New Years Eve means we have been on the farm for 1 year. We officially moved in on the 1st of 2008. What a great year! I think I've learned, played, worked, met new and interesting people more this year than in any other year in my life. The experiences an exotic island can sustain are unlimited to someone like me from the Midwest. Just one example is the number of fruits I knew compared to now. If I could name 50 fruits before, I have heard of at least 500 now. And no I cannot name them all and I am still on my way to trying them all. Haven't found too many I don't like and some are fantastic. Like sapote, and there are several kinds of sapote. Just like there are about 50 varieties of bananas and 50 varieties of avocados. I didn't know that, did you?
Okay now it is 10:30 and most of the world has already had New Years. We just got back from a New Year Eve party enjoying the company of several couples. One from So. Africa & Amsterdamn. and another from Poland & Germany. The hosts hail from Maryland & Florida. But all or us are farmers. Whoops now the fireworks have started and I have the hiccups. Fireworks are a tradition here. Locals love it and I think we are infor a night full of noise. See you tomorrow.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Clear here
The last few days have been very clear. Ocean views from our lanai are exquisite. Ron hurried and called our neighbor to see if she had heard that the volcano shut off. That wasn't happening, I guess the winds have just shifted. Good thing the whales should be coming down this way soon.
I also saw a pretty inclusive article on the history of Kilauea's eruption history here: http://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/articles/2008/12/07/volcano//volcano.txt
Sorry for the need to cut and paste. I haven't been able to make this blogs link button work. This is a pretty easy blog site to navigate so I know it's just me. Maybe I'll figure it out later.
I also saw a pretty inclusive article on the history of Kilauea's eruption history here: http://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/articles/2008/12/07/volcano//volcano.txt
Sorry for the need to cut and paste. I haven't been able to make this blogs link button work. This is a pretty easy blog site to navigate so I know it's just me. Maybe I'll figure it out later.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Chocolate
There are many things good about Hawaii and chocolate is just one of them. I'll just talk about a few here and start with chocolate. Our coffee organization took a visit to the 'Original Chocolate Factory'. Chocolate grows between 15-20 degrees latitude either side of the equator and our 'Factory' is at 18degreesN. They are at the same elevation as our farm, 800'. So I guess we could grow cacao trees. The trip to the factory/farm is a worthwhile sidetrip while you are here so I won't go into too much detail except to say that the chocolate is yummy. And priced just right at $40 per pound!!! In a way chocolate is harvested and processed a bit like coffee in that you have to take the slimy beans out of the pod and ferment them, dry them and then roast them. You get genuine US grown and made chocolate and coffee only from Hawaii both very unique industries.
I read today that Hawaii ranks as the #2 healthiest state. The rankings were done by the United Health Foundation and the American Public Health Assoc. I had read earlier this year that Hawaii ranks #1 on the mental health/happiness scale. Easily explained. We get all the chocolate and coffee we want here!!
Last week or so my visiting friend & I had the chance to take a snorkel tour on one of the nicer boats leaving from Kailua pier, called the BodyGlove. A nice two level catamaran with ample room to wander around and enjoy the short sail out to Turtle Point. Really there weren't near as many fish there as other spots, but we did see a turtle. And I saw my first Crown-of-thorns starfish. Quite a large starfish with about 16-18 tenticles. And venomous so I have heard. No worry we were snorkeling near the top of the ocean and he was down on the coral feeding. After the snorkel we had our second meal. We had a continental type breakfast on our way out to the point and lunch was waiting for us after snorkeling. BodyGlove also has lots of water toys and, for additional fees, will take groups on snuba and diving. We stayed on board then and let the kid in us emerge by using the water slide. Nothing like a long plunge into the clear aqua blue ocean to wake up the kid in you. In fact it is not a one plunge slide. So much fun it called for another run.
While I'm thinking of it a good thing to happen here right now would be rain. Thru the summer we are used to almost daily rains, usually in the afternoon. Winter has arrived the the sky has shut off. With all the lushness and foilage and of course 'needy coffee trees' just a week or so without rain and we feel, dry, dry, dry.
Enough of the good things, but in truth I can't find anything bad about anywhere I have lived. Michigans snow is beautiful. I just don't care for it anymore. Tennessees everything still reverbs in my senses. But now I totally like living without air-conditioning.
I read today that Hawaii ranks as the #2 healthiest state. The rankings were done by the United Health Foundation and the American Public Health Assoc. I had read earlier this year that Hawaii ranks #1 on the mental health/happiness scale. Easily explained. We get all the chocolate and coffee we want here!!
Last week or so my visiting friend & I had the chance to take a snorkel tour on one of the nicer boats leaving from Kailua pier, called the BodyGlove. A nice two level catamaran with ample room to wander around and enjoy the short sail out to Turtle Point. Really there weren't near as many fish there as other spots, but we did see a turtle. And I saw my first Crown-of-thorns starfish. Quite a large starfish with about 16-18 tenticles. And venomous so I have heard. No worry we were snorkeling near the top of the ocean and he was down on the coral feeding. After the snorkel we had our second meal. We had a continental type breakfast on our way out to the point and lunch was waiting for us after snorkeling. BodyGlove also has lots of water toys and, for additional fees, will take groups on snuba and diving. We stayed on board then and let the kid in us emerge by using the water slide. Nothing like a long plunge into the clear aqua blue ocean to wake up the kid in you. In fact it is not a one plunge slide. So much fun it called for another run.
While I'm thinking of it a good thing to happen here right now would be rain. Thru the summer we are used to almost daily rains, usually in the afternoon. Winter has arrived the the sky has shut off. With all the lushness and foilage and of course 'needy coffee trees' just a week or so without rain and we feel, dry, dry, dry.
Enough of the good things, but in truth I can't find anything bad about anywhere I have lived. Michigans snow is beautiful. I just don't care for it anymore. Tennessees everything still reverbs in my senses. But now I totally like living without air-conditioning.
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