Happy Independence Day

From the fiftieth state in the Union, we are wishing you a happy Fourth of July!

We hope yours is sweet, safe, fun, and liberating!

Post Cards From The Big Island

Pictures!  Hawaii Moments... Just a few.   I cannot write, because it would all jumble, and there is so much left to do, but I cannot help sharing some highlights and glimpses.

Postcards.  

Wish you were here!  Aloha~

{this moment}

A single photo. No words.  An extraordinary moment I want to remember always.

Please share a link to your moment.

Beautiful Bad Vacation Photos

I am not a photographer.  I take pictures... a lot.  I look for good lighting, focus, interesting angles and subjects, but I am not at a point where I would wear a press badge, or have business cards printed.   Since I blog, I do (honestly) try to limit myself to posting "good" pictures, and not publishing all of my pictures!  And if you have a digital camera, then you know... a picturing snapping fan, can take a lot of pictures!  

On this trip, I have been burning through a lot of memory... On Big Black Beautiful Camera, and the iPhone, as well as a water camera.  Geoff has been helping me manage storage.  Max helps me hit delete.  But, but, but... sometimes I cannot hit delete, lose forever the precious moment digitally preserved, and recalling a scene to treasure, always.

Okay.  Lets face it, not all of our vacation photos are worthy of the cover of National Geographic.  But for me, some of the worst offenders are more dear, more meaningful than any Conde Nast spread.  There are good postcards at every corner store, and plenty of coffee table books, and Internet sensations have Hawaii and beaches, and fish, and palm trees quite well documented.  Nonetheless, some of the pictures downloaded from our camera, lousy as they are, are for me, utterly undeletable.  

And so, in honor of all beautiful bad vacation pictures everywhere, I present our too precious to delete, but really not so great beach photos!  

And there's more, of course.   More fish just of focus, and funny faces behind dive masks and snorkels.  More waves and splashes, and sandy bits.  All precious, and good... and undeletable.

Grandmother :: Abuela :: Tutu

The formal Hawaiian term for grandmother is kuku wahine, but tutu is used most commonly. Although the conventional wisdom is that there is no "t" in the Hawaiian language, in actuality the "t" and the "k" are somewhat interchangeable. Kapuna is a term sometimes used for grandparents, but it more accurately translates to "elder" and is most often used for one upholding and teaching traditional Hawaiian culture.

In 2000 we came to Hawaii with Grandmother, and I never had so much fun watching someone else enjoy an adventure. She belongs in a place where dresses are floral, and flowing. Where aloha and gentle melodies are generously shared. I certainly am thinking of her today. With every tropical breeze, pretty lei, and sweet aloha moment we enjoy, I am wishing she were here, too.

Move Over

Mister Foo, on Eunice's bed. He's made himself right at home. Not that he's hogging the bed. He's still pretty small, so he doesn't cover the whole bed. Technically there is plenty of room.

See? He left her room on the end, and both sides, and even the entire pillow.

Yes, he feels right at home.

Kilauea Iki Crater

In Volcanoes National Park, we enjoyed more generous weather... more blue sky, more comfortable temperatures.  And also spectacular volcanic activity.  It's a place that makes me appreciate the scale of planet building! It also makes me feel respectfully, mindfully small!

In one epic adventure day we were up before dawn to see the lava glow within the Halema'uma'u Crater, then on a double hike down into Kilauea Iki Crater, up again and around the rim, and then through the Thurston Lava Tube!  It was such a treat to share this with the children, who were enthralled and each uniquely engaged in the adventure.  

Down into the Iki crater, through lush rainforest.  William has become an avid photographer. 

Suddenly we see the crater floor.  The depths and heights and distances make it impossible to know the scale.  

Banana break.  We reached the bottom, and paused to take in the scene.  We are sitting inside the caldera of an active volcano!

Basalt.  Magma. Shield cone.  We've been reading and absorbing lots of great information, but basically it all just makes you say, cool!  The formations, colors, textures and environment are amazing. 

We started at the rim, over toward the right side.   Now we are in an alien world. 

The beautiful and determined ohia lehua. 

Looking back as we begin our ascent. 

Taking a moment, to catch my breath, to marvel at the scenery and to be utterly astonished at how much better the cell reception is in a caldera than back in our home!

Back up on top and we can see over the next ridge, where the gases from Halema'uma'u rise above the crater. 

Anxiously awestruck... the drop is sheer and unforgiving!

Max, Geoff, Alex, Maria and William. 

Next:  Thurston Lava Tube!

We like the free Blogger app enough to add it to the iPad, so soon I can post pictures from my Big Black Beautiful Camera.  Although, all this posting might slow down, too... we're in Kona, now, and the ocean is calling!  

*thank you, iPhone, for taking remarkably worthwhile images!

Dear Ones

Maria is a lucky girl. Me too. We all are. Maria has her grandmother, who frequently comes all the way from Oregon to visit us, and play with us, and even to babysit our farm and critters. And she has her adventurous great grandmother who, at almost ninety-one years young, has applied for a new passport. She doesn't have any specific travel plans, yet, but you never know! We've been enjoying our time with these dear ones.

I love it when Eunice stays with us. I miss the years we shared together, when she lived with us at the Beach house, and El Rancho. She's sweet. She has stories and recollections that I enjoy hearing. And she knows how to get feisty! She thinks it's ridiculous to avoid a lively debate on politics, or religion.

Delia and Eunice make a good pair. They look out for one another, whether proclaiming their own points of view, or nodding in wise agreement, they are gracious, intelligent, and generous. Yes, I am getting a little choked up... flowers, gardens, cooking, art, love of learning, sewing, reading, generosity, family... these two women are the source of so many of my passions and interests, my ideals, and I think my integrity and faith, too.

Maria loves her grandmothers, both are great. Great fun, great models, great inspiration.

Hilo

  

Can you find Max? 

 

 

 

 

 

Hilo, on the Big Island, is quaint and quiet, an old city on the wet side of Hawaii.  It rains a lot here.  But not on this day!  We enjoyed a happy and nostalgic day visiting the Garden of Queen Liliuokalani.  

What a lovely place and so much easier to appreciate when it's not raining.  Maria was enchanted by the waterways and little bridges, the fish, the crabs, and those amazing banyan trees!   

Some trees are fun to climb on.  And some trees are made for climbing in!  Max challenged Geoff with a game of hide and seek, when he went up and into a banyan.  He was lost from sight, and when he answered Geoff, it was as though the tree were speaking!

Blue skies over Hilo Bay.