Hawaiian Christmas Tree

The trees for Christmas are different then they are for home- they are called Norfolk Pines, and they are more like a feather tree....there is lots of space between the branches and they hold the ornaments pretty well....I love having a theme tree- so I have fish, sea turtles, surf boards, mermaids , seahorses and all sorts of sea-beach related ornaments on the tree- I even have a dried up little pineapple..

Last day on Oahu for KP2

Tonight is the last night KP2 will be at the Aquarium- he leaves for California tomorrow very early...he certainly has made a very strong impact for one little seal...

We will miss him, and hope he can come back to Oahu in the future...

The Zoo

Why is the Zoo so entertaining....?? We were there on Saturday, and spent hours walking around and watching animals be animals...we were truly entertained...!!

Looking for Someone

It is un-nerving to hear planes and helicopters searching outside your door- over the ocean- they have been flying over the water outside our door, in the dark, flashing spot lights over the water...what are they looking for ....? I am not sure I want to know..


NOTE: It turns out they are looking for a lost fisherman- who was fishing in his kayak, and it over turned. He was never found.

Teaching Nutrition at the Elementary School

Hawaii has to be one of the few schools in the United States where the classroom setting is so casual that even the teacher does not have her shoes on all the time...

My friend and I teach at nutrition class to 6th graders at our local elementary school..It always amazes me when we are there and the kids have their shoes off- ( slippas) and sometimes even the teacher does. She runs the classroom like she is the mother of the class- it is casual, fun and relaxed, and the looks on the kids faces reflect it.

Surf Season

Surfing season has arrived on the North Shore- the waves are big, and wild, and as the surfer ventures out into the water...the shore line is lined up with spectators that can not quite believe their eyes....as they watch these waves and these people who are brave enough to go out into them...

Turtle on the Beach

One of the joys of living on the North Shore on Oahu is getting to see the Sea Turtles cruise along the shore, and often come up on the shore for rest....It never stops amazing me, no matter how many I see.....

Random Shots of Hawaii and the North Shore

Big Waves

The big waves have arrived....Dave and I went for a north shore drive yesterday and we were again amazed at the size or the big waves....they are so large and massive...

Many people must have felt the same way as we do, as the coast line was lined up with people just sitting and watching...many with cameras in hand. It is amazing to me when we see people( surfers) actually out in this large pool of waves.

More Seal work

I had the luck and privilege of being able to help care for an Hawaiian Monk seal recently at the Aquarium- he is a local celebrity seal, that has been humanized because he was cared for by people when he was little, and now they have realized he can not stay in the wild, as he is very attached to people and seeks them out, and try's to play with them in the water- they have also found out that he has a sight problem, therefore could be attacked more easily by sharks, so he will be spending his life in a sea life park or aquarium, after having some surgery on his eyes.

I got up at 5 am and left to go to the aquarium with my firend Jen. While there, she had to drain the pool, clean the pool, fill the pool and then we had to feed KP2- the seal- He has now progressed to eating dead fish- previously we had to only feed him live fish, which he tried to catche and then kill.. the dead fish is an improvement, as while he is in captivity the trainers will be feeding him dead fish- so we were glad to see him swtich over. It was fun to spend 6 hours with a seal, he is so engaging. At one point we had to give him a little board to play with and he loved it.

Seals

The seals have been so funny lately- Saturday we had an official seal count day- I was stationed at Sunset Beach for my shift- and there was not a seal to be seen....the whole time we were there- hours...

Sunday, I receive a call in the morning that there is a seal now sitting in the middle of Sunset beach-( this beach tends to be populated with people, many of them tourists ) so I brought my friend out with me, and we stayed with the seal, until a nasty, unleashed dog, ran into the roped off area, and the seal on the beach barked loudly at the dog. The dog did not want to leave the seal alone, no matter all the coaxing my friend and I did. Finally, the seal had enough of the dog, and she went back into the water. It is too bad that this dog was not with an owner, and harrassed the resting seal.

Waves coming in....

Yesterday it was cloudy most of the day and the waves were just wild...
getting wilder as winter approaches...the humidity was thick as evening approached, regardless of the little sunshine we had.

Shark

Many Fridays I spend with some girlfriends at a place we call " Secret Beach". It is a small cove of a place, where it is quiet and peaceful. We chat, snooze and often swim. Last Friday we were enjoying a lovely Friday afternoon at Secret Beach- we all went in the water, and enjoyed the clearness, & coolness of the water. We bobbed around for about an hour, about 10 feet from shore. We then all treked out of thewater and back to our beach chairs. We had not sat down more than 10 minutes, when a girl walking her dog came over to us, and told us a 6 foot tiger shark was near shore and tried to attack her dog. She was visabiily shaken. SO were we...

A shark in the and near the water we just in.. ? Crazy... Will I be swimming again there ? Still not sure.

Farmers Market

There are many Farmers Markets on the Island- we have a very small local one in Waialua, and a larger one in Halewia. Much of what is sold is hard to recognize...vegtables I have no idea what to do with...I ask the Phillipino women who sell them, and who I can hardly communicate with, and they say " cook it with chicken"...and they smile.

Molting Seals and Friends

I did my shift this week watching Irma as she molts....not super exciting, but still fun to be able to sit so close to a seal and keep a watchful eye on her. The excitement came when Irma's friend Kermit came by and wanted Irma to play- Irma was not feeling up to playing, but the two seals just hung out nose to nose- which was very sweet, them Kermit rolled himself back into the sea... the life of a seal.

Off to the Valley

I volunteer every Monday at Waimea Nature Center. I work as a greeter, as guests enter the park. It is a beautiful place to spend time every week.... Flowers, plants, trees, peacocks, birds, and a water fall. I get to meet people from all over the world also....

Molting Monk Seal

Irma, the monk seal is molting on the beach- I was out to check it out last week- while friends were monk seal sitting....I will be out there for my shift tomorrow....

Here is a picture of Irma:

yet, another fundraiser......all for the good

Yesterday I attended another fundraiser. This one was held at a beautiful private home in Honolulu. It was for raising money for Project Visitation , a program I volunteer with, that helps brings siblings together for visits, that are separated by foster care-

It was a fun event- music, food, pretty surroundings, champagne, yummy desserts, and silent auction and raffles....

There were parrots there for guests to hold, which was something I had never done before....that was pretty fun. I hope lots of money was raised- I was asked to speak a bit about my experience with the program, which was a nice thing to be able to do. .

Fundraiser Success

We had the fundraiser last night at Kim Taylor Reece Gallery and it turned out pretty well. We made some money, there were lots of people, and everyone seemed to be having fun- we gave away prizes, and there was food and wine. The Non-profit monk seal organization is off to a good start !

Work

After living here for awhile and in the vacation mode, I decided I needed to find a few things to do to keep me busy- ( other then laying on the beach ) ,
so I started Volunteering at all sorts of places-
most that I am still involved in three years later. I also desired some of my own income-so I was hired as a part time presenter for a Human Services Agency- my job is to do presentations at schools regarding the dangers of the internet and predators trying to entice kids for sex.

I started work this week, after being trained, and I think after ironing out some kinks with the power point- it will all be good.

Help us Save the Monk Seal

Today is our fundraiser for the Hawaiian Monk Seal - we are having an event at the Kim Taylor Reece Art Gallery in China Town- tonight from 6 pm - on. Food, drinks, art, and fun...all for a good cause.