The right frame

21 04 2024

As a fine artist, I believe in displaying pictures in good frames. Recently, my cousin Titus gave me a photograph of my mother at a Steinway piano. I already have a similar one from the same shoot of her facing the keyboard. In the one Titus gave me, she is facing the camera, and she signed it!

My mother at the Steinway

I picked out a light brown mat board and a black frame for it.

Secondly, I mounted and framed the well-known ahupuaʻa poster for yesterday’s Earth Day [ka Lā Hōnua] event at the Bishop Museum.

The frame is brown to match the land in the picture.

Ahupuaʻa land division in Hawaiʻi, from the mountains to the sea

Many thanks to Kyle, Melinda,
Letitia, and Jim at Sunshine Arts in Kahaluʻu, Oʻahu, for taking care of my framing needs.

Be well.

~ Rebekah


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Categories : About me, Fine Art, Friends & Family, Hawaiian, Memoir, Music

Grateful and lucky

27 03 2024

 

I’m grateful and know I am lucky for a family membership at a yacht club in Hawaiʻi, namely Kaneohe Yacht Club at windward Oʻahu.

In the beginning Pete and I were guests of friends Ken and Georgia whose sailboat we crewed on, in races and on day sails. Even before that, the three raced Hobie Cats off Kailua. When Pete bought a second-hand Santa Ana 27’ and scored a boat slip at KYC, it was time for our own membership there.

Membership has its privileges: special events, bar and regular restaurant service on selected days and times, meeting rooms, swimming pool, bathrooms and shower facilities, picnic areas, tennis courts, and the Locker where one can purchase KYC logo ware.

Kaneohe Yacht Club greets and hosts the arriving boats in the Pacific Cup yacht race from San Francisco to Kaneohe in even-numbered years.

On Palm Sunday we invited guests to brunch in the Longhouse. A class-boat race started from the bulkhead. And what a view! A good time was had by all.

 

Be well. Enjoy the outdoors when you can.

~Rebekah


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Categories : About me, Friends & Family

Red ti leaves in my garden

27 02 2024

Imagining a pretty border of reddish flowers in front of the old panax hedge in the garden, I went shopping to see what I could find. The plants I was attracted to required full sun that they wouldn’t get. Native plants would be iffy, requiring special care. The more we thought about it, my hubby and I decided to plant what we already had—red ti leaves.


Hawaiians generally prefer green leaves to the red ones because red represented “newcomer”, unlike “native”, I’m told.

But two women come every year for the red ones, and I am happy to donate.

Gwen comes only for the lāʻī, the leaves that she cleans thoroughly before they are fumigated at the State Dept. of Agriculture prior to the flight to Houston, Texas. She fashions lei for the horses in the Paniolo Parade there.

Kapua likes to cut whole stalks to decorate the stage at ʻIolani Palace for ʻOnipaʻa, an observance on January 17, the date Queen Liliʻuokalani was overthrown. How lucky that ti plants regrow their leaves readily after the stalk is cut.

So, that is what we will plant in front of the panax. Red ti!

Here is a photo by Gwendolyn Takeuchi of her lei with horse and rider representing Kauaʻi Island in the parade. Can you spot the red ti?

Fern White’s horse wears lei with red ti leaves. Feb. 2024. Houston, Texas. Lei by Gwendolyn Takeguchi.

Beautiful!

Be well.

~ Rebekah


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Categories : About me, Friends & Family, Hawaiian

Chinese New Year dinner for 8

11 02 2024

My gracious cousin Dorette hosted dinner last night at her hillside home overlooking Diamond Head in Honolulu.

It’s the Year of the Dragon! Guests contributed tasty dishes: colorful salad, salmon, sweet and sour spare ribs, stir-fried veggies, hot soup, jai, and gau.

Time flew, and before we knew it, it was past midnight. 

I got reacquainted with Jeff and Liane Liu who repped me and my art at Island Art and Framing years ago when I first dared to show my paintings. They are still in the art business, now at the Sheraton Moana Surfrider hotel in Waikīkī.

My cousin luthier Nate Ching came, too, as did my chorister sister Sharon Sawdey.

Darling husband Pete brought champagne, and Dorette served hot Chinese tea from an heirloom tea cozy.

Wood dragon

At sunset

 

Beautiful place setting

Details

Family photo

Gracious host

From “Everyone, Eat Slowly: The Chong Family Food Book”

My Aunty Yun’s recipe

 

Welcoming front door

All in all, a good time was had by all.

Continued new-year blessings! Be well.

~Rebekah


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Categories : About me, Food, Friends & Family

When the electricity goes out

17 01 2024


Yesterday’s massive power outage on Oʻahu gave me pause to reflect on how our family might prepare for emergencies better at the studio.
• For starters, we will go to the hardware store and buy another battery-powered lantern. We prefer this to open-flame candles.
• Always have hot water ready in the automatic kettle for beverages, although hottest tap water will work instead.
• Update our emergency stores of canned goods.
• Maintain garden with timely raking of leaves and disposal of fallen tree branches.
• Keep the car fueled up, and remember we can charge our phones in the car if needed.
• Reassure the dog that everything will be all right. Our JJ knew something was different—no lights, very quiet outdoors, coddling by his peeps.

Water, light, playing cards to pass the time

• If you need to open the fridge, think of all the items you need and take them all out at the same time.
• Keep the propane tank for the bbq grill filled.
• Invest in a portable AM/FM radio. If you have a solar water heater, take baths while the sun is shining.

What tips do you have?
Be well!
~Rebekah


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Categories : About me, Food, Friends & Family

Merry Christmas 2023

23 12 2023

Merry Christmas, everyone, to you and yours from all of us at the studio. Be kind to one another, keep the faith, and stay cozy for the new year. Here are some images that might keep in the mood this  season.

Snowman

Ti leaf wreath

Rudolph

Our Christmas tree is an artificial one that unfolds to a height of six feet every year. It’s on a pie crust table, from Pennsylvania, that gives it more height.

Our granddaughters trimming a small tree with wooden ornaments hand made by their great grandfather.

The small tree and Snoopy

Stars are pickled carambola fruit

Potted poinsettia

As we say in Hawaiʻi, “Mele Kalikimaka me ka Hauʻoli Makahiki Hou!”

Be well.

~ Rebekah


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Palehua

5 11 2023



In choir, the Windward Choral Society, we are rehearsing “Palehua,” a mele (song) composed by Amy Hanaialiʻi Gilliom and Willie Kahaialiʻi. Yesterday we took a field trip to that place high above Makakilo on Oʻahu. It was an example of the lengths (and heights!) our director Susan McCreary Duprey will go to have the choristers absorb the music.

For most of us who live on the Windward side of the island, Palehua is a long car ride away, and because parking is tight at the cabin site, we carpooled in three shifts. In the afternoon we had perfect weather—not too hot or too cold and no rain. What a great view of the Waianaʻe Coast including Pokaʻi Bay and northward to Mount Kaʻala, too.

Many thanks to choir president Pat for driving and to ridemates Katie and Gail for keeping it lively. And, oh yes, we did sing some numbers!

 

 Keep on singing, and be well!

~Rebekah


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