Last Week

Without an internet connection at the new place life it different and blog postings become rare. At the same time, to some extent I have settled into a weekly pattern that I like but is rather uneventful -- something like real life I suppose. Weather has been a little wet (and "weird" a local said) in Kalaheo. I certainly keep busy and continue to enjoy my time here, but it does feel less and less like "vacation" or "travel".

Monday I went in to Waimea to visit my friends at the West Kauai Visitor Center. I helped them set up a web site using Google's free-for-nonprofits enterprise web service but the account become unusable for them recently. It seems the account somehow was switched to a business trial account which after 30 days expired ... I re-signed-up and it seems to be working again. We had lunch from the local Mexican truck (pretty good but pricey) and chatted for a while.

Worked a couple of days in the Allerton garden helping the grounds crew. It's a great place to spend the day (tourists pay good money for a tour, and I get to spend the day here for free) and as a regular volunteer - which is unusual it seems - I've gotten to know the crew a bit. Also you get to go places and see things not on the tour ... you do have to work, of course. One day we weeded - not a lot of fun with the mosquitoes out in force and working a rocky area - and the other day trimmed philodendron mostly.

On Thursday I swapped rental car out for another, driving into Lihue airport. At times rental cars can become scarce here - obviously when the island supply is rented out there are few alternatives - so I reserved the car by phone before heading down. When I arrived I got upgraded to a Jeep for $10/day extra and this time the nice lady at the counter upgraded me to another Jeep (a little nicer one) gratis. In Kauai at least, I heartily recommend Hertz after two good experiences.

Today I dropped by the sunshine market at KCC (the community college) in Puhi and bought some local produce and eggs and more Midnight Bear bread from Ursa. Then out to Hanapepe library where I've been fighting to get a wireless connection with the admirable help of Ed on staff.

Technical details - unless you know and care about the network problem stop reading now. The HTTP 302 redirect goes to a domain that does not DNS resolve (wireless.librarieshawaii.org) preventing me from logging in with library card number and getting a connection. Turns out the explicit DNS server IP address settings my ISP requires were the problem - removed those and it worked. Disappointingly the library IT staff kept giving highly bogus advice - reboot the laptop, don't use more than one browser.

No Internet

In this day and age I didn't imagine there would be rentals that do not include Internet service, but I found one. I had stopped checking that this year, assuming it was standard by now, but apparently not, and I'm here two months. This should be interesting. To be fair, I do have Internet via my T-Mobile to my phone but it's very poor service -- "the bars" go up and down and many connection problems -- so it hardly counts, though eventually email comes through and if I am patient I can browse a little.

Blog posting will likely become intermittent unless I can figure something out.

I hope this unexpected inconvenience will turn out to be a blessing. If nothing else I certainly am already appreciating the convenience of having all the world's information at one's fingertips.
I can get a connection at the local library or the West Kauai Visitor Center, but that's about it.

Island Breadmaking

My grandmother Alice baked bread from a "starter" - a yeast culture that is increased and some saved - reconstituted from a small amount brought over. Slowly growing it back up as I moved around, transporting it in closed container for the car trip, and after not having a working oven the last two places, I am baking with it today.

I heard from Evan that Ursa baked with the starter and liked the result, and also learned that they live very nearby the place I am in now, right around the corner. It will be interesting to see what a pro can do with the starter in the coming weeks.

The kitchen here is minimal and the selection of equipment sparse but good enough. The countertop here is not suitable for kneading which is a special challenge and ensures the bread will be poorly shaped, not that I was expert at that anyway. The intermediate risings have been very promising in the warm humid climate here, expanding 3 to 4 times with lots of nice big bubbles in the dough.

The bread came out fine but stuck terribly to the unfamiliar pans. The climate here seems to be great for it so I'm looking forward to baking more soon. I got a local bread pudding recipe I will try with the leftovers as one batch is more than I can eat and I only managed to give away one loaf.

Robert Allerton

Spending time in the garden that Robert Allerton created it occurred to me how rare it is that human artifice manages to enhance natural beauty: quite an achievement, especially in what was such a stunning setting to begin with. Here's a bit of the history of the garden that I learned; I'll be writing more about the Allerton for sure.

The property was originally owned by Queen Emma (wife of Kamehameha IV) with a house up above the valley in the flat lands. The McBryde family bought the property after the queen's death for $5000. The McBrydes farmed sugar in the fields surrounding the valley, who had Emma's house  moved down into the valley to make room for the cane fields.

The beach area is not hard to imagine the property as Allerton first saw it in 1938 by happenstance when he visited first Kauai. Thanks to his hotel in Honolulu being overbooked, their friend there suggested flying to Kauai and stay there -- surely there must have been accommodations elsewhere on Oahu! -- and the same friend just happened to suggest that they see beachfront property in Lawai. The previous owner Alexander McBryde was recently deceased and the Kauai innkeeper happened to be the executor of his estate. Quite an incredulous story, a smooth sell, or a remarkable serendipity.

Allerton was born into wealth, pursued an art career until abruptly deciding it was not to be, and stewarded Robert Allerton Park in Illinois featuring formal gardens and statuary he collected. Deaf since childhood, Robert was said to be "unique, eccentric, and marvelously gifted in all the arts." He was also notably for many years the wealthiest bachelor in the United States. Robert was already in a relationship with John Gregg when they first saw Lawai-Kai as they named it, and the garden and buildings are very much a collaboration with John who he legally adopted as his son later in life when Illinois law allowed it.

Allerton died in his nineties peacefully in the garden and John lived there many years after until his death there as well. Both of their ashes were scattered in the waters off the beach of the garden they loved so much and gave to the world.

Source:

Robert Allerton : the private man and the public gifts

Author: 

Burgin, Martha.

Holtz, Maureen.

Holtz, Michael.

ISBN: 

9780979842078

Publication Information: 

Champaign, IL : The News-Gazette, c2009.

Friday

Yesterday I worked in the Allerton garden down by the visitor cottage out near the beach. The crew only gets out there rarely so it was a treat to work in that historic location not on the garden tours. We cleaned up the sidewalks, hedges, pulled weeds and vines, trimmed back excess growth, and cut back the bougainvillea along the road.

George dropped me off to work with Howard and Mike in the morning. Howard has been gardening at Allerton since 1989 and is a fountain of knowledge about the place. Mike is relatively new there, and it turns out lives in Hanapepe right next door to the rental I was in when I first arrived here.

Hauling the waste out was actually the most interesting and interesting part of the job that day. Most of the bulk was the bougainvillea which has huge thorns. Using two pitchforks we rolled a tangle of the bougainvillea cuttings onto the back of the pickup truck and I rode along with Mike to one of the dumping areas. Each load they grab several old dried palm branches that fall from the trees here and there in the garden and put those in the truck bed. At the dump, we both just grabbed the palm leaves and pulled and the whole load slides right out. On the way back we scanned the grounds for fallen palm branches, dragging back a few right through the middle of a tour group that looked surprised but not unhappy (I'm sure they had no idea why we were gathering them.) Loading the rest of it onto the truck the fork piece of the pitchfork I was using pulled out and stuck -- turns out it was quite loose. Howard took the tool to show me how to use it anyway and swinging it around into position the fork flew out right into the river. (I was very glad that I hadn't done that!) After a few minutes they fished it out and we got another tool to finish the job.

Work ends early on Friday and I have been going to get a beer at the local brewery in Eleele just a few miles down the road. The Cane Fire Red is quite good. Did some grocery shopping - I moved to my January/February location in Kalaheo - and went in to Hanapepe.

Had an early dinner - Ono plate: 3 pieces, mac salad, rice - at Bobbie's right next to the Hanapepe Cafe. While waiting for the food I fell into conversation with Willie, a retired cop working in the area doing private security. He told me about his career in law enforcement, interest in flying airplanes, time on the mainland, gangs in Hawaii, and more. Quite a character and like many folks here, young looking for his age (62) which as in Japan they tend to mention.

Bought some sweet potato filled buns from Midnight Bear Bakery stand that was excellent: filling is slightly sweet with a touch of spices.

Day in the Life

Today was a very nice and also typical day in the emerging pattern of my daily life here in Kauai.

Awoke before daybreak (not due to cocks crowing though I did hear them) and got up, checked email, did yoga, and departed before 7am in early light for Kalaheo.

Breakfast at the Kalaheo Cafe -- veggie omelet with hash-browns and cornbread muffin, two cups coffee. A tourist just arrived on the island asked me where to see the sunrise (the sun was already up).

Drove down to the NTBG -- the south side visitor center is in Poipu near Spouting Horn, but the garden administration, research, and support buildings are in Kalaheo and there is a back entrance to the same gardens from there at the back of the Lawai Valley. Stopped by the volunteer office to check in, commiserate about their attempts to use Facebook (which I couldn't help with at all), and buy a volunteer T-shirt.

Proceeded down into the garden first to see the hale (traditional Hawaiian structure) currently under construction in the rear of the valley. I am hoping to be able to volunteer helping with the remaining construction tentatively planned for late this month.

Found George and got going weeding a section of the Allerton garden. The Allerton is a fabulous garden -- I'll write all about it after I get a tour (gratis to volunteers) next week. Today I was weeding a relatively modest section [map] of the garden where a collection of fruit trees were. One tree was tagged as a Black Apple which I had never heard of -- it was still small and not yet bearing fruit. My job was to pull weeds, primarily a white flowered vine, from the grassy area around the trees. The ground here is quite rocky so they can't mow it as they do a similar section nearby, hence, hand weeding is needed. To get the vines out by the root requires tracing them down through the thick grass to the ground and then yanking it the crown which is usually firmly attached to a chunk of lava gravel.

In a full day I got about 1/5 of this large area (above, right) weeded, but enough that it shows. The panoramic below is shot standing where I was weeding showing the road that runs around the fruit orchard. None of these pictures even begins to do justice to the Allerton: this was the set for Jurassic Park and Pirates of the Caribbean 3 movies.

Had lunch with George and learned a bit about the gardening work to keep the Allerton going. They are done to six (from eleven) full timers now and are constantly overwhelmed with the workload, but they do a great job.

Bird in tree right where I was working.

After lunch, George took me on a short private tour all the way out to the beach where Allerton's house is situated and showed me all the old structures such as the greenhouse, destroyed by hurricane Iniki over twenty years ago. Later I rode along to dump the weeds I had piled up -- we went across to the west side of the stream and up, through two tunnels to the garden waste dump (still unclear why it's so distant). The dump is at the furthest usable part of an old road that used to lead to sugar cane fields further down the coast. With disuse the road has become overgrown with bougainvillea beyond where we dumped the weeds. The spot overlooks the house and beach and has got to be the most exotic and scenic garden waste pile in the world.

On the way back from the NTBG, I have made a habit of stopping by Kauai Brewing (the western-most micro-brewery in the USA) for a draft -- I like the Cane Fire Red.

Next in Hanapepe I picked up some Taro Ko chips -- purple sweet potato with li hing mui (salty dried plum) flavor. Stanley was low on product because their slicer is broken and until it's fixed they can't make more. They produce the chips right there in the little house-cum-factory. He always gives me an extra free bag when I buy there -- maybe he does for everyone?

Had fish tacos in Hanapepe at Paco's Tacos (OK, not great). Then back to Waimea to shower and change and go for an early evening walk along the beach after sunset. The ocean has been very calm the last couple of days with waves hardly a foot tall if that gently rocking up and down the dark sand.

Not a bad day at all.

Wisdom of Audrey Sutherland

A bit more of the wisdom from Audrey Sutherland's book previously mentioned worth sharing.

Selected things every kid ought to be able to do by age 16

• fix a meal
• splice a cord
• change a tire
• change a baby
• listen to an adult with empathy
• set work to be done and do it

What to do if you fall off a mountain

Roll onto your back: you dig in better with your heels than your hands, your vital parts are better protected, and you can see ahead where you are sliding. She adds, "sort of" to that last one. Makes sense.

Quotable quotes

"The ability to live in a variety of styles, city or country, with people or without, in different languages and cultures, with enthusiasm for the small luxuries, gives me a power over the future"

 

New Year's Day on Kauai

I was most fortunate to be invited to two parties: one on the beach here in Waimea and one in Koke'e up the mountain. Since the Koke'e folks were depending on me to bring champagne (I managed to get the next to last bottle in Ishihara Market) I needed to be there on time.

Before leaving town I went by the beach but they were just setting up the tent, so I dropped by Puna's place where she had been baking with help from Uncle Stanley, a school classmate. They invited me to sit down for freshly baked banana bread and mango bread, lilikoi gelatin, and coffee. It was a delicious pre-dinner treat and after chatting they presented me with baked goods for the other party and I headed up the mountain.

The Koke'e party was at a beautiful airy cabin a mile or so off the main road. A spacious porch opened off the main big room in the backyard was set with a long table and candles. Potluck pupus (appetizers), dinner, and dessert were great and plentiful. Some stand-outs were fresh guacamole, lau lau turkey (turkey roasted wrapped in ti leaves), and lemon meringue pie.

After dinner we were treated to a set of Hawaiian guitar music - three of the guests played guitar - and then champagne. I got back to Waimea in time to get out to the beach just before midnight when all the fireworks went off. A few soaring lanterns were launched successfully, drifting up until no larger than a bright star. Fireworks and firecrackers continued on until well after 1am before things settled down. I understand that here fireworks are strictly a New Year's thing, not on the Fourth of July.

Happy New Year's to all!