MAY HOPE

MAY DAY KAUAI

                This holiday is celebrated in many places around the globe.  We usually associate it with spring, hope, flowers, children, dance, sunshine and all those pagan passtimes..  Hawaii has a May first tradition of Lei Day as well, now a competition in the craft.  While Oahu had many events with music, hula, and lei making, and Lihue had a children’s lei making contest at the museum this year, the Lei Day at the Bay in Hanalei, scheduled for 5/12, has been cancelled.  
                A traditional Japanese holiday on May 5^th used to be called Boy Day, and has since become Children’s Day to celebrate their happiness and to respect their personalities.  The children are honored with special foods, games, and paper carp fly from the house top for everyone to see.  These appeared in Kilauea town.

Children's Day

LIGHTHOUSE AND REFUGE

Lighthouse Day in Kilauea was held on Saturday May 5 and turned out to be a gorgeous day, a nice relief from all the rain for residents and visitors alike.  I signed up for a Friday afternoon project to bundle flowers and foliage to decorate the tents; really fun to work with so much color in the refuge nursery.

                While the 5^th is usually celebrated as Cinco de Mayo (we had scrambled egg tacos for breakfast), Lighthouse Day is about the anniversary of the building.  As I got there early, I ran up to the top for the spectacular view and just to see, once again, how beautifully the building had been restored over the two years prior to its centennial five years ago. 

Lighthouse at 10am, a stellar morning

Fresnel lens

Moku ‘ae ‘ae islet from the lantern room

                Over the last few years, I haven’t worked much at the Point except for special days like this so it was great to see old friends.  I was on morning duty to schedule the free LH tours and got to enjoy the flowers on the tent (again) plus having a ringside seat for the hula.

My well decorated ticket booth just moments before the crowd arrived

Naomi's hula halau                

Tropic birds - while the lighthouse has its moments, it resides on and in the wildlife refuge.

                 The red tail tropic birds are noisily courting now, clustering, squawking, and giving aerial shows overhead

                 Of course the best thing about Lighthouse Day is that the refuge stays open until 7 pm and Gil and I returned to watch the sunset and see the birds come in at dusk. 

Golden evening light, hundreds of boobies in trees on far side, nice to see the water so calm – last time I was here the waves were crashing up the side of the cliffs

Most fun is to see the Wedge-tail Shearwater birds return from their day feeding.  These sweet little birds have some odd habits.  They return to Kauai each spring to nest in burrows in the hillsides and under the ground cover.  The female that may remain in the nest during the day is quite noisy and “moans.”  Unaware, you might think you are getting pranked or have stumbled into a tropical haunted zone.  When several go off at once it is funny, most moan but others sound like babies, unnerving the tourists!

Wedge-tail Shearwater, clearly this one has been busy in the burrow

Shearwater far right, and near hill at left with a Red-footed Boobie above it.  The shearwaters are dark on top and light on the underside.  While they seem timid at the nest and don’t land in the bushes too gracefully, their swooping fast flight is truly amazing.

                Just before 7pm (when humans are shooed out) a lightbulb is lit up inside the lighthouse lens.  A sweet nostalgic gesture, it doesn’t hold a candle to the sunset.

LH lit

Since it really is a wildlife refuge, it is time to turn it over to the birds

CANOES

                Gil has continued his paddling and training whenever possible, given the crazy weather.  He took advantage of down time to modify his Tahitian Va’a that arrived slightly unfinished.  He chose it off the stack that arrived by barge but they were still wrapped and his was missing the manu (a front piece that deflects water). 

Before, all taped off

After with his beautiful handmade manu

                Unfortunately, he has also discovered that his other one-man did receive damage in the pile up of canoes.  The body seems OK but his rudder shaft was bent and hasn’t been able to turn, ie, he’s been pretty much rudderless the few times he took it out.  Once he figured it out, it was a fairly easy repair for him, (in his amazing shop in the garage).  He is enjoying having the 6-mans on the beach in Hanalei; it feels very authentic.  It just means they have to park in town and walk down.

Two survivors

FIRE AND WATER - NATURE SEEKING ITS PATH

The devastation is still quite heartbreaking.  I finally walked the beach to get these shots and by the time I reached the pier area I couldn’t tell if it was rain or tears on my face. 

Pavillion Park, better known as Pavillions

                   Hanalei Canoe Club has boats stored here, some loaned to them by another club to use for the interim

Gaylord’s house – a ton of rock was brought in to shore up the lanai that had been undercut. He fared well compared to the houses between him and the pier

What used to be beach and lawn

FIRE AND WATER

                   All this at the same time people were being evacuated from their homes on the Big Island as the lava also found new routes and flowed through residential communities.  
                 As the crater floors dropped, the lava had to find alternate ways out along the weak rift zone.  All the sensational footage shows where that occurred at Leilani Estates.





KAUAI DONATIONS, cont.

                The next round of donations here included fresh produce and organic vegetable seeds.  These went out of the old Hanalei Courthouse, recently converted to a community center, currently dedicated to flood relief.

Much needed fresh produce to supplement non-perishable foods already distributed

                 Farmers at the Kapa'a market were quite generous once they knew who my purchases were going to.  Some gave me a reduced price others threw in something free.  One farmer told me his son called him from the Philippines to find out how his farm was doing in Koloa.  He was OK but neighbors had homes flooded there.

One of two batches of seeds for fast growing vegetables suited to the north shore.  Everyone prefers being self reliant.

Hanalei courthouse front (just across the street from the little green church)

Back of building, the action side, staged for deliveries.  Coolers lined up with produce, trailers lined up to head out.  Regular deliveries are now Tuesday and Friday to Haena for further distribution

GOOD NEWS FOR THE NORTH SHORE

                Road openings and access for residents and supplies has been faster than anyone anticipated.  One lane is open coming out at 6:30 am and back in at 6:30 pm specifically for people trying to get to work.  That schedule has been expanded to allow transit at mid-day.  The really good news is that bus service now brings them out in the am and back in the pm.  To get passes for cars or the bus required standing in line with proof of residency.  People can now get to the post office, bank, and markets and their lives normalize a bit more.  The huge sighs of relief could have caused turbulent winds up the entire coast.  Replacing lost goods will come next, and then, and then . . .

FLORA

                The lovely thing about the birds and flowers is that they have their own cycles and agendas separate from ours.  And, with our attention open to them, they give us so much.  This Catalaya orchid was rescued from the house across the street before they took down the tree that hosted it.  My neighbor and I each got a happy plant a few years ago.  Three spikes one day, all open the next.  For Gil, whose Mom was a florist, they smell like Prom.  For me they are just heaven.

Catalaya

Ta Da!    

                These other two had to show off as well, I think of them as spiders and when I looked them up for a more accurate title, that is exactly what they are called!

Dark Spider

Yellow Spider