New Silver Shadow!!

Here's what you may be thinking when you read the title of this blog entry, but Phil (my Silver Fox) couldn't have a bigger smile on his face if he DID have a SSRR!

 Instead, we finally sprung for a new push power lawn mower (after featuring our decrepit current model on January 24 blog.)

Lots of folks  have rider mowers for their "estates," but we are holding out as long as our bodies will -- postponing that decision until our current model bodies fall into true decrepitude and require it!  So, here's Phil out test driving our new Silver Shadow!

(Granted, this exciting news will undoubtedly best be appreciated by Islanders rather than Continentals, but a good tool IS a good tool, right?)

Church of the Moon

The BIG news today is our blessed rain (Ua), finally arriving after many weeks of none, but posting a photo of our overflowing catchment tank full of 10,000 gallons would only be an absolute thrill to a Puna-tic living on the Big Island of Hawaii, seriously.  So, instead here's a look at the glorious full moon we had a few days ago, after Sacrament, of course (and with a little help from photoshop magic.)

One of my all time favorite earthbound experiences is being in the water at night with the moon overhead.

All the "edges" of everything seem to disappear -- the boundaries between earth and sky, between the air and water, but most especially the boundary between myself and the great All-That-Is. I like this quote I found on-line:

"Never ignore a person who loves you....

 One day you may realize you've

Lost the moon while counting stars"

(author unknown) 

THEN...I found this really cool artist whose image does seem to capture how it feels to be in the "space between."  I hope you will also visit the LINK to see more of his fabulous images.

His name is Robert Gonsalvez, and this is a LINK to see several of his paintings.  ENJOY  --  Robert Gonsalves Paintings

 

Color du Jour - RED!

Ever since we moved to Puna on the Big Island, I've wanted a pair a cute mud boots.  While I could have bought a pair of plain old black ones, I held out.  I wouldn't pay the price they wanted for a pair of the designer brands, but I found these --- taDAH!!! at a little thrift shop that carries off brands of merchandise!  Cute huh?!!


We harvested another small crop of tomatoes and bell peppers....with the admission that "small" is the optimum word, since none of these is over 3".  We are very proud of our PUNA non-GMO fruits and vegies that can sometimes be smaller and bit ugly.


Finally, LAVA REPORT:  Well there are confusing (but not conflicting) reports about the what the lava is "doing."  "Stalled at the front" is a common phrase...which means that 95% of it is not moving closer to Highway 130 (yet.)  However, it sounds like the same VOLUME of lava is still flowing from the source -- the Pu'u O'o vent off of Kilauea.  The lava IS still flowing down through the 9+ mile tube and is "inflating" the tube (light pink) which is getting higher.  Also, it is still "blooping out" (non-technical term) in a few northerly branches.  Just for Fun, WATCH the "Raviloi-heated lava HERE --  LINK TO Lava Heated Ravioli

New Books to SHARE!

Sometimes after discovering new authors and delightful new books, I wonder just where I have been that I didn’t know about them before.  But, like most everything else in our lives, things come to us when they are right for the moment.  And then, when you share them and excitedly tell others about them, you find some responses are “Oh yes!!  And, do you know about…..”   Always such a good trade among friends!

So January and February brought me to:

Robertson Davies -- where I began with What’s Bred in the Bone (because for most of my life I have been drawn to the art and mystery of bones.)  It was a great read, and highly recommended, how-EVER… I found The Lyre of Orpheus to be very compelling – particularly for an artist who is interested in process.  And, you can BEGIN with Lyre because it is a stand-alone book.  It is full of art and artists of all types and covers generations of art, art process and secrets – not to mention a love story!

Ann Patchett – is an author Phil has been reading, and my introduction to her was through The Magician’s Assistant which is another love story – featuring many kinds of love, acceptance and forgiveness.  I found I simply could not stop reading.

Kirsten Miller – has written a series of stories, and I found Kiki Strike (fortunately) misfiled under adult fiction when I understand it is commonly filed under stories for teens.  What a delightful romp under the enormous underground city of New York!!  I found it the perfect antidote to the current, grim news, and it gave me a chance just to catch my breath, and smile.

Sara Gruen’s – Water for Elephants was made into a movie, which I had never seen.  If you think it is just a story about the circle, guess again.  If you have ever wanted to run away to join a circus (or simply run away) this story is for you.  It has romance, history and an honest look at what it is like to grow old – to remember, to mis-remember, to forget and to rediscover.

Elizabeth McGregor’s Girl in the Green Glass Mirror is “a haunting love story about two lost souls brought together by chance—and bonded forever by a mystery that transcends madness, tragedy, and time itself.”    Like Lyre… it is about art, art process, history – and the “mystery” part unfolds like an exotic flower. If you get it at the library – you will find you have to return it and go out and BUY one to keep and share!

IF YOU HAVE SOME TITLES TO SHARE WITH ME -- LET ME KNOW!  MAHALO!

High Winds Hit Hawaii

Yesterday we were delighting in the stiff breezes and amazing clouds.  Yesterday, we made plans to have a lovely Valentines lunch at our favorite Pahoa Village restaurant -- Kaleo's.  Now, the clouds are moving by like they were part of the jet stream!!  Phil took a hand-held wind meter with us this morning for our walk (before the winds got to strong.)  Our walk back gave us a brisk tail wind!  Lower elevations gusting up to 20-30 while up on the summits of Mauna Kea, winds are expected to near 100 mph!

Just when you thought the woods were safe!

We learned from Iselle, though, and we are glad that we installed the equipment we did.  We lost power last night a couple times, then lost it permanently around 8am, when Phil gassed up the generator and switched the important stuff (freezer, refrigerators for both us and our tenants, and living room -- including computer.)

Emergency systems including our local CERT team, as well as the County, and Leilani Estate blog are sending out updates frequently.  Reports are coming in from all over about downed trees, road blockages and power outages. We have had two trees come down, one nearly missing our car, and the other (a really big one) falling north (fortunately) onto the next door neighbor's vacant lot.  Of course we have relocated the vehicles nearer to the house.   Needless to say, lunch plans have changed, as we have asked our friends and tenants to join us for albacore cakes, green salad, rice crackers and apple crunch for dessert topped with honey yogurt. 

Blue Sky and Fluffy Puna Clouds

The winds are blowing today and our big fluffy Puna clouds are back.  We drove into Pahoa Village for a Post Office and Longs stop, but we were sorry we didn't have our camera with us.

Just at the top of the hill by the Catholic church, we were stunned to see towering, majestic visions of BOTH Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea glowing with sunlight!!  After we got home I did get a couple of photos of the intense blue sky -- but alas, who can capture a cloud in a camera! (These are untouched photos right out of the camera, but the blue you see here is a little darker than what we are seeing today.)


I also remembered the "blue sky measuring device" I wrote about in fall last year -- and had fun trying to identify the exact color of the blue I'm seeing.  But mostly, I love being in my BLUE hammock just watching the clouds dancing under the bright blue sky!! (check it out on this link.....)
Sept 26, 2014 "Blue Sky Blog"

Haysmers Hangin' Out

Us at the bottom of Hilo's famous Botanical Gardens

Aloha to our blog followers.  Life is good!  We have just finished a couple weeks sharing the Big Island with dear friends from Humboldt County.  Of course we focused on the delights of the East side, enjoying favorite spots along the beloved Red Road and places around Pahoa and Puna.



While our guests were here we enjoyed some plant and bird identification, and realized, we don't know all the names of all the ferns in our yard.

A late afternoon visit up to Kilauea included galleries, lava tube and Jagger Museum where we got to see samples of the higher elevation fern that gives the inner crater its name.

Halema'uma'u, the inner active crater is named the House of Ferns, and the fern this name refers to is the Ama'u Fern (sadleria cyatheoides).

This has motivated us to identify all the ferns in our yard, which is not as easy as it sounds because some of our reference materials differ when it comes to the varieties/sizes of the Hapu'u ferns, of which we may have three.  It will be fun to figure it all out.

Color Du Jour

We have several iris blooming in lavender.

Our dear friends Carol and Jerebob are visiting us from Humboldt County.  We had a chance last evening to take them to a birthday gathering where they got to meet many members of our new tribe here in Leilani Estates!

Carol found this at market!! 

One of Carol's favorite colors is lavender, so we were pleased that some of the appropriately colored flowers were blooming for her.  She even had lavender water shoes! When we visited Maku'u Farmer's Market today, she found an amazing orchid for us -- which was also lavender, making lavender the color of the day!