1/31/17 Hawaiian Mana Still Lives Here

Surfer Honoring Mana

I am so grateful, I am so grateful, I am so grateful, I am so grateful, I am so grateful, I am so grateful, I am so grateful

Sun rise before me, moon set behind me
Makai (ocean) to the left of me,  mauka (mountains) to the right of me
Blue skies above me, soft sand below me
Sweet breeze all around me, mana (spirit) within me

I am so grateful, I am so grateful, I am so grateful, I am so grateful, I am so grateful, I am so grateful, I am so grateful

On one of our almost daily walks across the street to Kailua beach, we all walk down the beach to Kalapawai Market for coffee and a scone.  As the sun rises before us and the moon sets behind us in what is the most enchanting place on earth for us, John starts singing the gratitude song we learned at our Center For Spiritual Living then we add a few Hawaiian twists and have something that can almost capture the visceral emotions pouring from our souls. We connect with the lone surfer also honoring spirit as the sun rises.

Our Lani at 149B N. Kalaheo

Renting the same little house at 149B N. Kalaheo that we had on our July trip feels homey.  Jack is off work for much of the week while Zoe is in town and we spend it mostly at the beaches.  We have wonderful dinners with our old neighbors Jody and Mike and good friends Dean and Jaynine, and in Honolulu with Bev and Gary, John's mate from nuclear power school in 1972.  We share fresh baked malasadas from Agnes Portuguese Bake Shop with Deb's beach walking buddy Bobbi and her husband at their lovely Hawaiian home. The month goes by too quickly as John does a good job balancing work with pleasure, Deb scours the thrift stores for furnishings for Jack's place and Hawaiiana for her YaYa's and decides to buy her and John beach bikes to get around town.

Maunawili Falls

John at 13th Hole Kaneohe Marine Base

We take a few challenging hikes up the old Pali Highway to Maunawili Falls and another with the Sierra Club along the Windward coast to the Makapu'u lighthouse.  We see lots of whales, witness several powerful blow holes and swim in tidal pools along the way.  Breakfast on the north shore watching 20 foot swells never disappoints.

Temple of the Gods

Deb thumbs a ride with a feisty group of women to the Women's March in Honolulu to join about 8,000 men, women and children in what ends up being part of the largest protest IN THE WORLD described by wikipedia as follows.  "The Women's March was a worldwide protest on January 21, 2017, to advocate legislation and policies regarding human rights and other issues, including women's rights, immigration reform, healthcare reform, the natural environment, LGBTQ rights, racial equality, freedom of religion, and workers' rights. The rallies were aimed at Donald Trump, immediately following his inauguration as President of the United States, largely due to statements and positions attributed to him regarded by many as anti-women or otherwise offensive. It was the largest single-day demonstration in U.S. history." 

As Deb's collection of beach glass, shells, driftwood and Hawaiiana grows, John gives up a loosing battle as a last minute trip to the Thrift Store brings a suitcase to haul it all back.  We plan to be back several more times as Jack will remain on the Chung Hoon for another tour as Navigator.  But first he has to spend three months at the Surface Warfare School in Newport RI beginning of 2018 taking Advanced Division Officer and Navigator courses.  The cosmos aligns as we find yet another reason for moving to Westerly, about 50 minutes from Newport!!!

Women's March Honolulu

1/1/2017 New Years Mt. Baker Washington

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2017 is spent on the Canadian boarder about 2 hours northeast of Seattle in Baker Mountain Ski area where we celebrated New Years Eve and spent the week snow shoeing, cross country and downhill skiing and snowboarding.  Couldn't get the ski boot to fit comfortably around the injury on John's leg so he stuck to cross country skiing.  It was great to have Gabe join us for a few days where the snow conditions were excellent and the cabin was a skiers delight.

Nooksack River, Demming Washington

Gabe and Zoe took us down the road to the Nooksack River near Deming where we did wildlife tracking and witnessed one of the largest annual eagle migrations in the lower 48 states.  We saw about 80 of them on the drive from Seattle and dozens the day we stopped near the end of the salmon run, watching as they feast on the the migrating salmon who are dying after spawning.

Read more here: http://www.bellinghamherald.com/living/family/article22204641.html#storylink=cpyThen