Lahainaluna

Dash and I had a short weekend on Maui to see Nammie. The weather was beautiful compared to our last visit. No VOG! We could actually see the top of Haleakala, over to Kaho'olawe, Lana'i and Moloka'i. The pic on the left is the beach (Kamaole 3) in front of my mom's condo that we always visit. The waves were breaking really strong so we stayed out of the ocean this time.

We didn't have time to do much but lay by the pool. I got some shopping done and Dash was able to catch up on Sponge Bob.

Maui will always be the most special place in my life. The center point where everything changed. It's almost too painful to return to the crushing weight of nostalgia.

Turns out Dash had no school on Friday anyway because HELCO shut the power off for the day.

He is adjusting slowly to middle school. He had a few problems with an older kid, but I think they are resolved for now. Electives are his big excitement this year, and he's taking Hawaiian, Law, Horticulture, and Crafts.

He had a great summer hanging out with different friends and just relaxing. We did manage to get in some beach trips to the other side of the island. Dean had a great trip to Yokohama and is still hoping to somehow get a permanent position at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. He has a great boss who is trying hard to get him in some how. President Obama, can't you do something about this?

I was very fortunate to get a lead role in a musical called The Family Tree, an original production by two University of Hawaii students and an excellent local composer. So if you're planning a trip to Hawaii, include October 23-24 in your itinerary. I've been singing all over the place. Karaoke show tunes at a coffee bar on Saturday, church band on Sunday, Kilauea Festival Chorus practice on Wednesday, voice lessons on Thursday, and Family Tree rehearsal Tuesday and Friday. Monday is my only quiet day and I hate it!

Hula in Hawaii

Last night we went to a two-hour hula performance (ho'ike) put on by halau hula Kalehuaki'eki'eka'iu, that includes many of our friends from Volcano. The entire stage was covered by a curtain made of plumeria strings (see above). We sat in the front row, and the aroma of the flowers was intoxicating. The stage was packed with dancers doing both ancient (kahiko) hula and more modern (auana) hula.

Our good friend and neighbor, Jay Robinson-also one of the dancers, gave us tickets for our anniversary. That's him in the red shirt below.

Dean is frantically putting together a program for "After Dark in the Park," a monthly program highlighting significant issues for the community. Guess what his topic is? Dark sky friendly lighting! I think it's called "Dark Sacred Nights."

I auditioned for "The Music Man" yesterday, and tomorrow I'll be auditioning for a Universtiy of Hawaii-Hilo student production. I'll keep you posted on how all that turns out!

I just want to do theater without all the drama!

I must have ADD. Why else would I have decided to try out for community theater? Just not entertained enough living next to an active volcano? Working at a job with at least 5 hats? So, even though I had a terrible case of laryngitis that lasted over a month, I had just enough voice range to try out for "Kiss Me Kate" back in May and get a part in the chorus. I am having a great time, and tonight is opening night. I'm about 12 hours short of sleep for the week, and my increased caffeine consumption is producing diminishing returns. But, as I keep saying, "I'm having fun!"


Hanging out backstage with 14-year-old girls, trading make-up, watching them be silly (and being almost 30 years older than them) has given me a lot of perspective on my own girlhood, and has helped me forgive myself a little more for all the foolish things I did back then! Yes, there is quite a lot of backstage drama, but thank goodness it doesn't involve me. I am not the only person over 20 in the cast, there's at least 7 more of us "aunties and uncles."

Also, it's confirmed that I have some kind of learning disability for dance, or I'm just cursed with the "Honky-ain't-got-no-rhythm" gene. I can't believe they expect me to sing, dance and act all at the same time!

Other News
Dean was chosen to go to Japan in a few weeks to represent Hawaii Volcanoes National Park at the island visitor's bureau show in Yokohama. Unfortunately it's during the closing weekend of the play, so I'm not going. We were able to have our lot refinanced again, so we have a few more years to try to get something built on it. Every time I turn around I meet another builder, so I don't think we'll have any trouble figuring out the process.

Dash and I went to Maui to see my Mom, right after April 15. I don't remember much but sleeping and laying by the pool. He also celebrated his 11th birthday with a wild party of pudding-eating contests, silly string wars and other messy things that boys love.

I had a lot of opportunities to sing this spring. I got to pick all the songs and lead worship for a women's day at church, and our 'band' got to perform in downtown Hilo at an island-wide church concert. We didn't do Hawaiian songs, mostly bluesy, reggae, rock-n-roll style.

Can you believe Dash is entering middle school this fall? He will be going to the same school, so I don't think it will be that traumatic for him, even with puberty looming on the horizon.

Aloha to everyone and a hui hou!

Hau'oli Makahiki Hou

Happy New Year!

2008 disappeared in a blur of change and nonstop activity. The reason I have not posted anything since February is because I got a full time job a week after the last post. I've spent the previous 10 months adjusting. I took a job as the administrator of a 20-person CPA firm down the mountain in Hilo. I started right at the height of tax season, working 12 hour days and commuting 2 hours a day, while also keeping up with my Florida graphic design clients. Since then I've managed to climb up the rather steep learning curve, have shed a couple of clients, and ditched almost all of my local volunteer activities. Not without some guilt, fear and sadness. But it has turned out to be a great job and we are much more secure.

Dean has been working as a paid Interpretive Ranger at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park since March. He gets to do really cool stuff, including taking VIPs close up to flowing lava and leading hikes "Into the Volcano."

Dash, of necessity, started going to the after-school program, but all of his friends are there so he enjoys it. His school does a lot of Hawaiian cultural stuff, in May they have a big celebration and all the classes do dances and there's an official Royal Court that does a special hula. Dash is actually very good at hula, but I've been unable to capture it with a photo. His music teacher - "Moku Boy" goes to our church and is a very talented musician from a musical family.

Also in March, Halema'uma'u crater (less than 3 miles away) blew a hole in its side and a plume of steam and sulphur dioxide climbing high into the sky became a part of our daily landscape. For a few months there was a glow from the lava just a few hundred feet lower in the tube. Lately, 'da plume' (as we call it) has been coming and going. Today, the tradewinds have stopped and a blue haze of sulphur has settled over our neighborhood.

We needed a second car so Dean, in typical Dean fashion, bought a classic Citroen 2CV over the internet and had it shipped here. A special thanks to James in Virginia. James is retired from the U.S. Foreign Service and wanted his classic Citroen 2CV to go to a good home. Dean has provided "Claudette" with the best of care and it has become a fixture here in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park - much to the delight of our European visitors who frequently have their picture taken with her.

Dash turned 10 this year and camped out with his friends in our backyard.

Over the Christmas holidays we experienced a 2-day thunder storm that filled our water tank and dropped many feet of snow on Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea. Dash went up to the top of Mauna Kea with his friend, Nathan, and built a snow man.