Turkey Time at Martha's and Andre's Place

We all went over to see Martha and Andre (about a mile away as the nene flies), and to watch the turkeys and share some food and drink. Andre shared a rum drink from his native Haiti. Although he was a bit vague on the specific ingredients, we drank the cream-colored, thick liquid and no one went blind or fell into a lava tube!

They live on 3 acres with papaya, lilikoi (passionfruit), avocado, coffee, plumeria and assorted other trees, herbs, bushes, fruits and vegetables. Martha says there are 10-20 wild turkeys roosting in a ohia tree every night, flying up into the tree after the sun sets. So, armed with food and drink, we sat outside and watched the turkeys (10 of them today), root about for food until just after sunset, when one by one they flew up to the trees. Apparently there was trouble in turkeydom the day before, with young males fighting, so 4 flew up to one tree and 6 up to another. The light was fading fast, so the pictures aren't as sharp as they could be.

 The west side of the property. When I first came to Hawaii, I had a feeling something was different when looking at the land, but couldn't quite figure it out. Then one day it hit me: there aren't any rocks, other than lava rocks, and in some parts, not much soil unless the lava is very old. On this property (like Nani and Manono's) there isn't much soil, except some in pots and in some of the holes in the lava used for starter plants. In this picture here, the grass and everything else is growing on or in the lava.

My favorite fruit, Hawaiian papayas!!

 This is a huge lilikoi (passionfruit) plant that grew up over a dead tree. That is Nani next to it to show how tall it is. Kirsty has been working on perfecting her lilikoi butter, which is a much loved treat here in Hawaii.

 Plumeria is one of the main flowers used in making a lei. The plumeria and the orchid are #1 and #2 in my favorite flower rankings. This information can come in handy should you (as an example), be scratching your head wondering what type of Hawaiian shirt to get me for my birthday.

 It has been said that roasting these turkeys is like eating tough turkey jerky. Hence they are still walking around.

 The turkeys are tall, standing upright at about 3-4 feet. I'm guessing they weigh in at 25-40 pounds.

Two of the turkeys in the ohia tree. The light was too low to capture the rest of them as they didn't all fly into the tree at once. Apparently there is a pecking order and they have to arrange themselves accordingly. They stay in the tree until first light.

Peace my friends!

Macadamia Nuts

There are lots of macadamia nut trees here at Ho'oli. Here is the process to get the nut:

One harvests the nut after it has fallen off of the tree.

Fill up a bucket.

The husk opens up to expose the nut.

The nutshell removed from the husk.

The nutcracker.

The mac nut. Toasted, raw, coated with chocolate, or made into macnut butter! Yummy!

Peace my friends!

Merry Christmas to All

Winter Solstice at The Place of Refuge

Nani is a Priestess here on the island and she invited us down to Pu`uhonua O Hōnaunau, or The Place of Refuge. She was performing a ceremony marking the solstice and since our van is still enroute, we took her up on the offer of a ride. The Refuge is in a National Park and, might I say, on the beach.

Pu`uhonua O Hōnaunau is the place where you went if you had just broken the sacred laws, the Kapu and the only punishment was death.  Your only chance of survival is to elude your pursuers and reach the Pu'uhonua, a place of refuge.  The Pu'uhonua protected the kapu breaker, civilians during the time of war and the defeated warriors.  No harm could come to those who reached the boundaries of the place of refuge. A priest would absolve you of your crimes in a ceremony, and you would be free to leave the refuge and go home.

Lava right down to the water.

 If you got over this wall, you were safe!

 Royal fish pond.

 Where the Royal Boat arrived. Now, it is a place where the green sea turtles come ashore to bask in the sun.

A turtle in the water.

 This is the Hale O Keawe, a temple and a mausoleum which holds the bones of 23 of the ali'i, or ruling class. Ho okupu, or offerings are placed at the temple door. The carved wooden images are called ki'i.

Our feet in the ocean! The water is warm!

Kirsty taking a swim. Nice to be in the water and not worry about hypothermia!

Happy woman!

The lava formations are very cool!

Love this view my friends!

Maluhia to you all!

HO'OLI HALE

Aloha to all! We are in our home for the next three months: Ho'oli Hale in South Kona. Nani and Manono are the owners and are dedicated to sustainable farming. The farm is all organic and on catchment for water. South Kona is the drier side of Hawaii, and unfortunately, the area we are in has also been in a drought for a number of years, so the grounds aren't as green as they are just a few miles up the road. Still, it is a beautiful place and the fruits and vegetables are delicious! I took a stroll around the property and took pictures to give you an idea of where we are staying, and some of the things we have to look forward to each day.

The hale. We are staying on the bottom floor. Our lanai faces the ocean.

 Amelia patrolling the grounds. They have about 15-20 Nene (geese).

 Lots of avocados!

 Sweet, wild bananas, sometimes called apple bananas.

 Lots of hens and plenty of fresh eggs!

 The figs are a recent addition to the farm, so they aren't ready for fruit yet.

Macadamia nuts ready for picking.

Mac nut shells used for mulch.

 Guavas almost ready for our smoothies.

 A labyrinth for meditation.

 Protea!

Fuzzy, purple plant.

And of course, Kona coffee!!

Peace my friends!