My culinary throwdown: Breadfruit!

Late last month I was doing my Sunday morning Farmers’ Market run when I found breadfruit on the table of one of the regular vendors. I got really excited and stopped in my tracks. It was the first time that I can recall seeing breadfruit for sale, although I see a couple of trees here and there, and read an article in the Advertiser about 5 years ago now about cooking with it. I love breadfruit, except I don’t really know how to cook it. If I cooked it successfully while on my own in St. Lucia, I sure don’t remember how I did it. I stared at it for a minute, and then challenged myself to a culinary battle a la Iron Chef. Cook that breadfruit!
I didn’t have a clue what breadfruit was until my Peace Corps time. After all these years, I still can’t believe my luck. I was randomly picked to stay with one of the best families on the island for eight weeks and Tidou, my homestay mom, was one of the best cooks on the island. True! Her sons proudly told me this, and it was later backed up by friends who loved her cooking, too. But the real proof of course, was getting to sample her food. Let’s just say that to this day I still miss it! (One of my other favorite culinary experiences? The Rasta shack on the road by Castries Harbor. 100% vegetarian and infused with Jamaican and Caribbean flavor. My my, I’m swooning just thinking about it. Oh to have been blogging back then – I would have pictures to share.)
I stumbled upon a Hawaiian produce magazine online that had a breadfruit article. Here’s something interesting about breadfruit ('ulu) history in the West Indies: History buffs will recall that the HMS Bounty was transporting ‘ulu from Tahiti when Captain Bligh’s crew, upset with conditions on the ship and unhappy about playing second fiddle to the 1,015 plants that crowded the vessel, staged the famous mutiny. Less well-known is that Bligh was commissioned to collect ‘ulu a second time and successfully introduced almost 700 trees to the West Indies in 1793.
Back to my challenge. I brought the breadfruit back home and put it on the counter for a few days. When I got around to cutting it open, it was soft and mushy. Not at all like I remember it. This wasn’t starting off well. I looked at a few Internet recipes and decided I would peel, cut into large cubes, and boil for 15 minutes like potatoes. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Challenge result? Fail. My cooked breadfruit was gooey, starchy, and barely edible. Not at all like the “al dente” breadfruit that I remember in stews and as side dishes. Through Facebook, I’ve been able to reconnect with my homestay family. I think I need to ask Tidou for a few of her recipes. Or just go visit and never leave her side while she cooks.

Pizza night

Friday nights are usually pizza nights here. But oh no, no - NOT a cardboard delivery! This is what I made for myself last night: homemade dough, marinara sauce, fresh mozzarella, local Roma tomatoes, and basil. I baked it deep-dish style in an 8-inch round cake pan. For the boys, I make a standard size, thin crust cheese pie. Thankfully they like my pizza, unlike some of my other vegan/vegetarian fare I try to get them to eat. (We're making progress though! Robbie likes my vegan pesto on spaghetti.) I use a bread machine I received as a Christmas gift in 1994 for the dough. So they do make some things "like they used to" after all.

Poor Boo

This was our big-little girl Brady (Brady-girl, Brady-boo, or Noel's fave nickname for her: Chumba Rumba), one week ago tonight. She was not doing well. After an expensive day at the vet on Wednesday, we were told that she had a strained neck and to keep her on "crate rest." Well, crate rest wasn't going to work, but she usually managed to find a corner to herself and stay pretty immobile on her own. I was really sad to find her here on Friday night, in the bathroom closest to the sliding glass door. I think she was looking for refuge from the boys and the noise, and couldn't get very far. On Saturday morning she woke me up barking like a seal, within inches of my ears. You can't get mad at her...she was just in a lot of pain.
A follow-up call from the doctor on Sunday revealed to us that an another technician looked at her x-rays and thought she might have a slight herniated disk. (I think. I normally need these updates in writing...or to write them down...to get them right. I was running out the door and didn't grab a pen.) Ouch! Not good...and can potentially get worse, yes?
I'm happy to report she rebounded quickly after we got a couple of days of pain meds and prednisone in her and is now doing well. Along with her neck strain, her chronic eye and ear problems flared up, but with a lot of attention we can get those under control. She is high maintenance! Good thing she's so sweet and much loved.

It's official!

Robbie started kindergarten today! We went in late last week to meet his new teacher and drop off school supplies. I think it helped this morning's hand-off go very smoothly. He knew where to sit, plus without any other kids around, the teacher
was able to accommodate his request to have a red pencil caddy at his desk. They have short days all week, then next week will begin the full 7:45 to 2:00 PM days.
We tried to think of something fun to do this weekend to celebrate the milestone, or his last weekend of freedom, whichever way you want to look at it, but drew blanks and just spent a late Sunday afternoon at the pool.
Teachers request that all supplies brought in are labeled, even each individual crayon. Here's what else we did this weekend!
I'm not the first, nor will be the last to say this, but the transition from pre-school to K might be harder on the parents. His teacher sent home a few more notes in the backpack that weren't covered in orientation, including this: If your child does not know how to tie shoelaces, have him/her wear shoes with Velcro. Teachers do not have time to tie children's shoelaces throughout the day.
Harsh new world.

Waikiki Pano done not-quite right

I'm relaxing in Waikiki today, enjoying "Mangoes at the Moana." It's a mango-themed event, with everything from fruit sampling and cooking demonstrations to sessions about growing mango trees in your backyard (note: it's a lot about the pruning!). Stepped outside the Moana Surfrider Hotel during a break to snap this Pano picture. Makes Waikiki look kind of like a bay and you can't make out the very crowded surf break. Not so good. But can't fault the colors. The blues are accurate. Makes you want to dive right in.

Hawaiian Monk Seals on the web

I think everyone can guess that I read Monk Seal Mania pretty religiously. If you haven't clicked through yet, I urge you to! A great daily read. :) Here's another good read: An Earthsky link to an online story (found through the monk seal blog) that provides a quick, clear summary of what is happening with the Monk Seal populations in the main Hawaiian islands as well as the Northwest Hawaiian islands. It also touches on the volunteer efforts to work with local and tourist beach goers to keep the seals protected.
This picture is one from my personal archive, err, iPhone Media Library. Poipu Beach, Kauai, back in March.

Family Sunday fun day

OK, so I know I'm not alone in the world in enjoying getting up early on a Sunday morning and going to the Farmer's Market. But I'm alone in my own family! I was going to make my usual run to Mililani and pick up our produce for the week (and be back by the time Noel and the boys stirred) but Noel and the boys wanted to come along. So we chose a market destination I've been meaning to check out - the Haleiwa Farmer's Market on the North Shore. And good news for us- this market opens a little later, and stays open until after lunch so we weren't so hurried. I checked out their website on Saturday night and decided to give it a try. Honestly, they had me with the picture of the carrots! I had to go and try to find them. I'd make the drive every Sunday if they had carrots!
Noel warned me it might not be as good as Mililiani in terms of produce vendors, variety, and volume. He didn't want me to be disappointed. It's probably for the best he tried to lower my expectations, but it was still pretty good. I couldn't find those elusive carrots, but I did manage to buy enough that I needed to make a run to the car mid-shopping and unload my heavy bags before continuing. I especially liked these onions with the "tops" still attached. I will say I haven't seen that in Mililani. One vendor mistook me for a tourist. "This is the best pineapple you will ever have!" Oh trust me, I know.

Putting my "crafty" title to the test

Cousins Johnny and Sarah, even Grandma, have quite the stash of Play-Doh on hand at all times. Robbie and Cub enjoyed playing with it in California (despite in the past showing little interest), so when we got home, I picked up a couple simple starter sets with molds, cut-outs, plastic knives, etc. But knowing me and the boys, the actual Play-Doh won't last. So off to the Internet I went to search for a good make-at-home recipe. I found multiple, among them this one:
1 cup flour
1 cup water
1 tablespoon oil
1 tablespoon powdered alum
1/2 cup salt
2 tablespoons vanilla
food coloring
Mix all dry ingredients. Add oil and water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until reaching the consistency of mashed potatoes. Remove from heat and add vanilla and food coloring. Divide into balls and work in color by kneading the playdough.
I found the alum relatively easily at the grocery store, so I went with this version. Skipped the vanilla, but otherwise followed the directions. Next time I'll reduce the oil! It's a bit greasy for the boys, but I will give it a thumbs-up anyway. Now the food coloring-you can make that call. I think they're only batting .500 on the advertised colors. The pink and purple colors aren't as vibrant and bold in person.
A note to those who might try it. It's an arm-burner! Stirring and stirring...who needs a gym? And I didn't quite know what to make of the "mashed potatoes" in the directions. I just stirred until I got the consistency of... Play-Doh.

Pancake breakfast

Tried something new with our pancake breakfast routine - blueberry topping. I have a big bag of Costco frozen blueberries and was getting a little tired of muffins. (OK, truth be told, I was trying a couple vegan muffin recipes, and THEY were getting old. I can quickly fix this by baking a real blueberry muffin!) Not sure if the topping this morning was a success. I was going for syrup and didn't quite get the right consistency, but it was a nice change. Kind of healthy, too, except for the organic sugar heaped in the cooking pot(!). If I feel like it, I'll keep tweaking the recipe until it's better. Or maybe just puree this, freeze, and make a slushy. Hmmm....

Grandma's garden

Birthday cupcakes

Here are a few of the cupcakes we enjoyed at my sister's birthday bash. Home made and decorated with lots of love. That's a special chocolate mold butterfly, frosted, sprinkled, and perched on top of a cupcake seen in the foreground. The sunflower design is a cupcake topped with a petal-frosted Oreo cookie, complete with a red M&M ladybug - with hand painted eyes and spots. Lovely and yummy.

Party time!

Robbie, Cub, and I are in Northern California this week. Today is my beloved sister's 40th birthday and a party starts any minute. We've taken over a local park where a free concert will be held tonight, and we will have a good, old fashioned cookout. Burgers, hot dogs, watermelon, cupcakes, cake, etc. No ice cream though. This ice cream truck came by while we were setting up. I miss those in Hawaii. I was tempted to run over and treat the boys to something, but had to restrain. We have had plenty of treats since we arrived, and we will be eating treats until we leave! An "ice cream truck experience" will have to wait for another time.

Reduce, Reuse...

I saved the plastic dessert containers from the Sanrio Cafe on a hunch that Robbie could find something to do with them. Spot on! He wanted to drink orange juice out of them the following day. All day. It got a little old, so later that night I washed them and hid them out of his reach (and out of sight). But knowing Robbie, he will remember them at some random time and ask for them all over again, at which point I'll bring them out for a day and let him drink from them again.
Then hide them after he goes to sleep and wait until he remembers them again. :)

Finally! A great excuse to try...

The Sanrio Cafe! A local favorite opened at the Pearlridge Mall earlier this year. Adjacent to the Sanrio (Hello Kitty) Store, this tiny "cafe" sells coffee, teas, hot cocoas, and sweet treats with an officially licensed Hello Kitty image out of a few small refrigerated cases at the edge of the retail space. They serve over-priced, small portions and I couldn't justify treating myself alone in recent months. But out of the blue, a reason appeared! We heard on Tuesday that a friend from high school (and one of Noel's college roommates) was here on Oahu with his wife. We made plans to join them for dinner in Waikiki last night. She is a huge Sanrio/Hello Kitty fan and I knew she'd enjoy the Cafe sweets if I brought them for an after-dinner treat. So while running errands yesterday, I made an extra stop.
Here's what we shared between the four of us - a light meringue chocolate and creme cookie, strawberry and chocolate mousse mini-tower, and a berry tapioca bubble pudding. Good times.

Hawaiian Monk Seal molt (1)

Here's the seal I helped look after last Sunday. (I use the term "help" loosely. It was me and the boys alone with her for about an hour, then two other seasoned volunteers came by and handled the real work as more beach goers came out!) She is molting, or in the process of shedding her coat. This seal is about 2 years old and going through her first molt. From what I understand, seals molt multiple times over their lifetimes.
They are not more susceptible to disease during the molt, but it's a tiring process for them, so a typical seal will stay in the same general area (sleep in the same or nearby spot on an open beach for a week or two) and it is important that they are left alone. When seals molt on popular beaches, volunteers are posted near the seals until sunset, at least on the weekends. She started her molt in Ewa, then made her way west to Nimitz, where she finished her molt. I think in the picture below her molt is roughly 50%. Her new coat is peeking through and you can see how great she will look when she's clear of the old, dirty coat. It sounds silly, but the words "Shiny and clean! Shiny and clean!" kept running through my head. It's from a cartoon or a movie the boys watch...it's bugging me that I can't think of which one right now.
You can't make it out in the picture, but one of the posted signs reads: "Shhhh! Monk Seal sleeping. Quiet please!" I was talking to another volunteer when Robbie runs up to me with an iPod in his hand. Earlier in the week, I'd downloaded the free Vuvuzela app (yes, for fun!). In front of the ropes, he starts playing with the app, which makes the horn sound. Luckily, it could barely be heard over the sound of the waves and the wind. I was able to get him to understand not to talk loudly around the seal, what didn't translate was also not to play with loud, obnoxious iPod games. Oops.

Hawaiian Monk Seal molt (2)

I decided to start a sugar detox this week...

...but only after I finished this! After Sunday morning on the beach, I wanted to study for a few hours before heading to the movies to see Toy Story 3. Cub has been sick again and we both haven't been sleeping well, so I figured I needed something to keep me up during the late afternoon matinee. (I know! So pathetic, yes?) Along with a large soy cafe mocha, I picked up this yummy treat at the coffee house: a Liliko'i Mac Nut Bar. That big white spot in the picture? A blizzard of powdered sugar that my humble iPhone camera wouldn't even attempt to render any color or definition from.
Liliko'i (or passion fruit) is a fruit - and flavor - I first came to know and love in St. Lucia. The variety is a bit different here. From what I remember in St. Lucia, the passion fruit (and resulting juices and jams, etc.) is pink. The Hawaiian liliko'i is pale yellow inside and a little tart, making it a perfect substitute in the classic lemon bar. The mac nut crust didn't do much for me, but on the whole, a good indulgence. Now excuse me if I am a little cranky for the rest of the week; I've already used up my sugar quota.

My new wallpaper

I took a volunteer shift on Nimitz Beach Sunday morning, keeping an eye on a molting monk seal. The boys came along and played on the beach nearby. It was the start of a busy day! More information and pictures to follow this week.

On the train again

Seeing a snapshot like this makes me wonder if wanderlust is inherited, and if so, will the boys get it from me.

More monk seals!

One morning this week I hit the beach for a little walking exercise. And I saw a few monk seals! I recognized one pregnant seal sleeping on the sand near the waves and was able to confirm her ID due to her “bleach” (literally, a number/code bleached on her coat of fur with an over-the-counter hair product). I was so excited to see her and take her picture that it wasn’t until I was walking away that I spotted a second monk seal resting on the reef about 20 yards from her. Wow, I’ve got to get my act together if I want to volunteer with the monk seal response team! I’d be laughed off the beach if I couldn’t see a seal right in front of me.
On a return trip later that morning, I found the two seals close to each other (rising tide and stronger waves probably pushed the other off the reef and onto the sand). It’s one thing to find seals and see them sleeping undisturbed, it’s another to see other folks also on the beach smile in appreciation of these beautiful creatures and give them the space they deserve. The monk seal response team works hard to protect the seals when this isn’t the case, but it’s always nice to be reminded that there are more good folks out there in this world than bad.

Sleepers

Guess which monk seal is pregnant. ;) Yes, both are female. Coincidently, that's Rocky on the left. She had a pup in April. AMAZING to think she was just as big a few months ago!

Look closely

Here's the monk seal I nearly missed!

The end for the Advertiser

Big - yet not surprising - publishing news in Hawaii: Honolulu is now a "one newspaper town." It's been talked about for months, but on Sunday, the Honolulu Advertiser produced its last daily newspaper. The Advertiser was bought out by and merged with the Star-Bulletin to create the Star Advertiser, which launched on Monday. Lots of jobs were lost by long-time journalists and technicians, and the Advertiser web site was to be shut down by Monday.
I feel a little bad about poking fun/being critical of some of their recent work, but it got under my skin so I will share it! A few weeks ago the Honolulu Zoo hosted a Hawaiian Endangered Species Celebration, where local groups and environmental advocates were allowed to host a booth and perform public outreach about local endangered species. The Advertiser used archive photos of native African animals residing at the zoo to promote their story on the event both on the front page (pictured) and three additional pictures on the first page of the Island Life section. Who knows, maybe it is worse than I believe, maybe they are stock photos of random, non-native Hawaiian endangered species that don't even reside at the zoo. The supporting text proudly talks about the native Hawaiian species like the nēnē, koholā (humpback whale), and Mauna Loa silversword plant to be featured at the event. But where are their pictures?? Surely they have some dazzling pictures of these species or any of the other 56 endangered animals and 318 endangered plants, whether archived or from talented, local photographers?

San Jose (CA) Kidney Walk

This year's Kidney Walk is tomorrow, Saturday, June 5th, benefiting the National Kidney Foundation. The San Jose event starts at 10:00 AM and walkers will stroll 3 miles through downtown. My brother-in-law, sister, nephew, and niece will be walking. For one more year (hopefully the last, if not second-to-last!) we will be joining them in spirit and cheering them on from across the Pacific. To donate to the Kidney Foundation, click here.

More monk seals at Nimitz Beach

Here's Rocky, another Hawaiian monk seal, resting on Nimitz Beach Saturday afternoon. I like this wider shot as you can make out Honolulu, Waikiki, and Diamond Head toward the East. Rocky has had a good Spring. She was tracked by the local volunteer network to Kauai in April, where she had a pup. She stayed with the pup there for 4-6 weeks, then weaned the pup and is now back on and around Oahu beaches. I've learned that seals tend to come back to the same place to have their pups. Rocky has "pupped" on Kauai in years past, so when she disappeared from Oahu shores (looking really, really big and obviously pregnant) they figured she swam to Kauai when her time was nearing. They were right.
This stretch of beach was pretty quiet, and Rocky probably had a peaceful day with only a little volunteer monitoring. Other times when seals haul out to crowded beaches, they will get more than the ropes to surround them - they will have one or two volunteers working hard to let the seals sleep undisturbed, mostly intercepting humans and dogs who get to close.

Trumpeter Chris Botti in Honolulu

On a Thursday night in early April, I snuck away for an evening to the Blaisdell Concert Hall to see trumpeter Chris Botti. I knew nothing about him except for a vague memory that he had a PBS special in the last few years (although I didn't see it). Artists like this don't happen upon Honolulu regularly, so I made a special effort to get there. The night did not disappoint. Not only did he and his band give an incredible musical performance, he is a talented showman and can work a concert hall with humor and story telling like the best of them. I thought to myself at one point that he's the type of guy who could buy your car off you for below blue book, then turn around and sell it back to you for twice as much as he gave you. I better check my box office receipt...maybe he did!
My description might sound a little like he's a sketchy guy, but that's not the case. He seems genuinely friendly, funny, and appreciative of life's gifts. And, of course, an amazing musician. If his name pops up on your radar in your hometown, support the arts! Run and get yourself a ticket.

My afternoon chasing an Internet star

I spent some time on the beach this afternoon training with HMSRTO volunteers, learning more about monk seals and what volunteers do when looking for seals along the shore, as well as how they handle crowds at the beach while the seals sleep. There were four seals spotted in the White Plains vicinity today, but when I walked the beaches I saw just two. One very exciting siting - at least for me - was to see Kermit, a popular 12 year old, 500+ pound male seal who has been outfitted with a data transmitter for the past three months. On the Monk Seal Mania blog, they regularly post the data maps that are transmitted from that device. For fun on that blog, they call the device the "iKermit." It has provided the scientists and volunteers a ton of really fascinating data. For example, his deepest dive (for food) was 750 ft (an average dive is 150 ft). And when he ventured from Oahu to Kauai last month? Took him 21 hours and he literally swam in a straight line. (How's THAT for an internal GPS system?!) Here he is out in the water off Nimitz Beach earlier today. We followed him from the shore for a quarter of a mile, looking to see if he would haul out again, but he just kept swimming west.

Summer is here!

Our oldest one came home with a preschool diploma in the backpack yesterday. It's official! He'll be a kindergartner in a few months. Until then, we're in full Summer mode now that school is out. I made pancakes this morning and will probably bake banana bread with Robbie later in the afternoon. We'll finish the day with a pool run. This summer I will be putting my years of teaching swim lessons to use - on my own kids. Robbie is still a little hesitant about the water, while Cub has real potential.
Pictured here is a bucket of sidewalk chalk. His teacher says Robbie's writing is a bit behind, so this is another one of the things we'll be working on during the long, hot days ahead. Remind me again, why did I object to kids returning to school in early August? ;)

A gift from the parking gods

On Saturday morning, the parking gods conspired to give me a message: George Clooney is still on the island, at least for another week.
The semester is over now, and that means no more Saturday classes this summer. What's one to do with her Saturdays free? Well, last Saturday I went to the annual Honolulu Book and Music Festival, downtown on the grounds of Honolulu Hale. There was one scheduled speaker who interested me: Kaui Hart Hemmings, author of The Descendants, the book optioned into the movie that is filming here now with Clooney cast as lead.
I was running late and had to get to the bank. After the bank, I realized I was going to cut it very, very close if I was going to see the session. I went for it. Pulling off the freeway, I passed a public parking garage I thought would be open. Not so. My last shot would be street parking closer to the venue. I turned onto S. King Street and sized up the scene. The expected crowd was there and it wasn't looking good for me. But one block over, hallelujah! A spot on the street appeared. I got to the "Author's Tent" in time to hear there was one more week of filming and George is still here. Somewhere. He has been super low-key. I thought he might be staying at the Kahala, but normally if someone is there for a while, word leaks. So I think he's renting a private residence. And that friends, is purely a guess.
The author was joined in the Author's tent by Jim Burke, a producer on the film and partner in a production company with Alexander Payne, the movie's screen writer and director. The author and producer took questions from the small crowd for 45 minutes, talking of writing, optioning rights, developing a screenplay, scouting local scenes, working with local extras and local production crews...and George Clooney. For the record, I was there but asked no questions. And no, I was NOT the near-rabid fan who asked about George's whereabouts at least three times! I did admire her pluck though.

17!

That's the number of Furlough Fridays Hawaii public schools reached on Friday. The last one for the year...and only because there is one Friday left on the school calendar. Robbie's school breaks for summer recess on May 26. It's so bizarre to me that they get out so early. In CA as a kid, schools always got out the second week of June. Robbie does go back earlier than we ever did - August 2 this year, if I'm reading the kindergarten schedule right. Just one more thing I'll never understand - why they get out early in Spring yet have to be in rooms without air conditioning during the most hot and humid month of the year. Baffling!
During the school show on Thursday, one of the older grades performed/lip synced a furlough protest song! In years past, I didn't stick around very long after Robbie's group performed. Cub was much younger, and the day was usually really hot. But Thursday was nice and we were enjoying Cub running around in a shaded corner near the cafeteria, so I kind of just went with it. When the furlough song came on, Noel and I both looked at each other with raised eyebrows. I think the crowd got pretty quiet, too. But the kids got the biggest ovation at the end, so those in attendance appreciated it.
Here's a picture from one side of the lawn. A group is performing a hula in front of the Royal court at the other end of the field. In the foreground, there is a group wearing paper plant hats, waiting for their turn to hit the stage. Another paper plate craft! Robbie comes home with a lot of objects crafted out of paper plates. I'll have to share pictures of some of my favorites soon, but for now, enjoy the one I bestow the title of "Most Original Paper Plate Craft I've Seen Yet."

Mother's Day - take two

Tomorrow we’ll be heading out of the house early to catch Robbie’s school’s annual May Day pageant. It’s a big, well-coordinated affair on the large lawn outside the front entrance (they have been rehearsing for over a month!). Per tradition, they have the older elementary kids representing a Royal Hawaiian court (King, Queen, etc.), as well as “representatives” from the major Hawaiian islands. After the parade of dignitaries, each grade does a song or dance. Family and friends flock to the school to enjoy the show and it gets pretty crowded around that lawn. For the past two years, the preschoolers have performed the Hukilau, but they’ve switched it up this year and will be singing The Rainbow Song. Each year I plan to post the video or more pictures of the show, but at the last minute I decide not to because I’m not comfortable posting other kids’ pictures to the Web without parental knowledge or consent (even when they are so gosh-darned cute!). So I’ll make no promises this year, as I have in the past.
Robbie will be entering kindergarten next year. His current teachers are extremely generous and thoughtful and they will be a hard act to follow, but we are looking forward to the change and seeing our "medium size boy" grow (his words, he insists he's not a big boy yet). Here is the Mother’s Day letter and picture they had Robbie draw and sign for me, one of the many thoughtful things that they do throughout the year. I'm in his favorite red! I was joking before when I said that the “mistake” in the picture could be Cub. I know exactly who is pictured next to Noel and I, and I couldn’t agree more. Kids are so smart.

Diamond Head Lighthouse

I love lighthouses! Who doesn't? They're a mix of our nautical history, architecture, coastlines, and fun. And at one time immensely practical. All things that appeal to me. They are not so much needed anymore in most areas, but they will indeed live on due to dedicated people who preserve and take care of them. There are only a small number on Oahu and I think I've seen two (I wrote about one in one of my earliest posts). The Diamond Head Lighthouse has actually been on a US postal stamp, yet I still didn't know it's exact location. While hiking Diamond Head with my Mom a few weekends ago, there it was! Clear as day, wedged between the surf breaks and the crater. I knew that wherever it was, the lighthouse was actually on private property, and that didn't make much sense until I viewed it from the rim of the crater. Now it will make sense to you, too.
Classes are nearly over for me. The last two weeks or so I've been more or less in a hole. My programming class reared it's tough head and kicked me while I was down. I threw in the towel on the final assignment yesterday - already 5 days overdue - and submitted garbage in hopes of getting a few points for trying. (I should also acknowledge a great instructor who doesn't give up on her students and is very patient and understanding!) Now just a final test to go this week. I will no longer jokingly say, "Wish me luck!" I really need it. ;)

Happy Mother's Day!

Here's my gift from Robbie, made in class this week and brought home in the backpack. A painted "treasure chest" craft box, adorned with foam cut-out stickers. Inside the box was a folded note, also in the picture. It says, "Happy Mother's Day" with his signature on one side, and on the other he attempted to draw me and Noel, and possibly someone else. Cub, perhaps? When asked, he said the unidentifiable object was a mistake. Ouch! Red remains one of his top color choices (he's still a big fan of the bird house we painted last year). Robbie is quite fond of this box and tends to forget it's actually mine. :)
Like last year, the annual list of the most popular baby names in the country were announced late last week. Thanks in part to the Twilight phenomenon, Jacob holds steady at the top for boys. A disturbing trend..."Cullen" is making it's way into the charts as a boy's name. (I'm told that this is Twilight's Edward's last name.) Seriously? Naming your dog or ferret that - OK. But your child??

Another house guest

I couldn't sleep on Friday night (a real rarity for me) and went down to the couch in the very early morning and started watching some Tivo'd programs. I think it was at least an hour later when I noticed this fellow on the ceiling near the door. This time of year a lot of these moths hang out near the front lights - outside of course - so I'm used to them. But I don't like them inside! My attempt to bat him out an open door with a broom failed and he ended up in the kitchen on the blinds. To give you an idea of his size, those blind slats are 3 - 4 inches wide. He later flew over to the ceiling above the TV, and remained there for the next 24 hours. He moved on to the upstairs guest bedroom on Sunday, where I was finally able to catch him and release him outside. Robbie took note of my technique to trap him (combination of Tupperware container and paper towels) so maybe he can help me next time. ;)

Monk Seal Count Recap

On the Saturday of the monk seal count, I ended up being assigned the KoOlina zone. I'd never heard of any seals hanging out there, but I was told that every once in a while they spotted one. So, remembering that all of Oahu's coastline was to be surveyed and happy that I could do my part, I cheerfully took the assignment and hit the...rocks. Yep, KoOlina is an area of man-made coves and most of the natural coastline is rocky. Very rocky! The odds were stacked against me that I'd see anything I could report, but I got a great workout climbing on and around the rocks. You couldn't help but admire the views, either. I kept wondering if it would be more efficient to check out the area via kayak. Maybe I'll try to team up with somebody to do that next time.
Of all the Leeward areas, there was only one report of a seal that morning, on the lava rocks near a beach in an area known as "Tracks." It wasn't too far from KoOlina, and I was itching to get a picture with the camera gear I had with me, so I ended up driving out there and looking for the already-counted seal myself. I even struck out with that.

Diamond Head views

My Mom has been visiting this past week. We've been busy (and that means I haven't been studying much) and we're having fun. Yesterday morning headed east and walked/hiked up to the top of the Diamond Head crater. A short walk, a bit challenging but worth it. It feels great at the top! Next time she's here we'll do the Koko Head crater or Ka'ena Point on the western tip. Or both! So much to do, so little time.
The picture posted shows Kapiolani Park and the Waikiki hotels and coastline.

I -heart- Pano!

I was in Waikiki Thursday evening attending a training session for the Monk Seal Count coming up on Saturday. I arrived late and missed most of the brief presentation, but still they deemed me OK to continue. I walked away with two T-shirts: one free, official-looking volunteer shirt, and another "fundraiser shirt" for $15 with the 2009 - 2010 count logo. I'm awaiting an email with my "zone" assignment. For the purpose of the count, Oahu's entire coastline (starting with Kaena Point's North Shore access and working clockwise around to the West side) is divided into 20 more or less equal distances; I think they will be able to honor my request for a Leeward zone.
Had enough time to wander the East end of Waikiki for a few minutes at sunset. Here's the moment, captured with Pano (click the image to see a bigger picture in your browser). The Pano makers recently pushed out an update and they did a good job with the major overhaul. You might not think by looking at it, but the sky merge is pretty accurate. This time of year the sunsets are better on the Leeward side, and from Waikiki you get a partial view due to obstruction from the mountains, as seen here. The Waikiki beachfront hotels are in the middle of the picture, on the right is a private event (dinner and music) on the grounds of the Waikiki Aquarium. They hosted the training session, too, but on the other side of the building in their classroom.

House guest

This feathered fellow showed up in our backyard on Monday morning. At first I thought he was hanging out to harass/hunt the backyard geckos (yes! they're back! I've seen a few along the fences), but he didn't do much of anything. He also looked a bit odd to me with the perma-ruffle feathers. Maybe he's sick? If so, he's come to the right place. We're a sick house here, Robbie was sick Monday and Cub caught it a day later. He sure is an odd visitor. He let me get really close with the iPhone for a picture, and isn't all that worried about the dogs. Even after Cal sort of charged him. Cal was by my side as I took this picture, and he got antsy and barked at the bird, even lunged for him a little. Scared me more than the bird!

Monk Seal Mania!

I stumbled onto a very cool, Hawai'i blog a few months back by clicking the "Next Blog" link from my own site. It's the daily Hawaiian Monk Seal tallies from a group of volunteers who work closely with NOAA officials. They hit the local beaches every day and record and photograph which monk seals they see, whether hauled out on the sand and natural jetties or swimming near the shore. I've become a big fan and check for updates frequently. They're a passionate, dedicated group of people and I hope to soon be one of them! There is an island-wide, bi-annual Hawaiian Monk Seal Count on Oahu in a few weeks, and I've signed up to help on the Leeward side.
Here's the group's mission statement: "We maintain and train volunteers to assist federal, state, and non-governmental organizations in responding to Hawaiian Monk Seal "haul-outs", pupping events, and injuries. Anything we can do to assist in the recovery of the Hawaiian Monk Seal!"
Please check them out here: http://www.hmsrto.org/
Here's the site I found that started it all: http://monksealmania.blogspot.com/
And here's a sister-blog from a blogger who shares his sitings and photos with the Monk Seal Mania site: http://northshoremonks.blogspot.com/
The picture alongside this post is from last month on Kauai. We stayed at a property on Poipu Beach and were lucky to see one, sometimes two, monk seals hauled out on the beach each day. It's an iPhone pic and not very close, but you can still make out a patch on his back. I think at one point he/she had a transmitter attached.

This is way more complicated than it looks...

I spent most of the morning working on my latest homework assignment. We've entered into the world of Java applets, and our instructor wanted us to create a drawing of "an object that makes sense," using programming methods (opposed to "just spare shapes and colors" thrown around the screen). So, here's my object, a train engine. That sort of makes sense. A very simple structure, yet took hours for me to code. Don't worry, this is not the new career path I'm taking! But I will be looking into more classes with the digital arts - possibly photos and drawing for fun. All I could think as I repeatedly opened and closed my browser to check my compiled updates was, "This could have been knocked out in minutes in Illustrator!" :) Our final assignment for the semester is due next week. We have to design and implement a virtual slot machine. Bet on...me!

Adventures with local produce

Lately I've been trying to hit the local farmer's market every week, or at least every other week. I've now found a vendor that consistently brings locally grown romaine lettuce and broccoli in addition to all the other great fruits and veggies, so I find myself there more regularly and even earlier in the morning to ensure I get those before they're gone. (Here "locally grown" means statewide...markets allow produce from farms and growers on the other islands, just not the Mainland.) The same vendor also puts out Okinawan sweet potatoes. They're purple and naturally super-sweet. So far I just make roasted sweet potato fries whenever I pick them up. I thought hard about making a purple sweet potato mash for Thanksgiving last year instead of the traditional type, but opted for tradition for reasons I don't remember now. :) Maybe this year.
I'm on the fence whether or not to eat the skins. Food nutrition lore says skins are good, but when they puff up and separate slightly from the "meat" during roasting, it makes it easy to eat around them. Last night I roasted the potatoes shown here (the potato cut open is about the size of an extra large lemon) and overcooked them about 5-10 minutes. A little tougher than they should have been but still yummy!

Prince Kuhio Day beach run

Hawai'i observed Prince Kuhio on Friday. I had some time off, too, so I hit the beach. Sort of. Packed a camera (yep, a real one!) and went to the White Plains area. Walked up and down a bit, found a monk seal resting in a remote/uncrowded area and took a few pictures. I wouldn't know it until late last night when I was uploading the pictures, but the camera ISO was set to 1600 - left over from a previous indoor shoot at the Waikiki Aquarium. Oops. Oh well, that's why I'm not a pro. No monk seal shots to post today, but I vow to try again!
I was also messing around with the Pano iPhone app and took the beach shot here. You can't tell from the image, but less than a quarter of a mile from this spot, hundreds of people were at White Plains Beach at this exact time. This open stretch of beach was definitely more my style.

What to do...where?

I was tipped-off to the following story from a few Facebook posts: Union City (my California hometown) was featured in Sunset magazine. Really? Was it the April 1 edition?
No, it turns out. No joke! The fine - and normally a bit high-brow - editors at the lifestyle magazine determined our humble city wedged in the southern half of Alameda County was worthy of a high-praising shout-out! Unfortunately for Union City (or is that unfortunately for Fremont??), it turns out they lost their bearings and were actually in Fremont most of the time. OK, yes, we have a BART station, yes, we have good ethnic food, and yes, parts of the Alameda Creek Trail do run through Union City. Just not the parts they write mostly about, nor the picture they included with the story. If you were to follow their directions to the trail from the BART station, you would actually pass a sign on the bridge that says, "Welcome to Fremont." And don't get me started about how they throw Garin Park (Hayward) into the mix of a leisurely day on a bike. I'm confused.
But don't let my pet peeves with Sunset's fact checkers keep you from seeking out the trail and Coyote Hills Park. Just last December, Robbie and I walked along it one afternoon during our Christmas holiday (memento above, Fremont hills in the background). We didn't have to go very far, one of the trail heads is at the end of the block. I spent many a Saturday morning with my bike on that trail after college, sometimes biking with my Dad. Before the days of Facebook, ran into a high school friend and reconnected. And when Noel was in Iraq and I was pregnant with Robbie, I walked the dogs there nearly every morning. So, by all means, if you're in the area this Spring, hit the trail and make your own memories! You won't be disappointed - and you won't care that you might not be in Union City.

More fun with the camera roll

So Robbie is not the only budding photographer in the family! Back on Kauai, Cousin Johnny at some point took this one on his Mom's iPhone...she found it later and sent it to me. I tweaked the original in Mill Colour (Noir again), then created the old school labels with a fun and cheap app, Pocket Labeler. This is totally an app for the 30- and 40- something and above crowd. Will anyone younger remember those retro labels? A great flashback. And all for $.99 cents.

What a week!

Around this time last Friday we were getting out the door and leaving for the airport, and it seems as if we've been on that pace since we returned Monday. My rockstar, super software-selling sister earned a well-deserved trip to Kauai for a corporate event. Family from California were all heading out (plus good friends who just happened to be vacationing there at the same time), so I jumped in and took the boys over. Celebrated a bunch of birthdays, and overall had fun in a condo near Poipu Beach. Funny thing about having fun and being blessed with such great friends and family - the good times make the days pass too quickly. Monday afternoon found the three of us back at home. I did feel pretty bad that family had one more long leg to get back to California. I figured I had unpacked and finished my laundry just as they were deplaning in the Bay Area.
On Sunday morning we treated the boys to the Kauai Plantation Railway train ride. It was our second time on the train; the pics here are from last November. It's a nice ride through a former plantation turned orchard and luau grounds. They make a scheduled stop outside a fenced area where pigs and a few other animals roam. Yes, it's a bit weird. I remember someone asking during our first go-around about the pigs becoming a luau centerpiece. They quietly admitted that they do allow hunters to come in when the population is a wee bit overcrowded. But to tell you the truth, I can't remember if they're actually served at the luau or not.
The rest of the week had me studying (catching up on assignments and homework for my programming class) along with sitting at the satellite City Hall one morning, again cramming for another test. I'm now officially a licensed Hawai'i state driver! Add a birthday to that mix and you can understand why I'm looking forward to slowing way down this weekend.

Self-portrait in Noir

I had to passcode-protect my iPhone from the boys after Robbie deleted all of my Notes. (I will spare you the story of when I found that out!) So this might be the last self-portrait from our budding artist on my phone for a while. I found the original pic a few weeks ago and thought that maybe someday I could do something with it, so it was spared from the trash can. I picked up another free iPhone app for photo processing (Mill Colour) and tweaked the portrait with the "Noir" pre-sets. I'm really glad I saved the image now. :)

"Pineapple Fields" birthday photo

"Koi Pond at Dole" birthday photo

Birthday photos

Last Friday we celebrated Robbie's 5th birthday. We tried to make it a two-train day with the Pineapple Express at the Dole Plantation followed by the monorail at the mall before dinner, but the monorail was down for repairs. Good thing we hit the Dole Plantation first! Robbie was quite upset he couldn't ride the monorail. Or maybe we should have done Dole last? Oh well.

While at Dole, we let Robbie loose with one of our digital cameras. Here are a few of my favorites from his "camera roll." All shots here were taken by him and grabbed right off the card with no post-processing or cropping. His first lesson basically covered the shutter button (camera set on program), using the zoom lens, and a little about checking the image on the LCD screen. It was a lot of fun for us; I hope he enjoyed his birthday as well!