Cheers!

Yesterday we headed into the afternoon heat with the intention of snorkeling. We decided to do something closer to home instead of driving all the way to the north shore. Lydgate Beach Park is close and we heard it's a great place to snorkel. We forgot it was mothers day so the park was loaded up with folks, the waves were rough and the only place to snorkel was in the "kiddie pool" with a lot of other folks. We decided to go see Iron Man 2 instead. 

As we pull up to the small theater (4 screens) we see a long line wrapping around the side of the building. Deciding to give it a shot, we stand in line. A man comes out and says seating is very limited, we may not get it. So, we head back home. We wanted to do something so we had drinks at our favorite bar the Oasis in the Sheraton Beach Resort. It's completely open and backs right to the beach. Perfect!

 

"Inside" Oasis

Three Mai Tais and several apps later we are making some friends. Early on, sitting at the bar we met Scotty. We had seen him before at the Home Depot and learn he is a DJ for the local community radio station KCCR. His show, Surf Stories, is about surfing. He interviews big time surfers all the time. We are impressed when he says he interviewed Laird. His family, originally from Florida moved to Colorado before coming here 12 years ago. 

Jenny and Joel, the bartenders, have friends and family at the bar. Jenny's friend Amy and Amy's boyfriend Zach are to our right and live in town. Joel's mom Bobbi, sister Jen and family friend Mark (who Bobbi calls her second son) are to our left. We made instant friends with Bobbi who collects sea glass and shells when we gave her some we found earlier in the day. Jen and Joel have dogs and we plan play dates with Bobbi. Jen is an event coordinator and wedding planner at a garden up on the north shore so we make plans to go check that out.

Today is my first day working for the farm, after a quick chat with Jillian I will get to work. At 2pm, Dan and I are driving about 45 minutes south to meet with the folks I am doing the catering job for. They want to sample my macaroni potato salad and poke to make sure it's local style. Then we are heading over to the boat house, where the party will be, to meet with the owner and check out the kitchen. 

I am thankful for my friends and husband who can kindly tell me where I can improve. Realizing that I am a perfectionist and of course struggling with the transition of moving here, I am able to let go. And look, 3 posts in 2 days!

The produce isle at Papayas looking to the left, Dan is getting it mostly local. Jillian's book choy, carrots, beets, kale, onions, daikon, bananas, papayas, dill are on display. Going into the store and seeing produce you've grown and or harvested is as cool as seeing a spot you edited on air!

To the right

Perfection

Jillian and I are rushing to fill the Papayas order. It's hot and we, like the produce, are wilting. "I'm just so nervous about this order, I mean it's for Dan and he is such a perfectionist." I say. To which Jillian replies "Well, look who he married." I don't know if she's saying I'm perfect =) or I'm a perfectionist also. Later that evening, I tell Dan and he suggests that I am indeed a perfectionist. Shocked I defensively reply that I have standards and that doesn't mean I'm a perfectionist. We laugh, I see in essence I am arguing semantics.  Something new to contemplate, I have never seen myself as a perfectionist. But I can see it coalescing in my minds eye, little things that point towards perfection and the desire to get things done right. This blog for example, I have not had the time to write posts that sort of bring you here. I like to describe what I see, feel, taste, touch and smell so that you can feel like you are here experiencing it with me. This takes a lot of time and I have not had that time so I have not posted. Several weeks ago, my buddy John (congratulations on the promotion!) suggested I write shorter posts more often so he could keep up on what is going on. Makes sense and even takes some of the pressure off but...did I do it?

What is going on? A lot! I am trying not to feel overwhelmed, trying to focus on all the beauty. I mean we live in paradise right? As my loving friend Deb pointed out, this is traumatic. I replaced my whole life; "security", everything and everyone I know with something totally different. So, instead of expecting everything to turn out perfectly well, I should relax, enjoy the ride. Easier said than done. I guess I am someone who needs to be gainfully employed, have everything perfectly planned out and busy. I do have a job now, working with Jillian at the farm. Instead of being happy about it (which I am) I am struggling with the lack of structure, something that Deb chalks up to island style or island time. So right now, I am learning how to take myself less seriously. Lower my "standards" (expectations) and go with the flow.

Dan is happily supplying Papayas with as much local produce as possible, being social and making connections, relaxing on his days off or fixing things around the house. We have a lot of plants from the farm or local farmers (avocado, taro, thyme, oregano, and Jamaican lilikoi) that need to be planted.

We are busy, so much going on the details overwhelm me so...none of that. This afternoon we are going to snorkel, have a little fun and relax. Tomorrow, we are meeting with the folks I am catering for in June. Last weekend we celebrated Lei Day (May Day) and went to the 97th birthday of the lighthouse in Kilauea. I am trying to be imperfect and go with the flow. Right now, the flow is telling me to post some pics and get on to something else like a nap or a good book!

Our fellow student and friend Tiana won an award for her lei made with veggies and herbs from the farm, the first time she has ever entered the competition!

Outside the Kauai Museum on Lei Day

Award winning leis

Exotic Ni'ihau (The Forbidden Island) shell leis

How they are made

Inside the Kauai Museum where all the leis were on display

This Ni'ihau lei goes for $2400.00, we saw one for $10,000.00!

You could make your own lei for $1.00!

On the way to the lighthouse Dan stopped and got me a lei

97 year old Kilauea lighthouse celebration. Once a year you can go into the lighthouse, it's closed the rest of the time. In July it will be closed for 3 years for renovations. You will be able to go to the lighthouse, you just can't go inside. We made it in the nick of time!

The view from the lighthouse

The beach in the distance is Secrets Beach. We climbed down that cliff to get there. The houses on the left are the ones movie stars (George Clooney and Johnny Depp at the moment) rent for $6000.00 a night! 

We had our first whale sighting. For 20 minutes we watched a mama and baby breach over and over again until they were out of sight.

Time to go up! The lighthouse was the first thing people traveling from Asia would see.

The 250,000 candlepower Fresnel lens weighs 4 tons and is made of 400 hand ground glass prisms.

Happy Mothers Day!!

May Day is Lei Day

by Michelle Taylor, Guest Author - Linda J. Paul

When most people think about Hawaii, the first vision that comes to mind is a woman wearing a grass skirt and a lei. The lei is actually a perfect symbol to represent the beauty of ancient and even modern day Hawaiian spirituality. This fragrant circle of flowers is a symbol of the spirit of aloha shared throughout all of the Hawaiian Islands.

Aloha is a very difficult word to translate into the English language. It has a similar meaning to the Sanskrit word namaste. Both words basically mean “May the light of the Creator in you see the light of the Creator in me”. Aloha expresses a greeting, a farewell, love, joy, hope, etc. And, in essence the beautiful and fragrant lei is a non verbal expression of aloha.

Many leis are created from fresh flowers including orchids, pikake, plumeria, ohia, lehua, and maile. A lei can also be strung with feathers, foliage, shells, seeds, dried flowers, candy and other materials. A steel needle and string are the common materials used to string a lei, but they can also be braided and knotted.

The giving of a lei is a very special gift. Not only is it given as a blessing, but it also represents the giving of time and love in its creation. Leis are hand-woven with care and patience. Some are intricately designed with patterns of alternating flowers. Leis may be worn around the neck, on the brim of a hat, or even wrapped around the head.

Unfortunately and tragically, the number of indigenous plants and flowers on the Hawaiian Islands is dwindling. So when a person receives a lei made from a rare or unusual flower, it is considered to be a very high honor. Leis made for the huge statue of King Kamehameha at Aliiolani Hale on Oahu are several feet in length and may take many hours or even days to create.

Lei making is an art form that requires practice, skill, and patience. To find the most prized indigenous plants and flowers requires days and weeks of exploration. There are two types of leis that are commonly made today, the more traditional or Polynesian and the contemporary. Traditional leis are created from native Hawaiian plants and based on ancient and specific symbolism. The more contemporary leis are sometimes fashioned from more modern plant varieties, or synthetic materials such as silk, satin, yarn, fake flowers, cellophane and ribbon.

At the Bishop Museum on Oahu there are priceless feather and shell leis on display that date back over a hundred years. Leis made from Niihau or other rare shells can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars, and are highly prized by lei collectors.

During ancient times in Hawaii, leis were worn as a symbol of rank. High ranking chiefs or queens may have been distinguished by the type, pattern or complexity of their leis. Leis were also worn to symbolize births, deaths, victories, and religious ceremonies. Different flowers and plants were used for different occasions depending upon their symbolism.

Bones, teeth and hair woven together with coconut husk, olona, banana or hau fibers were used in primitive leis. Even in modern day Hawaii, many people still think it is unlucky for a pregnant woman to wear a lei around her neck, as this may symbolize umbilical cord tangling.

The giving of a lei can symbolize love, friendship, affection, parting, good wishes, welcoming, rites of passage such as graduation, marriage, birth, and death. Leis are traditionally messengers of peace. Today, a kiss on the cheek is a customary tradition when a lei is given, although this is not part of the ancient Hawaiian traditions. A lei should fall equally on both the chest and the back. Tradition says that a lei recipient should not remove a lei while in the presence of the lei giver.

May Day or May 1, is Lei Day in Hawaii. Celebrations include the making and exchanging of leis among the local people, music, entertainment and food.

Lei day was first celebrated on May l, 1928. In early 1928 writer and poet Don Blanding wrote an article in a local paper suggesting that a holiday be created centered around the Hawaiian custom of making and wearing lei. It was fellow writer Grace Tower Warren who came up with the idea of a holiday on May 1 in conjunction with May Day. She is also responsible for the phrase, "May Day is Lei Day." At the end of the day, prizes are offered for the most unique or outstanding lei work.

Each Hawaiian Island has it own official lei color:

Oahu – lei ilima (yellow)
Maui – lei lokelani akala (pink rose)
Kauai – lei mokihana (violet)
Hawaii – lei lehua (red)
Molokai – lei kukui (silver/green)
Lanai – lei kaunaoa (orange)
Kahoolawe – lei hunching (silver/grey)
Niihau – lei pupu (white shells)
Molokini – lei limu kala (blue)

Hawaii abounds with ancient spirituality. It is perhaps one of the only places that the ancient world is so totally interwoven with the modern world. 

Gratitude

It’s hot, humid. My cooling system is not ideal and I struggle with the heat. Jillian has put me in the greenhouse today and as I plant cherry tomatoes and tomatillos my mind relaxes. The lush vegetation and birdsong lull me into a meditative state as I perform delicate tasks.

I eat my lunch at Anini Beach. In the shade, a breeze cools me off as I gaze at the ocean. Turquoise water first, then whitecaps and beyond, the clear, sapphire blue waters of Kauai.

I am so fortunate to live here. Everyday I am surrounded by beauty. Driving through tree canopies that open up to vast ocean vistas. My senses are always delighted. Sounds; birds chirping in 100 different voices, roosters calling in the distance, geckos and frogs give their little croak calls, the ocean breaking in on itself, trees rustling, waterfalls and streams, silence. I feel the moisture in the air, a cool breeze on my skin, the texture of seeds fallen from a tree under my bare feet, the hot sand and the cool water. Flowers turn their big happy faces towards the sun and fill the air with their fragrance. The taste of a ripe papaya, it’s delicately sweet juice running down my arm.

The people are just as beautiful, accepting in a way that takes me some getting used to. You don’t have to put on your game face, get all prettied up, have lots of cool things. You are accepted, by strangers, upon first meeting with a hug and a kiss. A big, strong, lasting hug from the heart too. So intimate and welcoming. You become one of the family. Little children call you auntie or uncle. There is laughter, smiles, sparkle in their eyes. People here live from the heart, no agendas, no judgements. All that is required is for you to be real, sincere and honest.

There is a generosity here as well. Folks are generous with what they have, offering something of what they have. A drink, a snack, some vegetables, fruit, flowers, plants and trinkets. They are relaxed, easy and generous with their time as well. You stop to ask a question, they talk story, you talk story and 45 minutes later you are on your way again. 

It may seem pretty fantastic, worthy of hours of daydreaming, the idea of living in paradise. What I have found is truth in the statement “no matter where you go, there you are”. Your good and bad characteristics follow you. Why you smoke, drink too much, eat too much, work too much, exercise too much, do drugs, talk too much, are overly religious. Those are all ways we use to comfort ourselves when the dark side rears it’s ugly head. It shuts us down so we don’t have to feel what is really going on. Mostly fear, fear of failure, not being good enough, not being accepted, of being alone, of something, there is always something. 

I am happy to say I am getting what I asked for when we decided to move here. I am struggling with those things about me that make me uncomfortable, which is what I wanted. Which is healing me, causing me to grow and be stronger, more resilient, able to weather those uncomfortable moments. Reinventing yourself is not easy, living in paradise makes it easier and maybe more acute because you want to make it work, you want to live in paradise forever.

Dan is being his amazing self, he never ceases to amaze me. I give him a year before he knows everyone on the island! Always happy for an opportunity to meet someone and talk story, he is enjoying his new job. He gets to do his thing and has the power, the title, to do it. If he thinks Papaya’s should sell fresh cut flowers and seedlings, he can do that. He gets to meet locals as well as people from all over the world. Last week, he met someone at the coffee shop from Vendrell, the small beach town in Spain where we have close friends. The other day when we were doing laundry, he helped an older man fix a stroller. He is happy and at peace and I am happy to witness his old self come out to play again.

I am having a harder time, being more of an introvert I find it difficult to connect. But, every day is a new day and it is my intention to open up and let people in. Every day I get another chance. I may get a job at Papaya’s in their cafe, I received an email for a catering job (for 50 people), I enjoy my days at the farm and daydreaming with Jillian on how to make her business grow and the possibilities for me there. They are many and include cooking school lunches for about 50 kids, starting a farmers market in Kilauea, running her CSA, creating fliers for the farm, farm dinners and tours, taking care of the farm while she is away on vacation in June. There are some nutritionists wanting to prescribe CSA boxes to clients struggling with diabetes and heart disease. A local company servicing the rich and famous wants to include a box as a welcome gift inside hotel rooms. The dreams are endless, my enthusiasm boundless.

Just Another Day In Paradise

Wow! Usually I write chronologically but...I just had THE BEST MASSAGE, for free! Natalia is a lovely 21 year old woman who left the material trappings of Santa Barbara and followed her heart to Kauai. I'm finding that to be a common theme with the people I meet. Like us, she had no plan. She found someone online willing to let her couch surf and listened to her heart. It lead her to Jillian's farm where she completed the Seed To Table program that Dan and I are half way through. There, a fellow student noticed how well she worked with her hands and suggested massage. Natalia, graduating in July, needed to get some hours in.

Two days before, I had told Dan I really needed a massage but it didn't go further because those are costly. My right shoulder has been hurting, I thought maybe between doing yoga everyday and working on the farm the bursitis I had 15 years ago was coming back. As Dan and I were leaving the farm for the day Natalia came to our jeep and asked if I'd like a free massage! I said yes.

75 minutes later, the massage finished, I find myself invigorated. Not only has my pain greatly dissipated, but she showed me a lesson. She truly followed her heart and it took her to exactly where she needs to be. I've not been able to do that. Although it was my intention before we left Colorado, I have found myself much more attached to money that I thought I would be. As a result, I have been worrying about it, a lot. Dan has been relaxing and going with what turns up and he just got a job! He starts Tuesday as the produce manager for Papaya's. He will be responsible for revamping the department, replacing the imported food with local food. He even has 2 employees. The dress code? No bellies, no cleavage. Dan said he felt he could comply! I have been busying myself with what I think I should be doing, something with food, instead of just being and going with the flow.  Just being is really hard for me to do. I am coming off a 25 year run of working in the television industry. I went straight out of high school, to a 4 month trade school and have been working full time in the industry ever since. Yesterday, Dan and I had a heart to heart and we decided that since some of the monetary pressure has been lifted, for the next couple of months, I should concentrate on just being. For me, it's harder than it sounds. I tend to busy up my free time.

When Natalia set her massage table up in our kitchen hallway (the only space to do it) she got a phone call that brought her to tears. This afternoon, her 10 week final, in which she has to perform 10 systematic therapeutic massage sessions called Structural Integration, was to begin. Her client had called and cancelled their first session 2 hours before the session was to start. Dan, getting ready to head outside to trim the ti trees, looked at me and said if you want to do it, go for it. I wasn't sure, I needed to know if she was any good. 15 minutes into the session I told her I would do it. I was mostly following my heart. After all, I need body work, she is passionate and clearly good at what she does. I needed her and she needed me. As I lay on the table, her gentle hands seeking out the knots and muscle tension and strategically melting them away (sometimes creating a lot of pain in the process) she tells me it's not about the money. When she graduates, she wants to have a private practice in which she can heal people, including people who can't afford massage. She wants to go about doing this with trades. If she worked at a spa, it's all about the money, not her primary concern. But we all know, when you follow your heart, the money will follow! Natalia tells me to breathe into the pain that is being created when she hits a really tender spot and to see if it triggers anything emotionally, maybe a memory. Breathe into it and let it all go. The pain, the fear, the worries, any past negative memories.

Between stressing myself out and the pain it caused me, I was lack luster. Lethargic. Now, as Dan gets his massage and I sit outside typing this, I feel alive again. Convinced that I need to just be...and listen.

This Saturday, the teacher of my raja yoga meditation teacher, led the class. My teacher Deborah had a hula dance to attend. This is a service provided for free on a donation basis. His name is Michael and he is fantastic. I have been practicing yoga, reading, and meditating for 4 years at home. I have always wanted a teacher, I have so many questions. I thought my teacher was to be books. In Parker, Colorado there aren't a lot of gurus around! Well, Michael is it! From England, he started learning when he was 18 and became very successful. He looks to be about 27 and is very grounded. None of that airy fairy stuff that makes me really nervous, I'm not interested in joining a cult. I am interested in letting go of habits and attitudes that block me from being the best version of myself. So, I'm really excited about that and again, it reinforced the decision to just be. Between my kind, loving, patient, understanding, wonderful husband, Michael and Natalia I am sure to find the healing I need before I can embrace who I am and let my heart guide me to finding work that matters.

Last Tuesday, Jillian took us to Secrets beach. It's called Secrets because it's clothing optional! We didn't have to take the normal tourist route. There are some million dollar estates on the same street as the farm, in fact, Will Smith just bought a place on her block! Jillian knows the folks whose yard we cut through, and after she called to let them know we'd be cutting through it, we headed out. Down a cliff to a perfectly secluded beach. Secrets has 3 beaches. Beach 1 is easily gotten to. Beach 2 and 3 require you to cross over pounding surf, reefs and cliff like rocks, but not if you know someone whose back yard is Secrets! We were pretty much alone, Jillian, Dan, Teo and I as we strolled down the beach admiring the 18 foot swells pounding on the reef, so much so you can hear it at the farm. Sometimes in the winter, at night when Jillian is in bed, the surf literally pounds so hard she can feel it.

This week at the farm I harvested kale with Stew. We also went on a field trip to see 2 local farmers, both on the north shore. Jamie's farm was the last to visit. We made a terraced garden for him and he fed us grilled Kauai steak, baked potatoes, grilled chayote, a salad and some local beer. The chayote was new to Dan and I. Jamie showed me how to slice in into 1/4 inch pieces, peel it with a knife, (which I later did at home with a veggie peeler) and toss it with canola oil, rice vinegar and soy sauce before throwing it on the grill to get all tender and caramelized.

Turtle was here! Our jeep dashboard splashed with some flowers Turtle picked.

Lotus at the bakery

Belladonna at the farm

Jillian's decked out bike, they just put the handle bars on for Azure

Secrets beach with the Kiluea lighthouse in the distance

Jillian beckons

Down the steep staircase

around the bend

there's still more!

Ahhh, it's worth it!

We came from up there!

The surf washes into the rocks we were walking on

convergence

Monk seals come to shore for up to 3 hours to digest. Tourists, thinking they're dead, reach out to touch them. The seal wakes up, and having not finished digesting, heads out to sea where it dies. Lesson? Don't pet sleeping seals!

Huge 18 foot waves, the roar of the ocean made conversation difficult

Heading back. Dan and I need to get some lunch before we head out to the garden to weed and shape some beds! I slept good that night!

Rest break!

Anole on a Ti

Kale before harvest

Stew and I harvested 4 bins or 40 bunches or 35lbs of kale!

1 harvest bin of kale

13 leaves to a bunch, I worked opposite of Stew

You twist the bottom leaves off making sure not to tear the stalk, these have been in the ground since January

Harvested kale bed that has been weeded, fed compost and cultivated

Dan harvested turnips

Counting for a total of 36 bunches

And then some celery

Eileen ready for the post harvest meeting

Basil (whose plant never flowered) can be put in water and roots will grow. We are doing that with some oregano we got at the farm.

Teo, Stew and Dan make the post harvest lunch

Tiana takes amaranth leaves off for a salad

Lunch; lentil curry with beans and broccoli. Sautéed kale and brown rice.

Lee, the owner of North Shore organics

A private oasis on the farm

The main garden

The house

Those are loofa's growing above the chicken coop.

Pretty

Avocado tree

This hard core 55 year old probably weighs 170lbs. Surfing, walking and eating healthy keeps this native american from Texas in shape. His generous, kind heart keeps his spirit aflame.

Grapefruit tree with 1 lonely grapefruit

Tiana picks a ripe star apple

Teo goes in for a bite

These are white pineapple, they are less acidic than the yellow ones we are familiar with and the locals covet them, I can't wait to try one, it's pineapple season!

Various sweet potatoes including the hawaiian sweet potato

Belladonna tree

Poi is made from taro root

Eileen's son caught an anole

It's tricky to grow tomatoes and squash because the fruit flies "sting" them. This squash has been stung several times.

Hibiscus

Jamie's farm

Trees mulched with palm leaves line the walk up

The deck of Jamie's home, classified as an agricultural dwelling

The view from Jamie's deck, the ocean in the distance

We all head down for a tour

Jamie's main garden is terraced

Jamie gives us the low down about what he has in store for us. Magdalena, the little red head, has a fiery temper!

Jamie's trying to grow tomatoes where the fruit flies can't get them, I hope it works!

Down to work. Jamie uses this as a way to find the level areas and marks them with a flag. There is a coconut opener dangling on a string and a middle spot marked on the bottom board.

All marked off

Stakes are made from guava trees and logs have been prepared before hand

Assembly begins

Everyone does something

And it's up in 30 minutes!

One of the 2 snakes that live in Hawaii. This one is blind, the other (not shown) is a sea snake.

I used my foot as a reference for the base of this banana tree. Banana trees are a type of grass! Please forgive the dirty feet, they spent the morning harvesting!!

The view from the toilet in Jamie's house (if you're a girl)

Some kind of crazy flower

Dan's turnips

Braised in chicken stock, tasty!

There is a lovely couple, albatross. Tom works at Starz. He and his wife are retiring here. They own a condo in Maui but 2 days into their first visit to Kauai they bought a house and invited us over for dinner. This is the view from their back deck, the ocean in the distance.

A vine on their deck that needs identifying 

Roasted cauliflower, potato, turnip and chayote tossed in pesto. The cauliflower and turnip is from Jillian's farm, the chayote is from Jamie's. Seared ahi tuna with papaya (from Jamie's farm), mint salsa. 

This weeks promises to be fun. Tomorrow (Monday) we are having a private Earth Day dinner with Jillian, her husband Gary, Eileen and her friend Ralph who is visiting from Colorado, John a local farmer and his wife and Turtle. We are dining at the Hukilau Lanai, they use produce from Jillian's farm. Tuesday is Dan's first day at work. He is going with Chris (the guy he is replacing) to Nawiliwili to pick up the imported produce. I will spend the day walking the dogs, meditating, journaling and doing yoga. Wednesday after harvest, we learn about compost making. Thursday at the farm is Earth Day and we will be working with the kids. Saturday after meditation class I meet with Natalia for my first of 10 sessions. Sunday Dan turns 41!!! We plan on going for an outdoor adventure and a fancy dinner afterward. There are about 10 places we are trying to choose from, fun!