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| "Head Stuck in Tree," a strong willed goat and mother of Goldie. |
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| This is Goldie. He's tiny and wants to nurse all the time. The rope is actually tied to Head Stuck. |
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| Billy, the proud papa |
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Banyan tree, goats Feb 24th
Friday, February 22, 2013
The saga of Goldie, the kid
Feb 22, 2013
The latest news flash- Goldie, the lost goat saga. Gail stopped at Alex's house yesterday and took me back to her place to see the new baby goat, born to Head Stuck in a Tree, about 2 days ago. As you may know, Gail is in love with her goats and Goldie is no exception. A problem arose when we got to Gail's and Goldie was missing. Gail thought she could have been kidnapped by goat-eating neighbors or possibly killed by dogs. We walked all over her property, looked down in the gultch next door (where the wild pigs live ) across the street at the edge of the neighbors property, and he was no where to be seen. Gail was shattered so, not knowing what else to do, I suggested we go to lunch. Gail wanted to go to Minnie's, which I had heard was very good, so off we went. Along the way we had to pick up a hitch hiker, a friend of Gails, who was walking with his new guitar. So I got to see another part of the neighborhood, the area where he lives, which is an old sugar cane processing plant.
To get back to Goldie, we had lunch (good fish) and Gail dropped me at Alex's with a request that she call me and let me know about the lost kid. Well, to make a long story short, this morning Goldie reappeared. Apparently she had been asleep in the long grass. Gail stopped at Alex's and we heard the whole joyful ending to the story. When next I get back to Gail's I will get a picture of Goldie and post it for you.
The latest news flash- Goldie, the lost goat saga. Gail stopped at Alex's house yesterday and took me back to her place to see the new baby goat, born to Head Stuck in a Tree, about 2 days ago. As you may know, Gail is in love with her goats and Goldie is no exception. A problem arose when we got to Gail's and Goldie was missing. Gail thought she could have been kidnapped by goat-eating neighbors or possibly killed by dogs. We walked all over her property, looked down in the gultch next door (where the wild pigs live ) across the street at the edge of the neighbors property, and he was no where to be seen. Gail was shattered so, not knowing what else to do, I suggested we go to lunch. Gail wanted to go to Minnie's, which I had heard was very good, so off we went. Along the way we had to pick up a hitch hiker, a friend of Gails, who was walking with his new guitar. So I got to see another part of the neighborhood, the area where he lives, which is an old sugar cane processing plant.
To get back to Goldie, we had lunch (good fish) and Gail dropped me at Alex's with a request that she call me and let me know about the lost kid. Well, to make a long story short, this morning Goldie reappeared. Apparently she had been asleep in the long grass. Gail stopped at Alex's and we heard the whole joyful ending to the story. When next I get back to Gail's I will get a picture of Goldie and post it for you.
Monday, February 18, 2013
Odds and Ends
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| Woman in Havi beauty shop clowning for the camera. |
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| Bird of Paradise- grows wild everywhere |
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| Fred, Sharon and kids visited for a week and stayed at the Marriott, a swanky hotel with a warm salt water pool and all the amenities. I visited there, they came up here to Havi, and we had a good time. Even go to go snorkling and enjoy the turtles sunning on rocks and amazingly beautiful fisn. |
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| Book by Fleur (Pua) Weymouth, about Chickens and Hana Rooster. |
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| Mushroons at Polopu, on the ocean |
B
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| Somehow, after I posted something about the hike Makenna and I took to Pololu, which is a fantastically beautiful cliff above the ocean, it got deleted. Ah, the mysteries of the internet and blogging. It is teaching me patience. |
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| Tree swing at Pololu |
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Local News, Sat., Feb. 17
We're having what passes for winter here. The wind blows pretty hard (20-30MPH) and there are intermittent showers, some very heavy, some lighter. On the tin roof it can sound like all hell is breaking loose at times. But the temperature remains in the 60-70 degree range. Showers can last a few seconds to a few minutes.
Went to the Farmers Market yesterday. Also had coffee with Warren and then went to see if we could see some whales. The water was full of white caps and the whales weren't really showing themselves, except for a few spouts on the horizon.
Also went to the Kava bar. Kava is a root, also referred to as Ava by the Hawaiians. It is ground and made into a drink by adding water. It makes the mouth and tongue feel numb and is supposed to be relaxing and clear the mind. I've tried it twice and it definitely made my mouth numb. It may be relaxing too. Hard to tell. Then we went for pizza. Warren, being originally from the East coast and of Italian heritage doesn't appreciate pizza with pineapple and barbecued chicken and all sorts of other stuff on it. so we had a plain cheese pizza. We had to explain to the server what a plain cheese pizza was.
I haven't told you the strange story of Warren. I was looking through an advertising magazine and came across his name, Warren Vignato, which I didn't think was all that common. He was advertising his business as an aroborist. It happens that Bayport school, on Long Island, where I grew up, had a coach Vignato who had a son named Warren. I called him up and sure enough it's the very same one. Now we all have to say, "isn't it a small world?" Yes. Warren has been here in Hawaii for at least 20 years. He brought his high school year book and we looked through it. Comments like "I dated her" and "he's dead now" ran through the discussion.
Now let me mention Pua. (Pua means flower in Hawaiian. Her other name is Fleur.) She is a neighbor, two doors down from Alex. Pua loves birds, especially chickens, and has written a children's book about them. The book is funny and charming and full of chicken love. Pua bakes great pies and is very generous, and brought down a lemon meringue pie this morning. She also autographed two copies of her book for me.
I made lilikoi (passion fruit) custard on Friday. It's quite a job, as the good tasting part of the lilikoi is the gelatinous center which is full of little seeds. So you need to seperate the seeds from the jelly. Eventually you get juice. I combined it with eggs and made custard. I need to bring home some lilikoi jelly, which is sold at the farmer;s market. There's also lilikoi pie, and lots of other versions of lilikoi. The lilikoi itself looks like a lemon, but the outside is much harder.
I went to my nut cracking volunteer job the other day. Crystalena is the gal in charge of the Macadamia nuts. Nuts are dumped into a machine which cracks them open and then someone needs to seperate the nuts from the shells. So that's what I did. She hasn't called me since then, so maybe my days as a nut cracker/ separator are over. The nuts need to be husked to get off the outer shell. That's done at another location as Crystalena's husker is broken. After seperation the nuts are soaked in salt water for 24 hours. Then they are dehydrated. There's a lot to the process, explaining why Mac. nuts are so expensive. And I didn't mention that someone needs to pick the nuts up off the ground to begin with. Labor intensive.
Hope this isn't toooo long winded and boring, but I want to mention that Chinese New Year is being celebrated here. It's the year of the Snake. A parade went to all the stores on Saturday drumming and generally created havoc. The store keepers are required to hang a cabbage over the entrance. Yes a cabbage. No one seemed to be able to explain the significance of the cabbage. As the paraders leave, I think they take the cabbage with them.
Chinese New Year at Carol's coffee shop in Capa'au.
Went to the Farmers Market yesterday. Also had coffee with Warren and then went to see if we could see some whales. The water was full of white caps and the whales weren't really showing themselves, except for a few spouts on the horizon.
Also went to the Kava bar. Kava is a root, also referred to as Ava by the Hawaiians. It is ground and made into a drink by adding water. It makes the mouth and tongue feel numb and is supposed to be relaxing and clear the mind. I've tried it twice and it definitely made my mouth numb. It may be relaxing too. Hard to tell. Then we went for pizza. Warren, being originally from the East coast and of Italian heritage doesn't appreciate pizza with pineapple and barbecued chicken and all sorts of other stuff on it. so we had a plain cheese pizza. We had to explain to the server what a plain cheese pizza was.
I haven't told you the strange story of Warren. I was looking through an advertising magazine and came across his name, Warren Vignato, which I didn't think was all that common. He was advertising his business as an aroborist. It happens that Bayport school, on Long Island, where I grew up, had a coach Vignato who had a son named Warren. I called him up and sure enough it's the very same one. Now we all have to say, "isn't it a small world?" Yes. Warren has been here in Hawaii for at least 20 years. He brought his high school year book and we looked through it. Comments like "I dated her" and "he's dead now" ran through the discussion.
Now let me mention Pua. (Pua means flower in Hawaiian. Her other name is Fleur.) She is a neighbor, two doors down from Alex. Pua loves birds, especially chickens, and has written a children's book about them. The book is funny and charming and full of chicken love. Pua bakes great pies and is very generous, and brought down a lemon meringue pie this morning. She also autographed two copies of her book for me.
I made lilikoi (passion fruit) custard on Friday. It's quite a job, as the good tasting part of the lilikoi is the gelatinous center which is full of little seeds. So you need to seperate the seeds from the jelly. Eventually you get juice. I combined it with eggs and made custard. I need to bring home some lilikoi jelly, which is sold at the farmer;s market. There's also lilikoi pie, and lots of other versions of lilikoi. The lilikoi itself looks like a lemon, but the outside is much harder.
I went to my nut cracking volunteer job the other day. Crystalena is the gal in charge of the Macadamia nuts. Nuts are dumped into a machine which cracks them open and then someone needs to seperate the nuts from the shells. So that's what I did. She hasn't called me since then, so maybe my days as a nut cracker/ separator are over. The nuts need to be husked to get off the outer shell. That's done at another location as Crystalena's husker is broken. After seperation the nuts are soaked in salt water for 24 hours. Then they are dehydrated. There's a lot to the process, explaining why Mac. nuts are so expensive. And I didn't mention that someone needs to pick the nuts up off the ground to begin with. Labor intensive.
Hope this isn't toooo long winded and boring, but I want to mention that Chinese New Year is being celebrated here. It's the year of the Snake. A parade went to all the stores on Saturday drumming and generally created havoc. The store keepers are required to hang a cabbage over the entrance. Yes a cabbage. No one seemed to be able to explain the significance of the cabbage. As the paraders leave, I think they take the cabbage with them.
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| Pua, lover of chickens, author and pie maker par excellence. |
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| Warren, a fellow graduate of Bayport HS, Long Island, NY. |
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Here it is, February 12th already. Alex flew to Portland and came back on Monday, after one week there. He went for a reunion with son, Max, and family. What have I been doing? Not keeping very good records, I'm afraid. The days go by. I had a miserable cold for most of the past week. It was a great opportunity to read, and I finished Cutting for Stone, by Abraham Verghese. If you've got to be wheezing, coughing, blowing, hacking and feeling miserable it's wonderful to spend a few hours in bed with a great book. This one, to me was great.
Makenna and I went hiking at Pololu, which is at the very North tip of the island, once I was feeling better. There's a stunning view high above the ocean. There is a trail down to the ocean, which we used. I was nervous climbing down the rock stairway; no railing or anything to hang onto. But once down, it was wonderful. Climbing back up was fine, thanks to all my kettlebell classes, which have given me strong legs. The area at the ocean is surrounded by green mountains. It's very rocky (volcanic rock), and the sand is black. Makenna went swimming (the only one in the water.) I am not so brave. They tell me there are strong currents there, plus the fact that if it's not 99 degrees, I'm just as happy on land. I will pull up some pictures for you to see.
Makenna and I went hiking at Pololu, which is at the very North tip of the island, once I was feeling better. There's a stunning view high above the ocean. There is a trail down to the ocean, which we used. I was nervous climbing down the rock stairway; no railing or anything to hang onto. But once down, it was wonderful. Climbing back up was fine, thanks to all my kettlebell classes, which have given me strong legs. The area at the ocean is surrounded by green mountains. It's very rocky (volcanic rock), and the sand is black. Makenna went swimming (the only one in the water.) I am not so brave. They tell me there are strong currents there, plus the fact that if it's not 99 degrees, I'm just as happy on land. I will pull up some pictures for you to see.
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Gail and her goats.. She has about 5 goats with names like "Head stuck in a tree" and "Poppy seed cake." (a sweet goat.)
I haven't mentioned Gail. She has 2 acres of beautiful property near the ocean and she's raising goats, more for fun than for profit. She loves them like children. She hasn't been able to build a house yet, so she lives in a shed. She recently got hot running water in back of her shed, so that she can take a shower. She is very happy with her simple life style.
Tuesday, Feb 5
I'm sitting in bed right now. I've had a miserable head cold for the past day. Otherwise, all is well here. I'm supposed to start my new volunteer position as a sorter of nuts (Macadamia) tomorrow. I think that's a perfect job for me. A woman named Crystalena is the nut boss. I'll let you know how it goes.
I got a new Canon camera in the mail from Amazon today. I put in the DVD and all it has shown me is how to register my camera. What I really want to know is how to operate it. When I figure that out they'll be some fantastic pictures coming your way.
Spending large chunks of the day in bed has made it possible for me to get through most of my 600 plus page book, "Cutting for Stone," by Abraham Verghese. I think he's a wonderful writer. The book's got a lot of medical stuff in it; he even gives detailed instructions as to how to do a vasectomy! Aside from this his characters and story are unforgettable.
Yesterday Mackenna and I dropped Alex at the airport in Kona and then had a fun day in the town. Later, we went to the beach called 69 which is at the 69 mile marker, and saw the sunset. I learned about Vog yesterday. The volcano is continually erupting and creating what looks like smog in the Kona area. It's referred to as vog. The sun set behind the vog but then it peeped out through a break in the bottom of the vog and created a beautiful, red ball, gradually sinking below the horizon.
I'm sitting in bed right now. I've had a miserable head cold for the past day. Otherwise, all is well here. I'm supposed to start my new volunteer position as a sorter of nuts (Macadamia) tomorrow. I think that's a perfect job for me. A woman named Crystalena is the nut boss. I'll let you know how it goes.
I got a new Canon camera in the mail from Amazon today. I put in the DVD and all it has shown me is how to register my camera. What I really want to know is how to operate it. When I figure that out they'll be some fantastic pictures coming your way.
Spending large chunks of the day in bed has made it possible for me to get through most of my 600 plus page book, "Cutting for Stone," by Abraham Verghese. I think he's a wonderful writer. The book's got a lot of medical stuff in it; he even gives detailed instructions as to how to do a vasectomy! Aside from this his characters and story are unforgettable.
Yesterday Mackenna and I dropped Alex at the airport in Kona and then had a fun day in the town. Later, we went to the beach called 69 which is at the 69 mile marker, and saw the sunset. I learned about Vog yesterday. The volcano is continually erupting and creating what looks like smog in the Kona area. It's referred to as vog. The sun set behind the vog but then it peeped out through a break in the bottom of the vog and created a beautiful, red ball, gradually sinking below the horizon.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Sunday, February 3rd, 2013
There's nothing like morning, especially in Hawaii, to make me feel good. I'm sitting in the swing, which hangs from a tree, in the yard. There's a pretty strong breeze and sun and blue sky. Not possible to feel bad, I guess. Haven't written anything here in a long while, so I want to catch up a little.
Fred and family were here this past week. They stayed at the Marriott, so I was over there a few times. The Marriott has a heated, shallow, salt water pool. Ideal for kids and me. As if that isn't enough, there's also a jacuzzi with even warmer water and power jets and the whole nine yards. One day I went snorkeling with Sharon, Ella and Ben, while Fred stayed in the hotel and caught up with some work. Snorkeling is an amazing experience. The fish have no fear of humans- they're so use to us in that area. They really look like the pictures of tropical fish, but it becomes much more real when you see them in person. The designs, and the colors on their little bodies are works of art. Mother nature at her best. A big sea turtle (named Rocky) crawled up on the rocks (hence the name) to sun himself. I would have thought he was dead. There are docents who give information about them and watch that no one harms them. Fred has a video camera which, amazingly enough takes videos under water. I'll try and post one.
This is me, now in real time.
I learned there's a bus which goes along the coast every morning, mainly to take the workers to the hotels. It leaves at 6:30AM from Hawi and I took it twice. It's so pleasant to watch the sun gradually rise as the bus goes down the coast. By the time we got to the Marriott the sun was up. From my experience, the local people have been very friendly- the bus driver remembered me, told me where to catch the bus back, and wanted to know if I would be back on the bus again. Kehau, a woman I met on the bus lives in Hawi and works at one of the hotels doing administrative stuff. We may get together on the weekend. She is the bus driver's cousin and opens a gate for him. She looks Caucasian although he looks more Hawaiian. Two Chinese people who I thought didn't speak English, got off the bus with me and began giving me directions (in English.) Guess I looked confused, but that's my normal look.
Well, this blog is playing games with me. I tried to find my photos to post and all I could find is this web cam, hence the picture of me. I will ask Mackenna, when she gets up, if she can figure out why I can't get into my Hawaii album. She is sick today- nausea, vomiting and that sort of fun stuff. It's been going around.
There's nothing like morning, especially in Hawaii, to make me feel good. I'm sitting in the swing, which hangs from a tree, in the yard. There's a pretty strong breeze and sun and blue sky. Not possible to feel bad, I guess. Haven't written anything here in a long while, so I want to catch up a little.
Fred and family were here this past week. They stayed at the Marriott, so I was over there a few times. The Marriott has a heated, shallow, salt water pool. Ideal for kids and me. As if that isn't enough, there's also a jacuzzi with even warmer water and power jets and the whole nine yards. One day I went snorkeling with Sharon, Ella and Ben, while Fred stayed in the hotel and caught up with some work. Snorkeling is an amazing experience. The fish have no fear of humans- they're so use to us in that area. They really look like the pictures of tropical fish, but it becomes much more real when you see them in person. The designs, and the colors on their little bodies are works of art. Mother nature at her best. A big sea turtle (named Rocky) crawled up on the rocks (hence the name) to sun himself. I would have thought he was dead. There are docents who give information about them and watch that no one harms them. Fred has a video camera which, amazingly enough takes videos under water. I'll try and post one.
I learned there's a bus which goes along the coast every morning, mainly to take the workers to the hotels. It leaves at 6:30AM from Hawi and I took it twice. It's so pleasant to watch the sun gradually rise as the bus goes down the coast. By the time we got to the Marriott the sun was up. From my experience, the local people have been very friendly- the bus driver remembered me, told me where to catch the bus back, and wanted to know if I would be back on the bus again. Kehau, a woman I met on the bus lives in Hawi and works at one of the hotels doing administrative stuff. We may get together on the weekend. She is the bus driver's cousin and opens a gate for him. She looks Caucasian although he looks more Hawaiian. Two Chinese people who I thought didn't speak English, got off the bus with me and began giving me directions (in English.) Guess I looked confused, but that's my normal look.
Well, this blog is playing games with me. I tried to find my photos to post and all I could find is this web cam, hence the picture of me. I will ask Mackenna, when she gets up, if she can figure out why I can't get into my Hawaii album. She is sick today- nausea, vomiting and that sort of fun stuff. It's been going around.
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