My Hawaiian Name : Kehaulani

Wednesday, Sept, 19th, 2012

Aloha !

Tonight was magical. My Hula Halau  met at Uncle Roberts to send me off Hawaiian style  and to say their goodbyes .  Uncle Roberts Awa Bar is a well loved local hangout . On Wednesdays, there is a farmers market and crafts being sold.  There is always a wonderful live band playing too. It is the happening place !

We had fun . We met, we talked , we wandered to see the different crafts and jewelry being sold,  we drank, we ate  and listened to a great live band .It was such a happy  relaxing time. Kumu gave me a present . It was what was hand written , in her own handwriting that brought me to tears.

On a small piece of paper , Kumu wrote :
"    Molly

Kehaulani :

The dew of Heaven
A cool breeze from Heaven
You are like the cool dew of the Heavens, which no one  gets( has ) enough of ...... "

Kumu has given me my Hawaiian name. This is such a great honour for me , such a wonderful special gift.

Max gave me a massage at Uncle Roberts . Mahiehie hennaed my left hand. She did such beautiful intricate work with henna on my hand. Ariya made me another book, this time, prints of Hawaiian plants. Kumu gave me a beautiful wooden hair pin , some Hawaiian teas and two beautiful cards of photos of some of the dancers.

The Band was playing "  White Sandy Beach of Hawai'i.." and I thought of someone I loved very much . It was his favourite Hawaiian song.  My mind wandered off for a while listening to that song.

" I saw you in my dreams, we were walking hand in hand , on a white sandy beach , of Hawai'i......"

Then the band started playing Holei .

I,  Kumu, Mahiehie, Ulu , Kau'ilani and Jonathan  got up to the front ' stage ' and danced Holei for all the people at Uncle Roberts'  with the live band playing for us. I could see all the stars shimmering above in the dark night sky .  It was truly incredibly magical for me. I was so very happy when I was dancing Holei  I love that song............

Most special of all was Kumu gave me my Hawaiian name. Kumu told me that the Gods told her what to name me.

My Hawaiian name is Kehaulani.......

This is the meaning of Kehau . Lani means Heavens .

Kehau  :

Origin: Hawaiian

Sex: Female

Unisex Name? No

Meaning: Dew.

Soul Urge: People with the name Kehau have a deep inner desire to serve humanity and to give to others by sharing money, knowledge and experience, or creative and artistic ability.

Expression: People with the name Kehau tend to initiate events, to be leaders rather than followers, with powerful personalities. They tend to be focused on specific goals, experience a wealth of creative new ideas, and have the ability to implement these ideas with efficiency and determination. They tend to be courageous and sometimes aggressive. As unique, creative individuals, they tend to resent authority, and are sometimes stubborn, proud, and impatient.

With much Aloha,
x0x0x0x0x0
Kehaulani

Bud

Aloha !

Its my second to last day here in Hawai'i .I leave tomorrow  I can't believe that time has gone by so quickly.  This morning I was going to go into Hilo at 7:30 a.m. to get some last minute gifts but the person I was going to go with  left early. She didn't know I was going to go . One of the persons that was suppose to go ( that told me to be at Guest Services at 7:30 and I will get a ride ) also ended up working  and I didn't know anything about that. I was surprised to see her working when I went up for an early breakfast . This is the way it is at Kalani . Things are loosy goosy around here , time wise. Plans are made and talked about and sometimes never happens. If you really want something, you have to make it happen yourself.  The only thing that is for sure are the meals being served on time . That is always a given .

Yesterday, at breakfast ( or was it lunch ? )  I sat down with Bud. Bud is so very funny . I am always in stitches when I am around him. He loves teasing me too.

We were talking about how loud the coqui frogs were . Bud said that he didn't  hear them anymore, he is accustom to their evening song. He started telling us at the table " You should hear the howler monkeys  ! In Brazil , when you hear these howler monkeys, you'd think a murder was going on . Someone is getting murdered or about to get murdered. Such lawlessness in the jungle.  Actually, you would want to murder them if you hear them, they're so loud and obnoxious . They just don't stop for hours.  You would love the sound of the Coquis if you ever experienced the sound of the howler monkeys ! "

Every time I see Bud , I always know that I will enjoy my conversations with him immensely. I always learn something new ,and I always laugh myself silly because he is so very funny , in a most  intelligent and dry way.  I think he enjoys the fact that I appreciate him too and that no matter what he is talking about or a quick wit that he slips into the conversation , I fully understand and also have a curiosity to learn and know more.  I ' git ' it !

I told him that I was leaving and the first thing he said to me was " When are you coming back ? "  Yes, they all feel that I will be coming back. Kumu  was the first one that directly said to me "  I know you will come back. "

I have yet to see Bud's paintings . I hear that he paints on very large surfaces. He apparently makes beautiful lace too. I would love to see his art.  He lives in his own home nearby that has no electricity . I think he mentioned that he has 18 cats, give or take  His arms are covered in colourful tattoos and so is most of his body.

His raspy voice has a slight hint of sarcasm when he speaks . Often in my conversations with him , I would simply raise my eyebrows in amusement , with my lips slightly curled upward  , sometimes gently biting my lip to keep from bursting out into laughter.

He teases me about being Canadian all the time and threatens to call Homeland Security about me, that  I am hiding out in the U.S. of  A.  " I can stay here for 6 months, Bud . No questions asked. I'm legal  "  I would remind him.  In fact here at Kalani , I get teased all the time about being Canadian. Chef  Marianna  would say to me  when she is asking me to do something  " Do they do this in Canada ? "  I would laugh and say " Speak more slowly and more louder please. I'm not sure I understand your question ! "  And the whole kitchen will all be laughing.

Bud really thought I was Hawaiian. Ha ! I fooled him with that one. He looked at me one day and asked , ' Are you a local? You must be from Oahu and not from around here. You speak too well  , sound educated , to be from around here. You don't speak pidgin . "  He didn't believe me when I told him that I was not Hawaiian. He told me stories about San Francisco China town where he also lived when he found out that I was Chinese. His Mom was a Canadian , born in Kimberley B.C. "  You are definitely B.C . !  " Barcus laughed, overhearing our conversation . We all laughed .  B.C. also means before Christ. Bud is an older gentleman. But wait ! He asked not to be called a gentleman. He wants to me called ' Bud the barbarian ! "
" Back in the day , there really wasn't a Canadian , U.S. border between Washington State and B.C. Not like how it is now.  " Bud said.  " We all came and went as we pleased , Canadians, Americans. "  

Bud really is a walking encyclopedia . Its beyond being an encyclopedia . He is extremely intelligent , probably one of the most intelligent people I have ever met .  But, he is also down to earth with a great sense of humour.  It is way better to ask Bud if you want to learn about something than to google it . It is so much more entertaining , being educated by Bud with his raspy voice.

This morning, he cam up to the Loft and I heard his voice. " Where's Molly's room ?  Is she here ?   "  Jeanine tells him. I hear a loud knock on my door. " Aloha ! Who is it ? " as I walked to my door.

And there stands Bud. What a nice surprise !  " oh good ! i caught you before you left ! I have something for you ! "  Bud hand me a necklace. " Its a Tibetan Buddhist prayer bead mala . Its high end . I thought you would like this . "

Wow ! What an amazing beautiful gift. The prayer meditation  mala  is made of  various shades of smooth  green beads made of jade . At the end of the mala are other precious stones ( yellow and red ) . At the end of the mala  is a red tassle that feels like horse hair.  It is really beautiful . The beads are so smooth and cool to the touch . Delicate, consistent in shape and yet repetiously grounding . A  soft gentle direct intent focus , in this space, in this very present moment.  Remembrance to appreciate the here and the now . Living in the moment. Appreciation..... Gratitude...... Peace...... Love........ .

Bud would be one of the compelling reasons that I would return to the Big Island.

Bud is a true precious treasure to all mankind. A hidden treasure on the Big island of Hawaii who is definitely off the grid.  I am so blessed and fortunate to have met Bud.

World , this Bud's for you !  Cherish him !

x0x0x0x0x0
With much Aloha,
Molly

Mauna Kea , Third Attempt

Aloha !

Today,  the big plan was to go to Mauna  Kea and go right up to the summit and watch the sunset  from above the clouds. I had made 2 attempts to do this previously and both times, the jeep died part way up .

This afternoon , I was all excited as Beth was going to take me up to Mauna Kea along with Helena and Morgan. This was to be Beth's parting gift to me. Twice , Beth and I were in Venetia's  jeep , and twice, we didn't make it and the jeep had to be towed back to Kalani. This time around, Beth bought a jeep from someone who left Kalani recently . She was told that this jeep can make it up to Mauna Kea. All I can say was this person had really bad mojo and I was a bit trepidatious  to go in this car. I did not want to be surrounded by black energy. This previous owner was purported to be part of a satanic order that required him to pledge/ sell his soul to them. This person would sit and study me and I could always sense when he is doing this even if he is not near . The intense dark energy emanating from him was very strong. At times, I would ignore him , knowing that he was studying me , and sometimes, I would return his gaze with a confident powerful white light looking intently into his dark eyes . My gaze tells him to stay away and back off as he could not touch me or surround me with any of his darkness. . He is powerless around me. Absolutely powerless.  Often times , knowing when he is darting his blackness towards me , I surround myself with white light and he is extinguish. There was always a silent energy war between us, even as we exchange casual pleasantries.  Light versus darkness . My stay at Kalani has taught me a lot of my own metaphysical powers . God is always with me and angels surrounding me. Beth has always said that I was pure light.

Beth did an amazing job in ' clearing ' the dark energy from the previous owner of the jeep.  . When I got into her jeep I felt light and peace.

With permission from Chef Mark , I went into the kitchen  and  made all of us roasted turkey breast sandwiches with lettuce and tomatoes and swiss cheese. I also got apples, and mandarin oranges , some trail mix , and with special permission from George , got 4 pieces of yummy Boston Creme cake for dessert for our Mauna Kea trip.  There were also chocolate chip cookies too , also made by George.  We were going to have a nice dinner picnic up at the summit.  I went to Guest Services and got four parkas for all of us.

Once we got to Saddle Road, Beth's car died. We couldn't believe it. She didn't have AAA and was worried about the cost of towing the jeep back to Kalani. The cost would be 200 plus buckeroos minimum. Beth's car died just like Venetia's . She went looking under the hood of the car. We waited a while and prayed that the car would start again and not stay dead like Venetia's car. Hallelujah , the car started up !  We all decided that we would not attempt to go any further to risk the car completely dying on us again and returned back to Kalani without turning the car off on the way home. We all said to Beth that we did not want to make any stops . If the car was turned off, it may not start again. 200 plus bucks is a lot of money too for towing.

We made it back to Kalani in time for dinner. Beth strongly felt that Poliahu, Goddess of Mauna Kea didn't want us to go up  and thus prevented us from getting up there three times. I strongly felt that this  has nothing to do with it and its all to do with old four wheel drive vehicles that can't make the incline climb .

Casis said to us " Three strikes, you're out ! "

I say in this situation " Not. "

 I have only a few more days at Kalani. My Kalani friends are trying to find a way to get me up to Mauna Kea to watch the sunset...........

With much Aloha,
x0x0x0x
Molly

The Climax

Aloha !

Wow !  I am lost for words..............

Today , I danced ancient hula at Volcanoes National Park , on a grassy stage , facing Halema' uma' u  Crater ,in my own lauhala hula skirt , made with my own hands !!!!!

I woke up at 5:30a.m. to get ready for my last performance in Hawaii . I wandered over to the Lanai to eat some toast before I headed off. Chef Mark gave me a good luck have fun hug . As I was sitting at the Lanai all by myself at 5:50 a.m. ( breakfast is served  at 7:30 a.m. )  , eating my toast, Mark came out to give me some bacon.  Yummmmm!  I needed the protein ! I love bacon. So, breakie was toast with butter and apricot jam , 4 slices of bacon , and a hot steaming  strong cup of English Breakfast Tea. And, I was off ! I  headed down to Hale Aloha as I was to meet Malia there to let her car through the gate.  It was such a lovely morning. Nothing was open . Hale Aloha does not open until 7:30 . I gazed up at the morning sky and saw a beautiful rainbow !  What a wonderful way to start my morning. The rainbow representing God's promises , and His Gifts to me , unspoken with words but heartfelt and deep in heart song and dreams  becoming true and unfolding like a beautiful flower .

 I was enjoying the rainbow when I heard the crunch of footsteps on the  volcanic rock path coming towards me. One of the guests was heading down in my direction. . She was waiting for a Chi Qong class that started at 7:00 a.m. . No one was there yet either. Stevie and Craig taught the Chi Qong class.  They are such a fun couple . I had written about them in one of my earliest blog posts . The funky old V.W.  with the interior held together with duct tape and them giving me a ride on a bumpy gravel road to the lanai one rainy morning in May.

I pointed out the rainbow to her and we watched it for a few minutes before it faded away into the blue sky. I told her why I was down there, standing by the gate , about my hula performance at Volcanoes National Park this morning at 10:30 . She was going to try and come watch the performance. ( I did see her there later. ) It was her last day at Kalani .

Malia finally arrived and she drove us up to the Loft where all my regalia ( costumes ) were . I had a lot of dance stuff to pack. I also had 7 dozen chocolate chip cookies that George baked for me , for the potluck lunch that followed our performance. George is such a sweetheart. George is Kalani's master dessert maker and an amazing baker . I felt really special when he said that he would make the cookies for me without hesitation.

" Where's Hank ? " I asked.

" Oh, I don't know  " Malia responded.

" I thought he was coming too."  Hank is Malia's boyfriend.

" Well, I thought maybe we could drive back to my place to see if he came by or if he is waiting there . Maybe I will drive by his place too to see if he's there. "

And so, as we were heading back to Malia's place, we saw 3 cars go by us , all of them dancers heading towards Volcano. A lot of the dancers live in Seaview.

" Oh, good, we're not that late ! As long as Kumu  arrives after us , we're good ! " Malia said with  relief .
So we drove by her place, no Hank and went by Hank's place, and there he was.

" I thought you may have slept in ! " Hank said to Malia.  Time is so loosey goosey here.

Hank jumps into the car. " Oh, it going to be cold up there, right ? " He jumps out of the car and grabs a sweater , and off we went. The weather pattern changes quickly up at Volcanoes National Park.

" I'm  making  salad for the potluck, Molly. I have sliced the onions , cut the carrots. I am missing the key ingredient , lettuce. We are going to have to get some on the way. "  yes, a key ingredient indeed for the kind
salad she is making.

I laughed. Malia is really funny.She started telling me  about trying to buy  kava  plants to give to Kumu and to  three of the dancers .

" So, I was trying to phone around to all the gardening stores, and no one had any. I had to look on line and I found this place that was advertising  kava plants for sale. I called them up and got their address and told them I was coming right over. When I got to their house , I knocked on the door . Someone on the other side of the door asked me what I wanted and why I was there.  I expected someone to come walking out with a shot gun !  I  told him that I was the one that spoke to them about buying kava plants. Then, Molly, I heard a woman's voice inside saying " Papa, get me my t-shirt " in a heavy southern accent . '"  Next thing I know, an old woman opens the door , wearing granny underpants , with a t-shirt on top. Boy, was  I grateful that she put on a t-shirt. It would not have been a pretty sight ! " She had me laughing , especially when she was imitating the woman's voice. The visual she gave me also was not a pretty sight.

" Oh, but they are the nicest people evah !  The old man came out too wearing these weird shorts and a wife beater t-shirt , his huge belly hanging out.  Man, was I glad he put clothes on too as he would have been a worse sight for my eyes if he was naked. "  Too funny . Malia bought four kava plants .

" And you know, Molly, there was a beat up old red fire truck in their front yard. This place is really off the grid. The fire truck is probably made in the 50's and something you would see in a Beatles' movie. I asked one of my neighbours if that area had a fire department and she said probably. What do you mean probably , i asked . Oh, and she told me that they had a fire truck but they don't know if it works or not. Well, it turns out that the place I got the kava plants from, well, that's the fire truck they use in case of  fire. Only thing is, that man has been taking showers with the fire hose, out in his front yard , stark naked, in full view . I don't think there's much water reserve left in the fire truck ! "

Yes, off the grid , for mainland hippies to come and live off the land .  There are definitely some ' interesting ' people that are not Hawaiians that live around here.  " Papa, get me a t-shirt . "

Malia had me in stitches all the way to Volcanoes National Park. We almost went to a hunting store to get lettuce. but her boyfriend Hank talked her out of it . I shook my head and laughed. A lot of things are really off the grid. " There's these strange dead animals mounted on the walls. Not like deer heads  or bear heads that you would normally see mounted on the walls. I think there's a pig on the wall. They probably found it on the side of the road. "

Malia ended up going to a regular supermarket . Thank goodness for that. She dashed in and within a minute, she was out with a head of lettuce. She was thinking about going up to the Army barracks in Volcanoes National Park to buy lettuce.  Apparently, there is a general store up there. I did not know that. I would think that the lettuce there , if they had any , would be a premium price.

When we arrived at the Visitor's Centre at Volcanoes National Park ,  we quickly unloaded and walked to our performance area , trekking our stuff, taking about three trips in all to get out stuff to a grass wooden hut
where we would change and put all our personal belongings. It was such a cool hut. I felt as if I had stepped back into time , at least several hundred years.

The stage that we danced on was a grassy platform. It was outdoors and the view was spectacular from the grassy stage. We were facing Halema'uma'u  Crater , the home of Pele , Volcano Goddess.  I could see the volcano smoke plumes rise from the Crater  as I danced. It was softly misting gentle rain when we arrived and when the performance started, the sun came out and the sky turned from gray to blue , with big fluffy white clouds. It was most magical. The whole time I danced, I looked out to Halema'uma'u , mesmerized , hypnotized , so drawn to its power . It was incredibly spiritual , magical and powerful . We were dancing for Pele , and not so much for the several hundred people that were sitting on the grassy area below , watching us dance.  The sun became intense.

The last dance we did was Halema'uma'u .  E como.  Come to me......It was a dance of procreation . The dance was a visual of beckoning movements and , lets just say procreation movements.

Ayako came to me after our performance and said, " Well, how was your climax ? " I laughed. She did not realize what she said was a double entendre.  I know what she really meant was how was my last big performance , the reason why I extended my stay in Hawaii , to perform on the Volcano......

She realized what she said and laughed. A dance of procreation . My last dance. The moves require no translation. It was ancient hula in its most primal state. I love the dance .

" On both levels , my climax was amazing and out of this World ! " I replied with a happy smile on my face.

And now, I bask in the warm soft afterglow of my amazing journey these past four and a half months here in Hawaii.......... with much much gratitude and feeling so incredibly loved and blessed......

with much Aloha,
x0x0x0x0
Molly
 

The Home Stretch

Aloha !

Sept,11th, 2012

After the ukulele making class on Saturday , Sept, 8th , Karen drove me to Seaview on the way home to pick more hala leaves. I did not have enough leaves to finish my skirt. Kuane had shown me a good place to pick them several weeks ago.

The hala leaves were inside a thick jungle , off road.  I came prepared this time , bringing shoes that covered my feet . I was able to get about 16 hala leaves . I was so thankful for my gardening gloves. It kept my hands from being sharply pierced and ripped  by the ' thorns' on the edges of the hala leaves and also the' thorns'  running along the spine of the leaves. It was the best $3.00 investment I have ever made.
  
 I dragged  the leaves  ( the leaves were about 7 feet long ) to Mark's jeep. Mark had lent us his jeep for the day.  Karen couldn't open Mark's  trunk . Oh oh !

So, the only way was to have  my arms hanging out the window , holding the hala leaves on the ride home.  Karen couldn't help me because of the sharp thorns on the hala leaves and it took some maneuvering   for me to get into the jeep with my window rolled down , and then have all the hala leaves on the outside of the passenger door , holding all of them with both my hands and doing the best that I could to keep them from touching the sides of the jeep . I was worried that it would scratch the paint off the well used jeep .

As we drove back to Kalani from Seaview , both my arms and part of my body was hanging outside of the jeep  , with both my hands handing onto the hala leaves for dear Life ! " Can you drive a bit slower please ? "   I pleaded to Karen. The speed of the car was really picking up the wind and the hala leaves were flying up , trying to strongly pull themselves out of my hands.  The road back to Kalani was a mini roller coaster with one of the most beautiful views ever along the coastline.

It was quite comical. I had to laugh ! The things that I am doing to make my lauhala skirt . " Oh, I wish I could take a picture of you as the car is moving, with both your arms outside the car window , holding the hala leaves ! " Karen said. Wew ere both laughing.

I just wanted to make it back to Kalani with all my hala leaves. Hallelejah !  Success !!!!!

As soon as the car stopped , Karen rolled up the windows with a push of a button . " Hey, stop !!!!! " I said in a panic. She had rolled my arms up to the top of the car as my body went up with it.  It was funny and not at the same time. It hurt .

Jeesh Louise !  I mean, you knew that my arms were outside , still holding onto the leaves . We were laughing about it the whole time.  I smacked her. Ow !!!!  That hurt me !

It was one of those moments that because you do something so routinely , in spite of visually seeing otherwise , you do still what is routine : Karen rolling the windows up as my arms were still outside.......once the car was parked.  I, myself , would not have done this. Just saying .

I brought all the leaves to the Art Shed to clean and strip , using the kitchen hose to wash and wet the leaves first.

Today, I finished tying on all the lauhala leaves onto my skirt. Oh happy happy day !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tomorrow, I will hem the lauhala hula skirt , 10 inches off the ground , as I stand with bare feet. Thankfully , all that is required is cutting . Then, the last onerous part begins. I have to iron each individual leaf , on both sides , with a very hot iron , to flatten the leaves. They are all curled up right now and very hard.  Once ironed , there will be a soft sheen on the leaves and the skirt will balloon out like a ball gown.

Yes, I am in for the home stretch !  I still have to make the leis for my head, wrists and ankles  .  Compared to making the lauhala hula skirt , that is nothing.

The big performance at Volcanoes National Park is only a few days away.

Today, as I put the last hala leaf onto my skirt, I watched the skirt dance in the wind , lifting up joyfully with the ocean breeze..........There was Love and Tears on the Lauhala Hula Skirt.........my deepest respect for the Aina.......

With much Aloha,
x0x0x0x0
Molly

Ukulele Making

Sept 7th/ 8th , 2012

Aloha !

Well the day has come ! Karen and I are going off to Hilo to make our ukulele ! Sami  offered the use of her car for Friday and we were fortunate to have the use of Mark's car for Saturday .  The ukulele making class was over 2 days, Fri , Sept, 7th and Sat, Sept, 8th .

We went to pick up Sami's car keys. She had left it on the kitchen counter  at Peace House . When we got to Peace House, we found the keys but her car was not parked outside. Hmmmm, perhaps she parked it at the Lanai . So, Karen and I trekked up to the Lanai , passing by Guest Services parking lot to make sure it wasn't there either. When we got to the Lanai , no car. " Did you ask her where she parked her car ? "  I said to Karen. " No. "

" Lets ask Mark . "  We went to the kitchen   Mark laughed. " Here , use my car to look for Sami's " he said,   handing us his car keys. So we drove around and we finally found Sami's car , parked at the lower level near the Rainbow Room.  " She never parks here , " Karen said. " I didn't even know there was a parking area here. "  I didn't either. I was glad we found her car.

" Oh, its Friday afternoon . There shouldn't be too much traffic going into Hilo. " Karen tells me. Not the case. As it was, we were a few minutes late.

Each one of us was given a small blue box. It was Tiffany blue. A very special gift inside indeed .

" Don't open it . Put you name on the box. Your ukulele is inside. I repeat, don't open the box. Wait until everyone gets their box and we will open it together ! " Ken Makuakane told everyone. Ken was the one instructing us to make the ukelele. He is a well known Hawaiian singer, songwriter and producer.

As I opened my Tiffiany blue box at the instructed time  , I saw pieces of ukulele along with a small zip lock bag full of very tiny parts.

" Don't open the small zip lock bag ! "  Ken said. That was very good instruction. I can see some people losing the small parts needed , before we even got started.

And then it began . We used wood glue, screw drivers ,  wooden chopsticks , elastic bands , a pencil and a ruler and two grades of sand paper. . I sat beside Cora , ( not sure if that was her name )  the Minister of the church I went to . The chopsticks and elastics were used as a clamping mechanism once the wood glue was applied for each part of the ukelele. It was a most interesting and creative use of  takeout wooden chopsticks.

Over the course of 2 days, we glued , clamped , screwed , sanded , stained , strung , strummed  and tuned our very own ukulele !

Everyone was in a happy mood. There were more than 50 of us there, making our own ukulele  . It was wonderful to see all the different ages there . The youngest was 2 years old and his Mom was making his ukelele for him !

On Friday, it was from 4:00 to 8:00 and on Saturday , it was from 9:00 to 12;00 ish.

The ukulele making class was held in the gymnasium of  Haili Church in Hilo. The Church was founded in 1824. It is a lovely yellow Church.

For dinner, we were fed bright red hot dogs. I was hungry but that hot dog did not sit well with me. It was bright red. Seriously.  I was however, thankful that the Church provided some food as I had not brought anything to eat.

On Saturday morning , Karen was running around trying to get her stuff done before we left and we were 15 minutes late . I knew that would happen. Thank goodness they started only a few minutes before we arrived.
Cora and Nancy had given me a piece of paper to write down an evaluation of the class. I wrote them a 2 pager.

They both cried and hugged me after they read my evaluation. They thought what I wrote was so beautiful.

On my 2 page hand written free form evaluation , I wrote of how I stumbled upon their Church . I wrote of how I felt God's strong presence and Love there, in their Church. Of course, God is everywhere, but I felt his presence ever so strong there. I was descriptive of my heart . I wrote of how it was always my dream to come to Hawaii to learn about Hawaiian culture. Here, in Hawaii , I was given and blessed with abundant opportunities with which I grately and humbly embraced . God is giving me a ukelele to give thanks in music and in song. A mahogany ukulele that I will make with my own hands . How beautiful is that ?  I spoke of the song " I want to Praise you Lord ."  I spoke of many things and wrote many things in my 2 page evaluation . The evaluation was my letter of deep gratitude , of meeting all of their church congregation and there love and warmth towards me , and giving me the opportunity to make my own ukulele , fulfilling a Life dream..........

They both cried reading my letter of homage to their church. They both said that my letter was so beautifully written . What I wrote flowed so effortlessly as it came from my heart.  Two full pages, hand written.

As we were leaving the workshop on saturday with my beautiful ukulele , I went to hug Cora and Nancy goodbye.  They were both sitting on benches . I went behind them and hugged them and they both gave me long hugs and kisses.

Cora was the last one I hugged . It was as if I have known her all my Life. As I hugged her, her tears were streaming down her face , and my tears followed . We held each other for a long time. I felt so incredibly loved. This was only the second time that I have met her.............

And this is how it has been for me in Hawaii. I am so accepted and loved by all that I meet. The Hawaiians treat me as one of their own.

It is like going home , a place that you love so very much , after a very long absence........

I feel so incredibly richly  blessed...........

With much aloha ,
x0x0x0x0
Molly

Lauhala Tears

Friday, Sept , 7th ,2012

Aloha !

Well , that long long 6 yards of braid that I spent a long time on was useless for the lauhala hula skirt . Jonathan came this morning to help me put me lauhala hula skirt together. "  I'm not making it for you, I'm just going to show you , " he said. That was all right. I didn't expect him to ' make ' it for me. I had only needed guidance as to how to tie the lauhala leaves onto the waistband properly. Kuane showed me several weeks before , but this was all new to me and I wanted to make sure that it was right from the get go . I didn't want to tie all my lauhala leaves onto the waistband and be told later that it was done wrong. And, of course, there was always some sort of protocol involved.

When Jonathan arrived to the Loft, he started looked around my room as to where to set up to start.
 " There's no where in here " I said. " No, you can tie one end of the waistband to a door knob and the other end to the back of the chair "  he replied. " " Neither will be tall enough for the lauhala leaves . We need to go outside . Kuane showed me. He told me to tie a clothesline between two trees, tie the waistband on the clothesline , and then I can start tying on the lauhala leaves onto the waistband , working at a comfortable height , without the lauhala leaves touching the ground. "

We went outside. I went walking to look for the perfect tree and I found it. So, of course, the discussion went around whether or not I needed a clothesline . The tree was so perfect that all I had to do was to tie my waistband between the two branches with the trailing hemp string that I had left on each end. Hallelujah ! Simplified .

Jonathan looked at the 6 yards of hemp braid that I handed him to tie on the lauhala leaves. " That's too thick ! You can't use this ! "

" I was told to braid a six stranded  hemp rope. That is exactly what I did . It took me a long time to braid 6 yards  with six strands and  you are telling me that I can't use this ?  "  I  could feel the tears pooling in my eyes..

Max drove up and was walking by . " Wow ! Your skirt is looking great ! "  I shook my head .   " Hi Max . Could you please call Ayako for me so that I can ask her how the thickness it should be  for the tying ? I just want to make sure as Kuane told me 6 strands of braided hemp . Jonathan said it was too thick  I need to be 100% sure . " I went into Guest Services with Max  to borrow the phone from Guest Services . Max called his wife Ayako , talks to her for a bit and hands me the phone. After a bit of discussion, Ayako offered to come down to Kalani to see if the thickness was o.k. or not.

When I handed the phone back to John ( Guest Services )  he  mouthed the words " You need a hug ? " as there were people around us. He saw the tears in my eyes. I shook my head and silently said "  Thank you " to him , knowing that he could read my lips.

When I went back to Jonathan , who was waiting for me back at the tree he said " Why are you crying,
girl ? "

" Jonathan, I worked so hard in making this 6 yard braid . When you said that I couldn't use it ,  I felt so frustrated and discouraged and drained .I have put so much time into making this already.  Its all the stress leading up to the performance too . All the stuff that I have to do , that I still have to make , and there really isn't much time to do it as I am working. "

When Ayako arrived a little while later, she agreed with Jonathan that the 6 yard braid was too thick. She had  brought a sample of the thickness it should be. Well, that settles that.  At least , it was definitive. I felt relieved.

" The single strand is thick enough " Ayako said. " Where did you find such thick hemp string ? " Great , I didn't need to braid 6 strands. All that time spend and the strands kept twisting .

" Karen went to buy it for me when she went to Hilo.  I guess the problem was that there is obviously different thicknesses of hemp string and no one was none the wiser for telling me . "

Jonathan felt bad for me. " I will help you tie these on, Molly ."  And so , he started , tying them ever so tightly . He helped me tie a few on and then left , asking me if I wanted to join him and Barcus for a burger as they were heading out of Kalani.

" No, I want to finish this . I want to finish tying on all the lauhala leaves that I have. I know I don't have enough leaves , but I will finish with what I have. "

When Jonathan left, my tears came flooding down.............the picking of the lauhala leaves , the cleaning and removal of all the spiky pokies off the leaves , knowing that it ain't over till its over, knowing that I still have to go pick some more brown lauhala leaves and not knowing when I will have time to do this. The leaves should be picked freshly fallen , no bug holes, all even in colour , no rips or  tears on the leaves . Once gathered, they have to be cleaned and stripped.

I stood there for a while , and watched the wind blow through my lauhala hula skirt ,  lifting the leaves up ever so gently. The lauhala leaves made a soft woody sound. I watched the play of sun and shadow as my hula skirt danced in the wind , anchored between the two branches of a beautiful tree. It truely was a perfect spot and the perfect tree . The tree gave me much needed shade while I worked in the hot summer sun.

My tears continued to fall  freely , thankful for the release of all the stress and disappointment so far . Mostly and finally , I felt a wonderful peace and full of thanksgiving , as I watched appreciatively of my hula skirt being gently lifted by the trade winds blowing off the ocean.........dancing in the wind........

With much Aloha,
x0x0x0x0x0
Molly

A Lesson in Patience , a Dance with Hemp Rope

Aloha !

I am so happy happy happy !  Its after 10:00 p.m..  I worked the afternoon shift in the Kitchen today ,got off at 8:00 from the Kitchen , showered , and started braiding . I just finished braiding 6 yards of braided hemp string .  Hallelujah !  I am so happy happy happy !  Do you have any idea how long six yards is and how hard it is braid one long continuous braid , using 6 strands of hemp string ? Every time you fold over a plait, the strings get twisted.  All my Loft ladies that I live with watched me in fascination . I had to wind each double strand into a loose ball and put a hair elastic around it so it would not fall apart . I didn't have any elastic bands and my hair elastics worked alright There was a big hook on a wooden beam in the Loft and I wound the first initial inches of braided hemp rope around the hook to anchor it and away I went , braiding , and stepping back as the braid got longer and longer , patiently unwinding the twisted strings , dancing in spirals around me as I braid . " I think the Universe is trying to tell me something. This definitely is a Lesson in Patience ! "  I said to my friends in the Loft. They all laughed. The string will get twisted together , and slowly , patiently, I untwisted each spiraling dancing string . I had to wear gardening gloves as the hemp string is very thick and coarse. It would have chewed my hands up for sure .

This 6 yards of hemp braid will be used for tying each lauhala leaf onto a waistband that I have already braided last week. The waistband was made out of 9 strands of hemp string braided together.  That was a challenge too .

Jonathan will be helping me tomorrow to tie all the Lauhala leaves onto the waistband with the 6 yards of braided hemp that I just made. I am grateful that Jonathan is helping me. After the leaves are tied on , one by one , I will have to trim them to the right length .. Thank goodness that it only involves cutting it  approximately 10 inches from the ground when I wear it.  No sewing, just cutting. However, that being said , once it has been ' hemmed ' I will have to iron each leaf , one by one, on both sides to make them flat. The leaves are amazingly strong . I have already cut strips from a few of the the leaves to make my wrist and ankle leis.

I am so very happy that this part is done. Truly a Lesson in Patience .

Off to bed I go. I have a busy day tomorrow . After breakfast, Jonathan will help me with my Lauhala Hula Skirt and then in the early afternoon , I am off to Hilo to make my own ukelele !


With much aloha ,
x0x0x0x0
Molly

Botanical Gardens and Kitchen Comradery

Aloha !

Another week has come to a close and another one begins . Several days ago, there was a blue moon. The full moon was so bright that the evening sky looked like early morning all night .

This past Friday ( Aug 31st ) some of us went on a staff trip driving along the scenic Hamakua Coast  to Hawaii Tropical Botanical Gardens , Akaka Falls and Laupahoehoe Beach Park .I was sitting in the front seat. Kami reminded me that a giant cockroach lived in the van that we were in. Yes, I remembered. I went to Hilo in this van, sitting in a lotus position, with my dress all tightly tucked under me . This was after I saw the giant cockroach scurry across the dash board . When Kami reminded me, my feet immediately went up.

There were so many exotic plants and flowers at Hawai'i Tropical Botanical Gardens . We spent an hour and a half there and I took many pictures . One could spend all day there. It was a very full day and we were all tired by the time we went back to Kalani for dinner. I will have many beautiful photos to paint from. I had taken a lot of pictures of the ocean surf. at Laupahohoe Beach Park.  I love painting the ocean.

Tonight ( Sept 2nd ) it was vegetarian lasagna for dinner. Dessert was almond cake with strawberry sauce.
The almond cake was vegan , sugar free and  gluten free . I was sitting at dinner with Elsa and Wendy and we were all thinking the same thing , that dessert looked like meatloaf with ketchup. Vegan meatloaf with ketchup. The strawberry sauce really looked like ketchup. We were all laughing about it.  " Mom ! The meatloaf ! "   a line from the movie the Wedding Crashers .  " Go ask Oliver for more meatloaf , Elsa ! "  Wendy said. " Yeah, we will get Oliver all confused ! "  Oliver was serving dinner tonight. I once confused him when I said " I want a cup and a bowl on a plate. "  When you serve , it starts with the plates and the bowls. Kalani has bowl soup bowls and cup soup bowls. Well, I wanted a small bowl of soup ( cup size ) and I want the bowl to put Coq au Vin in so that I will get all the yummy wine sauce for dipping my bread.

Well, Oliver thought I said " I want the Coq in the bowl on a plate. "  No, cup, bowl , plate and then the food selection begins.

One day, while the kitchen staff was sitting around eating our lunch before we serve , someone asked Oliver ' What's happening in the outside world ?  "  Oliver lives outside of Kalani . " Same as the inside world " he answered. Good answer. He is very funny. Deadpan .

" Go ask Ryan for more meatloaf and ketchup ! He's doing Hobart ."   ( Hobart is the name of the dishwashing machine and there is a busing station where the dishes get bused. )    " Go ask him Molly ! "  We were all caught up in the silliness of it all. " O.k. I will !  "  I replied. " Oh, this is going to be good  ! I'm gonna watch Molly ! "

So, I went to the dish busing station where Ryan was working Hobart. I had Elsa's plate in my hand , her plate with leftover crumbs and strawberry sauce. It really did look like meatloaf and  ketchup ,  especially since it was getting dark and the dining area was dimly light with candles.

I went up to the window where  Ryan as he was spraying down the dishes . I showed him my plate. " Ryan, can you sneak me some more meatloaf with ketchup ? "  Ryan leans forward to take a closer look . " That's not meatloaf and ketchup ! That's dessert ! " I could hear Elsa laughing herself silly behind me. I too was laughing hard , and so did Ryan.  " Was that an initiation ? " he asked. Ryan is new in the kitchen. " No, we were just being silly . You have to admit, you had to take a second look !  "

This morning , when I was on shift and we were sitting around having our lunch before we served , I was eating purple sweet potato salad. It was quite good. Marianna had made it without any mayonnaise. " Its good, Marianna "  Elsa said. " Yes, there's only mustard in the salad. "  Elsa 's face turned red and she was feeling ill. " I'm allergic to mustard " she said solemnly .  " I swear, I'm not trying to kill you !  Not only did I put mustard in it, I put two mustards in it !  "  Marianna laughed .While initially, we were all laughing , it was soon apparent that Elsa really had an allergic reaction . She wasn't joking around this time.

We work really hard in the kitchen. That is partly dued to low staffing in the kitchen right now.  There were times that it is so hot in the kitchen that it made me feel ill and feel like passing out. We really sweat in the kitchen too. Kami said to me the other day , " I've done boot camps in 130 F and I sweat more in the kitchen than I ever did in the boot camp.  That says it all.

There will always be those who work hard and help others and there will always be those that are slackers. Kalani is no different than anywhere else in this regard.  I do very much enjoy with with my Kitchen Ohana. It doesn't worry me when  I know there are newbies being trained or that I am unofficially in charge of a shift. The operation and routine is now second nature to me. If and when I come back to Kalani , I think I would work in Horticulture . I like Horticulture's work hours better. They don't have to start work at 6:00 a.m. , they get Fri, Sat, Sun off every week , and their work day ends at 4:00 p.m. , and not at 8:00 p.m. like the kitchen. Horticulture is hard work . The only thing is the cutting down of trees and thick vines with small hand saws. I don't know if I can handle that . Cutting 12 Hau branches was more than I wanted to do several weeks ago. And of course , the heavy down pour of rain and the hot heat of mid day . You are working outside after all. Horticulture folks smell much more than us kitchen folk after their shift.

Nah . If I come back to Kalani , I will stay in the kitchen. I will negotiate my hours before I come back ! Within reason , of course.

The days are going by quickly. I have less than 3 weeks here . While I was very  tempted to extend a wee bit longer again because of a Lomi Lomi  course being offered in October, I am ready to go home. School starts for me the day after I get back home...............

I have worked out my name plate to introduce myself to class. That is one of the assignments , how to make one memorable upon first intro.  I bought two beautiful wood sculpted hands at Maku'u Market .  Tonight, I was working on drawing on autograph leaves .  I have inscribed " Kou inoa Molly " ( my name is Molly ) on the autograph leaf along with ocean waves and a palm tree. I am working on several leaves, drawing a hula girl on one, a honu ( sea turtle )  on another, a horse running through grass , and a plumeria flower with the word ' aloha .'  The leaves turn a beautiful soft brown when it eventually dries. Where it is drawn with something sharp , it remains light.

Several of the leaves will be placed on the open hands . This will be my intro to my classmates  to my course ' The Business of Art Practice. "   It will be memorable and I am sure no one else will have an intro like this.

Only a few more weeks and still so much for me to do. I am making a ukelele this coming week !  Beth has promised to take me up to Mauna Kea to see the sunset before I leave.

And the world spins madly on as I sit here and contemplate what else I should draw on the autograph leaves before I go to bed......

shanti.....

With much Aloha,
x0x0x0x0x0x
Molly







 

Making Laulau

Wed , Aug, 29th , 2012

Aloha !

The days are going by faster and faster . Soon, in a matter of weeks, I will be returning home and leaving Hawai'i . The performance at Volcanoes National Park is only two weeks away.  On Monday , when I was coming back from Pahoa with Karen and  Rowela , we saw a double rainbow in the blue sky . The moon was also out , playing hide and seek behind the fluffy white and grey clouds . It will be forever freeze framed in my mind. Unfortunately, I did not have my camera with me. It would have been such an amazing picture.

Hula practice tonight was intense. The days are counting down to Sept 15th  . The days are also getting shorter. Dawn does not break until around 5:45 a.m. and night falls by the time it is  7:15 p..m.  It is dark when I  get up at 5:30 a.m. for my 6:00 a.m. kitchen shift. There is such a beautiful tranquil peace when I walk to the Lanai at 5 :45. The dawn softly lights up the jungle greenery , and everything is in a gentle brightness , slowly waking  up with the sun. The only sound I hear is the crunch of the rocks beneath my red cowboy work boots , as I walked the trail to work . I too, am slowly waking up with the sun.

Thurs, Aug, 30th, 2012

This morning, a group of us got together and made lau laus !  This was one of Kalani's Ohana Month's many activities for the volunteers, to thank us for all that we do !  It was so much fun and quite the production !

About 15 - 20 of us showed up , ready to make the laulaus . Auntie Dottie was in charge, along with her daughter Nicki and her granddaughter Destiny. Little Destiny is six years old. The  sweetheart was absolutely in charge. She gave us each stacks of taro leaves . The taro leaves are huge , the size of baby elephant ears ! It is a beautiful dark forest green in colour with purple veining on the back of the leaves.  We had to cut the thick veining from the back of the taro leaves . Auntie Dottie said that if  the thick part of the purple veining was not cut off, we would get itchy mouths . Suffice it to say that we were all very thorough and diligent in cutting off the thick purple veins on the backs of the leaves. Once the taro leaves were trimmed from the thick veins , it was washed. In the meantime, some of us were washing the ti leaves and once washed, it was de-boned. There is a centre bone on the ti leaf that has to be removed and it runs from the mid- centre of the leaf right down through to the stem . You can feel where the ' bone ' starts on the leaf. The leaf is flipped over on its back side , a small cut ( or you can bite it )  is made where the bone starts , and you bend the leaf where it is cut ( bitten )  and push the ' bone ' up , lifting and separating it from the leaf , all the way to the end of the stem. Ti leaves are about 2 to 3+ feet long  with the stem .

And, the assembly line begins !   The laulau filling was pork and butter fish combined and the vegetarian one were butternut squash .  Yes, pork and fish together . Sounds not so great but it was actually tasty. Auntie Dottie said that once steamed together with the pork , the butter fish melts in you mouth . ( Guess that's why it is also called butter fish ! )  About 15 of us were lined up on each side of very long tables joined together and covered with plastic. First the fillings , then the taro leaves , then the ti leaves. Several people put fillings on the taro leaves, the taro leaves get passed down to several other people and they in turn wrap the fillings up inside the huge taro leaves . Once this is done, these packages get passed down onto others to be wrapped in a two ti leaves. First, one ti leaf gets wrapped around the taro leaf , then another ti leaf is wrapped around the first ti leaf and tied tightly with the stem of ti leaf into a pretty bright green organic package. Once this is done, it gets placed in a steamer and steamed for at least 5 hours. Auunti Dottie brought a humongous steamer , about six racks high and it was fueled by a huge propane tank. This steamer held about 100 laulaus.All in all, we made about 180 laulaus !

MMMMmmmmm ! They were good. Unfortunately, I didn't have a chance to try the vegetarian one as I had my dinner saved for me . The steamed taro leaves  melts in your mouth . The ti leaves were not eaten ( nor would you want to eat them ) . As it was, I wasn't at Kalani for dinner as I had hula practice and dinner was saved for me. I shared my laulaus with Po , the resident 14 year old black Lab who is mostly blind and mostly deaf. She sat patiently beside me , and looked at me with her filmy milky eyes.  I wonder how much vision she has. Po almost ran into me in the dark one time. For that matter, I almost ran into her !   I gave her the pork from the laulau . Po would put her head on my lap to remind me that she was still there, waiting.

I love how everything gets used in Hawai'i . It was great that there was no string involved in tying up the laulaus . The ti leaf stem that was attached to the ti leaf used for wrapping was used to tie the laulaus.

So there you have it !   Laulau making ! Endless possibilities with endless fillings !

With much Aloha,
x0x0x0x0x0x0
Molly