Intergenerational Feast

Friday, January 13, 2012
Kapa'au , Hawai'i

I'm looking for ways to get more connected with the wonderfully multi-cultural community here. And tonight was exceptional. Some locals have grant money to serve a feast once a month that cuts across all the generations. And each month it's a different ethnic feast. Tomorrow it's Chinese. So tonight was prep night. About 20 of us gathered at the community center that has a professional kitchen and cleaned and chopped and sliced and grated and ground and stirred and washed and dried. Sheep, fish, chicken, garlic, onions, carrots, scallions, ginger, cabbage, leafy greens, bowls, knives, cutting boards, peelers, and pots. And laughed and told stories and got to know each other. Kids and young folks and old folks. All together. As it should be. Food came from the local farms and the grocery store.

And tomorrow we cook up a storm. Can't wait!






Aloha, Bag Lady

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Lots Been Happening!

Wow!  Can't believe I haven't written in about 3 weeks.  Guess I've been a bit busy:) 

So, let me see if I can remember how the last 3 weeks passed.  On Wed, the 20th I drove across to the dry side, the east side, to Spencer Beach Park.  Heike and I had stayed there one night, but it wasn't til the next day that we found the better places to camp.  So that's where I went.  I was in a grove of trees, up the rocks from the shore.  WINDY!    Had been listening to music and feeling a bit scared and deeply lonely.  Here I was in the middle of the Pacific Ocean not really knowing anyone.  And Christmas was less than a week away.  Deep sadness.  Strong tears.  Could reach no one by phone.  Guess I'll have to pull my self out of this one.  Take a walk.  Look at those views.  You are not alone, no matter where you are.  You are blessed!  Breathe in all the magnificence of this paradise.  Ahhhh!  Worked wonders.  Boris, a German guy from Wisconsin whom we met at another campground a couple of nights ago was there, so that also helped the  loneliness I was feeling to pass.  He's biking around the island with a backpack.  He's a tri-athlete that goes off for morning swims of a mile or longer...way out into the ocean.  

Spent 2 nights at Spencer, enjoying the beach during the day and Boris' company at night.  There was a group of locals making music over in the pavilion.  We went over to check it out.    They were doing a hula line dance and Boris and I stood up at the back and tried to copy the moves.  Felt like I was part of culture for a moment.  Some folks came over and chatted with us.   They were rehearsing for a gathering Christmas Day and invited us to come out and see them then.  Hawaiians are some the warmest, loving-est people I've ever met.  


I decided I wanted to spend Christmas at Ho'okena Beach Park, Heike and my most favorite place.  Went on line and made a reservation so there wasn't a chance there wouldn't be space.  Boris was heading to the east side and Waipio Valley.  Hope it's not raining!  


Got to the beach, got a great spot on the front row under a coconut tree.  Life is good. And guess who shows up later in the day...Boris!  Too wet.  Hopped the bus right back to the Kona side and knew I was down here, so came on down.  A little community was forming for the Christmas holiday:  Boris, Daniel (a guy that I met the first time here who was healing from a broken collarbone before he took off and biked the island), Rachel and ___ (drawing a blank) from the Noni Farm in Hilo, and Monika, a German woman who's lived here for 30+ years and roams the island living here and there.  She was the true bag lady having only some clothes, a blanket, a bit of food, and her knitting with her...sleeping cowboy every night on the beach.  Lucky it didn't rain!  

Christmas morning was magical.  Walking out through the tents to the privy, I passed  where parents had hung their kids stockings on a line between the tents and there were presents on the sand underneath.  So simple, so sweet.  Got a picture:)  (Wish I had better luck uploading photos to this blog.  Can only do it from my phone and I'm on a pc right now.)


And the whales made a visit flapping their tails and blowing!  Hadn't seen them that close nor here before  And finally the dolphins came back.  They'd been gone for quite a bit.  Magical Christmas.  Mele Kalikimaka!


So now I need to go back and fill you in on some missing details.  The first week of the trip at a campground up north of Kona, I met a man in passing.  He'd been down to the beach to swim and then was handing out spiritual books about soul healing.  I accepted it.  We chatted.  He offered to help us find info on a 4x4 rental to go to the top of Mauna Kea, so I gave him my phone and email.  He sent the info and asked if we were coming back up north.  Not this trip, I replied.  Heike was a bit weirded out by the spiritual stuff, but I thought it was interesting.  

A week or so goes by, and I get a quick note asking if I was still on the island.  Another week, another note.  This time I told him I had extended my stay.  He invited me to come up so we could continue the flow of conversation and explore his backyard.  This was happening right at Christmas.  I still had the car for another few days so I thought that I could go up, and still get away if he was a weirdo.  I called him to make plans and it wasn't weird.  I felt more at ease.  So off I went on another adventure.  And this adventure took me into the arms of a loving, charming, energetic man that sees me.  But the really crazy part is his name.  My daughter's name is Dana Mossbrook Zimmerman.  His name is Dana Moss.  Now that's weird or cosmic or something!   A bit hard on me:)  Dana is my daughter.  The name shouldn't belong to anyone else.  But it so fits him.  And I've always loved the name for male or female.  He's 54 and a single dad of a daughter named Kawai (ku-veye).  Born and raised in Hawaii.  Surfer dude!  

So I've decided to stay another 3 months and explore this relationship and this community of Kohala.  There's so many places to hike.  So much to learn about the flora and fauna.  The food is different: taro leaves and coconut milk...papaya smoothies...fish that I'll never remember the names of!  I'm going to do some yoga classes and find places to volunteer my time.  My sister-in-law, Sandy, this summer, taught me how to really connect with a community by the way she has in Wyoming.  Thanks for the tips and ideas!

I don't know if I can deal with missing winter.  I so love the snow and skiing.  I get to glimpse at snow on Mauna Kea.  But it's not the same.  

So here I sit looking at the ocean out one window and the mountains out the other, with coconut trees whistling in the trade winds.  I'm going to enjoy it for how ever long it lasts:)

Too Wet

Tuesday December 20
Hilo Hawaii

Last night on the east coast (read:dry side) it rained cats, dogs, and horses! Most of the night! High winds added the mix. Whew! What a night!

Today we drove the infamous Saddle Road over the saddle between the 2 volcanoes at nearly 7000 ft. Beautiful farm land for most of it. Also up on the clouds! Then, back in Hilo and guess what? It's raining. It rains 2 out of 3 days here. Locals say even this amount of rain they've been having is excessive. Not staying here long. Need the sun. That's why I'm here!

Tonight I'm staying in a garden hostel here on Hilo. Beautifully lush tropical gardens with paths and nestled campsites snuggled between the foliage. Really delightful place:). (except for all the rain today).

So I'll get some supplies and drive to the dry(er) side tomorrow. Looking forward to being on my own a bit but will miss my "back seat driver" :). It's gonna get lonely fast, I'm sure. Deal with it, Bag Lady!

Here's a little touch of Hawaiian Christmas. Notice the Hawaiian print tablecloth and mermaid picture in background:)



Aloha!

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Pics

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Eco-people

Sunday December 18th

The people on this Puna Coast are my kind of people. Eco-people. Heike's word. I like it. They are eating organic. They use rainwater to wash everything. They have composting toilets. They wear recycled clothes - probably tie-dyed. The kids run around naked. Ah yes!

Thermal pools
Waves crashing the cliffs
Lush jungle foliage
Rain, rain, rain. (that's the part that would be hard). You have to always carry am umbrella even if the sun is out because showers can come at any time, and they do...often. But just wait cause they pass. But nothing ever dries out. The only place we found to dry our towels was in the car with the windows rolled up!

So I made a decision today to stay another 3 weeks. It's a bit scary because i'll be alone but I'll be able to do some of the things I couldn't do with Heike. Next big question is how long to keep the car. Hitching and bus are options for getting around. Would have to store my extra gear without the car. Might even go visit another island. Bit scared about all this but also excited. Where will I be on Christmas and New Year's Eve? Only time will tell!




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Deleted photo

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Amazing Lava

Wednesday Dec 14th
Puna HI

Don't remember when I wrote last. We've slept near a black sand beach in a canoe house a ranger offered up, in a remote lava field alone in Volcanoes National Park and tonight in an Eco-cabin (camped outside) that is being rented by Rick, a new friend we met our first night on the island. So cool: outdoors shower and toilet among the ferns and orchids, one screened great room with loft and 2 porches. Tiny living. I love it!




But I should talk about the volcano, Pu'u O'o, that's spewing lava and smoke. What a sight! And we hiked across the bed of a crater that erupted in 1959, Kilauea.

(photo deleted here)

It's amazing how stark this lava can look and how rich a soil it is!
It's also so sharp that walking over it is risky business. You don't want to fall...ever! I slipped at the coast one day and scratched my ankle up. It hurts for days. Nasty stuff. But it's so rich that stuff grows when planted in a pile of it!

Hawaii: where all rainbows are born and fruit falls from the sky! That's the definition we've come up with:)

We've seen rainbows almost every day. And we found fruit where no trees were nearby: grapefruit on the beach and a mango in a meadow.

Tonight as I type this we're sitting in the most delightful gathering of locals, good food, hawaiian music, and warm breezes. And male hula dancer.


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Dolphins, Sea Turtles, Exotic Fishes, Oh My!

Friday December 9th.
Ho'okena Beach County Park

Spent a couple of leisurely days hanging out at Kapa'a Park because it was quiet, dark and secluded. Love the north end of this island. Simple living where indoor and outdoor blend together as someone told me. My kind of living!

Then yesterday we wandered south through Kailua (Kona), the biggest city on the island. Expensive pizza, great stuff at the farmers market, more fuel and out of town. Too much.

Our park for the night is down a 2+ mile windy road to the shoreline. 1000 ft drop. Tucked in by the rock cliff in a sandy grove of young palms were a bunch of tents. But room for 2 more. And we keep running into people we met somewhere else on the island. It's a small island we're finding out:). And young and old are camping their way around it, like we are. Great fun. Sharing ideas and good finds!

Today was fabulous. Started with swimming in our cove at the campsite with dolphins right off shore. Then we went to Kealekakua Bay and rented a tandem kayak and paddled across the bay to the Captain Cook Monument. And guess who joined us? Ten to thirty dolphins. Pods here and there, all around us! Then at the monument we snorkeled in one of the best coves in all of Hawaii. OMG! Fish of every color and absolutely clear water! And there were people there that paid $130 each to do the same thing. We paid $20 each to rent the kayak.

Did some coffee sampling and walked through a tropical fruit garden. Fruit is EVERYWHERE!

And we visited City of Refuge, a Nat'l Monument where the kings lived. Quite special. And there we saw our first sea turtle paddling in shallow waters near shore! Incredible! So much to write, but this thumb typing is killing my basal joints!!!

Here's our sunset tonight as we celebrate a good day!




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Splish, Splash, Oops...

Monday, December 5th

Happy Birthday Mom and Maddie!

Oh that hellish hike out of the valley brought back memories if similar hellish climbs: Nepal - up to Tengbouche Monastery came to mind. How had I forgotten that? But we made it in an hour and 20 minutes.

But Heike's knee really bothered her on the downhills. She wrapped it and got a bit of relief but by the time we got to the major descent back into Waipio Valley where we started she was a hurtin' dude-ess. She had to back down much of the way to be able to hike at all. We even switched packs because mine weighed less.

Then back across the beach and a river crossing where it feeds into the ocean. That's where the dastardly deed occurred. You've got the flow of the river into the ocean and the push of the waves coming in and them pulling out. And it's rocky and knee deep or more. Add to that I had my pole, my boots, and a grapefruit I'd found and was going to eat. Stepped wrong. Dropped everything in the water trying to catch my balance. No luck. The once down the current was making it hard to right myself. Heike caught my shoes as they rolled by. When I got upright we went after my pole that was rolling in the surf. Grapefruit I didn't even try for. But my camera was not in the plastic bag. Ouch! That may be $500 out to sea. It's resting in a bag or rice right now. Gonna give it a few days to see if it works. I suspect not. That will be the last expensive camera I have. Not meant for me.

I'm pretty depressed about it.
We're over on the west coast and what a shock: one minute I'm commenting on the lush pastures and how lucky the cows and horses are... Then, boom, I
in Southern California! Dry rolling hills and tumbleweed!
And warm air. Not like the east side. I can see why folkslive on the east side. The lushness of it. And if you're craving sun, go west for the day:)

Pretty scuzzy park we're in tonight. No plans on staying. Have to see what else we can find.

And, oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I broke my big toe in the tumble, I think. I can't move it and it's quite bruised.




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Guava, Guava Everywhere

Sunday, December 4th

Today we hiked in to Waimonu Valley. 11 miles. Quite, quite challenging. Heike first backpacking trip. What a trouper! It starts with a 1 mile walk down this mountain road with the 25% grade. Unbelievably steep! Had to walk carefully using poles not to fall. Then out to a black sand beach made from lava rock. That was a bit tiring to walk on with packs. Then the climb out of the valley began. 1200 ft in about a mile of switchbacks. And the sun came out and pounded on us. Oh was I ever hot flashing! It's not good when the body is already exerting itself. Lots of stops required. Whew! Then we hiked in woods. Or jungle I should say. Guava trees everywhere. And we gobbled up the yellow fruit. You break it open; it's about the size of a lime. And suck the seeds and pulp out. Sweet and tangy! I also saw Norfolk Pine - the grow to be really tall here. And coffee trees in the wild. There was an enormous tree. Like a normal maple or something only dinosaur in size. When we get to the botanical gardens, we're going to have a lot of questions answered.



The hike then stayed in the woods while it wove in and out of about 12 hollers. We walk to the back of the ravine where we could cross to the other side then out around the cliff and back again. There were some delightful pools of water to splash and soak in along the way. Then we got to the drop down into the valley where we're camping tonight. it was the worst descent I've ever done. 25% - 35% grade for the mile down. Wet mud and wet rocks. Treacherous. And we know we have to climb back out tomorrow. And Heike's knee was really bothering her all the way down. I felt her pain!

But we were entertained by seal lions tonight playing in our pool of water which is fed by tall waterfalls in the back of the valley. Could not be a more picturesque piece of paradise. Camping right at the edge of the lava rock beach. I get to sleep again to the sounds of waves crashing on the shore. And we're both gonna sleep well after that hike!






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