Memorial Day 2020 - 100,000

While it is part of our American tradition to observe Memorial Day in remembrance of all those who have lost their lives on behalf of others through wars, this year  is both quantitatively and qualitatively different. 

Tempered without obvious political and social commentary, we hope the art speaks for itself. 

Lunel did the collage and Phil wrote the poem honoring all those who have slipped through our hands in decades past and particularly so this last year in the global pandemic.

Memorial Day 2020

These hands are like those left on cave walls
Nameless reminders that they once walked
The same paths we now travel --
A place where memories are stored.

And It Came To Pass....

This phrase is a well-known one from the bible -- in fact, counting the various translations, it appears over 600 times. It's generally applicable in most situations. When we first arrived in Hawaii in 2012, we found a local translation nailed to a mango tree on the drive down to the ocean; it said simply -- "it's only a matter of time."

And so it is -- Lunel has reached the decision to proceed with bi-lateral knee replacement. It was this time last year she met with two orthopedic surgeons whose opinions both resulted in the same diagnosis. There will be continued pain, inflammation and swelling due to bone-on-bone condition in both knees. But it was only a year-and-a-half since the traumas of 2018, and she was not prepared to make the decision at that time. Since January of this year the situation has deteriorated further.

Surgery is set for June 16th here in Hilo, so between now and then, she is directing a massive up-tic in the landscaping projects. Since we have cleared back so much undergrowth, there are now numerous blank canvas areas. Fortunately, we have a weekly young friend who devotes four hours every Wednesday to bring Lunel's vision to life. The photo below are rough -- but she hopes to have lots of plants, and shrubs in the ground so she can simply enjoy her recuperation watching them grow.

Of course Phil and the three corgyn will be on 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th helping her achieve a "home run" recovery!

Remembering With Gratitude

May 2, 2018 is a day we'll long remember. The day Lunel ended up in an unexplained coma and was rushed to the emergency room. During the next 36 hours, lava began to flow in our subdivision, Civil Defense was going door to door with emergency evacuation orders, and Phil was watching his world dissolve around him.

Yes, Ganesh is seated on a large chunk of pahoehoe lava

In that same period, a fire broke out in the forest near our home and it was burned to the ground. Shortly thereafter lava broke out at Fissure 8 and initially began to flow to the east, away from our house. The rest is history as lava built up and eventually covered not only our home but 700 others on it's speedy way to the ocean.
May also happens to be our anniversary month when we celebrate our meeting on May 18, 1986...and our wedding three years later on May 25, 1989. AND, it is TUDOR'S third birthday.

To commemorate this auspicious month, Lunel decorated a cement statue of Ganesh, the Hindu elephant god most widely known for his ability to overcome obstacles. The most immediate connection to that philosophical principle would be a 200 foot high mountain of lava that covered our home, but there is another, less widely known concept that Lunel adopted for herself many years ago.

Elephants are assumed to be terrified of mice. Ganesh, however, decided to overcome his fear -- by  'making friends' with his fear, adopting the mouse as his side kick. In many images of Ganesh you will find him accompanied by his mouse/friend/teacher. Lunel had an image of Ganesh-with-mouse tattooed on her arm for her 70th birthday.

May 2018 brought a package of unbelievable fear, loss, anger and depression for both of us and a two-year journey of ups and downs. We chose to adopt the philosophy that would allow us to look at those emotions squarely and recognize the profound teachings they might offer. We were graced with an outpouring of gifts, support and aloha during that time. Today, on this significant anniversary, we pause to give thanks for each and every blessing.

Aloha and Mahalo

Stay-At-Home ART!

Since a picture is worth 1000 words, here's what Phil has been doing these past few weeks. The galleries where he has his art are closed, so he's building up a inventory of new pieces. A couple are also shown on previous blogs. Each image is carved out of either Monkey Pod or Koa wood, and then hand painted.

Six-Man Traditional Paddling Canoe

Hawaiian Black Witch Moth

Inspired by a 1900 sepia photograph

Spring is here, so Leo Lunel is continuing to develop landscaping plans, buying plants and directing our charming young yard man Marcus where to dig holes since her knees simply won't allow her to do some of her regular work. She is following up with her orthopedic surgeon to move ahead with bilateral knee replacement as soon as hospitals are accepting elective surgeries.

She continues to work on collage projects.

COVID19 ART

Isolation, grief, prayer, death, protection

The King is Dead

As the Covid19 pandemic has expanded so too has the anxiety, fear, isolation and helplessness for many people. For Lunel it has again triggered some PTSD symptoms, but she has returned to ART in response, developing a series of COVID19 ART!! Below are samples of the series to date, done in her unique style. Some are very detailed, so "click" on any for better look-see.

NY City - Then and Now

State of the Planet

Dealing?? So Not!

We've been listening to great music in our studio (where there is no phone). Here are just a couple that we feel have good lyrics in response to COVID.  Links to each if you'd like to listen, but do check out the lyrics.

"Stranded" by Van Morrison

"Make It Rain" by Ed Sheeran

Keep Your Distance!

Blue Nitrile Warriors

Phil Haysmer Art

500 sf of art space

Phil painting carved piece

When we moved into our new home in Volcano Village on the Big Island of Hawaii last year, our first priority was building an art studio where, during these winter months, we've been spending a lot of time.

The whole family hangs out in the art studio where we have huge windows for natural light, an energy efficient propane heater and Pandora tunes to sing along with. Our three corgi dogs also like to hang out with us in the studio.

Commission piece - Canoe of Women

Completed 'Alala - Hawaiian Crow
carved in Monkey Pod Wood

"click" on any photo to enlarge

Gluing support board to 'Alala piece

Since the outbreak of Covid19, we've been staying home more -- making more time for art. Here are some photos of Phil in his art space as well as some of the process that goes into his pieces.

Koa Wood - 'Alala

Phil has been having fun exploring relief work in a variety of local woods and has been selling his pieces, both through his galleries as well as through some commission pieces.

Hawaii Island conservation groups have been working to re-introduce the near-extinct Hawaiian Crow to it's native forests so two of Phil's latest pieces are of the 'Alala
 -- Learn more about the 'Alala

Keep Your Sense of Humor

And on the 1,542,500,000,001 day God said....

Corgi Wisdom and Humor

Coming to terms with (yet another) new reality,we're tryin' to keep our sense of humor while we deal with Covid19.  Take all precautions and stay safe.

Recently our oldest boy corgi "Poko" had foot surgery and thus had to wear the dreaded 'cone of shame..' Hmmmmf!! Now it's their turn to laugh at us. The colored meme was created by our friend CC Pirate whose comment indicated that we needed to be held responsible for the mess we've made of our Earth, and Covid19 was God's answer: a "reboot."

Banana-Fana-Fo-Fana

Island boy with bananas

Big red flower and
baby banana blossom

One of the many things we enjoyed in our previous Big Island home in Leilani Estates (BL before lava) was growing our own fruits and vegies. We had solar, constant water supply, big freezer and a 2-month supply of food.  While not off-grid, we felt very pleased with accomplishing our original goal.

That was 2012-18, and a photo of "Banana Boy" with a fresh harvest.


Finding our new home in Ohia Estates in Volcano, we were delighted the previous owners also had bananas, and we've harvested three bunches in just the last year. The photos on this page were taken last week as we watched the blossom open, flower-lets open and teeny tiny bananas begin to form.

Like many things on the island, they grow in spirals, and the photos here show the original blood-red blossom. As the blossom opens (in a spiral fashion) small white flowers come on with tiny baby bananas that look almost like bean sprouts. If you have enough bananas to spare, the tender 'sprouts' can be used in a tasty salad.

You can even see the "spiral" as they ripen

As the  red blossom leaves spiral open, more "hands" of bananas are revealed. It's convenient that they ripen as they grow -- in a spiral, so you always have some green and yellow like the bunch on our kitchen counter.

I'm sorry not to have been more frequent with posts but I've been extremely excited about a group of interesting collages.  PROMISE: I'll soon post a few of themas well as some new art from PHIL.  Take Care! LUNEL

Let It Snow...Let It Snow!

From our house at 3500 feet

Yes SNOW in Hawaii along with palm trees and beaches. Here's a photo we took from our driveway looking up at Mauna Kea. At 13,800 elevation it is about one million years old and remains a deeply sacred cultural site in the hearts of the Hawaiian people.

(snow only on 2 mountain tops -- other white is clouds)

With its high elevation, dry environment, and stable airflow, Mauna Kea's summit is one of the best sites in the world for astronomical observation. 


Since the creation of an access road in 1964, thirteen telescopes funded by eleven countries have been constructed at the summit. Their construction on a landscape considered sacred by Native Hawaiians continues to be a topic of debate to this day.

Most of the volcano is underwater (as shown in this photo) and when measured from its underwater base, Mauna Kea is the tallest mountain in the world, measuring over  33,000 ft in height. The artistic depiction above illustrates so much of this mountain is below sea level.

And, here's an aerial photo showing sporadic cloud cover, snow on the peaks on Mauna Kea (upper mountain) and Mauna Loa. The map show the location of Volcano Village. No matter what direction our driving takes us, views of both are visible. Sun light, moon light, light clouds or stormy vistas -- even softly enshrouded in grey fleece, they are a magnificent presence. 

Finally, in contrast, here's a sweet rose growing across the street from our house -- now, we're on the hunt for roses for zone 11 so we can have some too.

Whether the Weather

Phil built a lovely bookcase for the lanai

Whether the weather is sunny or rainy, we are enjoying our new locale in Volcano on the Big Island. When there is a break in the weather, we can be outside continuing our terraforming landscape projects and when it's raining we can be in our lovely art studio being creative.

Speaking of rain, so far January seems to have broken records -- over 30 inches in 15 days, but of course the forest loves it as do some of the things we planted a few months ago.

Here's a few of our respective projects.

Phil has a new gallery up the coast in Honaka'a, a charming little village that has the look and feel of a few decades ago, nice boutiques, good restaurants, theatre, museums and historic sites.


Here's some of Phil's new pieces. He's thrilled to have found a new source for his wood -- right here in Volcano.

Lunel has finished her fourth personal journal which has been one the her main ways of dealing with PTSD, the medications she needs to take and how these impact her physically and emotionally.

However she's also moving out of the smaller, more personal journals to explore different styles of collage, but always falling back on her own artistic sensitivities. So, some are quirky, some more serious, and others simply pieces of experimentation.

"click" on any image for bigger view

"Houston, We're Breaking Up"

"Tiny Dancer"

20-20 Vision for 2020

In 2011, when we first discussed retiring in Hawaii on the Big Island, we knew it would be a life changing event - we just didn't know in what ways. We knew about lava, knew the islands were created by lava, knew about the stories, mythology and the geological history of lava and its destructive and creative power.

Close-up of olivine

We even interview many locals about their experiences and thoughts about potential eruptions in the Puna District; the most consistent comment was "not in my lifetime." Our decisions were further fortified by events from previous lava eruptions when elected officials, real estate agents and insurance agents claimed that "lava loss would fall under the category of "fire" and therefore covered by insurance." Live and learn, right?!

As we have shared before, while in a coma and prior to the fire that destroyed our home (before it was covered by lava) Lunel had two vision/dreams the hospital. In each she found diamonds at the leading edges of lava flows. In some way that subtle message from her unconscious awareness continued to help us focus on the "gems" we have found through this past two years. This blog is about GEMS!!

Lunel's birthstone is PERIDOT pictured above. What we didn't realize until the eruption was that lava contains OLIVINE (a lower grade of peridot) which is brought to the surface in lava! and is also found in metorites!

Beautiful lava formations we uncovered (previous home)

Lava with olivine

One of the many things we enjoyed about our previous home in Leilani Estates was the beautiful lava formations, many of them we uncovered from overgrown jungle and invasive vines and plants. Moving into our new home in Volcano, no such formations were visible -- that is until Lunel began to excavate and remove soil!

Lava that Lunel uncovered as a 'feature' in our yard

Under several inches of top-soil, she found and meticulously uncovered lava forms of pahoehoe. Of course, since the whole island was formed from lava, it is not surprising, but we wanted to re-connect with that power. Here's a photo of one of the large areas she resurrected and turned into a lovely fire-pit gathering area in our yard.

Wheelbarrows of dirt removed to uncover lava

Lava "blister" (with olivine) we found

During the work, we found some formations we had not seen before filled with olivine, and a "blister" also pictured.

Neither of us are "Polyanas" but we both know that how we look at life is a strong determiner of how we experience life. For this coming new year of 2020 -- we want our "vision" to be 20-20 as we continue to focus on the "gems" that life has blessed us with.