and the rising moon and the second one was taken looking due west down our long driveway.

When we first moved to the Big Island's Puna District in 2012 everyone on The Continent thought we must have palm trees and white sand beaches. " No," we would explain.  "We live in an ohia forest!" Then, however we did not get this western view so low to the horizon.  Sadly, our neighbors across the street have lost nearly all their beautiful ohia trees**.  You can see some of the bare branches outlined by the brilliantly colored sky.


**If you don't know about our dying Ohia trees -- refer to our March 9th entry where there are links to stories about this sad disaster.  Hard sometimes to admit that life IS change.  Or, this newest article just put out by NPR (very sad) we live at "ground zero!)

Elegant solitary Lehua blossom over the bed of orchids

Bed of Nun's Cap Orchids (under Ohia tree)

Even the weather is changing!

As a result of our significant drought several weeks earlier in the year, this spring's bloom of Nun's Cap orchids and the Lehua blossoms on the Ohia trees are late -- but nonetheless beautiful.

Colorful Hawaii Holiday Traditions

There's a whole generation of folks our age who remember when getting an orange in our Christmas stocking was a treat, along with a new box of color crayons, or a roll of Life Savers.  This morning (Christmas Eve Day) the dogs watched lazily while I went out to our little orchard to harvest a crop of fruit to make fresh juice.  We have been experimenting with using lemons, oranges, tangerines, limes, lilikoi and ginger. The lilikoi and ginger offer a real snap that needs just a touch of local lehua blossom honey.

Card Art by Thor - "Spambiance" 

So while thinking about old family traditions, I also remembered SPAM!!  Our working family made do; mom was very thrifty (although at the time I didn't fully appreciate that.)  I remember her slicing SPAM (spiced-ham) soooo thin one can fed our family of five.

According to the SPAM website, the island's love affair with Spam began in World War II, when GIs were served the salty luncheon meat because it didn't require refrigeration and had a long shelf life. The Hormel Corporation, which manufactures Spam, provided 15 million cans to Allied troops every week. Between 1941 and 1945, Hormel had shipped over 100 million pounds overseas.

Snow?  While snow may fall on Mauna Kea or Mauna Loa, at our elevation of 750 feet, we have to settle for our annual blooming "Snow Bush" which is covered with tiny little white flowers -- a member of the Poinsettia family.

Speaking of our local volcanoes, each year members of our tribe respectfully gather natural materials from the slopes of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa for wreath making.  We all meet at someone's home, bring pupus and gather for munching and "talk-story" as we create our wreaths.  Finally, each season (Equinox and Solstice) we decorate our family altar with appropriate symbolic reminders of our connection to friends, family and our nearly 30 years together.

Happy Holidays EVERYONE!!

Trouble in Paradise

As I write this blog entry, I am looking out the window at our beautiful ohia trees in bloom with lehua blossoms.  As I look south, though, across to our neighbor's property I can see dozens of leafless dead ohia trees that reflect what is happening to some of our trees as well.

This last week we had a sad project -- taking photographs of the ohia trees on our property that have died because of an insidious fungus.  Just in the last year, about 12 of our beautiful ohia trees have died.  One week they look fine; but within 7-10 days we watch them die from the bottom all the way to the top.   Those of you who have visited our home in the Puna District on the Big Island can understand how devastating this is.  We have friends who live close who have lost ALL of their ohia trees!

Just this week a disheartening report from University of Hawaii's College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources was released.

Ohia trees alive and full of Lehua blossoms

You can read the report if you like by using the following link UH Ohia Report.
The Honolulu Daily Beat news is equally grim:  Honolulu Daily Beat - OHIA TREES

Same view -- 1/2 our trees gone

Here are the two important sentences from this report.

"This disease has the potential to kill ʻōhiʻa trees statewide."  "Currently, there is no effective treatment to protect ʻōhiʻa trees from becoming infected."

The first photo was taken just a year ago, and the second was taken yesterday.  At this point, all we can do is enjoy them every day, hope that they don't all die, and begin to buy (different) replacement trees.  Several of the dead trees are too close to the electric lines or the house and will have to be cut or topped.

Blooming and Growing

Our April 14th blog entry showed photos of our tall, strong and graceful Ohia trees ** covered with beautiful red Lehua blossoms.  This week, we had an unexpected treat because one of the Ohia trees we planted a year ago had its first YELLOW blossom.  Most all trees bloom red, and yellow blooming trees are rare.  Even more rare are salmon colored blossoms. 

When we moved, we spent months reclaiming our one acre from the encroaching jungle vines and ferns, and many of the islands introduced invasive species.  Next we began planting our mini-orchard with a variety of fruit trees.  We found a local nursery man who had his own yellow Ohia tree and we got two small rooted cuttings from him about a year ago.  The trees are less than three feet tall at this time, so we didn't expect to see blossoms for a few years, but we got lucky as one of them bloomed.

Patiently (sort of) waiting for breakfast on the front porch.

Dexter and Reba are being tolerant and polite with each other, but Dexter prefers to be inside the house, and Reba has been an outside dog for year, so that helps with the family dynamics.  Ao-Pokole (Poko for short -- and "Poko" means short too) is growing fast and has more than doubled his weight and length.  We are taking turns with the early morning breakfast preparation; each of them gets different proportions and Dexter has Rx added to his food as well.


** The Ohia trees are the most abundant native trees in Hawaii and are among the first life in new lava flows. According to Hawaiian mythology, the tree represents a young warrior. Pele, the goddess of fire, wanted to marry the warrior. When he refused, she turned him into a tree. The other gods weren't able to turn him back, so they turned his true love, Lehua, into the blossom so the two lovers could be reunited. It is also thought that if you pick one of the blossoms, it will rain – representing the tears of lovers.




 

Blossoms!

From this distance it may be a little hard to see hundreds of small Lehua blossoms that now cover most of the Ohia trees in the forest where we live.  Our one acre is surrounded by these beautiful and stately trees -- some of the first plants to grow in newly formed lava.

These trees dance in all the breezes, whether it is the trade winds from the north and east, or the kona winds from the south.
(In the background you will see our "shade house" which actually 9 feet high, so you will have some perspective on the size of these trees)

We still find that people have a generalized image in their minds of hot white sands and tall swaying palm trees when they think of Hawaii.  But as you can see in PUNA, there is a great deal of variety in the climatic zones and flora.

This week our focus has been on helping all the dog-kids get acquainted with each other, helping Dexter retain his dignity in the face of all that wild vivacious puppy-energy from AO POKO.  REBA has been used to running rough with the boys on the farm, so she has had to learn to be more respectful of Dexter, but is making good progress. All in all a good week.

Valentine Ohia-Lehua

Happy Valentines Day! 

We remember last year's February too, when all the Lehua blossoms on the Ohia trees around our property were in full bloom. 

The rain showers today covered every blossom and leaf with jewelry, so outside I went with the waterproof camera to try and catch a little of the magic.

Phil knew the perfect approach to celebrate with gifts of a coconut scented orchid (yes, it does smell like coconut) a tomato plant for the garden, and a art tour and lunch in Hilo. 

In other RED news, a couple days ago I caught this shot from our kitchen window.  The flowering plant, a gift from a friend.  The bird was one we found newly dead on the ground when we first moved in.  I have preserved birds for many years, and decided to enjoy the beauty of this honey creeper for a little longer.

There's a FULL MOON tonight and we have planned a trip down to the warm ponds at Ahalanui Park for a moon-lit swim as the concluding step in a lovely Valentines Day.   ALOHA!!!

Graditude and Latitude

It is quiet this morning; our friends and carpenters, Steve and Rob have finished our new deck, and we are enjoying a cuppa Haysmer Mud (coffee so thick and rich it has been classified as its own food group.)

Yesterday, while answering an email from a new artist and friend in Fiji, I noticed the first Lehua blossom on the Ohia trees just outside the window of the office area in our open house floor plan.  I was caught by surprise when my eyes teared up; what?!  Look-see-inside:  I realize it marks the anniversary of our first year.

And, overnight a second blossom has appeared and I am aware of new rhythms here on this new land.  On the summer solstice, I awake to find the morning sunlight streaming from the southeast counterpane across my bed, blessed warmth on my face. I woke early this morning to see the sun peak up, nearly half a year later, on the northeast side of the grandmother Ohia.  The light comes now at a different slant, crisscrossing it's earlier path to form an invisible "X" across the land and our hale.

There are new rhythms here (nu riddims) that only time will reveal, perhaps more subtle than higher latitudes, but waiting to be discovered by open hearts and open eyes. There is only gratitude - Ho'omaika'i.

Surrounded by Blossoms!

 The Lehua blossoms on our Ohia trees are bursting out right now -- we are surrounded on four sides by these stunning puffs of red.  When we were here in October, many trees on the north side of the property were in bloom, but right now nearly every single tree is in bloom, and there are easily 50 trees on our property.

The Ohia trees are the most abundant native trees in Hawaii and are among the first life in new lava flows. According to Hawaiian mythology, the tree represents a young warrior. Pele, the goddess of fire, wanted to marry the warrior. When he refused, she turned him into a tree. The other gods weren't able to turn him back, so they turned his true love, Lehua, into the blossom so the two lovers could be reunited. It is also though that if you pick one of the blossoms, it will rain – the tears of lovers.

As new residents, we were thrilled to watch the activities of the 50th anniversary of the "Merrie Monarch Festival" in Hilo just a couple weeks ago, where many of the participants used these blossoms in their costumes and leis.

The Merrie Monarch Festival is (http://www.merriemonarch.com) dedicated to the memory of King David Kalākaua, known as the Merrie Monarch. King Kalākaua came to the throne of the Hawaiian Kingdom in 1874 and reigned until his death in 1891. He was a patron of the arts, especially music and dance. Kalākaua restored Hawaiian cultural traditions that had been suppressed for many years under missionary teachings.  He advocated a renewed sense of pride in such things as Hawaiian mythology, medicine, chant, and hula.  Ancient Hawaiians had no written language, but chant and hula served to record such things as genealogy, mythology, history, and religion.  Hula, the dance of Hawaiian people, was one means by which culture was expressed and passed down through generations.