35 Years of Collaboration

(again, having trouble with formatting -- had to revice this silly thing 3 times -- sorry)

In 1986 when Phil and Lunel met in Santa Cruz they were both artists - Phil was a creative graphic designer and developing a line of lighthouse paintings; Lunel was crafting reproductions of ancient museum artifacts that ultimately lead to a contract with DeYoung Museum. 

"We haven't stopped collaborating -- whether it was opening Many Hands Gallery in Eureka in 1990, or the retirement move to the Big Island of Hawaii!" We have always inspired and encouraged each others' art and process.  

Lunel helped compose the image by using Photo-shop, and Phil worked his magic in the most recent carved and painted piece. While other artworks of Phil's are selling in two galleries, this one is going to remain in our house!! The background is of the hills (pu'u) in the mesmerizing district of Ka'u just south of where we live.

Most recently on a road trip we ended up taking two photographs that were instrumental in another collaboration. Lunel helped compose the image by using Photo-shop, and Phil worked his magic in the most recent carved and painted piece.

 We are currently reading several books about Ka'u -- on the family relationships, cultural history, and geographic land-use as well as contemporary threat to centuries of cultural indigenous traditions. 

Learning never stops!

Birds of a Feather

Living in the ohia tree forest of Volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii we are blessed with an abundance of birds native, endemic and species from other places as well. We do miss the wonderful complicated song of the Chinese Laughing Thrush in our former Leilani Estates home, but the native 'Apapane has a lovely song as well:

   'Apapane Song.   

Here's a page we created using most of the birds we see every day, and a couple who mostly live four miles away around Kilauea crater in Volcano National Park. 

A couple days ago, we went for a fun drive (holoholo) and as we reached the sign inside the park reading "Nene Crossing" (pronounced nay-nay) we noticed there were two sitting at a turnout area reserved for them. 

Phil took the camera, got out of the car and ended up with a very close up encounter. They began to follow him back to the car where we shared a granola bar with them before heading down through the amazing Ka'u (Caw oo) desert and on to Na'alehu for lunch a visit to a Tibetan Monastery and a leisurely walk along the shoreline.

(hopefully I can get these pictures arranged well, but with the changes to this program, I doubt it) ENJOY

Whittington Park and Fish Ponds

Wood Valley Monestary

Holoholo Mauna Kea - and Thanksgiving

Long and winding road -- these are KOA trees with light bark

View of Mauna Kea across the high desert (yes, Hawaii has deserts)

For Thanksgiving, this week we took a lovely drive (holoholo) up the slopes of Mauna Loa. Its mass (from seafloor to top) makes it the largest mountain in the world! The drive is long and winding, but offers an amazing views and a variety of vegetation because of the wide variety of elevations..

The Big Island averages only 85 miles across, but elevation from 0 to 13,800 the results in diverse and dynamic landscape. Hawaii Island has 10 of the 14 world's climate zones offering an outstanding variety of vegetation.

View from about 6500 - Volcano Village in backdrop

Smoke from the 2018 fire on the slopes of Mauna 

Leaving the highway turnoff that's just a few miles form our house, we ventured up to a wonderful outlook at about 6500 feet where we could look down on Kilauea crater and Volcano Village. And, we could estimate the approximate location of our house. (which would be over at the far-far left)

To learn more about this amazing active volcano check out this link: MAUNA LOA

Phil's painting

The year 2018 was full of mother nature's surprises -- East Rift Zone eruption of course, Hurrican Hector, and a huge fire on the slopes of Mauna Loa that destroyed about 2000 acres including large number  of koa and ohia trees and native plants.

"Poop" berries

While we remembered to take the camera and the binoculars, we forgot our plant identification books, but were able to identify several after returning.

One plant in particular was a special find because we found it in our yard after clearing huge pile of plant debris. It is called Kukakenene -- an interesting word. kukake (the gift) KOO-KA-KAY-NAY-NAY

Nene are the official state bird of Hawaii.  Here is a watercolor painting Phil did, with a drop-in photoshop border Lunel added.

Nenes are a beautiful goose that leave "droppings" that look just like the shiny, black berries from this low growing shrub that thrives in this higher elevation.

Nene are closely related to the Canadian goose.. Some scientists believe that the Nene may have evolved from Canada geese that took a wrong turn during migration about half a million years ago. 

Right now, we have purple Iris named "Mauna Loa" in our yard but will also be hoping to find an amazing hybrid called "Mauna Loa Fire" to add to our collection.

WE ARE SO THANKFUL FOR
SO MANY BLESSINGS.

"We're All in our Places...."

During the past two years Phil has been painting watercolor images of local native birds -- including two Io (hawk) which visited the Ohia trees in our yard!  Recently, he has completed a third painting in his series of native birds -- the handsome Nene (geese.)   He is now laying out his fourth painting -- Koa'e Kea (white tailed Tropicbird.) Yes its name is "Tropicbird" one-word.

The light in the art studio is perfect for painting, as Reba-Bo-Beeba offers her encouragement.


 In the meantime, with the help of our yard helper and friend Sam, Lunel is continuing on-going terraforming projects in another part of the property, using the accumulated lava for new terraces bed.

The cairn of lava was created by digging up and leveling areas of the yard, particularly as we dug holes for fruit trees and Hapu'u ferns.  The lava pile dwindles, however, as the walls are created for new beds. 

 

Hawaiian Geese - Nene

Phil has been having fun exploring parts of Hilo while Lunel has been doing physical therapy.  These are few of the local geese (Nene) he saw just a few yards from the parking lot.  Wouldn’t you love to have a pair of these handsome creatures in your yard?

After watching K54 & K55, we are sure they are a pair!

Hawaiian geese are found only in the Hawaiian Islands and are currently restricted to Hawaii, Kauai and Maui. They are very distantly related cousins to the Canadian geese; it is surmised they were blown off their migratory course hundreds of years ago.  They like to build their nests in both sparse and dense vegetation on beaches, shrub lands; grasslands and woodlands on well-drained soil, volcanic ash, cinder and lava rock substrates. Females typically nest on the ground and lay an average of 3 eggs. 

The Hawaiian goose is among the most isolated, sedentary and threatened of all waterfowl.  They are the sixth most endangered waterfowl species worldwide. These cautionary signs are seen around the Big Island.

To LISTEN to them CLICK on this LINK:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-xAJZ-TvX0

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