HVNP is Back!!

Went hiking in Volcanoes National Park today with for the first time since its reopening. Hard to wrap my mind around the changes as the summit crater went from being a half-mile wide to three miles wide. However, even with all of the changes it still is the same place. The smells...colors...heat radiating off the black lava fields...the coolness of the wind...and the sound of crunching lava rock with each step...so good to be back! #iheartnature #bigislandbliss #HVNPisback #ohthechanges #nokilaueaglow

Earing Collection

I have never been one that has had a closet full of “girly” items such as dresses, heeled shoes, and baskets of accessories. The new job working at a school has caused my wardrobe to transform in many ways. One of those places in is earings. But I am not one to just go out and buy them. Instead, I have to find ways to learn to make things otherwise the conquest is too simple.

By accident I came across this jewelry making class that was hosted at the local library. This was my second time participating and have been trying more and more to push myself into realms of a different style.

The best part of this class though is the element of creating with other people. Like elements of my childhood, being surrounded by a group of women can be a balm on a girls heart no matter her age.

Thanks Alex for sharing your passion and holding this space for us to create in.

Full Kitchen Perks

I have been going crazy in the kitchen. I haven’t had an oven for the past three years, so I am feeling this great urge to make all of the recipes that I have been stockpiling. The latest was a pizza night. The result was a delicious BBQ chicken pizza on homemade crust and a chicken pesto on cauliflower crust. The cauliflower crust was an adventure that had excellent results. Naturally I will do this a little different in the next round, but as we all kept coming for more, I would say this full kitchen was a complete success.

Lili'uokalani

This annual September celebration has returned. I always find the Liliuokalani festival holds a certain sweetness as it was the first festival I went to after moving to the island. The highlight in the past has always been the orchids dropping from the sky to open the event. Sadly, this wasn’t possible this year as the volcano lava took the orchid farm that donated the flowers.

Still the festivities moved forward and, as is tradition, the weather was magnificent. I taiko drummers were better than I had seen yet, and I even participated in a Japanese tea ceremony. As a special treat, I ran into one of my new housemates as a she was beginning to make a lei out of ferns. The final results were a bit wild but still full of beauty.

A Stroll Down Memory Lane

Well, the day after I move into my new place Hurricane Lane decided to bless us with its presence. Four days of non-stop rain followed. I recall waking up one night because I didn’t hear the sound of the rain pounding on the roof.

Hilo is known for its rain and I have seen days where we would get 4 inches in a day. But this was a marathon run. Water was everywhere causing school to be cancelled and activities confined to the house.

Day one, I organized my room. Day two, was more of the same, but my room isn’t that big and had to purchase a few things in order to finish. So day two through four I entertained myself by cleaning and reorganizing other spaces in the house. I also followed my friend Jean’s lead and attempted to make pancakes in the shape of a hurricane.

When I woke up because of the lack of rain, I got out of bed and looked at the sky. I saw the smallest blue patch appearing as the sun rose. I couldn’t stay inside any longer. I had to take advantage of the pause.

I walked to a place on the river i used to walk past frequently. I want to go to a place that I was familiar with so I could see the difference in the amount of water. The river was pumping! The waterfalls that I would normally see weren’t there. The rock island in the middle of the river - totally covered.

Walking downtown, I saw the flooded areas and whitewater rapids in places where they shouldn’t be. But then, the sun broke through the clouds. For the first time in days, I saw my shadow. It seems like a crazy thing to admit, but I stopped and waved at it like it was a long lost friend.

As you would expect it took a few days for all of it to dry up. Debris is still stacked in piles here and there and the ocean is higher than normal. As I went out today to enjoy the beautiful clear skies, I decided to go to one of my favorite beaches to see how it fared. New logs and other drift would now line the shore with coconuts bobbing in and out of the water. But with all of the turning waters other things were kicked up as well that I didn’t expect. I love to look at the sand of this beach as it has some many interesting shells and large pieces of sea glass. But today, I found a treasure of a shell that I have seen many times fashioned into jewelry: a snake-head cowrie shell. My first found on the shores of Hawaii. An unexpected effect of Hurricane Lane; however, I will gladly consider it as a token of the past week as I felt like I was surrounded by water and feel beauty of the land round me once me.

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