Athena and the Pineapple

Source: 25.media.tumblr.com via Lisa on Pinterest

White pineapples are popping up all over our yard, toppling over with the weight of their own spines, sweet juices and fierce crown of thorns. It takes three to seven years for a pineapple to reach maturity, so it feels quite decadent to slice them up after our two month tenure in the tree house.

New pineapple plants can be started by simply planting the sharp green crown. An image keeps popping up in my mind of Athena springing fully formed from the head of Zuess. There is the pineapple regenerating itself through it's head, like a god, and me with those juices dripping down my chin. What blessings I've enjoyed in this sacred place.

I feel myself vibrating with life in this moment of transition- more so than in any of the many moves I've made before. Is that because of what I've learned here? The changes in myself? Growing older? The excitement of having another challenge at last? The light seems to glitter on every leaf and mossy rock and wave as I walk up and down the side of this volcano. I feel holiness in every sharp spike and slurpy bite of this delicious plant. Savoring it all with a bittersweet delight.

Happy Birthday Hawaii. Here's what you've taught me.

Photo via Hawaii Magazine with a fascinating article about why statehood is still controversial in this state.

Today is the 53rd anniversary of Hawaii's admission to the United States. Government offices (including schools) are all closed. Not everyone in Hawaii is glad to be part of the United States but I wanted to mark today by making note of what I've learned during my three years here, as we prepare to leave. 

I've learned not to focus on what a place isn't, but what it is. I've learned that even on an island, it's easier to try to change everyone but yourself. And I've also learned that there is a Hawaii that I have only seen hints of. This island has mana, energy, "the stuff of which magic is made", that is palpable. This isn't something your mind understands, but something you feel in your body and soul, and I know it moves me and helped to heal and prepare me for what is coming next. I am so grateful for that. 

Mahalo Nui Loa Hawai'i. I'll return to you. 

Kristen's Wardrobe Makeover!

My gorgeous friend Kristen has great taste. She loves trends and keeps up on what's cool. Whenever I see her out and about, she has a relaxed and hip vibe that is utterly Hawaii. But she found herself struggling to inject her vivacious personality into her work wardrobe. Instead, she found herself teaching at a local elementary school in a boring uniform of white tees and khaki pants day in and day out. She called me over to check out the contents of her closet and see what we could do to transform her work wear. 

First, I had her pull out five favorite pieces and tell me what she loved about each one. She pulled a few fun patterned skirts, a favorite dress that fits like a glove and a pretty printed top. Like most people, she loves looks that are comfortable, but she is also fearless with pattern and color. However, she wasn't sure how to mix pattern and color, so she often paired a plain white tee with her bold skirts, feeling like nothing else would match.

As far as shoes go, she has a killer assortment of towering platform heels, none of which she can wear to work because they also kill her feet. This collection of sandals are pretty much her only shoes for work. There were some cool pieces to work with here- lots of pretty embellished and gladiator style numbers, but she needs to fill in with some flats and maybe even low heels or wedges.

Look at all the pattern and pizaaz in her closet! Kristen didn't need much help with organization, because she already had a good system in place and knew what she had really clearly.

This is a girl who loves color and print, but was saving all her fun clothes for her own time. It was literally divided in half. Work clothes here, play clothes here. Work is a huge part of her life, and I wanted to help her enjoy getting dressed for it every day. My goal was to show her that lots of her play clothes could go to work and some of her work clothes could go out on the town!

It's this kind of flexibility and creativity with your wardrobe that make it fun and tailored to your life. I really believe this helps you to bring your whole self to your professional life, coming to work with joy, enthusiasm and confidence. Who knew your closet could offer you all of that?

Next, I asked Kristen to pick out a piece she loves but isn't sure how to wear. This fun ruched skirt was a perfect example. The black and white stripes made her feel like she should pair it with a simple black or white top. Instead, we tried this simple purple tee from her play clothes. It adds a pop of color and suddenly this outfit is a lot more special. We paired it with white earrings from her beautiful jewelery collection and some studded white sandals. I'd love to see it with a wide woven white belt to make her waist look even tinier. She has such a perfect hourglass figure!

Part of rooting through a closet means some duds. She loves this corduroy skirt, but it's a smidge too big. She's also often drawn to the boxy drapey silhouette of this top, but it doesn't really work with this skirt, making her look top heavy. Back to the drawing board.

She just found this luscious blue silk skirt at a vintage shop, and it looked so gorgeous with her skin! We had fun creating several looks with this piece, pairing it with a vibrant striped coral top and a pretty pendant monogram necklace for work. A braided belt defines her waist even more and matches perfectly with her platforms. We made a note to find her some caramel colored flat shoes that would complement this belt so she can wear this look to school. With a pretty shoulder baring top, the same modest skirt is suddenly way sexy for date night.

You can check out my pinterest inspiration board for this project here if you like.

What are your challenges with your wardrobe? I've been through this process with several friends now and it's fascinating to see people through the lens of their clothing. It's deeply personal, and therefore can be really transformative. I have several more makeovers in my backlog to share with you, so stay tuned.

Eat Like a Local on the Big Island of Hawaii: Sam Choy's

Sam Choy's re-opened with great hubbub here in Kona. It is hard to find parking and the place is packed constantly. For a little town like ours, a new restaurant is big news. Eric and I have tried Sam Choy's twice, once for lunch and more recently for breakfast. It has sublime views of the ocean- it's hard to believe this building used to be a Wendy's! 

The patio is the place to be, especially now that they've added an awning for shade. From here you can watch for whales and sneak a peak at their herb garden. This restaurant is committed to using sustainable local ingredients and we had fun watching a sous chef hacking off an armload of chives for the kitchen.

The breakfast menu is small, but there are some delicious local options. I went with the catch of the day, which happened to be Opah. If I were really local, I would have gone with rice instead of potatoes. The onions in the hash had not been cooked nearly long enough for my liking, but the fish was excellent, firm and light, as was the guava jam for my toast. For an $11 breakfast, I'd say we did all right. 

The other refreshing thing about Sam Choy's is the friendly service, which I'm sorry to say is often sadly lacking in Kona area restaurants. Too many waitresses and tourists busy jading each other perhaps? Not so at Sam's. Our waitress was a gem, keeping our coffee filled and conversation flowing.  We'll be back at Sam's for a little fresh fish and talk story very soon. 

Arrangement of the Month: April

Fresh flowers are one of life's great luxuries, but with a little practice, they don't have to be a great expense. During our time in Hawaii, I've missed fresh flowers because I'm just not as confident arranging tropicals. I've decided to make an arrangement every month to share here and force a little practice. (That also means I'll have to do some flower arranging this summer while I'm in Portland and New York. Darn!)

Here is my handiwork for April! I picked up some pincushion protea, greenery, pink ginger and anthurium (that pretty heart shaped flower) at the farmer's market and added some flowers snipped around our condo.  I filled a spare pot with oasis, which makes for easy arranging, and covered the bare patches with a bit of moss. I was quite pleased with the result.

Do you keep fresh flowers in the house? What are your favorites?

Pink Flamingo Mailbox

In lieu of a real post that would require me to expend precious energy, I'm sharing this delightful Flamingo Mailbox, spied on the road home from Volcano National Park, sight of our camping excursion. I've been meaning to stop and photograph it for ages, and this time I finally did. I never noticed the barbed wire nest when we were rushing by at 50 miles per hour. I figure this kitsch is worth the thousand words I owe you, right?

What's making you smile lately?

Whale Watching from our Lanai

Deep Sea by unitedthread on Etsy. (I own one of her prints and it is the most beautiful quality of any print I've purchased there. It has the richness of an original. )

It's Humpback whale season in Hawaii (It's the largest migration of mammals on the planet! The whales come to our warm island waters to have their babies where there are fewer predators.) and we Kazanas are short people. The railing on our lanai completely obscures my view when I am seated at our table, so I asked Eric for some chairs that would heighten our viewing experience!

As always, he came through for me. Can you believe he managed to get two massive bar chairs shipped to Hawaii for $88?! Some assembly required, but still. He's a wonder. (And so cute too!)

Voila! She can see! We've spotted four whales from our balcony. The trick is to watch for the white plumes of their spouts. Then, if you're lucky you might see a breach or even a tail, which usually means they are on their way down deep again. They need air about every 15 minutes or so.

Have you ever been whale watching? Were you lucky enough to spot one?

Eat Like a Local on the Big Island of Hawaii: Da Poke Shack, Number One for a Reason.

Da Poke Shack is Kona's Number One rated restaurant on Trip Advisor. Maybe that's why we waited so long to walk through the doors. It's like the Beatles, or Snuggies, or Harry Potter. It's so popular, you feel like you can't join in at this point without feeling dumb. That wagon is crowded enough without you.

And then when you do join, you wonder what the hell took you so long. Because the wagon is crowded for a reason. This is good stuff. And it would be a shame to miss it just because everyone else is busy enjoying it.

And so it is with Da Poke Shack. Poke is basically salad made with incredibly fresh raw fish, seaweed, salt and a variety of other seasonings. (If you dig sushi, you're gonna love it.) And these guys know their stuff. They are all fishermen and local guys who love super fresh seafood and know how it should be prepared: quickly, simply, with love and not a lot of fanfare.

We opted for the plate lunch, which anywhere else in Hawaii would mean mac salad (that's macaroni salad for the uninitiated. Overcooked macaroni slathered in mayonaise plopped onto your plate via ice cream scoop. Yuck.) rice and terriyaki chicken or pork. At Da Poke Shack, it means two choices of poke, salad (we chose seaweed) and seasoned rice.

Never tried poke before? Not sure which of the many bowls to choose from? No problem brah. The guys behind the counter lovingly dole out tastes via toothpick, describing what ingredients are in each dish and happily making suggestions. Don't be shy. Take them up on it- their friendly enthusiasm is part of what makes this little hole in the wall place so very special. It's number one for a reason.

The Golden Artichoke for Fall

Wouldn't these metallic gold artichokes be a decadent statement of bounty on a fall table? They are for tea lights, but would be pretty completely empty. I discovered them over at Koloko Furniture here in Kona, but they are a bit spendy so I may spend an open studio day at Donkey Mill Art Center playing with the idea.

Have you come across any cool housewares this fall? I find these kinds of trinkets irresistible.