You get a strange feeling when you leave a place, like you'll not only miss the people you love, but you miss the person you are at this time and place because you'll never be this way ever again.
- Azar Nafisi
In February, our good friend Dougie came to visit us.
Four leaf clover luck for this boy.
My mom's good friend Carol Kovner was on Maui and stopped by to see us.
Kai and his classmates making a biodynamic prep for the school garden.
The boys making a fort at papa's climbing area in Makawao Forest.
Kai has really enjoyed learning Hula and as you can see, incorporates it into his dance moves.
Isaac LOVES to swing and is showing off his pumping skills.
Beautiful cloud formations.
Fun treasures found on a hike.
I went to Island Art Party and learned step by step how to paint a breeching whale. Lots of fun.
In March, for spring break, we flew over to the Big Island and explored.
We saw my good college friend, Buzz Hollander and his family.
We tuckered out the boys on a daily basis.
We saw beautiful ferns of all sizes.
Exploring the steam vents and Crater in Volcano National Park.
The view of the crater and lava at night was truly a sight to behold.
Entering a Lava Tube.
An
Apapane Bird, a species of Hawaiian honeycreeper, endemic to Hawaii.
The beautiful flower from the Ohi'a lehua tree- a flowering evergreen tree in the myrtle family. The Apapane and Iiwi birds love the blossoms. The tree and flowers are sacred to Pele, the volcano goddess and to Laka, the goddess of hula.
Behind Isaac are two Nene (Hawaiian geese). They are endemic to Hawaii and the namesake of Isaac's kindergarten.
Lava hikes and ancient petroglyphs.
Lava Tree State Monument. Lava molds of tree trunks were formed when a lava flow swept through a forested area in 1790.
Fun treeline
Living on volcanic islands, I am surprised that there is not a plethora of hot springs. On the big island, we found one warm springs pool.
Oops. Upside down. Kai drew this beautiful picture of an Apapane bird in it's habitat while working toward his junior ranger badge for Volcano National Park.
Lizard and gecko catching.
We were excited to see an 'Io, or Hawaiian hawk, only found on the Big Island.
Akaka Falls
The boys priding themselves at being on top of the world's tallest mountain from base of ocean floor to the summit. Mauna Kea - 13,796' above sea level.
Two Ladies Kitchen - By far the BEST mochi ever, offering every flavor possible. Be sure to go if you visit Hilo.
Back on Maui in time for the Makawao Rodeo and Easter Egg hunt.
Little felted bunnies and Easter eggs I made for the boys.
At the end of March, I flew to Honolulu to do assessments for the Honolulu Waldorf School. A very different feeling from Maui.
Waikiki Beach.
Our first of may visits to the Kihei skate rink. So fun!!!
The Pueo- Hawaiian Owl. We believe that this is our family
aumakua or guardian. We often see the Pueo when we are together.
Rainbow Eucalyptus tree.
A double rainbow over the school.
In April, while the boys and I were enjoying the warmth of Hawaii, Jeff was on a Patagonia Press trip to Chamonix France. He appreciated getting out for some winter alpinism.
Every Year in April, since Kai has been born, we have had Mother's Day photos taken by this awesome man. He just happened to get a job on Maui right before Mother's Day and we kept our tradition.
An evening shot at Haleakala Waldorf School taken during my Hula Class.
Our friends April and Shea visited Maui for April's 40th. Fun to get to see old friends.
April and May in Upcountry Maui is SO beautiful. The Jacaranda trees are in full bloom and the roads and school grounds are often covered in a blanket of purple.
The Butterfly Effect- A day of women paddling together.
Kai knit a gnome in handwork class this year.
Picking strawberries up in Kula.
The Master Swim club I joined. Every Sunday, they swim 2 miles. So many fun and beautiful coves and reefs to explore. I LOVE it. The zebra stripe suits are supposed to deter sharks. The hot pink is to be easily spotted by fellow swimmers.
The day before May Day is Lei Day. Each grade represents one of the 8 major Hawaiian Islands and makes lei and outfits specific to their island. The whole community comes together to help make this event happen and it is truly a splendor.
I made many Haku lei for my friends and myself. Once I learned, I could't stop. It was a fun process.
Kai's 2nd grade Hula performance.
Our friend Sarah Jane came to visit us from Carbondale. Fun in the sun.
Kai speaking his birthday verse that he learned the week before. Such a brave boy.
Cub scout camp.
Getting out to explore some hikes in the area. This one is along the Waihee Ridge Trail.
May 29th marked our 11th wedding anniversary and we celebrated by eating at Mama's Fish House. Maui's uber yummy, expensive restaurant.
May 31st was Kai's 9th Birthday. The theme for his party was space. We celebrated in Makawao Forest and made rockets launched by straws and flying saucers made from paper plates and bowls.
Party favors were cup rockets filled with space stickers, mazes, cloth napkins and alien slime.
I felted Kai a whole universe. You can also see his moon cake.
End of year class fun. Kai went to the beach with his class. Isaac gave hugs to his teacher, Ms. River and played Thumb war with Mr. Young, the administrator. Every day when I dropped Isaac off at school, we traced the hearts made by picked papaya fruit and said, "I love you." It is always special to find hearts in nature.
The boys always enjoy finding Jackson Chameleons.
Finding lots of my favorite shells on the beach.
Kai trying his first skate boarding experience.
Off to the mainland. First stop L.A.
Special time in L.A. on the Santa Monica Pier with Pasha.
Continuing Kai's birthday celebration with a trip to see the Endeavour space shuttle.
I got to visit with my dear friend Kimberli, who I hadn't seen since we moved away from Austin. She moved to L.A.
Flying in to Aspen. I love the Rockies.
Right off the plane, Kai ran into his good buddy Aden.
We spent a week in Longmont, CO visiting my mom and our good friends.
The boys earned their junior ranger badges for Rocky Mountain National Park.
Unchi and Carol came to Estes Park with us.
The boys always find some sort of treasure.
From Allenspark and Estes Park, we drove to Durango to see Jeff's parents, who drove up to meet us from Texas. Isaac finger knit for hours on the drive down.
It was exciting to find horned toads along our hikes by the cabin in Durango. We found three!
Isaac getting his golden locks cut off so that we could see his sweet face.
We took a train ride with Nana and Grandaddy.
Carbondale. Mount Sopris. Good to be back.
Seeing all my ladies!
I had a conference to attend for a week in July in Detroit. I was amazed by how run down, broken and abandoned much of Detroit was. Fun was still had exploring the Motor City.
I had the opportunity to visit the Detroit Institute of Arts and see the Diego Rivera mural, which was amazing to see.
Detroit Tigers.
To celebrate the Detroit Waldorf School's 50th anniversary, we went on a river cruise. All the teachers danced the night away! I got to see dear friends and colleagues from previous schools I have worked at, which was a huge treat.
Fourth of July shenanigans in Carbondale.
We visited our house and the boys got to go on a four wheeler ride with Tom, our neighbor. They used to go on rides with him every chance they got when we lived here.
Breakfast with two of my girlfriends and all our kiddos.
Carbondale Rodeo.
So our biggest news is that we just purchased a home on Maui. It came very unexpectedly and happened very quickly. We saw the house on Kai's birthday, and went under contract June first. Left for the mainland on June 8th, and went through the whole house buying process, not knowing if it would go through, and remaining un-attached. As Maui would have it, we closed on July 1st and will be going back to our new home upon our return to Maui. Funny how things work. As always, we look forward to your visit and hope we see some of you on the sooner side.
You get a strange feeling when you leave a place, like you'll not only miss the people you love, but you miss the person you are at this time and place because you'll never be this way ever again. - Azar Nafasi
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