Manna from heaven

3 10 2020

Maʻafala

Manna from heaven, or, I should say, Maʻafala from heaven! We picked breadfruit today just as it stopped raining avocados in the garden. It is the Samoan variety cultivated on the Island of Kauaʻi, and it grew from a potted plant into this magnificent tree. They are smaller than the Hawaiian ulu.

Maʻafala tree is bearing fruit

I am guessing the bountiful year is the effect of the climate change on our planet. Happily we have shared for weeks now beautiful avocados with neighbors and friends, made lots of guacamole, and froze batches of the same. Mashed or cut-up avocado freezes well and doesn’t discolor if you combine it with lemon or lime juice. 

Morning count on the porch railing. One day nine had fallen to the ground from the night before.

Mahalo e Ke Akua for the abundance.

~ Rebekah


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Categories : About me, Food

Taking care of trees

10 09 2018

No time to second guess a hurricane or a tropical storm, here at the studio we’re grateful Rocky and his 6-member crew of Ohana Tree Services were able to trim three large trees today, prior to Hurricane Olivia’s visit to Hawai‘i.

They did a great job, cleaned up all the debris, and hauled it away. We traded cooling shade for better air flow around the property and a lot more daylight. Whether Olivia blows strongly or not, it was time for the trimming. We got a great deal from this professional company with a price that was 37% of the next lowest bid.

Now the kou looks like a lollipop and is without its orange-hued lei flowers for a while. Thankfully the avocado was finished bearing its last three fruit for the season. Hopefully the mango will get the message and give us a crop for next time. As for the Maafala breadfruit, Rocky said to wait until the fruits are ready, and then he will come back to help harvest the tree and trim it at the same time.

Two climbers in the mango

Mango tree after trimming looks like a coat rack

Avocado tree after trimming

Kou tree after trimming has a few leaves remaining

We love our trees.

~ Rebekah

 


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All pau & ready for market

8 06 2011

Pau means finished. I finished two more of my landscape paintings. More trees. Patrons tell me they like the way I paint them. “Banyan Shade” needs a final varnishing as soon as it’s bone dry. “Welcome Spring” is framed, wired, and ready to leave the studio.

Banyan Shade, 16" x 20" Oil on Canvas

Welcome Spring, 14" x 18" Oil on Canvas

Please click on the PAINTINGS menu tab for other available art work. Thanks for visiting!

Copyright 2011 Rebekah Luke

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Categories : Fine Art, Hawaiian

’Bye ’bye Norfolk Island pine

12 10 2010

The old Norfolk Island pine tree is no longer at the Manoa Valley homestead where my hanai (adopted) mom lives. Mom decided to have the tall evergreen sentinel, damaged by termites and dry rot, cut down this past weekend before it fell down. With the wet and windy season approaching, I think Mom did the right thing.

This tree was big. The existing stump measures about 40 inches in diameter. I counted the rings and estimated the tree was about 80 years old. Termites used to live in the lower part of the trunk. Sections from further up, however, are still good and useful to woodturners.

By the time I arrived at Mom’s yesterday to make these photographs, she had given away some of the choicer sections to the tree cutters. There’s still plenty more wood.

I eyeball the diameter of the Norfolk Island pine to be about 40 inches. Tree sap still oozes from the cut

Sections of the trunk

Termites used to live here

More trunk sections, still good for making art

The dark and blond two-toned shades are characteristic of Norfolk Island pine wood

New view from the front porch

I counted the rings. Each represents one year of life, right?

Workers left their tools behind; they're not pau (finished) yet

Copyright 2010 Rebekah Luke

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Categories : Friends & Family, Hawaiian, Memoir


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