The crater that’s been spewing smoke and VOG since March is showing off a little. Check out this cool video.
Have you noticed that my wistful, wishful posts about Hawai’i have increased steadily as the temperature here decreases? Go figure.
Original post by paradisefound
Well, for a day, anyway. We spent Saturday at the Wine Country ‘Ukulele Festival in Napa. There aren’t too many things I’m willing to get up before dawn and drive long distances for, but the chance to touch base with some island friends, listen to Hawaiian music, and hook Brad up with a few workshops? That’s one.
Konabob jammin’ with Uncle Kimo Hussey
Original post by paradisefound
Hemispheres magazine (the United Airlines in-flight) is offering free downloads of eleven popular Hawaiian songs. Add a little aloha to your Friday afternoon!
Original post by paradisefound
If you don’t know who Father Damien is, I highly recommend that you read The Colony. It’s a fascinating account of the development and interment of people afflicted with Hansen’s Disease (otherwise known as Leprosy) at Kalaupapa on Molokai. The saga is fully researched but reads like a novel. Father Damien was the heroic soul who took charge of caring for many of the people who were exiled from their homes and sent to live on the remote Hawaiian island.
The Vatican has elevated him to sainthood, based on the premise of two medical miracles. The article does not state what those miracles are, but I’m highly curious. Also, I had no idea that the church still collects relics! Relics of saints played a large part of pilgrimages during the medieval era, but they’re still collecting body parts today??
I’m no Catholic, and while I don’t know if he was a […]
Original post by paradisefound
The game birds that live in the bushes outside my window and how they trill.
Rice with everything. No such thing as meat and potatoes here. Sticky rice is served breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Pidgin. Some folks are disturbed by the local slang and can’t understand it, but I find it completely endearing.
Lei. There is something very magical about wearing a string of flowers around your neck.
Television news on aloha Friday. The whole news team lined up behind the desk in aloha wear creates a huge clash of color; something that wouldn’t be allowed by TV execs on the mainland, I’m sure.
Original post by paradisefound
When Aloha Airlines shut down earlier this month, their cargo division remained open. They’ve been responsible for transporting 85% of the goods that move between the islands. Yesterday, Aloha’s cargo division shut its doors.
People who had dropped packages to ship were called to pick them up. The major bakery (think Wonderbread) in the islands usually ships its product from Oahu to the Big Island or Kauai via Aloha Cargo. With no other way to serve customers, Maui will receive its daily bread via the controversial Super Ferry and the rest will be delivered via a temporary route that takes the bread all the way to the mainland and back. The US mail is also scrambling for an alternative in a place where its already notoriously slow.
Original post by paradisefound
Remember this?
We’ve stretched our original one-two years in Hawaii into nearly three, but it’s finally time to go home. I’ve spent the last month mourning the end of this adventure and anticipating life back in the country, but mostly, trying to figure out how in the world we acquired so much stuff. We may have come here with only eight suitcases, but the stack to go home? Decidedly bigger.
Of course, we are taking home FIVE ‘ukuleles, an electric guitar, and a drum set that have all joined the family since we’ve come. It’s certainly been a musical few years.
We have two more weeks before we fly out. Thankfully, I turned in the final edits for my medieval book yesterday. I can now focus on all it takes to move across the Pacific and arrange as many hikes and beach visits as possible.
Despite the tears that I know will be shed […]
Original post by paradisefound
The vog from the volcano continues to be heavy. On Wednesday, evacuations were necessary on the southern part of the island because of the health danger from sulfur emissions. Air quality is definitely compromised. Here’s a view from a house lot advertising “ocean views”:
One of my favorite views on the island is the gentle upslope of Hualalai. It’s lush and vivid green and it makes me happy every time I see it on my drive home. It looks like this lately:
And here’s a view across Kona’s only highway, looking at Hualalai from a different angle. Truly, there IS a mountain there!
Original post by paradisefound
I spoke with an editor in NYC this morning. Funny how easy it is to forget how the rest of the world communicates. Here, pretty much any phone call - even business calls - start with an exchange of “how are yous” and friendly conversation. My NYC conversation opened with a direct question related to an article that’s scheduled to run in August. No “hi, I’m the editor working on your story” or “how’s the weather?” Just straight to business.
She wasn’t unfriendly at all, and actually we worked into a friendly conversation. But the order in which it happened seemed quite foreign to me. People here - except for visitors - wouldn’t dream of being so direct.
Original post by paradisefound
While I had my camera at the grocery store, I took some pictures of snack foods that you probably won’t see on the mainland, unless you shop at an Asian food store.
Original post by paradisefound
Evan participated in a youth camp over the past couple of months, learning about the dynamics of multi-sport events, health, and safety. The camp ended just in time for the participants to run in the Lavaman Aquathon for youth - a 200 meter swim followed by a 2k run. We are not a multi-sports kind of a family, but I was thrilled that he was showing an interest in *any* kind of activity for more than two days - we’re still trying to discover that boy’s passion.
He finished the race in just over 28 minutes, then promptly announced matter-of-factly, “I don’t think I’ll do another one of those!” So much for THAT idea.
Original post by paradisefound
Last weekend we drove from Pahala to Hilo and back, which took us past Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. On the first pass, we could see some smoke from Halema’uma’u Crater, but not a lot. There was a slight smell of sulfur in the air. Coming back, the smoke plume was much more evident and we could see the smoke drifting along the coastline (and then inland, right to where they boys were!). This smoke is the result of a gas explosion that happened inside the crater last week that scattered rock over 75 acres.
Access to the overlook at Halema’uma’u Crater is closed for safety reasons, but the scientists have installed a webcam that updates every 5-10 minutes. It’s a pretty amazing scene and a perfect opportunity for couch geologists to have a look at what’s going on (without dealing with respiratory issues!).
Original post by paradisefound
Carrie said in the comments of a previous post:
I just did a freelance assignment on the history of Hawaii - it’s fascinating! I have to admit I was woefully ignorant - especially of how horribly the Americans and Europeans treated the Hawaiian monarchy. Do any hard feelings remain over that?
I started to reply via comments, but my reply got long.
It’s pretty incredible that most Americans have no idea about the history of how we acquired these islands, isn’t it? I know that every region has its own histories and heritage, but it does amaze me that the overthrow that happened here has been so glossed over by history.
Yours is a hard question to answer. There is sometimes an assumption by mainlanders that the locals are hard on haoles (Caucasians), but we haven’t found that to be true. The local people we have had the pleasure of meeting have been warm […]
Original post by paradisefound
Carrie said in the comments of a previous post:
I just did a freelance assignment on the history of Hawaii - it’s fascinating! I have to admit I was woefully ignorant - especially of how horribly the Americans and Europeans treated the Hawaiian monarchy. Do any hard feelings remain over that?
I started to reply via comments, but my reply got long.
It’s pretty incredible that most Americans have no idea about the history of how we acquired these islands, isn’t it? I know that every region has its own histories and heritage, but it does amaze me that the overthrow that happened here has been so glossed over by history.
Yours is a hard question to answer. There is sometimes an assumption by mainlanders that the locals are hard on haoles (Caucasians), but we haven’t found that to be true. The local people we have had the pleasure of meeting have been warm […]
Original post by paradisefound
What do you say when a Grammy Award winning musician asks if your son can come to his workshop to help teach? Mmmmyessss! Brad is off today for five days of music and fun and food, and it’s entirely up to me to keep Evan occupied while he’s missing big brother. It will be a lonely week!
Original post by paradisefound
If you’re at all curious about the current eruption, go have a look, here. Beyond the lava flow that’s been reaching the ocean on and off over the last several weeks, Halama’uma’u Crater is giving off sulphuric gas that’s taking the air quality in Volcano National Park to dangerous levels. For reference, here’s a photo I took of some kids I know sitting in front of the crater:
The white you see at the edge of the crater is rock, not smoke.
Here, the crater as of today, looking in the same direction:
Click over to the USGS site and you can actually see the red incandescence.
Original post by paradisefound
I like to think this blog is charming in its randomness [insert sarcastic snort here]. I also like to think it’s beneficial, at least on occasion to the people who stop by. I know it’s helpful to me, as it kind of gives me a chance to think things through casually, warming up in a sense for the “real” writing I do.
I’m pondering a project (always) and would like to tap into your collective wisdom, if I may. Forgetting for a moment about my randomness, let’s focus specifically on my posts about Hawai’i. Assuming that you find those particular posts worth reading, what is it that you particularly like to read about? The fact that we were crazy enough to move here? Local culture? Food? The language? The history? Is it a chance for you to virtually visit the islands? Can you pinpoint it for me?
Taking another angle, if I […]
Original post by paradisefound
We have snow on three of our Hawai’i island mountains this morning and Haleakala on Maui is blanketed nicely as well. It’s 17 degrees up on the summit. The cold air blowing down from the mountains means it’s chillier here than usual, and frankly, we’re not set up for chilly! This kind of weather calls for a wood stove. My socks, sweats, and sweatshirts are getting a good workout this week, even if I’m not.
Original post by paradisefound
Someone just asked some simple questions about visiting the islands; I figured I’d post it here since I’d already typed it up, in case anyone is planning a visit (I know at least one of my readers is!).
Important question: What kind of vacation do you want? Relaxed or busy?
Oahu is the busiest island. Plenty to see/do, but it’s (to me) crazy busy. I was there several months ago on an assignment and I prefer the quiet atmosphere of the North Shore. BUT, that’s my opinion. Downtown Honolulu/Waikiki is the hot spot for visitors, with night life, street performers, lots of water activities, hustle, bustle, etc. It would be worth it to stay for a few nights in Waikiki to see Pearl Harbor, Iolani Palace, Bishop Museum, if those things interest you.
Outer islands are less busy.
Original post by paradisefound
If there is a place in the world where eating locally makes more sense than on an island, I don’t know where it is. The local paper this morning reports that the last dairy on the island of Oahu has closed its doors, leaving only two remaining dairies in the whole state - both on the Big Island. In the 1980s, the state was self-sufficient in its dairy consumption; today, 82% of the milk consumed in Hawaii is imported. To top off today’s agricultural news, the last egg farm on the Big Island is closing, leaving four remaining in the state, all on Oahu.
While the local products are probably superior in quality, they’re not always the least expensive choice, so for people on a budget - most of the folks living here - it’s something of a balancing act. How can we support local agribusiness without breaking the bank? With […]
Original post by paradisefound
Over the weekend our homeschool group had the opportunity to visit a citrus grove owned by one of the members. The grove is in such a remote location that the owners don’t harvest the crop beyond their own needs, so we were invited to help ourselves. The kids had a blast picking the fruit and we came home with an abundance of oranges, tangerines, lemons, and pumellos. We’re planning to make marmalade and an organge chutney, but I’m open to suggestions - what would YOU do with 50 pounds of oranges?
Original post by paradisefound
Snow on Mauna Kea Surf’s up, Kua Bay Think that looks like fun? Check out what the weekend on Oahu looked like! (I seem to be having editing/photo sizing issues. Anyone else? Or can this be because I’ve switched to a different computer?)
Original post by paradisefound