Donnelly Oceantics: FIRST QUARTER 2017

JANUARY – FEBRUARY - MARCH

2017 already seems long

On the one hand, time goes by at an alarmingly fast rate but the new year has been so loaded with activities, ideas, fears (hopes too?) it seems like we should have been past the first 100 days (I mean past the first quarter) by now. Yikes!

We started the year with a family reunion in progress in Arizona but it soon turned into the necessity of moving Gil’s mom to Oregon where she could be monitored in a nice care facility.

Back: Ray, Gil, Mike, Denny, Middle: Andre, Jordan, Tyler & Sharon, Rosa, Darlene

Front: Mom Donnelly, ready for her road trip to Oregon at age 95

The reality of the Arizona home needing to be sold hit hard. Rather than stay and facilitate that happening, the brothers elected to return in February to empty, clean, repair, select realty people, etc. It has been done! The lovely Donnelly Senior home of some 27 years is available to the next family or set of snowbirds to occupy.

AZ house

In the meantime, in our privacy, we mourned our lame duck and suffered the surrealistic fact of the inauguration, gag reflexes finally tiring as the Women’s March replaced low emotions with knowing none of us are alone and this too shall pass.

Airport Intersection Lihue, just one corner

Realizing few people had time to really read the signs unless stopped at the light, I walked around and captured my faves.

No Planet B - I did not make this sign but jumped on the chance to carry the message!

Gotta love it

I had suggested to distraught friends that rather than mope, they find a plant or creature to lavish love on to keep their hearts open. For us, the Albatross chicks hatched all around Princeville and our long pampered blue jade vine finally flowered.

Blue jade

Two Nene and an Albatross nest on the golf course

The Dance

Juvenile Albatross spend about 5 years showing up and trying to impress the opposite sex with all the moves that show them worthy - much like at a concert for human teens

Hala moli

Even following my own advice I was reminded life is full of quirks and a huge wind came along and stripped our jade flowers. On the moli scene, a very confused male Albatross had fertilized two females and managed to alternate duty on both nests long enough for each to hatch. But it takes two adults to nurture a single chick and one of them died due to insufficient food. Particularly devastating to me because adult humans had been monitoring but did not move the viable egg before hatching to a nest that could have succeeded. Sad for the little one suffering and for the female that wasted enormous energy for this result. It is likely to repeat as this male, unlike the norm, continues to be confused each season.

Shift change – the errant male chose one nest and abandoned the other (of course, if he had tried to continue both, perhaps neither chick would have survived).

Shifting my own conservation focus, I did participate in a seedling project at National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG) on the south side. It is always wonderful to visit the garden from the insider point of view. This was with Kauai Conservation Alliance.

Potting Seedlings: native Ohia Lehua

Coral tree - overlooking the grounds of NTBG that reach the sea

Back side of Haupu

We usually see this black beauty from parking lots at Costco & Home Depot

One of the funnier phenom on island of recent couple years is the farmer who has been feeding wild pigs rather than shooting them. If we happen to come through the Kilauea farmlands in late afternoon we are bound to see all sizes, males and females of the razor-backs. Since prior to this it was just happenstance to see a pig cross the road or to encounter one on a trail. These guys tickle me for some reason emerging from the trees for a free meal. Apparently surrounding farmers are livid as they also raid and do severe damage where they are not welcome. As there are undoubtedly more pigs than people on the island, they raise as much controversy as the wild chickens.

Pigs The turned over ground is all due to their rooting

Boar

Home Front

As a wonderful birthday present, Gil screened in our back lanai for a soft hot tub – it is great. The house had seemed big when we returned from Europe and we have since repurposed space. Between the spa and the meditation room*, we are in full use of our house; it feels good.

Spa

*If you haven’t tried the excellent free app Mindbliss I recommend the following sequence:

1) Letting the Ground Steady You (12 minutes)

2) Waking Up (12 minutes)

If you are experienced at meditation you might put the breath work session in between the above Centered Strong & Clear (18 minutes) and/or 174 Hz Foundation (10 minutes). These are all free and there are many others. Experiment.

As for full use of our home, we had guests in the guest room for a week. Our friends, Kati & Laci from Budapest, came to see Kauai. Of course, we had to show as many of the island’s nooks and crannies as we could: we paddled Hanalei Bay one morning and hit the Nui one night; we fit in the Kilauea Lighthouse and farmers market, saw a half dozen new albatross chicks in the hood; got to Koke’e with Kalalau Valley in full windy, sunny glory. We also swam with fishes in Poipu, whale watched at Shipwrecks, and swam with a turtle at Anini Beach albeit with terrible visibility and strong current. And Laci played bass at the local Valentine’s Day party.

Windy at Kalalau

Poipu K&L

A nice Trumpet Fish mimicing the Convict Tangs with an Orange Band Surgeonfish at front

Shipwrecks Beach trail

Nice sandy trail and good vantage for spotting whales (if there are any - not a good season this year)

Tahiti Nui

Laci on bass

Other very good friends of ours from the canoe club, Dick and Barb Smith, have moved off island. We had several good bye parties, dinners, etc., but hard to believe they are really gone. They started the club and also started the summer Open Water Swim that is a really successful fundraiser each year for the club. (July 31^st this year if you like to swim).

We were gifted with an antique when they left, a large piece of black coral. Moving it and finding a good spot to hang it in our home took some thought but we are so thrilled with the newcomer. Mahalo Nui Loa Barb & Dick

Coral (4 feet by 4 feet at extremes)

We finally managed to get to the new rave restaurant in Kapa’a. It is just a bar but with tables in the sand it reminds us Mexico. We often wonder why there are so few restaurants at the beach here, and/but are very glad Hanalei Bay is not a commercial zone.

Lava Lava

Hanalei Magic

While Gil paddles regularly around Hanalei, river, bay and beyond – I don’t really hang out down there in winter. But as the mainland went on daylight savings time and our days are getting longer, we had a magical evening down there over the weekend.

Coincidental with the Smiths leaving the island (their street and email both made the name Pilikoa very special), a canoe was just given that name and announced at the Smith's farewell. It has been installed above the gate to the canoe club, forming a portal. Only natural, it was blessed by a local pastor who then blessed the individuals present as well and bestowed wonderful things for all who pass under and/or paddle from the site. A brand new light weight canoe, just in from Tahiti, was also blessed that day and taken out for her maiden voyage.

Pilikoa - portal to Namolokama Canoe Club (NCC)

Alpha Goto, pastor of Wai'oli Hui'ia Church in Hanalei, blessed the portal and the maiden voyage of the new Tahitian canoe

Same evening, there was a potluck on the beach at Black Pot, followed by a fire dance by the son of friends. Very sweet evening indeed.

Hanalei sunset

Jake Bernard

Training for New Zealand

World Masters is a multi-sport international event held every four years, like the Olympics, for over the over 40 age group. Gil and his mates are training hard, three times a week with a very specific weight program and then one-man and/or six man practice 2-3 times a week plus a race on the weekends. This is the first year Gil has taken the one-man serious and is bringing home medals every week – often first in his class. Some of the guys not on this upcoming team are also training hard to get ready for Tahiti in 2018.

Gil with Steve Cole before one-man race

The shirt is old, the medal new, the man happy

Waimea Pier– Six man race season opens

Clouds come and go, just after sunrise - Gil and team having a huddle

. . . and they are off!

While Gil did his Waimea race, I took advantage of being on the west side and went to the wetlands at Mana. No Koloa ducks, just a few Stilts, Herons, Moor Hens, Coots and Nene. Quite beautiful just the same.

Wetland at Mana

The pink legged Stilts didn't dive bomb me today so must not have a nest going - they did chatter and complain that I walked around the few acres.

Meantime, our travel packets have arrived for travel down under 4/18 and I am getting excited about the other two weeks I am arranging after the World Master’s. Our neighbors across the street just returned from their annual New Zealand jaunt and brought us NZ$ so we’ll have some cash when we land. The friends that took care of our house last year are there now to tour both islands before their volleyball portion of the games – we will see them there.

Between training bouts, Gil is getting our house exterior painted – a refresher since (hard to believe) it has been nearly nine years since our remodel! Citrus season is waning and our lemon tree is done for the moment but we did enjoy gallons of plain lemonade, or with tangerine or oranges or grapefruit or all of the above. Making me thirsty

Always Working

I have taken up Tai Chi and am really enjoying getting back to my Asian philosophy roots. Sequential movements are very challenging for me – devil of a time getting the hands and feet where they are supposed to be, but it is coming along. An old martial arts buddy, Diana, will arrive next week to attend a Tai Chi workshop on island. She does the 108 move long form while I am trying to nail the first half of a 24 move short form. She speaks of it as a rich inner life, I like that.

END OF FIRST QUARTER

Well, that sounds very accountable doesn’t it? But with our Federal refund in the bank, that’s what it is. Easiest taxes we’ve had to do so far, no income, no property sales last year; only sold the Mercedes in Switzerland and Gil upgraded his truck in the US, IRS not involved. Mom Donnelly's house just went into escrow so not a bad effort for the family's first 90 days.

A little ironic follow up to the Women’s March in January, the prez gave a condescending speech this week about women’s rights. The satirists don’t need to be very creative when the buffoon continues to parody himself. At least the R party is wising up and balking at some of his most overt schemes to trash the constitution – the best we can hope for.

Our orchids are going crazy; they continue to delight. And, we now have a third blue jade blooming reminding us that life rolls along. To get through the ugly times we can focus on nature with its most reliable beauty, yes we can.

Tiny beauties - love the purple tongue

First bloom(s) since we've had this catalaya – too bad I cannot post the fragrance

New Jade in macadamia nut tree, back yard

Red ti - front lanai

And Joey, the surviving chick of the earlier soap opera, is growing nicely. All the 2017 Albatross babes are now able to thermo-regulate on their own so both parents can scour the ocean for kid squid. Let us hope for a bountiful year for them.