Frog Legs!!

 Click on the link below for sound:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZUOiZG84c0

This may sound "sweet and natural" to you, but just get 2-3 of these little guys on your house or worse yet, on your windowsill, and you will not sleep!!  Last night we killed our third coqui -- and are getting better at it, but as you can see, you'd have to collect at LOT of frog legs before you'd have a meal!

When we go for walks in our own subdivision, the sound is very loud if you pass acreage that has overgrown - that is one reason we are working hard to clear our land and keep foliage away from the house. 

 The coqui frog, Eleutherodactylus coqui Thomas (Anura: Leptodactylidae), was accidentally introduced into Hawai'i from Puerto Rico in about 1988. Aside from being a major noise nuisance, the frogs pose a threat to Hawai'i’s island ecosystem. Coqui frogs have a voracious appetite that puts Hawai'i’s unique insects and spiders at risk. They can also compete with endemic birds and other native fauna that rely on insects for food. The frogs are quite adaptable to the different ecological zones and elevations in the state and have been found from sea level to 4,000 feet elevation (at sites in Volcano on Hawai'i.)  Coqui populations have exploded in the last 20 years from presumably a single infestation to over hundreds of infested areas on the Big Island alone. College of Tropical Agriculture at University of Hawaii 

FULL Ohana!!

Stove & Refrigerator          (check)
"Honey Maple" Cabinets    (check)
Toilet!                                  (check)


The beautiful Honey Maple cabinets arrived today! So, in addition to the range and frig the apartment is FULL!  We are VERY jealous too as these cabinets are WAY more gorgeous than ours!   (hmmmmm)

Tile (which I am standing on) will be completed tomorrow (and it's still only week 12.)

Preparing for Tropical Storm Flossie

Storm preparedness:  Dexter Dinkums Wigglesworth III was very concerned about the approaching tropical storm and wanted to look his best.  He has not actually even had a bath since our arrival.  But it is mid-summer and he sometimes has an allergic reaction to the occasional (never seen one on him) flea bite.  This is just another good reason we are a three wheelbarrow family!  The water in the 100 foot length of black rubber hose is perfect for us and him.

Flossie...?  Oh yeah.  Ummmm, extra water, flashlights and candles in place, 8 cans of spam, a PILE of fruit and vegies (from yesterdays Maku'u market, and "brownies."  We've stacked the 4x8' plywood, rearranged the potted plants and secured our temporary building canopy with big cement blocks, and covered builder's power tools.

Since we have MiFi Verizon wireless we could even watch a couple movies or listen to our iPod of music.  Today, however, we are headed into Hilo to pick up the generator we have talked about now for about 8 months.

Phil explains "storm preparedness" thusly:  We have two 13,500 foot volcanoes on the big island that knock the heads of most storms.  Bottom line is that we will get a bunch of rain and some winds -- but, as usual, most of our sister islands to the west will get most of the assault. 

Saturday, Inbetween Showers

This week most of the plumbing for the ohana got done.  There is a completely new plumbing system called Pex which uses flexible red and blue lines that makes installation much easier.  Since the lines all run below the apartment, that means we get to see it all on the "ceiling" of Phil's workshop -- it's kind of interesting too.


Right now, because the contractors are putting up dry wall, there's lots of dust and scraps to clean up and we do that every evening.  Then, just because the contractors go home, doesn't mean we have the weekend off.  This weekend we get to start painting some of the completed walls. 

We do find ways to enjoy our sweet home while we get some chores done.

And just who is that tan Hawaiian woman??  Today Lunel decided it was time to wash the windows and got started around 7am leaving plenty of time to get the job done before it got too hot.
 
While Phil was making some tea, he found one of our kitchen geckos curled up on a left in the kitchen window.  Each morning, after breakfast, we leave a little piece of juicy fruit in a little dish for them to enjoy. 

Ohana -- Now In Week 11

Week 10 the drywall went up, but this week all the cracks corners and seams will be finished for us to paint. The picture to the left is of the kitchen (hard to tell with the equipment) but it will feature a counter/bar that will extend into the living area, great cupboards and drawers, and of course a range and refrigerator.  Just outside the big window to the left (just outside the photo) there is a nesting pair of Myna birds who seem undisturbed by our project.

In the late afternoon and evenings we all have found ourselves wandering upstairs to sit on the west facing balcony, and it has become everyone's new favorite spot.

Here's Dexter Dinkums Wigglesworth III relaxing after a hard day with his dad.  Dexter has figured out now, how to go out the front door and head upstairs to the apartment when the contractors are having lunch -- so he can catch anything that falls, and as is his custom, help clean out the lunch bowls and boxes.

This week, after adjusting the back door screen, he can now go out the front, and in (again) through the back door.  Fortunately he has finally realized that he does not need a "doggie door" because he can use the people door.  Of course, he thinks that's pretty cool.

End of Week #10

We have successfully gone from -0- accommodations to being able to accommodate visitors, however roughly.  For our most recent guests, we covered the plywood floor (chalked with drywall dust) so the blow up mattress and bedding would stay clean.  Notice the scaffolding "cabinets" and the lovely plastic chairs in front of the drywall pieces.

Thinking back over the past few months, we have actually had quite a few visitors: Very early in the year, Anita from Hydesville visited us before the project began.  Marie Rose, from Colorado, also visited us very early. Three gals from Humboldt visited us in June.  And, this month, 10 weeks after our building project began, we can offer rough accommodations to David and Dottie from Blue Lake, CA.

We took delivery of our stove and refrigerator this last week, and have ordered kitchen cabinets and counter-tops.  By the time our next visitor arrives, the ohana will be completed for our best buddy, Cheryl, from Eureka CA  who will be visiting in September.  Cheryl has some friends who want to visit and check out our island dream with the possibility of retirement.

Our Taiko drum teaching friend Esther, from Kalamazoo MI is lining up a visit in December, and Walt and Jenny have put in "dibs" on March 2014!

So, for anyone interested, October, November January and February are OPEN.  So, let us know!

Nature's Ossuary

Visiting friends from Humboldt County were joining us in a leisure walk around the "estate" and while checking out the compost pile, the passion fruit vines, and assorted avocado and citrus trees, we found this under one of the ohia trees!

"Oh my!" I gasped, recognizing it at once as one of my favorite things -- nature's ossuary, brought to us by our winged raptor neighbors.  While it might be an owl pellet, it is more likely to be a gift left after our recent hawk visitation that had the nesting mynas, thrush and cardinal in a fuss.

Those who know me well, know my passion for bones, large and small...and these little "left over" packages contain some of the tiniest little bones.  If you don't already know about them, they are "burps" from owls and hawks -- left over after they have digested their little furry breakfasts -- and are tiny bones wrapped in hair balls.  Many times, you can find a complete dearticularted rodent skeleton inside.  Our visitors were not too surprised at my delight, since I brought two full boxes of bones as art materials when we moved.

Papaya

When we first saw our house in February 2012, we noticed several small papaya trees.  Even as small plants they were producing daily breakfast treats.

Now, a year and a half later, we have more than enough. In addition to the fruit, however, we have also learned more about the benefits of using the leaves as a rich nutritional supplement.  Just watch this informative video and see what we mean: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipfrDSeBps0

When we began to build our ohana/apartment, we realized the project would place several of our papaya at risk, so we took some of the premium seeds for a new row of papaya in our small orchard.  This week we have the delight of sharing our papaya with Humboldt County friends who are visiting.

Subterranean Inspiration

Subterranean Inspiration?  Really?
Well, sigh, what can I say! It feels like something floating just beneath my skin, a glimmer of light, idea, sensation - all drawing up from inside me, rising closer to the skin. 

There is a dance between that inner intuitive sub-awareness, and a connection to the underground rhythms of this living moving land, violent churning ocean, floating breezes, winds shifting, clouds reeling and magma flowing.

To my inner ear the vibrations feel like a stunning tango, or a gritty inner city beat, a galactic orchestra, or impromptu modern dance.  Then, at times it is a subtle sub-audible sound -- like my very own heart.

To my inner eye, there are elements of costume design, cosmology and architecture and futurism.  As an cultural anthropologist my mind is amused by the additional infusion of both urban and tribal culture.  Ok, it's a little vague yet, but so far the graphic visuals really appeal to me.

Both of these images were inspired by the "landscape" of our own house; they began as photographs of interesting visual focal points in our new Hawaiian Hale.

Stop and smell the ginger!

Way back in January sometime, we planted a few dozen ginger plants (assorted varieties) donated to us by our neighbor.  The day after we planted them, a gusty wind blew them all over, and we had to cut them off at the bottom, knowing they would all grow in fine.

So, this week the first one bloomed -- in addition to some of the bromeliads and rhododendron.  For the last few weeks, we have not worked in the garden, but have both had full time jobs staying a day or two in front of the contractor with sanding and painting.

This week most of the electrical lines got plugs and we now have power upstairs in the ohana/apartment, instead of dealing with numerous electrical lines running up from the first floor in a tangle.

This week the beautiful mahogany ceiling (like we have in our house) went up and nearly all the sheet rock is up too, and has been taped.  The tile is down in the bathroom, and holes are cut for the plumbing.  In addition, we have ordered the cupboards for the kitchen and the counter tops too.  A refrigerator and stove are being delivered this weekend!

A number of years ago Lunel bought Phil an antique Chinese screen, and hid it upstairs at Many Hands Gallery.  Well, the holiday season being as crazy as it is, she forgot it altogether, until just before moving, and decided to take it -- still in the original box.

When we moved in, it was our intention to use it as a floating wall, but it didn't actually get hung until just this week.  And, WOW, doesn't it look great as a decorative room divider.  We didn't want to use anything that would detract from the spacious open feeling of our house-with-no-doors (interior).  (View of photo is from the living room looking into the bedroom.)

It is just PERFECT, don't you think?

"The Long and Winding Road..."

Although we don't drive it often, when there is a Costco/Kona trip involved, it is one of the highlights, despite its bad reputation.  The road is over 50 miles long and crests at about 6500 feet, which is impressive itself.  But even more impressive are the views as you drive between both Mauna Kea (home to over twenty astronomical observatories) and Mauna Loa.  Both active volcanoes stretch into the azure skies at over 13,000 feet.

The Saddle Road is so named because it rests, like a saddle between these two volcanoes.   It was built in a rush by the military in 1940's and was only intended to be a fast military route between both sides of the island.  For many decades it has only been one lane, and even now, it narrows in many places to one-way traffic.  For the past several years, road crews have been converting it to accommodate the heavier traffic demand.  On this trip, it look as though the project would be completed this year.

The variety of landscapes is phenomenal, and includes large cattle ranches, stark high deserts, and mountain sized cinder cones.  There are also rolling green hills and tropical forests and many views that are quite otherworldly.  This road is the only access to Mauna Kea -- an unusual and delicate  ecosystem to flora and fauna and a scared site to the Hawaiian people whose tradition includes the mountains in many legends and songs.  Along the way there is also a huge military training facility complete with tanks and helicopters.

In addition to all these amazing view for the eyes, the road is akin to "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride" at Disneyland....if you remember that far back.  I LOVE driving this road, but the views are so distracting, it's important to keep your eyes on the road -- and pull over to appreciate the views.

The visit itself to the west side was wonderful and included lots of leisurely time with friends and swimming at some of my favorite beaches  -- with dolphins.  It is the best way to make a trip to Costco a wonderful experience.

Lunel Heads to Kona This Week

Expect a pause in the BLOG for a few days as Lunel is headed for Kona on Monday where she will visit her dear friend Yani and visit Humboldt friends visiting from Blue Lake.  In addition to spending time with friends, she is planning to get in some serious snorkeling time at some of her favorite beaches.


Before heading back to the lower east side and PUNA, she's planning a stop at Costco, returning home at the end of the week via the Saddle Road.  It will be a nice break from subcontracting and all the 'boy energy.'

Phil Is "Beaming!"

When the contractors go home, there is quite a list of things we do that to only save us money, but ensure the project gets done more quickly.  Here Phil has sanded a giant beam that is one of the main beam supports of the apartment's structure.  The ceiling is finished with mahogany so we are staining the big beam to match it.  You can't see it in the picture, but the clerestory tempered glass was installed this week, and much of the wainscoting went up as well.  (Note: The colors here are not perfect due to the lighting.)




We also finished staining the sweet deck off the west end of the apartment.  The next step will be to cut the beautiful and sculptural guava tree branches which will  be the uprights around the deck.


Another on-going project is painting the new "accent color" which is a cross between poppy and cinnabar --  the perfect complementary color for all the luscious greens both inside and out.

(Lunel is taking next week off for a visit to her dear Kona friend Yani, and some friends visiting from Humboldt County.)

"I Got the POWER"

"No, I have the power!"  "Oh, no you guys, it's ME, I've got the power." All FOUR of us are using power equipment today.  Inside walls are being cut and going up, wood is being put up with electric power hammer on living room ceiling.  Phil is sanding the roof beams that will be  stained or painted.  Lunel is sanding moulding for trim.  If the UPS delivery person pulls in, we will probably stick a power tool in her hand too!

WE ALL GOT THE POWER!

"Ohana in the Ohana"

Three generations of a sweet Hawaiian-style ohana/family.  Hard NOT to fall in love with the people we are meeting since we moved.  Rob, in the background, is our contractor, whose daily work partner is his step-son Jordan, who is already skilled in many fields.  And, what's not to love about Shira and sweet keiki, Naja.

But in addition to all the creative contractor sounds today, we also had the terrific gutter team from Cory's Gutters in Keaau bangin' out an awesome gutter (our second one from Cory's - be sure to ask for Jay!)  Big thanks go Jay, especially, who sniffed out a gas leak we had -- and to Rob who had the right pipe wrench and propane sealing tape (yellow, not white, he informed me) to fix it on the spot!