REDONDOWRITER'S SACRED ORDINARY

Aloha ahiahi - Good Evening To Y'all

As you have undoubtedly heard, Hawaiians sometime say upon awaking, "Ah, another day in paradise." That surely has been the case for Mary Lou and me. We consider our trip to Israel in February as being life changing, a once-in-a-life time pilgrimage, but utterly exhausting. This trip to Kauai is keeping us busy, but we are calling the pace and the activities. I have not felt so rested in years. 

First yesterday's helicopter ride over the island. I can cross this off my bucket list for Kauai, but I think I want to take helicopters everywhere I go now. What an experience!

Here are just a few photos taken from the Black Beauty's window. Our pilot, who was born here, was Bogart (big long Hawaiian name), who has been flying here for 30 years. He was trained in the military and flew in Viet Nam. I got very teary when I learned that. He has six siblings and his parents named them all after movie stars. He said he was glad his name is Bogart and not Humphrey. 

Shooting through the windows didn't give as much clarity as I would have liked and my photos inside of Waimea Canyon, where I've hiked before, weren't that great. I did like this one of three waterfalls, however. 

Seeing the Napali coast from the air was an absolutely breathtaking experience. Though whale season is largely past, we did see a few breachings. A bird hit the helicopter with a sickening thud in this area and we all just held our breath until Bogart assured us that this happens occasionally. A bird once cracked the windshield. 

This is a bird's eye view of the Hanalei Bay area near where South Pacific was filmed. Bogart also said part of the Pirates of the Caribbean were also filmed on the Napali coast. Our hotel is near this area. 

When we were done, we went immediately to the Limahuli Botanic Garden for a 1 1/2 hour tour. It's near Haena and close to where the road ends at the Kalalau Trailhead. I once sprained my ankle on that trail many years ago and sure wouldn't try it today. 

Then we went to early dinner at the Kalypso in Hanalei, a very local-style restaurant and bar where we found out that Wednesday night is considered an unlimited happy hour. We had mai tas and split a seafood platter. Later at home I had a piece of coconut pie. So much for diets!

We ended our perfect day watching an outdoor movie under the stars with lots of other folks and kids on the main lawn of the Westin. It was a biopic called Princess Kaiulani. It wasn't the best movie I've ever seen, but it was well worth the watch and I learned so much about Hawaii's late 1800s/early 1900s when the U.S.A. annexed Hawaii. 

It's so hard to believe that we only have another day left before we return to Los Angeles. Again, all I can say as I did in the last entry, mahalo. So grateful!

 

Mahalo Nui Loa: Immense Gratitude From Kauai

MAHALO is a Hawaiian word meaning; "Thank you, thanks, gratitude, admiration, praise, esteem, regards, with respect …"  This Hawaiian word is often accompanied by the phrase "Nui Loa", which in Hawaiian is translated to mean; "Very Much" so the entire Hawaiian phrase "Mahalo Nui Loa" simply means "Thank you very much".   

Each day since I've been here, surrounded by all this beauty and being with my dear friend Mary Lou, has me constantly saying, "Thank you, thank you, thank you." A day at a time, I'm just so darned grateful to be alive, to be relatively healthy for my age, and have the abundance to do many of the things I've dreamed about. 

Here are a few photos from today's adventures: 

We met a nice couple from Ohio at the Kilauea Lighthouse and Wildlife Preserve and they took our photo. Wouldn't you know, they live very near Greenville, Ohio where Mary Lou's late husband grew up.

This is the beach at the St. Regis Resort at Princeville. The Westin, we are staying at, has beach privileges at this world-renown property. I felt guilty even being there, but it is an incredible place with an excellent snorkeling and water sports beach. Mary Lou snorkeled for the first time alone. She and Larry went around the world snorkeling together.

This is a beautiful old Episcopal Church in Kilauea with a cemetery with lots of tombstones from the 1800s. And "junque queen" Fran and Mary Lou visited Shared Blessings Thrift Store run by the church and I got a great pictorial book on crop circles which will provide fodder for collage.

Mahalo, maholo, maholo.

 

 

 

 

A`ole pilikia - No Problem in Hanalei and Princeville, Kauai

Hawaiian Word of the Day: Kuana’ike (koo-AH-nah-EE-kay) = perspective. Sometimes a change in environment helps us gain a little perspective and appreciation for our lives. I picked this up from a blog called The Gift of Helping.

Mary Lou and I arrived at the Westin Princeville in Kauai on Saturday and we have slowly readjusted to the slower pace of Hawaii. Because this is my fourth trip to Kauai, I didn't think I would be enchanted--and I'm more than enchanted.

Here is Mary Lou on the lawn in front of our second story apartment apartment with a beautiful view of the ocean. We've been eating, drinking moderately in the evening (and for me that is pretty unusual these days), and sight seeing.

The really frustrating disappointment for me on Saturday was seeing an amazing rainbow over the ocean, grabbing my Nikon D60, and it wouldn't fire. Battery was charged, card inserted et al. These SLRs are complex but I usually shoot in automatic. I went through the menu, downloaded the manual, went on users forum. Zilch. There's only one real camera shop on the island, in Lihue, 28 miles away, not open Sunday. I called this morning and he was open. If he couldn't figure it out, I had made up my mind to go buy an inexpensive point and shoot. I am totally lost without a camera. He fixed it--it must have gotten jarred in travel. The mirror inside the lens was somehow involved and he re-set that, and then found it was on delayed timing. Voila! Fixed and my heart lifted.

These two photos were taken with Mary Lou's camera and now that I've seen myself from the back side looking out to sea a Hanea Beach, I think I should never have a photo taken again from the front again. But aren't the ocean and clouds amazing?

While we were in Lihue, we went to the Kauai Museum, which neither of us had ever seen before and it was wonderful. We ate dinner at The Dolphin in Hanalei and next went to cultural night at the hotel. Our big adventure of the week will be our helicopter tour of the island on Wednesday. That was both of our bucket lists.

 

 

Aloha to Fran and Mary Lou: Princeville, Kauai Here We Come

This is the North Shore of Kauai, Hawaii, and tomorrow I will be there.This photo is from the helicopter tour company. This is my fourth time to Kauai, but I haven't been since Dec. 1992, only a few months after Hurricane Iniki. I stayed with a friend whose house was spared in Poipu Beach and I could not believe the devastation. It will be good to see the island rebuilt like it was when our family first went in 1979.

My friend Mary Lou, who was also my travel buddy to Israel, has a time share at the Westin, Princeville and she has been researching all kinds of things for us to do. She is a snorkeler and I'm not, but I know we will find tons of stuff to do--and ample time to read and sun. Sun, aaah. As I type this we are in the midst of yet another rain storm. And, I'm bringing my laptop and my iPad. I suppose I should unplug, but I must admit that I love being connected.

So, aloha, friends. Wish us a safe and restful trip.

 

 

 

 

Visiting the Dead Sea: The Lowest Place on the Planet

There isn't a tourist who goes to Israel, Palestine or Jordan who doesn't want to visit the Dead Sea, and my tour was no exception. I've floated in the Great Salt Lake in Utah and being of a "certain age" now, I decided I would leave it to the more hardy in my group. It was a hoot to watch, though.

Here is one of the signs that caught my eye as we started the descent down to the lowest place on the planet. 

These were the instructions for the hardy ones who would go into the water. By the way, it smelled there and the descent was very sharp. I had to work at getting back up. 

This is Maria, who actually had a much harder time than I did getting around on our tour--but she was game for everything. She was also the first to ride the camel. 

This was one of the many eager families who slathered the mud all over themselves. 

The Dead Sea Cosmetic Store was a big hit with a lot of the tourists, but I resisted. You can buy this stuff on the Internet including Amazon.com.

Below is a short video from YouTube that might give you a better feel for what it was like. This was a fun visit, but not anywhere near the top of what I saw. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hachi: A Dog's Tale, Sentimental But Oh So Sweet

Last week I watched Hachi: A Dog's Tale, a 2009 movie starring Richard Gere. I am a little skeptical about sweet and sentimental animal films, but I must admit that this one was really good. I rarely cry in films as I grow older and I did cry in this one. If you are a dog lover like I am, I highly recommend this film if you haven't already seen it. 

 

It's Hard to View the Israeli-Palestine Ongoing Conflicts Impersonally Having Been There

I first heard of today's Jerusalem bus stop bombing on NPR as I prepared for work, but read about it on CNN. "A woman was killed and more than 50 people were wounded when a loud explosion shook a busy street in Jerusalem as the evening rush hour began on Wednesday, authorities said. Several of the wounded were critically injured in the first serious bombing in Jerusalem in four years, authorities said."

It seems hard to believe that only a month ago I was in Israel and Palestine but I felt very safe even though the entire Middle East seems largely in turmoil. Around the world we hear about the Israel/Palestine ongoing conflict, but I have never really "gotten it" until I was there. Now that I understand better, I still feel utterly confused.  I found several websites on my return to the U.S. that were largely biased one way or the other, but this "In a Nutshell: Israeli/Palestine Conflict" at Mideast Web gave me the history that seemed most neutral. Whether the site itself is actually neutral seems unclear to me. As those of you know who read here regularly, I rarely discuss politics and that includes this post. I want to make it very clear that terrorism and the killing of innocent civilians can never be justified in my book. 

There are fences dividing Israel and Palestine as you drive through the countries, but the wall through Bethlehem reminded me of the Berlin Wall. I was synchronistically in Berlin on the third day when that wall came down, and when we visited Bethlehem I had a very visceral reaction to what I was seeing. I am sharing a few photos here, but I have chosen ones that are not vicious in content. You can click on the photos for more detail. 

Here our tour group approaches the wall. 

If I understand correctly, the current hostilities escalated after the murder of a family of five Jewish people in the West Bank last week. Then shellings began from Gaza into Israel and vice versa, and now this bombing today. Would I go there now? I'm not sure. I was very impressed with all the Jews and Palestinians I met and the countries are beautiful. 

Until last month I noted news coming out of Israel and Palestine fairly neutrally, but having been there, it's hard being objective. 

As my mom would have said in the olden days, "It seems like the whole world is going to hell in a hand basket." Check World Wide Words for that definition. 

Afterthought: I have gotten some comments informing me that the site I mention above, Mideast Web, says it is neutral but that it is in actuality a pro-Jewish site. If I have offended anyone, my apologies. A few people have recommended Electronic Intifada. I haven't had time to research there yet, but I assume it will show me the Palestinian viewpoint. Be sure to read the comments here as people who know more than I do are leaving them. 

 

 

Take Time for Ted Talk on the Wonderful Washing Machine Which is a Whole Lot More Than What the Title Says

Kathy Gould, Director of the Palos Verdes Library District, posted this on her library blog yesterday. I was mesmerized, so watch the whole thing so you can see how it relates to books. 

 

 

 

 

Deeply Touched by the Abu Ghosh Benedictine Monastery

On the way up from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, among turns and bends of the hilly scenery, lies the village of Abu Gosh. It is a Christian-Arab village built on a mountainside. Looking up from its lowest point, you see a charming and picturesque village. I saw so many churches and holy sites during our February pilgrimage, but perhaps it was at the end of the trip, this church, near Emmaus, remains very vivid in my mind. 

The village of Abu Gosh was first settled over 6,000 years ago. In the biblical period, it was known as Kiryat Ye'arim, and was a ceremonial center where the Ark of the Covenant was placed. In the Byzantine era (some 1,500 years ago), Kiryat Ye’arim became a holy place and a church was built in the village. During the Crusader Period (about 1,000 years ago), the village was ascribed as the place where Jesus revealed himself after his resurrection  and the Benedictine Monastery was built. The monastery is one of the most beautiful buildings preserved from the Crusader Period, and can still be visited. It is located in the heart of a well-tended garden with ancient trees. Impressive frescoes are painted on the inner walls, and a fountain flows from the crypt at the base of the monastery. One of the things that fascinated me was that when the Muslims gained control of this monastery after the Crusades, they removed the faces on the frescoes as their religion does not believe in imagery. Our tour guide said it was unusual that they left the painting themselves. They remain the way the Muslims left them. 

When I returned home and did a little research, I found that Abu Ghosh is also the site of a famous annual music festival and a restaurant there is also in the Guinness Book of World Records as making the largest hummus serving. 

Below is a lovely introduction of the Benedictine Monastery in Abu Gosh prepared by iTravel Jerusalem.

   

This video, however, has really moved me because it includes both the Muslim call to prayer followed by the choir in the Benedictine Monastery. 

 

This is my close-up of one of the faceless frescoes. 

This is an exquisite carved and painted wood fold-up confessional. 

My trip comes and goes and particularly in my dreams and I know I must fully document it during my summer break before I lose the experience. 

 

The Utter Enchantment of Mermaids Piques the Little Girl in Me Again

My friend Peggy, who has been writing in my ongoing journal group for 14+ years, periodically comes bearing gifts and sometimes even gently worn clothes. She is in a perpetual act of "clearing out" her home and I am always delighted to be the recipient. She and I have a lot in common and her taste is impeccable from my point of view whether she is re-gifting me or giving me newly purchased gifts. She was in the hospital during our Christmas writing group and last week she brought me a belated Christmas gift. Here it is:

The artist's name says Kim, but that's all and Peggy has been out of town so I haven't found out where she purchased this magical present. What is it about mermaids (and not mer-men) that make them the stuff of myths and fairy tales?

I Googled the Discovery Channel and got myself refreshed about mermaids.

Mermaids, sometimes also called sirens, are mythical creatures who supposedly live in the seas around the world. Their top half looks like a beautiful woman with long hair and from the waist down they have the body of a fish.

Sailors and fishermen have told stories of seeing mermaids for centuries; the first sightings were made in Assyria around 1000 BC. The popular image of a mermaid is sitting on a rock, admiring her beauty in a mirror.

Some mermaids were benevolent creatures, granting wishes to sailors who helped them. But to many seafarers seeing a mermaid meant bad luck, an omen of a storm or shipwreck. There are also tales of the mermaids' enchanting song enticing sailors onto rocks where their ships were smashed to pieces.

Stories, poetry and art featuring mermaids appear cross-culturally. In this month's issue of Cloth, Paper, Scissors, columnist for The Artists Journey Loretta Benedetto Marvel, who also hosts the blog Pomegranates and Paper,  has a two-page article about art in a story about a mermaid's net. I haven't been able to "grab" the story because the magazine is just out in the stands, but I wish every one of you could read it. I can't stop thinking about it. It's like I'm a kid and I want to see Loretta's mermaid and the woman who introduced her to the mermaid. I hope you all subscribe to this magazine if you are interested in mixed media art, but if not, hang out at the magazine counter at your local bookstore and read Loretta's article clandestinely. It always appears toward the back of the magazine.

And Peggy, thanks again. I adore the colors and the form of the plate you gave me. Your mermaid, now mine, is prevalently displayed in my bedroom where I can see her all the time.