Riding along in the passenger seat when heading North on Kamehameha Highway from Kahaluʻu to Swanzy Beach Park affords good views of the ocean, once past Ka’aʻawa Valley. Roll the window down for a clear camera shot and tradewinds that allow you to sniff the salty air.
Do you know when you meet someone who looks familiar in one setting, and you don’t know why or can’t recall where you’ve bumped into him or her before? That happened to me last night at the thank-you party at Kaneohe Yacht Club with Lisa.
We’d both come solo, so we shared an umbrellaed table. In July we made the lei for the Pacific Cup yachts that sailed from San Francisco to Kaneohe, the reason we were at the party.
Then, after sharing our stories we realized we sing in the same choir on Oahu, the Windward Choral Society. In fact, at our last gig, we sang shoulder to shoulder in the alto section. We sure had a laugh about that one! Ahaha!
Windward Choral Society, artistic director Susan McCreary Duprey
The Class of ’67 gathered for its 55th reunion this past weekend from Thursday through Sunday. Scheduled events included informational talks, a dinner for ourselves plus one guest each, the Alumni Luau for all alumni under a huge tent on Middle Field, and a potluck picnic at the beach at Bellows AFB. My contribution to the potluck was several home-baked mountain apple pies, my specialty.
My family was disappointed, thinking that there was no pie at home to enjoy. I surprised him with two pies that I baked this morning to freeze and enjoy later. That’s done!
June first is the last day of school, and as Massimo the long dog’s family has vacation plans away from home, he gets to stay at our house for about ten days.
Meanwhile I’ve planned an off-island trip to Volcano for a rendezvous with my Punahou classmates. This is a big five-year reunion for us. We’re celebrating on two islands. It’s a tight group. The people I stay in contact with the most these days are from high school.
In my world, summer also means art.
Nohea Gallery at Kahala Mall opens “Aloha ʻIa Nō Nā Koolau” exhibit on May 28 and invited three of my oil landscapes to be in the show.
“Collage and Clay” exhibit is on tap for June 3-25, at ARTS at Marks, Nuuanu avenue and Pauahi street, Honolulu, with a Meet-the-Artists Reception there from 2 to 5 pm, June 18.
Last but not least, I am teaching “How to Paint”—three subsequent courses, again, after my mentor Gloria Foss. Can’t wait.
I can’t help it. Every morning for years I have gathered kou flowers, and when the calamansi is bearing I pick those, too. I string the flowers into lei, and I make marmalade from the citrus. Today’s lei is for a friend who is leaving the Islands to work in Arizona. His last concert for a while that he will conduct here—the University of Hawaii Nā Wai Chamber Choir—is tonight. I will put up a couple jars of marmalade for later gift giving.
I am lucky. Brilliant orange and purple blossoms from our kou tree and passion fruit lilikoʻi vine greet me every morning with the promise of flower lei for dearest friends, and fruit to eat and juice. The lei will dry nicely to a burnt orange and resemble paper, lasting a while. I will use the lilikoʻi juice in dessert and beverage recipes.
As our island state opens up, the last one from COVID, I sense, a feeling of craziness out there on the roads away from our familiar bubble of home. We have forgotten how to act. For example, yesterday morning I attended the memorial service for my friend Piʻikea. We had waited two years to celebrate her life.
It did not occur to me to mingle as Pete and I looked about and then went to our car in the shade to partake of the lunch.
I am sure Piʻikea would forgive us, while saying, ”Dummy!”
The painting pictured is of Piʻikea’s taro garden. She was a high school special education teacher and used the loʻi as her outdoor classroom to help her students learn about life, the land, and growing their own food. Eia ka maia a ke kalo mai Luluku mai no Lono.
This Rebekah’s Studio is the blog created by the Rebekah who lives in the small village of Kaaawa on the island of Oahu. A journalist, artist, and healer by training, I invite you on any part of my journey shared here. I use a full palette, so come along, let’s see what unfolds together!
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