Forest Fire Near McClellanville, SC 3 '11

A forest fire burns north of McClellanville near the South Santee River on Wednesday. It has Hywy 17, the major N/S coastal Interstate, closed down and the town of McClellanville evacuated.

Hawaii: Big Island Diving 3 '11

Finally,  after a week of being closed to assess boat and infrastructure damage , the Big Islands harbors have begun to re-open for business.

Bruce is able to go diving with his favorite crew from Jack's Diving Locker.

To avoid contaminated waters, the vessel stayed way off the coast so it was a different kind of dive.

They were diving a coral shelf in  somewhat deeper and cloudier water than  in his past excursions

 many of the fish   (like the yellow tang above) and coral ( below) were familiar

He also got to see  some bigger  denizens of the deep

Like this sleeping shark ( above) 

and Moray Eel ( below)

Hawaii: Big Island Birding 3 '11

Natural disasters or no,  the birdwatching on the Big Island was superb.

 It is one activity that we can always count on enjoying.  So here's  the Highlights of what we saw this week.

  A Mynah Bird

 A Hawaiian Hawk.... yes this time I got the shot.  We've seen them before, but this is the first time I could get a good photograph

   A Java Finch

Saffron Finches

A Hawaiian Owl was perched on a fence pole in  the Captain Cook area

  A  Frankolin 

 

American Turkey on the Big Island Country Club Golf Course

Wild Nene (Endangered  Hawaiian Geese) also on the Golf Course

 

  A Hawaiian Coot

 An American Avocet

Hawaii :Big Island Quilting 3 '11

While Bruce was off playing Golf, I entertained myself by visiting the local quilt shops.  Quilting is a BIG THING on the Islands.  Missionaries taught the skill to the local nativs, who quickly adapted the techniques and developed their own patterns and techniques.   Today  the skill is still practiced and hand-made or machine stittched  Hawaiian pattern quilts sell for thousand of dollars .

Starting from the Southern most point here is what I found:

        Kilauea Kreations Volcano, Hawaii 808 967-8090

Traveling southwest from Hilo on Highway 11 to the southernmost point of the diamond that  is the Big Island of Hawaii, takes you up towards the Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.  Kilauea Volcano has been erupting continuously since 1983, and in the process, has created more than 500 acres of new land.  Just before you reach the entrance to the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park,  you will see a sign pointing off to the right to the  village of Volcano.

After you turn off Highway 11, you come to a tee in the road.  Take the left arm of the tee and drive down about 1/2 a mile until you see the Lava Rock Cafe on your right. 

Kilauea Kreations opened on July 4, 1995. with Hawaiian prints, batiks, and Moda hand-dyed fabrics are a specialty.   The small shop is filled with a wide selection of fabric, thread, quilt and pillow kits, patterns, materials for laulau weaving, and all kinds of quilting gadgetry, the kind to which we all are susceptible.

 Past the communities of Ho'okena, Napo'opo'o, Captain Cook, and Kealakekua, on the southwest coast of the Big Island, you will drive until you come to Kainaliu.  On the makai or ocean side of Highway 11,  you will see a row of weathered little shops.  In the middle of them is Kimura's Fabrics, the quilt shop on the western point of the diamond.

Kimura's Fabrics Kainaliu Village, on Highway 11, Kainaliu, Hawaii

808 322-3771

Entering Kimura's Fabrics on the Big Island of Hawaii is like stepping backward in time.

It is Hawaii as it was before 1941 and Pearl Harbor.  The Kimura family lives in a house behind the store, which is connected to it by a little walkway. 

This old fashioned general store, founded in 1926 in Kainaliu Village offers a variety of goods, but the fabrics are a specialty.  Owner, Irene Kimura, and her daughter make buying trips to California once or twice a year to select cottons, silks, and much more. One specialty of course is Hawaiian prints of which there is a huge selection.  In addition. Kimura's carries notions, all kinds of craft supplies, Hawaiian quilt kits, and patterns of  all brands, including Patterns Pacifica, which has patterns for island style clothing, such as muu muus and Aloha shirts.  It the kind of place I would spend days in if I were to move to the Big Island.

      

Top Stitch 64-1067 Mamalahoa Highway Kamuela, Hawaii 96743  808 885-4482

 

To reach the north point of the Big Island's diamond, continue on Highway 11 until you get to Kailua-Kona.  There, at the intersection of Palani Road, the highway now becomes Highway 19 and is called the Queen Kahahumanu Highway or the Queen K to the locals.  Follow it north to the junction near the community of Kawaihae and take the road to the right and continue  until you come to the town of  Waimea,  which is often called Kamuela to distinguish it from the town of the same name on the island of Oahu.  You are still on Highway 11, but now it's called the Mamalahoa Highway. There are only two traffic lights in Waimea.  As you approach the second one, you will see the police station on your right with Mauna Kea looming in the distance to the south.  Turn right and on your immediate left, located between a florist shop and the Salvation Army Thrift Shop. is Top Stitch. 

 Besides batiks and Hawaiian fabrics, Top Stitch  carries Kona Cotton and other high quality brands, and a basket of ribbon-tied fat quarters sits on the counter by the cash register.  There is also a complete array of  notions and gadgetry for the quilter along one wall.  There are many items here that cannot be found in the other forty-nine states, such as an extensive inventory of Hawaiian appliqué pattern books and counted cross stitch patterns, as well as batik-printed note cards, Hawaiian tee shirt dresses, brass bookmarks in Hawaiian quilt block patterns, and Hawaiian quilt pillow kits. 

More importantly it carries along the social traditions that have made quilting such a popular activity with women for years.  Certain evenings are set aside for  women to join in helping one another sort out colors and patterns, others for community projects.  You could feel the  welcoming sense of  friendliness the minute you walk through the door.

Quilt Passions is in Upcountry portion of the Big Island

This small but friendly little store is run by an ex-patriated California .  We hit if off instantly.  In addition to a large selection of Hawaiian fabrics,  she carries a good selection of quilting kits for the beginner

I decided to begin my quilting experience by working on the kit below

We also found quilts in a large variety of places around the island

Bruce is looking at quilts which are  decorating the walls of the Hawi Diner on the far Northern end of the Big Island

While the one above was on display in a Fine -art craft store in Honoloa

Hawaii: Big Island Golf 3'11

Kona Coast Resort Ocean Golf Course

Lest you think that the Tsunami and earthquake made our holiday was a total loss.. it wasn’t…just very different from our normal active sports oriented vacations.  The first part of the week Bruce played golf a lot.   Our condo was on a golf course so he didn’t have to fight traffic on the earthquake damaged roads.  

Later on in the week, when the  rubble had been clear from the the major roads enough to allow traffic, he started playing the Upcountry Big Island Country Club Course. Its a beautiful course with sweeping views down the mountain-side to the Pacific Ocean

It has both long fairways and interesting hazzards

   Like  endangered species that choose to roost on the tee off area

  Greenskeepers that might decide to unexpectedly cut ahead of you while you are playing

I cam along a couple of times just to see the wildlife

Hawaii: Big Island Anniversary Brew 3'11

Most of the  better  beach front Restaurants  were closed  for the better part of the week due to the Tsunami damage.  Fortunately we were staying in a condo with a full kitchen, and I had  purchased plenty off food at the Farmers Market the day we arrived so we were not about to starve.

Never-the less, our anniversary is special, and we had come a long way to celebrate it in style.

The Kona Coast Brewery is uphill from the  waterfront, and thus escaped  and serious damage..Given the limited choices it seemed our best option.

  As usual the Kona Brewery was  hosting its annual  week long St Paddys Dy brewery festival 

 which just happened to start on our anniversary, so there a party air about the place

  There were lots of gourmet treats to along with the sampling

  

As I said, it wasn't the vacation or anniversary we had planned for, but it was still a lot of fun.

Hawaii: Wedding Vows Renewed 3 '11

 Once again we have been blessed with the opportunity to renew out wedding vows on the site where we made them.  This time we had to walk to it from out condo as the road was not passable, but we were relieved to see  the beautiful garden was still intact and open to the public.

Hawaii Tsumani 3 '11

Bruce and I just came back from The Big Island of Hawaii.  It was our first trip back there in four years and we were both really looking forward to being able to do some hiking and some water-sports.  Again the universe had other plans…

We arrived about three pm after a 17 hour trip and forced ourselves to stay up to 10 pm just so we could adjust to the time change as quickly as possible As you know, the earthquake that devastated Japan, also generated a Tsunami that impacted large portion of the Pacific Rim including the Hawaiian Islands. We had just settled into bed for some much needed sleep when the phone rang. "Bruce answered, then relayed to me.. "The front desk just informed us that we had to evacuate due to a Tsunami warning". "You're kidding, right?" I said groggily; then the Tsunami sirens started sounding, and I knew it was no joke. , Bruce and I threw on some clothes, grabbed our ids and a couple of pillows & blankets off of the bed and headed up the mountain in our rental car. The designated emergency evacuation center for our location was a shopping center parking lot located about 1000 feet above sea level.  Police blocked off the exits and entrances, and the streets around it, so once in the evacuation area that is where we stayed .

Unlike those poor  people in Japan.  Hawaii had hours of forewarning, and time to prepare.  So while we and several hundred other people wound up spending the night trying to sleep in their cars, on the grass, and anywhere else available,  no lives were lost. 

The ‘goingest’ place in town was the two seater women's restroom... see line in rear of the photo

Still it was a long night.  Especially since there was limited information on what was happening. Thank goodness BJ and I had just gotten the text feature on our phones fixed so that we could let our friends and families know we were okay.( Left  The most reliable local news came out of people sharing their images on facebook and u tube rather than the official sources.

At first the whole evening seemed like the makings of a good road warrior travel tale, but by 2:30 pm  the next day when we were still barred from returning to our hotel, our patience was wearing thin. Finally about 5pm were were finally allowed back into our condo.   That is when we finally found out what had caused the Tsunami and how badly Japan was impacted.  Downtown Kona was still a mess... that area is still blocked off to all but emergency vehicles the day we left.. This put a serious kink in our vacation plans... Most restaurants and galleries and street fairs in downtown Kona were closed and there was an estimated $10 Million in damages.. Also the Harbors and State’s coastal waters were off limits for several days due to unpredictable currents …that  put the kabosh on Bruce’s dive plans, as well as our snorkeling, kayaking, and anniversary plans.  An inconvenience to be sure, but nothing compared to the massive disruption to the social system in Japan, and the economic disruption to the residents of Hawaii.

The entire Kona coastline and took a heavy hit from the Tsunami. . The west side of the main street of the little town of Kailua Kona was entirely shut down. The Hawaiian People’s monument at the entrance to the town is wiped out. Portions of the sea wall are gone, Kings Palace basement flooded, ruining many artifacts which were stored there and all of the gift shop (which sells one-of-a-kind handicrafts) were underwater. All the nicer restaurants and galleries were awash on the ocean side and are now cordoned off. The Historic Kona Inn was damaged .

The Seawall, Dock, of the Fairwinds Catamaran Tours and Kayak Shops at Keahou Bay were demolished. Debris from the Fairwind and Snorkeling shops were swept into the Sacred pool which is the Hawaiian Peoples Sacred Birthplace of King Kahameamea I

This house at Keahou Bay was lucky.  Only half the structure was damaged.  Several others at  Kaleakuala Bay were totally destroyed, and one was washed out into the Bay itself where the local crews were frantically trying to remove it before it polluted the sensitive Marine sanctuary

Other areas up and down the North West and West facing coast were equally hard hit. North of Kona, two of the luxury hotels had their beaches trashed, shops demolished and ground floor rooms/ restaurants flooded. South of Kona, all the State beaches and Hawaiian Peoples Historic Sites suffered damage

Just to add insult to injury.. the Kilauea Volcano had a very strong eruption  just before we arrived, which closed down the National Park to visitors.  Then the night of the Tsunami, there was a 6.3 earthquake on the Big Island which set off landslides of sharp lava rock everywhere, so all the roads were down to one-lane.  What a mess.  This is a very poor state. Since the downturn of the US, they were heavily dependent upon Japanese tourism.  Now that will probably dry up.  The Big Island of Hawaii doesn’t have much money or even the necessary equipment to repair the entire damaged infrastructure.  Right now, the hotels are sending their employees out to clean up the beaches, and volunteers are clearing the roads, but that doesn’t patch the roads or replace the sea walls.   I hope Hawaii is eligible for National disaster relief funds.  It is such a beautiful place