Bye-Bye Eureka

Saying goodbye to Eureka as we fly out on December 10th for our new Hawaii hale (house.) The hardest part is saying our last farewells to good friends and neighbors.  What a grand adventure we have had for 22 years here -- creating a successful business, buying our first house...and waiting long enough to sell both and see our retirement off to an amazing start.

Humble thanks to Gary Todoroff who does amazing aerial photography and captured this great shot of Eureka and Humboldt Bay.  Go see his entire portfolio at:
www.northcoastphotos.com

 ALOHA!!! ON TO THE NEXT ADVENTURE.

Call in GANESH!! (...or not**)

WOW!  This is a BIG mudslide even for Humboldt County -- just south of Garberville.  News reports indicate it may be 2-3 days total closure with some one-lane use by then....hopefully.

YES, this affects us BIG TIME.  Phil and Jerebob were to be driving our new VERSA car down on Tuesday to Oakland.  And, our big-ass moving container was to arrive on Thursday from the Bay Area.

SO, once again an opportunity to "practice detachment" because this obstacle is WAY to big for us.  We are working out contingencies with all parties involved.  All is good.

"Paging GANESH....will GANESH please come to the the white courtesy phone.....


**HOLD THE PRESSES!!  This was a test!  We got it!  It pays to remain detached as there may be "false prophets" among us...or at least unconfirmed sources.  So, come to find out, the report of the landslide was from March 2011.  "Poof" OBSTACLE GONE!   Ganesh prevails!

"Final Countdown"

 

 

(image by BangElectric)

Luana Hale

Here are a couple pictures of our hale (house) nestled  on one gorgeous wooded acre in Leilani Estates in the district of Puna on the Big Island. The front 1/2 is forested with native Hawaiian Ohia trees.  The house, yard and garden is located on the back half, along with the 10,000 gallon catchment tank which is our water supply -- all from rain water processed through a filtration system.

There are lots of ferns, orchids and birds.  We are beginning to work on the yard to create flower beds, and garden area.  The property already has producing papaya tree, several avocado trees, tangerine, lime and banana!

We are only two miles from Pahoa -- a funky little town with great markets, cheap gas ($3.68), fabulous organic markets, boutiques and restaurants.

The house has a beautiful 1600 sq ft open floor plan, lots of light, no interior doors and big windows that are open most all the time.  We have a screened porch (lanai) that is about 500 sq ft which will be our art studio (and guest space) until we create some plans for additional living space and a guest cottage.

The property is very private and quiet.  We can't see our neighbors except for a tiny roof peak and the only thing we hear are birds and frog song. 

We would love to stay in touch with friends, but the connections to internet are slow.  Fortunately cell phone reception is excellent!

Haysmers
13-3543 Luana Street
Pahoa, HI  96778

email:  haysmer@sonic.net
cell:  (707) 362-1617 (no land line yet)

Grrrrr!? Final Boxes

We're down to the final boxes...you know, the ones that we dump "everything else" into....like the dog's toys and anything else that's left over after escrow has closed, the bags are packed, and the keys are in your hand.

Except, that Dexter smelled us out and found his toys half buried under the last minute stuff.

UPDATE:  Our final departure is only a few days away.  We expect to spend the last few days eating out a lot (no dishes), and spending a few nights with generous and accommodating friends (no bed).  Phil is delivering our remaining vehicle to Oakland for shipment to Hilo, and all that remains is saying good-bye to dear friends.  Dexter will be flying out this time WITH us, but he's not sure about the "packing thing."  He has, however, been practicing spending time in his crate and rewarded with many treats (as well he should.)

The next posts will probably be from our new home.  Just for fun, you can do a Google Images search for "Puna" -- the district where we live, to see lots of pictures of the area.   Or for more fun, you can pay with Google Earth to "visit" and drive down our street!   Just type in: 13-3543 Luana Street, Pahoa, HI 96778.  

ALOHA EVERYONE!   WOOF WOOF!

One Month Later...

We returned to Eureka on Thanksgiving day,after a month in our new Hawaii hale (house).  We plan to be here for 2-3 weeks only because....
...our Eureka house is in escrow set to close 12/8
...the moving container is due to arrive then...
...and Dexter's house-quarantine is complete

We spent a wonderful month at our new hale tackling the list of things to do:  Getting our water set-up completed.  This meant getting the 10,000 tank cleaned out and partly filled.  Then getting the gutter up so that the daily rain would keep the catchment tank full for all our water usage.  Installing the filtration system was on the list too -- so that we now have extremely wonderful drinking water (from the rain).  We did a LOT of work on the yard and began to envision where gardens and beds would be.

We shipped our truck off from Oakland and it arrived about 2 weeks into our stay AND we already have our Hawaii license plates on it.  It felt odd driving it in Hawaii after having driving it exclusively for so many years in California.  When we leave in December, we will also be taking our new Nissan Versa down for shipment over.  Both our furniture, personal items and Versa car will be arriving before Christmas -- which will make the holiday very special in our new place.

We also had fun exploring our new "country" -- because in many ways it is a completely new living situation.  First of all it is 75-80 every day with wonderful trade winds that make it feel cool and refreshing most of the time.  Yes, it rains almost every day, but mostly at night.  The rain varies from a soft whisper to a dramatic downpour.  But, there are blue skies and fluffy clouds almost every day.  We visited markets, galleries, swimming places, hikes, parks and began to really get familiar with our neighborhood.  (to "see" what all this looks like, you can Goggle/Images for:  Puna and you will get a sense of where we live.)

We are meeting lots of new people and making friendships in the process.   We don't have a phone line or internet at our house, so at this time, we have to drive 2 miles into Pahoa (closest town) for our connection.  When we go back, that will be next on the list.   

"The Space Between"

Lunel has a new TATOO -- and several people have asked about it.

This Kanji symbol has been a talisman I have carried with me for about 20 years, on a small inscribed agate.  When asked “what does it mean” I fumble for words – there are SO many meanings to me.  Kanji symbols are beautiful calligraphy that has been adopted from Chinese characters and is used in modern Japanese writing. 

For me “The Space Between” represents the true state of the Universe – which is always in an in-between state whether that is matter and energy as they change from one to the other, or light functioning both as wave and particle. In the vast reaches of space, unseen Dark Matter (between all the stars) is now understood to be the "stuff" that actually “holds” the universe together.  And, at the smallest quantum level even the smallest sub-atomic particles are surrounded by mysterious space. 

The symbol touches on that which is "between" is and is not.  Although referred to by many names, The Space Between is a common theme in many ancient mystical teachings from Tao to Zen, and from Christian mysticism to Sufism .  Neither "this" nor "that" but simply I AM.

On a personal level, it means consciously living in the “nowness” of things because we exist neither in the past or the future.  For almost two years now, we have lived in “the space between” Eureka and the Big Island of Hawaii.  Our home is located in a area that has the Hawaiian “place name” of Keahialaka which has a similar meaning for it is referred to as a "space" where the land folded together to create a dark shady spot that supposedly kept King Kamehameha safe.

 

 

House for Sale!

Eureka House for Sale

Here's our house in Eureka!  and if you click on the link, you can take a virtual tour of the inside of our house and the beautiful gardens.  We have really enjoyed being here for 20+ years and enjoyed the history of the house and the neighborhood.  The house was first built in 1860's and then was added on to in 1885 with the front two-story addition.  
If you know if anyone looking for a great house, please refer them to this link -- and our fabulous realtor, Dean Kessler.

http://agent-53459.pages.tourfactory.com/Tours

PS.  The first three days there were three showings, and we arrived a smidgen too soon on the third.  So we parked across the corner -- and just sat there waiting and looking at our cute little house -- and THEN, we remembered!  21 years ago, on the day we made the offer on the house, we took our lunch back to the very same corner and sat quietly while we ate our lunch and stared at we hoped would become "our house."  We saw it the in the morning, made the offer at noon and by 4pm that same day, the offer was accepted.

This week as we sat there in quiet reflection, I think both of us were wishing that the same thing would happen.  Then, out the front door walked a young woman who's body language seemed to say "oh, look, this could be MY house."  It seemed a delightful sign -- someone could love it as much as we have all these years.   And, just who would have guessed!  Yes, she loved it, made and offer, and we accepted!   OMG

Form and Emptiness

While taking photographs for listing our house for sale, we again have had the pleasure of simply appreciating both the original house we bought 21 years ago -- in its very sad state and the beautiful home we have created. 


While the house is empty except for major pieces of furniture and minimal essentials, there is an elegance to the sparsity akin to a Sacred Emptiness referred to in an ancient Sanskrit sutra:


The translation of part of the chant include the lines:

Form here is only emptiness - emptiness only form.

Form is no other than emptiness -- emptiness only form.

Heart of Perfect Wisdom.

All of the creativity, love and inspiration we have found here, we are packing and taking with us!  We can appreciate all this and...AND look forward with expectations to the play of form and emptiness -- in a new land.

  

Aloha Wardrobe!

A few days ago, we packed up our new wardrobe and mailed it off to our new home so we'd have something to wear besides sweatshirts, and the layers we have become accustomed in Eureka.

The closets and house are nearly empty now. The only remaining things to pack are the dishes we eat on, the pots and pans we use daily and a minimal amount of clothes and toiletries. Now that we are winding things up in Humboldt County, we are starting the countdown to our move -- only eight weeks away!

Typical of Eureka though, October promises to offer a few weeks of sun -- a real bright spot in a year where about 300 days were grey and the temperature rarely got above 60 degrees.

  

Farewell Sweet Girl

We knew it was coming, but like most pet people, we just kept thinking "tomorrow."  But, alas, tomorrow was today.

"Goodby My Comrade"

Goodby, my comrade, you are gone.
The evening wears a darker hue.
The moon and I are left alone
To live upon the thought of you.
Moon, broken fragment in the sky
Where once you reigned in full delight,
You are not lonelier than I,
In your far, solitary flight.
O Moon, we are but halves tonight.

                         Charles Erskine Scott Wood


On this Full Moon -- to our sweet Abbey Enis Puddin'chin -- the best and sweetest girl -- YOU WILL BE MISSED!

15 Bags Full!

...of just clothes.  Well, admittedly many of them were thick and bulky, turtleneck sweaters, tights to wear under skirt and jeans.  Socks!!! My goodness the socks -- all fuzzy thick and warm.


Then there were the sweatshirts, sweatpants, jackets, jackets, coats, and more jackets and hoodies, warm scarves, raincoats, hats, leather coats, etc.  Oh, and three scrumptious mohair sweaters too, along with fancy dresses, tons of long sleeve shirts for both of us!

Generally, all one needs for life in Humboldt County -- ah, the layers and layers we wear!

In all, from the garage sale through to today's ruthless sweep through all our clothes closets and cupboards, 15 full bags of clothes -- that will be going to local thrift stores.  Now not only does our nearly empty house echo, we can see the back, sides and bottom of all our closets.  Goodness does this feel amazing -- really makes you wonder why you never did this before!


  

Packing the Vases

There is something very intimate and personal about the vases I've collected over the years; each tell their own story -- where I was when -- who I was then, and so on.

Most of the year there are some kind of blooms in the yard and consequently flowers in my kitchen window, on the table, and always on the altar.  Of course, we are sneaking a few of our special bulbs into our moving boxes -- our wedding calla lilies, some of our favorite iris, and of course some tower of jewels seeds.

Chips and scratches, dings and all; as I wrap each one I am grateful for all the flowers of our yard and the people and memories they recall.  The yellow azalea that we planted when Kimbre died, the camellia my mother gave us when we moved in, the contorted filbert I bought for Phil for his birthday.  Donna Mae's azalea and the bulbs we bought with Carol and Jerebob, Walt and Jenny at the bulb farm one autumn.  All are sweet remembrances -- "of people and things that went before - I know I'll often stop and think about them." The old Beatles song comes to mind as I tuck them safely between bathroom towels.

Dis-Assemblage De-Construct

The Art of 
Who You Are


For both of us, the house-stuff has been the easiest; the art-stuff, however a different story.  Phil's was first -- all the lighthouse note cards (unsold) and his remaining watercolors, representing a massive amount of time and energy.


But this week, it was my turn to admit that taking over 40 boxes filled with assemblage treasures to Hawaii just wasn't the answer.  The "deconstruction of assemblage" as an art form has been percolating in my mind and heart for weeks.  The art you make does express who you are, but who you are is not your art.


Yesterday the decision became real as I laid out the time and space to go through all the boxes (again) -- with a different goal in mind.  Last night, while reading (as always) a Science Fiction book, another view of the answer was presented in a way I never would have expected.  Those who know me best will understand.

"Live long and prosper."   

The Heart says -- "Not for Sale"

Deciding what is and is not for sale for our Estate Sale September 15/16 has been quite a labor of love, memories and (more) letting go.  And, as our friend Margaret wisely advised, "sometimes, you gotta just get ruthless."  Yeah, and sometimes the heart just speaks up too.


That's what happened as we deliberated about taking this unique one-of-a-kind iron sculpture that was created at the Eureka Iron Works in Old Town Eureka.  The piece was given to Phil during a massive clean-out under the building that Many Hands Gallery has been in for 23 years.

To take it, or not to take it -- we both love it so much, but it takes three normal people and two beefy sorts to move it -- it IS solid iron.  So, last night our Puna friends Iris and Jeffrey were over, and we shared our love of the piece (which had been priced at $1200 for the estate sale.)  In a fit of absolute joy and passion, we pronounced together in one voice -- "It HAS to go with us."  And Iris had the distinct honor of ripping off the price tag, after which we had dinner and talk-story knowing we had made the right decision -- let the movers do it!!

SF CHRONICLE -- PUNA!!

September 7, 2012

The San Francisco Chronicle ran a terrific article about PUNA -- and tells a great story about our new neighborhood.  We know many of the places and names they talked about.

If you'd like to learn more about the Big Island and especially the district of PUNA, just go to this link:


http://www.sfgate.com/travel/article/Big-Island-s-Puna-side-often-overlooked-3848610.php#ixzz25qFvh3L7

Stepping off the Edge

Aaah, the things we unearth digging down through the middens we have developed over our many years of accumulation.

Here I am at age one "stepping off" or at least seriously envisioning my mobility.  I like this one best out of many; I was not posing by the roses in front of the house, or next to my teacher, or in fourth grade with a prominent and permanent cowlick in my  hair.

No, here I am -- determined, if a bit worried, blessed with curiosity and a willingness to seek and discover.  Like the FOOL card in the Tarot deck -- I remain a willing risk taker.  I no doubt took a major tumble shortly thereafter -- it seems that falling down (which is not remotely close to "sin") is the way we learn the best.  How ever are we to know what is past the edge.  Then, I was reminded of a quote I wrote just after Winter Solstice 2011 in our Hawaii journal "Papamanawa" --

"You will never discover new

continents without losing sight

of the coast."   Andre Gide

YOGA - Namaste'

The hardest part of relocating is not the packing but saying goodbye to dear friends.  Today we said our first official goodbye to our beloved yoga class who have faithfully committed to yoga for over three years -- and many of whom have discovered (as I promised) that they ARE actually TALLER!

Thankfully, it looks like I have found replacements for both my yoga classes.

What is 7 x 7 x 20?

Answer:  The size of the container we will be filling to move to Hawaii!  So, we decided we'd better measure it out just to be sure we could visualize it.  So of course we're putting in the "must haves" first -- our library, mask collection and treasures. 

We're really happy with our connection with our moving company who specializes in relocation to Hawaii.  We will have a full team of pros at each end to load in Eureka (they take about 1/2 day) and drive the container to Oakland where it ships out and arrives in Hilo 12-15 days later -- AND, another team will drive the rig/container to our house where they will unload it in the house.  Actually, this sounds a lot easier than the work we are doing now.

We are both down to the hard stuff -- packing and sorting our art studios.  We're taking bets as to who will have more boxes!  Next step is having our estate sale -- tentatively scheduled for mid September.  Then, with the house emptied, we can then officially list our Eureka house for sale with our good friend and real estate guru, Dean Kessler.  One step at a time....

Successful Garage Sale....

...and subsequent "Auspicious Dump." 

The garage sale put over $2300 in our coconut shell, but the best part was the trade we made with a friend; he would come and remove anything left (which saved us a dump run and appropriate disbursement of cloths, books and such)....and he got to keep anything he wanted to sell at his own up-coming garage sale! 
Thanks Randy!

What you see here is about 1/2 of what was left over -- so the "boys" are tickled because it made the whole process a whole lot easier.

20 Years of Calendars?

Hmmmmm.  For a few minutes I just sat there on the floor in the upstairs hall.  Hmmmmm seemed to be the only comment; was there an actual question?  There wasn't really any judgment, or cynical tsk tsk.  Nor was there any need to justify myself by a defensive remark to the effect that surely I was not the only person who saved over 20 years worth of calendars. 

Keeping meticulous calendars and obsessive attention to details have served me well.  I think these were like my Girl Scout merit badges -- totems and trophies of many challenges met and battles fought, and fun had, and work done. 

I can let them go.  Not so, however, with the tidy journals I began in my 20's, and which are numbered -- I think I am on #26.  There's "stuff" in there I need yet, if only to remind me of all the wonderful stories I want to write -- about the people who have been my teachers and friends along the way.  So many things to be thankful for.  One day I want to re-read them, knowing, I may feel of them the way I did about the calendars.  I reserve the right to wait and see. 

Holy Shit!

Our Sweet Corgi Girl

"Lady Abbey Enis Puddin'chin"

Life is bittersweet.  Abbey has aged gracefully, and at 13 she struggles with  many of the same things I do.  Finding a warm place in the sun, worrying about my weight, hoping my knees are going to hold out....and wondering just what happened to my waistline!

Five minutes ago we performed our now nightly ritual -- a thing best viewed in person for full appreciation.  After an early evening snooze on her favorite pillow, she, not unlike me, requires a little extra boost for the last jaunt of the evening.  We always offer an enthusiastic "cheer" as she stretches her back and checks the stability of the old hind haunches.  For alas, without that last long final trek out for the potty run, there will be poopie-cookies -- count on it.  She tries -- you can tell she tries, because there they are -- a small trail leading right to the back door.

But, tonight, the ritual seemed particularly tender.  It was a great day -- we spent it together as a family out in the back yard sorting boxes for this weekend's massive garage sale and subsequent Auspicious Dump.  All this while chasing "Dexter" down as he continued to devilishly sneak out after the neighbor's cat at least 5 times, each time returning with eyes cast down, wearing the True Smirk of a Trickster.

All day we laughed and joked, and "shovel our shit" -- years and years of accumulation.  We all joke  about that mythic and legendary time when we were young and our entire worldly possessions fit into our car.  By this time in our lives we seem to unconsciously store more and more "shit" we don't really want or need.  Mid-May when we began the process in earnest, it was pretty crappy going -- dull, hard and sometimes depressing.  As we excavated, we found things that triggered old memories (more shit) that we may not have really cared to recall at all.  But, once our attention was drawn there, it seemed that the simple act of acknowledgment and release felt like a the sweetest fresh sea breeze -- from the street where we will live, in Pahoa, on the Big Island of Hawaii.

Then, there's the really REALLY SHITTY parts - the parts that break your heart, and you know  you have to make a choice.  We have had to make such a choice with our sweet Abbey; she won't be able to relocate with us.  Over the years, our numerous nicknames for her included "Nurse Abbey-gale," or "B.B.B." the abbreviation for Baby B, or simply "Our B Girl.  Chauncey's name for her was "Puddin'chin" because as 18-month old best friends, they always shared the task of licking out our pudding cups.

Abbey has the thickest fur I have ever felt and over the years, it seems to have grown even thicker!  Her fur is so thick that when we trim her toes each month (another ritual for another time) we also have to trim the complete slipper that grows between her toes.  Why you wonder?  Because the thick fur makes her slide on our hardwood floors; the old gal has a hard enough time as it is trying to get to the back door to "poop."

So here, we have come full circle with a royal flush!  All this came to me in a flash on a beautiful evening after a blue sky all day -- in my yard, with my family.  I came in the back door chuckling and pronounced, "Well, I certainly hope there is someone there to cheer for me when I need help taking a shit!"  We both started laughing as Phil, having been a full participant in our evening ritual, began to applaud us both.  And we all bowed in humble acknowledgement of....Holy Shit.

Year of the Dragon Alright!!

It was clear since the year's beginning that 2012 would be a handful. We chose this fierce dragon to be our totem for the year....something that would represent the strength and tenacity to accomplish what we were laying out to do.

So, the "Year of the Dragon" is shaped by four tasks:  Sell Many Hands Gallery, By A House in Hawaii, Clean Out F Street (completely) for Tenant, and lastly, Pack and Move.

Those 30-some words, since mid-May have been 30-hour work weeks for us.  It's a good thing this powerful dragon found us!

OMMM....A NEW MANTRA:
Another short story.  Just the first of August a friend pronounced that he had the solution for us: "One Way Tickets" -- which implied that "everything would work out" and that we would be successful.  We liked that idea - so concise!   "One Way Tickets, One Way Tickets...OMMM"