Our Ohana on the Island of Hawai'i

Our Last Days on Kaua'i

noreply@blogger.com (mochi, colleen & yaya) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 07:25:00 +0000

Polihale

We spent 2 days at Salt pond beach Park and then hitched to the end of the island to Polihale (House of Spirits) State Park. We had great luck hitching and caught a ride that took us to the end of the road where the beach camping spots were. Polihale is a big long windswept white sand beach covered with dunes and blowing sand with rough treacherous surf and the western end of the Napali Coast cliffs at one end.

It is a beautiful place to watch the sunset, unfortunately when the wind is up like it was for the 2 days we were there the ocean is not swimmable due to rip currents, undertows and big surf breaking right on shore.

Ambiana did have a good time playing plover (running from the waves) and making shapes in the sand. The wind dies down at sunset and doesn't arrive till about 10am in the morning so that was the time we were on the beach, at any other time it was sand blaster out there!

Our luck with rides continued and when it was time to leave we caught a ride from the campsite all the way back into Lihue. Having an adorable Yaya is the secret :)

Leaving Hawai'i

We had arranged a stand by flight for us to Phoenix on monday but while we were camping ATA Airlines went bust stranding another 10,000 people on the islands so when we got back to the airport we found that all the seats on our flight were overbooked and we had to spend the night at the airport. I found us a flight the next day from Honolulu to San Francisco for Wednesday the 9th and the director of the Kaua'i Visitors Bureau paid us a visit and put us up in a hotel room for Tuesday night. And on Wednesday we spent the day at the library and then flew to Honolulu at 5pm and caught the 9:25pm flight for San Francisco bringing an end to our 95 days in Hawai'i. Time now to begin working our way back East heading home where ever that may be :)

Bye Bye Aina in Na'alehu :(

noreply@blogger.com (mochi, colleen & yaya) — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 02:48:00 +0000

Due to the closure of Aloha Airlines we forced to leave the aina early on Wednesday April 2nd or face the prospect of paying $1000 to leave Hawai'i. So we packed up in the morning and caught a ride to Hilo where we weighred our options and decided to fly to Kauai and take our chances there of finding a way back to the mainland.

Here is Mauna Kea with the sunset to the west as we flew to Kauai.

HELLO KAUA'I :)

In Kauai we spent the night on a soccer field when we could not catch a flight back to California. The next day we made arrangements with US Airways to fly Monday stand by to Phoenix and then hitched to Salt Pond Beach Park to spend the next couple of days.

Beautiful Sunsets...

and seals!!!

Ambiana Plays the Ukelele

noreply@blogger.com (mochi, colleen & yaya) — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 01:29:00 +0000

Click play for Unbearable Cuteness!!

Bye bye car, bye bye rooster...

noreply@blogger.com (mochi, colleen & yaya) — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:03:00 +0000

Our days are winding down, Ambiana helps out around the land. The rooster was attacked by a small foo-foo dog and we thought he was dead but while we were mourning him he popped up and hopped off slightly dazed. He came back the next day only to be attacked by a mongoose and we have not seen him since.

Friday play group went to the kids beach we have tried unsuccessfully tofind 3 times before. This time we found it by following those who knew where it was. Ambiana has come along far and now can float while resting her arms on the bottom with her little bottom floating in the air!

We sold our car on Sunday and are now back on the bikes full time.

Ambiana says bye-bye car with a kiss :)

Today 3 dogs showed up on the far side of the rock wall. A momma dog and 2 puppies all wearing collars but very hungry. We think someone abandoned them down the road towards the coast last night :( They have been hanging out all day (because Colleen fed them) and now we are their home (until we have them carted off to the Humane Society) Ambiana loves them to say the least.

Local News Affecting us

Kilauea Volcano Erupts Explosively And Vents Noxious Gas

ScienceDaily (Mar. 29, 2008) — Explosive eruptions and noxious gas emissions at Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii this week have prompted scientists to work around the clock to understand what will happen next and how to keep the public out of harm's way.

Scientists are monitoring gas emissions and seismic activity at Kilauea, which on March 19, 2008 experienced its first explosive eruption since 1924. The volcano is also emitting sulfur dioxide at toxic levels.

At 2:58 a.m. H.s.t on Wednesday, March 19, 2008, a small explosion occurred at Halema‘uma‘u Crater at the summit of Kilauea Volcano in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. This event was erroneously reported as an earthquake earlier this morning. The explosion scattered debris over an area of about 75 acres (30 hectares), covering a portion of Crater Rim Drive and damaging the Halema‘uma‘u overlook. No lava was erupted as part of the explosion, suggesting that the activity was driven by hydrothermal or gas sources.

In addition to damaging the overlook, explosive debris covers the trail to the overlook, the Halema‘uma‘u parking area, and the portion of Crater Rim Drive adjacent to the parking area. On Crater Rim Drive the debris was up to 2 centimeters in size, with the size and thickness of debris increasing toward the overlook. The largest observed block ejected during the explosion was about 1 cubic meter (35 cubic feet) and must have been propelled from the vent located more than 70 m (230 feet) below the crater rim. Small impact craters from 30 cm (1 foot) blocks are abundant in the Halema‘uma‘u overlook area. Rock debris also extends halfway across the floor of Halema‘uma‘u Crater. The debris is composed of rock fragments that were derived from the walls of Halema‘uma‘u Crater. No fresh lava was observed on the floor of Halema‘uma‘u or in the ejected debris.

At 2:55 am, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory recorded a series of seismic events that may have been shallow, high-frequency earthquakes or minor explosions. The main explosion at 2:58 was associated with long period seismicity. Low frequency sound waves were also detected by the University of Hawai`i infrasound laboratory, operated by Dr. Milton Garces. These signals have persisted through this morning indicating continuing energetic release of gas from the vent in Halema‘uma‘u Crater.

The explosion produced a small crater along the east wall of Halema‘uma‘u that is about 20-30 meters (65-100 feet) in diameter. The crater occupies the area in which incandescence had been observed during the previous week. Sulfur dioxide emissions from the new explosion crater are still elevated, and sounds of rock breaking are frequent.

This is the first explosion in Halema`uma`u crater since 1924 and the first eruption of any kind in Kilauea caldera since September 1982.

Future explosive activity is possible and the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory continues to monitor the activity.

Sulfur dioxide emissions at the volcano's summit have increased to a rate that is likely to be hazardous for areas downwind of Halema'uma'u crater. Future explosions from Halema'uma'u Crater are possible.

"This historic activity has created new hazards that did not exist before -- explosive eruptions as well as toxic sulfur dioxide emissions -- in the middle of a national park," said U.S. Geological Survey Volcano Hazards Program Coordinator John Eichelberger.

Adapted from materials provided by United States Geological Survey.

Kilauea Volcano Emissions Update

HALEMAUMAU (KHNL) -- The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory has reported that emissions of sulfur dioxide and ash from Halemaumau at the Kilauea summit have shown a heavy increase over the past two weeks. Sulfur dioxide levels are elevated in areas south of Halemaumau crater.

Due to the events at Halemaumau, the following public safety advisories and recommendations are made:

- There are no evacuation advisories at this time.

- Ash emissions have reached as far as Na'alehu.

- Higher than normal levels of vog are reported in West Hawai'i.

Temporary and slightly elevated levels of sulfur dioxide have been recorded in Pahala during the past two weeks. Children and persons with existing respiratory conditions should refrain from outdoor exertion and keep medications at hand. Just be aware and take precautions.

A southerly shift in winds may cause residential areas in upper Puna up to fifteen miles downwind from Halema'uma'u to be affected by sulfur dioxide and ash.

As a precautionary measure, families should create family emergency plans so they will be prepared in the event winds carry hazardous levels of sulfur dioxide, ash, and/or heavy vog into your neighborhood.

Family emergency plans should include the following:

- A plan to leave the area.

- A plan to secure your home, business and property.

- An evacuation kit should be prepared.

- Plans for the care of your pets.

We have seen the plume when driving over the volcano to and from Hilo and there is a definite haze in our area. We went to a potluck on Saturday and people were talking of the news of the toxicity in the area being suppressed because tourism has spiked due to lots of people wanting to see the plume and the lava. Our neighbors have complained about the VOG (Volcanic fog) but not till today did we notice it. We are not too concerned has we are leaving in a week...

or were until ALOHA AIRLINES went bankrupt and shut down today. Our tickets to Kauai and from Kauai to California were both on ALOHA so as of now we have no way off the island.

Aloha Airlines calling it quits, blames 'unfair' competition from Mesa Air

Aloha Airlines will stop flying Monday after serving Hawaii travelers for 61 years.

The airline announced Sunday it will shut down after flying its inter-island routes Monday but will not fly its routes to California and Nevada after Sunday. By Monday night, Aloha will have flown its last passenger.

United Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines said they would honor Aloha's tickets and would try to accommodate Aloha passengers with existing reservations. Hawaiian Airlines said it would fly extra flights early in the morning and late at night to meet inter-island demand. Meanwhile go! airlines, a subsidiary of Phoenix-based Mesa Air Group Inc. (Nasdaq:MESA) said it would beef up its schedule by 40 flights a week.

In a news release Sunday, airline president and chief executive officer David Banmiller said the company did everything it could to find a buyer or financing, but ran out of time. "This is an incredibly dark day for Hawaii," he said.

The move will affect about 1,900 of its 3,400 employees, most of them in Hawaii. Honolulu-based Aloha was the state's 10th largest private employer in 2007, according to Pacific Business News research.

Aloha will continue cargo operations and aviation services while the U.S. Bankruptcy Court seeks buyers for those assets.

Aloha filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy March 20, the second time in three years. Aloha blamed what it termed unfair competition from go! airlines, and Banmiller stood by that on Sunday.

"Aloha Airlines was founded in 1946 to give Hawaii's people a choice in inter-island air transportation," he said. "Unfortunately, unfair competition has succeeded in driving us out of business, bringing to an end a 61-year-old company with a proud legacy of serving millions of travelers in the true spirit of Aloha."

On Oct. 20, a federal bankruptcy judge in Honolulu awarded Hawaiian Airlines $86.9 million in damages, costs and legal fees in a case involving Mesa's misuse of Hawaiian's financial information. Mesa CEO said at the time, the sanctions went too far and Hawaiian's motive in filing suit was to stifle competition.

In 2006, Aloha filed a similar lawsuit against Mesa, saying it obtained confidential information about Aloha when it considered buying the airline. That case is still pending.

Founded as Trans-Pacific Airlines, Aloha started with a war-surplus DC-3 that offered charter flights from Honolulu to Maui and Hilo. Nicknamed "the Aloha Airline," Trans-Pacific officially changed its name to Aloha Airlines in 1958.

The airline was started out of frustration by Honolulu businessman Ruddy Tongg, a Chinese-American who was tired of seeing Hawaii residents treated as second-class citizens while tourists -- mostly white -- were given favored status. Tongg made a point to hire local residents and to promote it as the friendliest for inter-island travel.

Banmiller thanked employees, but said the airline had to face reality that no buyer would come to its rescue. Aloha's owners, who pulled the airline out of its last bankruptcy in 2004, have lost an estimated $200 million and the company has been losing about $5 million a month for the past year.

"Despite the groundswell of support from the community and our elected officials, we simply ran out of time to find a qualified buyer or secure continued financing for our passenger business. We had no choice but to take this action," Banmiller said.

Following Aloha's announcement Sunday, Mark Dunkerley, president and CEO of Hawaiian, said the company was "deeply saddened" by the news.

"We have a contingency plan in place and we are putting it into action," which includes adding 6,000 seats to its daily flight schedule and adding staff to its ticket counters to assist Aloha passengers.

Aloha, go! and Hawaiian have engaged in an intense competition since go! entered the local market in June 2006 and began charging fares well below prevailing ticket prices.

Aloha and Hawaiian were often forced to match go!'s one-way inter-island fares, which have averaged $39 but have also listed for as low $1.

The fare war has come as the cost of jet fuel has jumped 69 percent in the past year, eating away the meager profits reported by airlines.

Jim Kelly is the editor of Pacific Business News, a sister publication.

A Word from Colleen!

noreply@blogger.com (mochi, colleen & yaya) — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 01:41:00 +0000

michael often asks me, have you seen the blog lately..."no"....then i look, "how wonderful"....my friends comment to me about the website...i have no idea what they are talking about...sometimes michael even asks me to contribute...but i would rather be digging in the dirt than sitting indoors at a computer. i am fortunate he is so talented and willing to put energy into keeping up a diary of ambianas growth. but i finally wanted to share my thoughts as our trip comes to a place of heading home.

this trip has been such a beautiful experience for me as a person and as a mom. i have watched the tremendous impact it has made on ambiana. wow...such a great gift we gave her. she has really absorbed so much. she is remarkable. we were given such a special gal...thank you...and i hope we are doing well for her....i think we are.....i see it everyday.
travel always brings on such personal growth, perspective and a sense of being for me. being a mom, it has brought more. thank you.

we are ending our time in hawaii. since ben and laurel left i feel our life has slowed down to our more usual pace of being. we have been spending time getting into the community, something i enjoy. we have made friends, been attending social parties and getting to know those around us. we have been working on the land making it more beautiful and liveable. michael has made lovely walls all around and cleaned brush. we put in a nice sink, and feel great about washing standing up. i have, of course, organized and cleaned everything so that everything has its little home...my specialty. and finally i feel good about the gardens that taught me so about slugs and tropical growing. we eat one meal a day from the garden now. mostly spinach, greens or salad. but we have started getting peas. tonight we will have our first real pea feast. yum. ambiana has been going to look at them daily watching the change from flower to pod. three strawberreies so far....yum. and a few more yet from our very young plants. hopefully we will get a bunch next year. the slugs seem not to like these...thank goodness. we have been exploring our lands...taking car trips to new places, hiking to high places in the hills above...and still faithful to biking everyplace bikeable. i have been getting to know a beautiful woman and child who live near and helping with beekeeping. i have learned a lot. it is hard work. and really fascinating. and glad we found a friend. we continue our saturday trash clean up on the way to the dump and have now cleaned almost the whole neighborhood road, this saturday will be the finale. i thought i saw a lot when i was on bike, but on foot...wow...what are people thinking...they are not. two full bags a week for nearly two months now.

we are shedding stuff...planning for our booth at the market this weekend. packing. planning final explorations. and saying goodbye. to hawaii (for now) and to our trip.

love to all...we will be seeing many of you soon as we travel across the states to find our home.

Additions!

noreply@blogger.com (mochi, colleen & yaya) — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:27:00 +0000

Colleen and I combined our talents and freecycled a sink, bought some simple plumbing and some wood at Home Depot and made a sweet dishwashing station for our outdoor kitchen!

Here is that pesky rascally rooster!

On The Equinox we went up to Pahala to hear some Hawaiian music by 2008 Grammy winner Keoiki Kahumoku and the kids in his Ukelele workshop. Hawaiian music is so beautiful!

We also enjoyed a yum yum while there!

We spent the weekend Hilo side at a contradance and crashed at the beautiful house of some contra friends in Puna waking up on the side of a 50 year old overgrown cindercone with a beautiful view of the sea. Colleen danced her but off at the Ecstatic Dance at Kalani and we enjoyed an hour on the carzy Sunday Kehena Beach before coming back home over the sulphur spewing volcano. Here is Ambiana with here one legged bear on the house floor painted red!

Pirates!

noreply@blogger.com (mochi, colleen & yaya) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 23:55:00 +0000

On Saturday We attended a Pirate Birthday Party for Derek one of the kids in Ambiana's playgroup. Colleen really had fun coming up with a pirate costume. There was good food and good fun. Here Ambiana takes part in "Sink-the-Pirate-Ship." The losers had to walk the plank! There was also a treasure hunt and a...

...pinata. Here is Ambiana taking a Whack at the pinata idol!

GreenSand Beach II

We hiked out to GreenSand Beach on Sunday. It is our favorite local beach and a nice walk along the coast. We plan on before we leave to hike to the beach and then continue on to Ka'alu'alu Bay and on up to the aina it being only 8 miles from GreenSand!

We ran into Dave Williams from Alaska on the way in. He was hiking with the parent's of his gal Marie, and we had good fun playing in the waves!

Lava!

noreply@blogger.com (mochi, colleen & yaya) — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 23:45:00 +0000

We travelled to Hilo side last thursday to go to a contradance at Kalani with Wild Asparagus playing. It was fun to see our friends in the band, our Hawai'i contra friends and to be at Kalani once again where I was a volunteer in the past. We spent the night by the sea at Mackenzie Stae park and the morning at the warm ponds and the tide pools in Kapoho. We went to lunch in Pahoa and then went out to Kalapana to see the lava flowing into the Ocean!

The site was really regulated by the police and Civil Defense team and unlike years past when you could walk right up to the lava this time we were kept at a "safe" distance from it.

As you can see Ambiana was not impressed. There were a ton of tourists out ther with us viewing the steam cloud created by the lava meeting the sea. We could also barely make out some thin streams of red magma and there was a long distance view of the lava covering and burning up a remnant of the Chain of Craters road.

Our Garden

Our garden is flourishing, or would be if the slugs and the rooster would leave it alone. Colleen goes on slug patrol every night and we have plans to catch the rooster in a blanket and relocate him. Last night we had soup which contained the first greens from the garden.

Pictures from Laurel.

noreply@blogger.com (mochi, colleen & yaya) — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 02:08:00 +0000

Laurel left us as a parting gift a CD of photos she had taken while here in Hawai'i with us. Here are some of my favorites! Thanks Laurel!!

Ben and Laurel Leave!

noreply@blogger.com (mochi, colleen & yaya) — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 23:36:00 +0000

House Update

Ben and Laurel left on Friday for Ohau where they are joining the crew of a sailboat sailing South for Kirbati in a few weeks. Before they left we made a sign out of concrete and adorned it with shells. It's inspiration was the sign at our fomer summer camp up at Lake Ozonia in the Adirondacks. It cracked when I took it out of the form but it fits togther anyway (like our Ohana) and Ambiana and I painted the letters to give the sign a tropical feel and it now lays at the bottom of the path up to the aina!

After Gaelen and Gamma left Ben and Laurel framed up the house, all it needs now is siding and a roof. Ben is hopeful Tony will join him here in May and help him finish it up!

Ambiana is enjoying a bath! We are here till the beginning of April and our plans for the land include installing a sink in our outdoor kitchen, improving the garden and planting more plants, and if we are lucky catching the rooster and finding him a new home.

A Trip to Volcano!

On Saturday we drove up to Volcano National park to go see a hula performance on the crater rim by the Halau of my former Hula teacher Eulani Stepany (far right back row) They danced old style hulas about the ali'i (rulers) and Pele the volcano goddess! It was a fine performance!

We then intended to hike down into the Crater but found the trail closed half-way down due to the high sulpher content leaking out of the volcano.

The hike was down through rainforest with beautiful plants and ferns!

We detoured after the finding the trail closed to the steaming banks where groundwater meets the magma and issues forth a steam. The rangers said they have not seen so much steam in 20 years. Something is brewing deep underfoot!

South Point

After a hot day digging dirt and planting we cooled off down at South Point at the boat ramp. We hear there is a great area for kids to swim down here but we have not found it yet so the boat ramp suffices. There are several small lava tide pools that Ambiana can soak herself in!

Chuck Colton 1938-2008

noreply@blogger.com (mochi, colleen & yaya) — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 23:21:00 +0000

On a sad note my Uncle Chuck died last week. He was my Momma's brother-in-law, married to her older sister Pat. We last saw him a year and a half ago when he was in Boston visitng his daughters and his grandson. He is the first of my parent's generation to die in our family. Death is merely a transition into another phase of being and we celebrate his life and wish him well on his journey. Here is his obituary

Charles Edward "Chuck" Colton, 69, of Lancaster, died Tuesday, March 4, 2008 at the Essa Flory Hospice Center. Born in Albany, N.Y., he was the son of the late Ruth and Jim Colton. He is survived by his wife of 41 years, Pat, who he met while serving in the US Navy.

Chuck graduated from Albany Academy, Hamilton College, and Colgate University where he received a Master's degree. He spent 39 years at nine educational institutions as a teacher, counselor, coach, and administrator. He also was an advisor on college student aid to local, state, regional, and national agencies.

As a member of St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Chuck was a vestryman, lay reader, chalice bearer, and Sunday school director. He was active with his wife, Pat, for more than ten years in the Episcopal expressions of Marriage and Engaged Encounter, where they were a presenting couple and treasurers for the eastern United States.

Chuck played secondary and collegiate soccer, making All-State and honorable mention All-American. In addition he played semi-pro soccer in Albany and Rochester, NY. Chuck started refereeing in 1965 and was licensed for both secondary school and USSF matches. He particularly enjoyed working with younger players and was honored by his peers in 1995 and 2001.

Surviving in addition to his wife, Pat, are his daughter Becky Colton, of Mexico, and her partner Sergio Perez and stepson Diego Perez, and his daughter Kristie Colton of Massachusetts and her partner Betsy Robertson and their son Jac Colton. He is also survived by his sisters, Susan Gibbons and Elizabeth Colton of Havertown, PA.

A celebration of Chuck's life will take place on Friday, March 14th at 11 am at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, St. Thomas Road, Lancaster, with Fr. Peter Greenfield officiating. Friends and family are invited to a reception immediately following the service in the church's fellowship hall.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Milagro House, 320 South Christian Street, Lancaster, PA 17602.

The Alaska-Hawai'i Connection!

noreply@blogger.com (mochi, colleen & yaya) — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 23:54:00 +0000

We travelled up to Ho'okena beach on Wednesday for a day at the beach and to contribute and partake of the weekly Wednesday Potluck that happens there. Colleen made a Lilokoi Pie but we lacked a way to cool it so it would set but fortunately the Bar-B-Q guy had space in his cooler and it jelled just fine and was superdillyicious! YUM! Ambiana also stepped up and got into the surf "just like Gamma," she said as the waves washed over her (not really :) but it was a big improvement for her!

We also met up with our friends from Alaska. Shannon and Skyler and their son Kaya have just moved to the island, Dave Williams and his gal Marie are here for a month as are Ben & Laurel's neighbors from Seward, Gail and Ryan and their daughter Bijou and Gail's son Noah! They came down for a sunset swim and it was great fun to be here with them all.

Ambiana really likes Bijou :)

GreenSand and Honomolino Beaches

noreply@blogger.com (mochi, colleen & yaya) — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 00:29:00 +0000

GreenSand Beach

With our new car it is now possible to explore beyond a 10 mile radius, our biking limit, and on thursday last week we headed down to South Point and hiked out to Green Sand Beach. I had camped here way back in 1996 and hadn't been here in 8 years or so. Colleen and her bro Dale visited here when they were on the island many years ago as well but it was the first time here for Ambiana!

The beach is at the bottom of an eroded cinder cone and it is a fun climb down to it. There were lots of people there the day we visited including a poodle. It is about a 50 minute hike out from where we park the car. There were really good waves and it was a soft sandy beach to be thumped upon by the surf.

Ambiana slept on the way out and for most of our time on the beach but she did get in some good fun running around in the sand!

Honomolino Beach

On Sunday we drove North to Miloli'i and hiked 20 minutes south from the beach park there to Honomolino Bay where there was fine black sand beach Neither Colleen or me had been to this one before. The trail out to it passed through some vegetation that we had not yet seen on the island including what looked like cactus snakes covering lots and lots of trees.

There was a village down here long, long ago and we passed this shrine at the head of a path to a Kapu (Taboo) Heiau (Temple).

The beach was surrounded by palms and had soft black sand. It was fun ti just sit upon it and laze the day away!

Yaya and Mommy played in the waves. I didn't see it but apparently Yaya was loving wallowing in the surf, letting the waves wash over her when suddenly a big one took her by surprise and covered her. I did here her cries but she was just startled not seriously drowned and she was laughing about it moments later!

Join us at Homolino

Kealakekua Bay

noreply@blogger.com (mochi, colleen & yaya) — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 03:11:00 +0000

After dropping Gaelen and Gamma off at the airport we stopped at Kealakekua Bay and hiked down to the monument for a swim and a snorkel.

Here is Ambiana in front of the monument to Capt Cook on the spot where he was killed!

Here is Mommy snorkeling!

Back 2 the Aina and Good-Bye :(

noreply@blogger.com (mochi, colleen & yaya) — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 02:50:00 +0000

We spent Sunday and Monday back in Na'alehu on the land and in town doing laundry and visiting the library.

On Tuesday morning we drove Gamma and Gaelen up to the Kona airport so they could fly back home to Massachusetts.

It was a bittersweet goodbye, it was so nice to have them here and so sad to see them go. 12 days went by super fast and we are already looking forward to seeing them again this summer back East.

Hilo and Puna

noreply@blogger.com (mochi, colleen & yaya) — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 02:44:00 +0000

On Saturday we drove South to Hilo and visited Rainbow Falls where Gaelen and Colleen also climbed a huge Banyon Tree.

After shopping we headed into Puna where Gamma had a Spam Moco Loco for lunch at the Cafe that was once Verna's. We then dropped her off at the Point so she could meditate and headed to Kehena Beach for some ocean time. The surf was too big for Gaelen and his Boogie Board so he and Yaya amused themselves on the swing!

We spent the night on the land of a friend of Ben's and the next morning we went to the Warm Ponds for a swim before breakfast. Gaelen swam very well and was not afraid of the deep water, floating comfortably over it on his Boogie Board. He also swam underwater with his goggles on!

After our morning swim and breakfast we drove back up over the Volcano to Na'alehu thus completing our 7 day Around-the-Island-Camping and Beach Trip!

Lapahoehoe Beach Park

noreply@blogger.com (mochi, colleen & yaya) — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 02:39:00 +0000

On Friday we rounded the north end of the island and headed down the East coast and spent the afternoon and night at Lapahoehoe Beach Park. It was beautiful but had no swimming access for the kids and the bright park lights were on all night.

It did have several small tide pools among the rocks where Gaelen and Yaya played. Gaelen and I also took a hike up through the jungle to an old village site marked by tumble down lava rock walls

We enjoyed a yummy dinner here of vegan brauts and quinoa.

Mahukona and Hapuna Beach Parks

noreply@blogger.com (mochi, colleen & yaya) — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 02:36:00 +0000

On Wednesday we left Ho'okena and headed North. First stop was in Kona for lunch at Bubba Gumps which is a favorite of Gamma's. We all pigged out and stuffed ourselves with super yummy desserts. We then hit Costco for supplies and continued still North to Mahukona Beach Park. At first we were disappointed as it looked like there would be no place to get in the water but we found a trail through the brush to a signal light and a nice place on the lava coast to jump into the clear blue sea.

We enjoyed a beautiful sunset with lots of whales and dolphins breaching off shore. We were so full from lunch that we skipped dinner and slept content under a full moon.

The next day we packed up camp and headed to Hapuna Beach State Park where the waves were big and the white sand beach packed with tourists. Gaelen spent practically the whole day in the surf with either Colleen or me and Gamma as well. The surf here was better for her than at Ho'okena where here drifting in the surge alarmed some beach goers who thought her playing in the surf was an abusive pummelling. We spent the night at Spencer Beach Park which was not very nice as it was under construction and the only camp spot for us was on hard ground right next to the restrooms. It was though next to the heiau that Kamehameha built and his now a National Historic Park and the next morning Gaelen and Ambiana picked up their 2nd Jr. Ranger Badge.

Join us at the Beach

Ho'okena Beach

noreply@blogger.com (mochi, colleen & yaya) — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 02:32:00 +0000

On Monday we started our Around-the-Island-Camping & Beach Trip. We drove north to Ho'okena beach park where we spent two night camped on the sand right on the ocean. There are waves here for Boogie Boardin' and tide pools for Ambiana to play in. The snorkeling in great and Ben brought his boat to paddle around in.

Daddy-moch and Gaelen in the surf

Colleen and Gaelen in the surf

We both enjoyed boogie boarding with Gaelen. He is very confident in the water and does not mind the dunkings he gets. He is also much improved in his climbing skills and did not experience any stumbles of stubbed toes on the lava the entire time he was here

Uncle Ben showed us a lava tube up on the cliff behind the beach and we all climbed up to it in the afternoon and explored its many channels.

We spent 2 wonderful days and nights at Ho'okena, playing in the sand and surf, cooking and eating on the beach and sleeping under the stars. Unfortunately Yaya came down with a bit of a cold and did not sleep too well the two nights but other than that it was a marvellous time.

A Trip to the Volcano!

noreply@blogger.com (mochi, colleen & yaya) — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 02:26:00 +0000

On Saturday we drove up to Volcano National Park. The crater was emitting a high level of sulphur fumes and the Crater Rim Drive was closed so we watched a few films in the visitor center and worked on our Jr. Ranger badges. We took a side trip to the Lava Tube and here we are posed at the trailhead.

The lava tube was a sweet hike into a snakelike cave. At the end of the lighted path Gaelen and I took our flashlights and explored the 1/2 mile extension that is not lit. It was really cool to be underneath the earth and Gaelen really enjoyed it, even crawling the final 20 yards to touch the end of the tube.

We did get to take a look out over Kiluea Crater...

...and here Colleen works with Gaelen & Ambiana on their Jr. Ranger Booklet.

Back at the Visitor Center Gaelen & Ambiana take their oath and receive their Jr. Ranger Badges!!! We stopped again at Punalu'u Beach on our way home and met Ben & Laurel there as we want to hit the ocean everyday of Gaelen and Gamm's stay!

South Point

On Sunday we headed down to South Point and found a nice place for the Keiki (kids) to swim at a boat ramp. Unfortunately there was no shade and it was super sunny and hot so we did not stay long. Here we are enjoying a hike along the coast.

Gaelen & Gamma on the Aina

noreply@blogger.com (mochi, colleen & yaya) — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 02:23:00 +0000

We arrived at the aina and Gaelen and Gamma and Yaya went right up on the brand new floor and all played together while we got camp and dinner ready. Gaelen and Gamma adapted remarkably well to our primitive island life. Gaelen had no compuction about using our squat board poo hole and even exclaimed that he "loved it!" Gamma we took to the park up the hill when nature called. We slpet 5 in our tent just like old times back at Horseneck Beach in Massachusetts and enjoyed simple stir fry, pasta, panckae and oatmeal meals!

The next day Gaelen went right to work with a saw. He has been excited for months to chop down a tree and Uncle Ben put him right to work. Here he is making a path from our special space to the future site of our outdoor solar shower. We took him with us to the friday playgroup and then out to Whittington Beach Park for a picnic and a dip in the tidepools.

Then it was home for Ambiana's belated 2nd birthday party. We gave gifts to Gamma (a coffee mug painted by Yaya), Gaelen (a shirt painted by Yaya, Moch and Colleen), Ben (a boat made from a seed with a sail and picture of Moch, ben and Yaya) and Laurel (a felt flower with a Yaya picture in the center.) We lit 3 candles (this is the third solar orbit Ambiana is embarking on) in a a piece of wood, told her birth story, sang our own version of a birthday song and ate ice cream in cones. Gaelen and Gamma had decorated the special spot with Balloons and it was a very nice party, no puking this year by anyone!

Gaelen and Gamma Arrive!!

noreply@blogger.com (mochi, colleen & yaya) — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 02:21:00 +0000

We arrived at the airport at 10am after spending the night camped out on the coast of Puna. I dropped Colleen and Ambiana off to go find Gaelen and Gamma and as I was pulling forward I saw Momma in her wheelchair. I stopped and jumped out, ran around a post and there was Gaelen. He turned and seeing me smiled and I swept him up into my arms in a World Series winning hug. So good to see him after 5 and 1/2 months. His hair has grown out but other than that he looks the same. Gamma was next to feel my embrace and soon Colleen and Yaya were hugging them! They brought lots of luggage, we were surprised and half of it were presents for Ambiana's birthday party and beltated xmas gifts for us! We loaded it all up in our new subaru which we bought the day before rather than renting a car. New to us that it, actually it is a 92 4WD subaru with only 83,000 miles on it. We figured it was better to buy and then sell it than to just pour money down the drain on a rent-a-car.

Our first stop was Ken's House of Pancakes where we had a big yummy breakfast and heard all about the 21 hour trip complete with 2 4 hour delays in both Boston (flight cancelled by snow) and L.A> (flight cancelled in Miami due to storms.) They didn't arive until 2am this morning and spent the night in the airport hotel in Honolulu. Gaelen also showed me that he can count to 200 while we were waiting for our food to arrive.

On the way back to Na'alehu we stopped at the Punalu'u Black Sand Beach for a swim and so Gaelen could try out his new Boogie Board. Ben and Laurel met us there for a snorkle and we marvelled at the turtles and caught up on all the news from home.

Gaelen took right to his new board and was not shy about getting on it. The swim suit we bought for him turned out to be 2 sizes too big but he wore it well!!!

More from the Aina of Na'alehu

noreply@blogger.com (mochi, colleen & yaya) — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 02:10:00 +0000

Ambiana walks the aina

The girls went to a weeding party at the community garden this morning and Ben and I headed to the local surf spot at a Ka'awaa Beach which is accesible only by lavaflow road. It is a sweet spot and maybe you can spy Ben in this picture as he waits for a good wave. I just played in the surf and got worked, rolled over the pebbly bottom and tugged hard by the current and the waves. It was fun to play in the sea!!! Gaelen and Grandma arrive in 2 days!!!

Here is our neighbor danny on the right standing on our new floor this morning in the light of the rising sun before he heads north to work in Kona.

Working on the Floor

noreply@blogger.com (mochi, colleen & yaya) — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 01:05:00 +0000

We got right to work once the lumber came in. Here Ben checks the level and camber of one of the posts. We have 9 of them to support the house.

In no time we had the 3 beams on. Our neighbor Danny, a framer, came over and helped us square it up and by moving this and that we got ourselves a 16' x 16' square.

Ben bought a Norfolk Pine for the land. Here is Ambiana beside it, over the years it will grow but for now it is a baby tree only yaya's size!

Sawing is meditative as we have built so far with no power tools save our selves :) Sometime the line is not exactly right but that only serves to give the house character. Here I am sawing 3 inches of the 16 foot joists so they can be placed ontop of the beams.

Laurel is sen here nailing the joists into place. We work early when it is cooler out.

Ya Yum at the eating place!

Ambiana on the Aina

noreply@blogger.com (mochi, colleen & yaya) — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 01:07:00 +0000

Ambiana on the Aina