Fall in Makawao

Aloha...........It's Fall in upcountry....our trees don't turn red, but check out the sky! This is the sunset from the back lanai of the bed and breakfast last night. These bright colors are not caused by vog. The tradewinds have been blowing and keeping our air fresh and clean. The ice crystals in the clouds made this spectacular sunset. The weather man said it was coming, and he sure called it.

Summer is always a wonderful time in the islands, love those long summer nights. However, it is now giving way to chilly mornings, and house lights on at 6:30 pm. We are still in a drought in upcountry Maui. I have my fingers crossed that the Oct. rains don't wait until March this year. Today I planted my greens in the hopes that the rains start falling soon.

This really is a great time of year to visit Hawaii. There is lots of parking, the beaches are quiet, no reservations needed for dinner, and the air is so crisp. The first humpback whales have been spotted. We all get excited when we hear that news. Soon, I will be out in my kayak paddling around with the gentle giants. I love this time of year!

Holoholo o Wahine / Women's walkabout

Aloha,

I am really excited to finally set the date for the upcoming woman's walkabout. I get e-mails once a month asking me when it will be. April 25th to May 1st 2009 is Holoholo o Wahine week. Check out the information on the B&B web site.

My focus with the bed and breakfast is now opening up a bit. I would like to create more intimate events and small gatherings. I enjoy spending time with my wonderful guests at breakfast daily. People always bring their life stories to the table. I have learned through all these years of meeting new people at the b&b, not to make snap judgments. If I am not open, I may miss something special. So, I gladly look forward to getting to know a few women who are coming to explore the heart of Maui.

Many hours I have spent hiking the beautiful trails of Maui with old friends . One thing that I have always loved during my time of living in these gorgeous islands, is the opportunity to share Hawaii with folks who may have never been in the ocean, or hiked to waterfalls. Joy is contagious, and I just love catching it!

I also have really enjoyed exploring my creative side with family, and friends. I love to watercolor, have taken classes and workshops, and think it would be great to share artistic time with new friends. The quality of light and natural beauty of Hawaii is always inspiring.

In my younger days, I used to make leis for everything, parties, birthdays, dinners, arrivals, and, departures. It seems I had more time back then. The pace of life was a little slower. My daughter and I would gather flowers and sit down on the lanai and string leis. She has now taken lei making to another level. She makes all the leis for her and my granddaughter's hula performances. Her leis are breathtaking, and, I always look forward to my birthday because I get to wear one for the day. It will be fun to gather our materials and make leis with the women coming to holoholo. I look forward to slowing down enough to string leis and "talk story" with new friends .

The picture I am posting this week is a shot of the stunning jade vine flower. This is the only flower I have seen drenched in this amazing color! The jade vine flower usually blooms around March, just in time for my birthday lei!!

If you feel ready to connect with other women on their life's journey on a magical island, please consider coming to beautiful Maui for Holoholo o Wahine, a woman's walkabout.

A hui ho, until next time........

Cherie

Hawaiian Nene Goose, Haleakala National Park

Aloha,

I wanted to share a great photo of the endangered Hawaiian Nene goose that I recently took on a hike in the Haleakala National Park. I spotted these geese at the bottom of the switch back trail in the late morning. It was a wonderful site, and this is what keeps me getting up early and putting my hiking boots on.

The Nene goose was re-introduced on Maui in the early 1960's. Prior to this reintroduction, Maui did not have any nene left. In the mid 1900's there were less than 30 Nene in Hawaii. Before the arrival of Capt. Cook, there were an estimated 25,000 Nene in the islands. Now, there are approximately 2,000 Nene in the state of Hawaii. Hopefully the population will continue to grow.

The Nene goose is the Hawaii state bird. It is classified by the State and Federal governments as an endangered species. In 1907, a hunting ban was passed. Nene are non migratory, and the only goose endemic to Hawaii. The habitat for the Nene is the dry grass areas, and dry-land forests of the island. The goose consumes berries for it's water intake. The Nene's nest is on the ground, and the eggs and gooslings are being threatened by the mongoose. The clutch size is between 2-5 eggs. It's egg laying season is Oct. to Feb. The Nene has the longest nesting season of any wild goose.The male and female birds are nearly identical, with the male being larger in size. They normally grow to 5 1/2 lbs.

In the Haleakala National Park, sometimes Nene can be seen in the upper parking lot area around 8,000 feet. The birds are almost too tame. If you are lucky enough to see one, please do not get too close, nor feed them, or give them water.

Pi'iholo Ranch, a wonderful place to experience upcountry horse back riding, provides a Nene habitat for birds that were raised by the Maui Bird Conservation Center. To learn more about Piiholo Ranch, visit www.piiholoranch.com The DLNR has chosen a few areas in the state to re-introduce and monitor the Nene population.

OK, until next time, a hui ho, and Aloha!

Cherie

E komo mai

E komo mai.......Come in, come in.

Welcome to a new Maui sharing spot. Here I hope to share my mana'o, my thoughts, with you. Mana'o is a Hawaiian word that I like a lot. It means "to think, to wish."

On Maui we have a very special listener supported radio station called Mana'o Radio. You can find it locally at 91.5, it is also on the web at www.manaoradio.com The music is very eclectic as the d.j.'s are all volunteer.. Many of the folks at this radio station are musicians as well. If you want to get tuned into local events, listen to a great Maui station.

If you are a visitor to Hawaii, or a new resident, the Hawaiian language can be a bit tricky. Something that may help you correctly pronounce a daunting Hawaiian word, is apply basic phonetics. This will get you closer to sounding like you've been here before.

The Hawaiian language allows for one to take a moment and really look, listen and feel. There are many ways to describe the rain of Hawaii. It can be gentle, or strong, come from the mountain, or the sea. This is the in depth approach I hope to have as I share my mana'o , my stories and experiences of living in Hawaii Nei with you. I was not born in Hawaii, and the first 20 years that I lived here, I was in awe of the beautiful place I called home. I am close to completing the next 20 years of living here now. During this time, I have begun to scratch the surface of what it means to be "of Hawaii" . I am a part of the latest waves of immigrants fortunate enough to land on these shores.

I've begun to see deeper into the stunning, breathtaking beauty of Hawaii. The soles of my feet are now stained red from the clay soil of Maui. I eat and serve fresh fruit from my garden every day.I feel blessed, and, I am grateful. In Hawaii, we live closely aligned with nature . We spend a lot of time outside. For me, this is a more complete way to experience life. When we have Kona weather, it means our weather comes from the south. People can get a little edgy when the weather is Kona. Big, wild storms could be on the way, or, there is not a breath of air moving. The trade winds keep our Maui air clean and fresh. Without the trades, the "Vog", volcanic particles in the air from Madame Pele on the Big Island, end up blanketing most of the islands. This week we have had Kona weather, hopefully it will bring some much needed rain for the garden.


In this journal, I plan to serve up a fresh little slice of paradise to keep you coming back for more.

A hui ho, until later.