Hen with Ten

As David backed in to the farmhouse parking space there was a back up warning beep when none had been there before.  We were about to stop anyway.  I got out of the car on the mauka side next to the front door to check it out. 

OK kids, we gotta go

Cheep, peep, cheep, peep, peep

A fat brown hen was silently and slowly making her way across the front porch area.  The ten newly hatched chicks were not silent, however.  Their peeps were loud and continuous.  Peep, peep, cheep, cheep, peep, cheep, peep, cheep, cheep, and a peep.  Five light brown and five black.  They were falling down, bumping into each other, and trying to follow mama.  Several went under the board beside the shed and had a hard time figuring out how to get out.  There was a big step up to the shed floor that required jumping/flying.  As they moved, Mama let out a soft regular gutteral sound which I understood to be a way of letting them all know where she was.  They slowly made their way to the back of the shed and then she sat down on the ground next to the compost pile.  Soon all the chicks were settled underneath her feathers.  She sat contentedly for quite a long time while David and I worked in the garden nearby. 

David and I watched her march her scattering, clumsy chicks from the house to through the shed.  She never fluttered or squawked.  She kept them all in sight and made sure they followed her.  Other hens we've seen run away as soon as we are near.  The roosters are a bit more fearless.  This hen was calm and confident and maternal.  She looked fatter than other hens around the yard.  I almost wondered if she was going to lay more eggs.

Yes, all 10 chicks are under there.

Under natural conditions, most chickens  lay only until a clutch is complete, and they will then incubate all the eggs. Many domestic hens will also do this–and are then said to "go broody". The broody hen will stop laying and instead will focus on the incubation of the eggs (a full clutch is usually about 12 eggs). She will "sit" or "set" on the nest, protesting or pecking in defense if disturbed or removed, and she will rarely leave the nest to eat, drink, or dust-bathe. While brooding, the hen maintains the nest at a constant temperature and humidity, as well as turning the eggs regularly during the first part of the incubation.

The hen will usually stay on the nest for about two days after the first egg hatches, and during this time the newly hatched chicks live off the egg yolk they absorb just before hatching. Any eggs not fertilized by a rooster will not hatch, and the hen eventually loses interest in these and leaves the nest. After hatching, the hen fiercely guards the chicks, and will brood them when necessary to keep them warm, at first often returning to the nest at night. She leads them to food and water; she will call them to edible items, but seldom feeds them directly. She continues to care for them until they are several weeks old, when she will gradually lose interest and eventually start to lay again.  I am guessing that these chicks are at the most, two days old.

Last week two or three times we heard hens squawking continuously for over an hour.  Mary said they were protecting their eggs or nest from the mongoose.  Well, if it was this hen, she had reason to be protective.  Ten chicks is the most I have seen.  Feral chickens are lucky to raise even one that will survive.  This hen seemed to know what she was doing, so it will be interesting to watch how many she is able to keep alive.

Two days later we drove up the driveway and encountered two more hens with chicks, both of whom did not want to give up the road.  They each only had 4 chicks.  They were black hens, very thin.

I write blogs quickly just to give my impressions and basic information.  However, the following is a quote from Garrett Hongo's memoir "Volcano".  He is a poet who found a whole book.  I love how he describes Hawaii chickens:

"The hens were black bantams, reds, and Japanes whites.  Their feathers sometimes shone iridescent in the Volcano drizzles, their beaks yellow as light breaking through a fault line in the clouds."

Kohala Ditch Adventure

In front of Pinzgauer

Feb 22, 2012 Marnie and Jon Isaacs, Donna Cherrier and I ventured North to the Kohala Ditch Adventure.  The entrance was just past Hawi.  Hawi is a little town that is full of art galleries, quaint old plantation worker homes, and a couple good restaurants.  We snacked on the 1 ½  hour drive and arrived at 1:00pm, a half hour before our scheduled departure.  Here is another site describing the tour.  This company also offers ATV adventures to the beach, the mountain, or both.

Inside Pinzgauer

We got to watch the group of ATV adventurers mount up and ride off before our Pinzgauer ride up the Kohala mountain starting our trip.  We had 8 in our group.  Amazingly, a cute young couple with us was from Wasilla, AK!  The ride included a cool drizzling rain which is typical in this area.  But by the time we started our trip, the rain stopped. 

Hola and a flume

We walked along the ditch for awhile to our put in point.  There are several spots where there is a gate and boats cannot go through, and we walked past one to get to where we could get into the boats.  The boats are like kayaks, except they are inflatable and have no seats, just a puffy middle.  One can hold up to 5 people, but it would be knees up crowded. 
In the first boat, our guide Hola was in front, then Donna, and I picked up the rear and was given a paddle and headlamp.  Jon and Marnie were next, and then two couples paddled the boat bringing up the rear.  We were instructed to turn on our headlamp before we went into a tunnel.  Paddling was mainly keeping the boat from hitting the sides of the ditch.  The current was sufficient to keep us moving.

There were ten tunnels.  They are dark.  Headlamps were necessary.  Hola said, "What happens in the ditch, stays in the ditch".  The first one was curved, so we could not see any light.  Hola pointed out Japanese writing on the walls in several of the tunnels.  She was quite knowledgeable.  She had stories to tell and gave us lots of information about the tunnels and the area throughout the whole journey.  I wish I could remember all the facts about the construction.   I think she said this whole system was built by Japanese workers in 1906 who each earned $1.00 per day.  It was, and still is, used to irrigate the area for farming.  About 7 people lost their lives building the ditch, mostly from premature dynamite blasts.

In 2006 the area had an earthquake and much of the ditch was destroyed.  Two years later and 5 million dollars, the ditch was repaired by the corporate owners, and the tours resumed.  The tour company leases the ditch.  Donna Cherrier remembers going on a tour before the earthquake.  Our guide said she was one of the original guides when the tours started in the 90’s. 

view along the way

The second tunnel was the longest, 1,800 feet.  However, you could see the end the whole time so it didn’t seem so long.  One tunnel was “air conditioned” so we tried to hurry through it.  Even if it was a hot sunny day, we were in the tunnels most of the time, so I was glad to have my long sleeve rash shirt on and paddling shorts. 

Our group in a flume

Hola asked us at one point what tunnel we were in.  I hadn’t counted after the second one, but I said 6.  We were actually in the 9^th tunnel.  Along the way she pointed out a sledge hammer head, and a bucket, both left behind by workers.  This irrigation system has been in use for over 100 years and still functions well.  True, you can see lots of holes in the concrete reinforcement along the sides, moss growing, drips in the tunnels, but what an engineering feat!  We traveled a total of 2 ½ miles and dropped about 9 feet in elevation.  When we disembarked, we were served water and fruit drinks and macadamia nuts. 

The drive back to the headquarters was in jeeps this time, with the dripping boats tied on top.  We changed clothes and left our tip and finally headed out.  We got a 20% off coupon for a return trip or for the ATV adventure.  I want to take that one.

Pololu valley sign

Don’t you always want to go to the end of the road?  It was just 15 minutes away to the Pololu valley lookout.  There used to be a nice hike into the valley from there but Hola said the earthquake took out portions of the trail.  The whole drive from home was 67 miles north past Halaula to the lookout.

The drive past Hawi to this point looks out onto the seas between the Big Island and Maui. This is very treacherous waters. We could see the white caps as far as we could see ocean.

We drove back along the Kohala coast looking for whales and checking out some small beaches and camping areas along the way.  One beach was the end of an old plantation railroad line.  The train station was still there with a date of 1930 engraved on it. 

View of valley

We did see a couple whales before joining the main highway off Hwy 270.  Donna said she bikes from around this juction into Hawi and back.  It is a slow, steady gentle climb, and then downhill on the way back if you want to try.

I really appreciated Jon driving us the whole way and back.  He had three women in his car!  And the Big Island is BIG! 

Avocado Festival, February 2012, Keauhou Beach Hotel

Kona loves festivals; in fact Hawaiʻi in general loves festivals.  This year’s avocado festival featured – avocados.  The festival T-shirt was avocado color, so I had to buy one.



Stage

There were more than 80 craft and food booths.  I love to see the colorful hand painted clothing, the island jewelry, the coffee vendors, my favorite food vendors, and entertainment. 

Avocado lecture

There was a panel discussion about why Hawaii does not export their wonderful avocados.  We have so many varieties in Hawaiʻi which are much better than the standard Hass and Reed.  There are over 70 varieties at Greenwell farms for demonstration to the public.  The Bacon avocado is a type of which you may not have heard.  I love the big round buttery kind but I don’t know its name. 

Unfortunately, we do not have any avocados on the farm that are producing right now.  So I bought some at the festival.  Until January, we had more than we could use.  There are lots of flowers now, however.

There was an avocado recipe cooking contest.  There were not many entries, so this is something I could try to enter for next year.  David’s guacamole recipe is simple and delicious.  Mashed avocados, lots of fresh squeezed lime juice (we have lots of fresh limes), and Vietnamese Chili Garlic Sauce (comes in an 8 ounce jar with a green lid), to taste – at least a tablespoon.  Fresh cilantro is also nice to add.

When we have avos, we use them like mayo.  Avocados are very nutritious.



Cake with avocado demo

Another demonstration was by  chef Hector who uses avocado instead of butter for baking.  He made a flourless chocolate cake using chocolate, avocado and eggs.  I got to have a taste.  He said you can substitute avocado for butter most of the time, but not in something that calls for only butter.  It has to call for some oil as well. 

I saw Toni and Kirby Maury there from Anchorage.  We usually run into people we know now.  Kona is a small town and right now in February, the tourists are here. 

It is interesting to meet so many people who come back to the Big Island year after year.  It has a different flavor than the other islands. 

Canoe decoration

Bag garden demo

Aloha Music Camp, February, 2012

For a variety of reasons, I signed up for a week of Hawaiian cultural immersion called Aloha Music Camp.  The members of the famous Beamer family were the main teachers, accompanied by other famous musicians and teachers (Kumu).   I was a student (Haumana).

I had no idea who or how many would be at this camp.  It could have been kids.  It could have been all Hawaiian natives.  I expected the students to be really good musicians of all ages who wanted to mingle with the best and mostly lived in Hawaii somewhere.  The tuition was $1,400.00 for the week, which included lunch and dinner and all classes and evening concerts.  Because of the caliber of teaching talent, I thought this was a bargain.  I suggested it to some island friends, however, and they thought the price was high and they couldn’t attend for the whole week.  I was there from 9:00am to 10:00pm daily Monday through Friday.

To my surprise, Sunday afternoon, after the SuperBowl, I was one of about 60 haoli adults, average age about 60, from Canada, the US, many from California.  I met around six people from this island and maybe a couple more from other islands.  

The first night the Kumu talked about their classes and what they hoped to achieve.  We were asked to go to the same class at the same time each day.  There were four class times, about 1 ¼ hour each.

Kaliko with wife Joy

Hawaiian language was my first session.  It was taught by Kaliko Beamer-Trapp.  Kaliko is related to the famous Trapp family.  He won a scholarship to Hawaii and became beloved by the Beamer family and they adopted him.  He speaks fluent Hawaiian.  He is so proficient; he is on the official committee that creates Hawaiian words for new American words.  He has an online website where you can learn Hawaiian language.  We learned the alphabet and how to pronounce it.  Then we learned how to pronounce words in general.  Later we learned “ka” and “ke” which mean “the”.  We also learned how to describe something, which you do by adding descriptive words after the “thing” you are describing.  Then each day we learned some songs in Hawaiian where we had to pronounce correctly and learn the meanings from the songs.  He passed out flash cards as well for some common things.  It was an introduction, the purpose being for us to be inspired to learn more on our own, which I hope to do.

My second session was also taught by Kaliko which was beginning ukulele.  We learned chords in the key of C and later in the key of G.  We practiced the chords by singing the songs we had in the language class.  I played ukulele 50 years ago when I was a lifeguard one year.  One lady had never picked up a ukulele in her life and took the class.  It seemed like just two of us were true beginners.  The rest of the class just wanted another ukulele class.  This was nice because we could hear how it should really sound from the experienced players.

I did not have a ukulele to use for the class.  They offered the use of a very inexpensive one for the week.  There were two others left by “Jim” to use.  Carol, a lady I hung out with later, picked out a beautiful koa ukulele from Jim.  I was immediately dazzled by the beautiful wood tones and the extra shiny surface that brought out the wood grain even more. She said it sounded lovely.  I couldn’t wait to hold that ukulele.  But Carol had it.  At the end of the session, she put it back in the case and gave it back to Jim saying she enjoyed playing it, but she preferred her Kohala brand uke.  A local ukulele player I met named Cheryl had a uke made by a well know luthier, Dennis Lake.  Dennis was also the teacher for the ukulele making class. 

Later, I found Jim and asked him about the koa ukulele.  He said he is a dealer for this manufacturer, Kanileʻa  and was just in Oahu visiting the factory and picked out three to sell at the camp.  Naturally I bought the koa uke from him.  I call it Hinuhinu which means shiny.

Konabob

At lunch I found some ladies who looked interesting and sat with them.  It turns out they have been coming to this camp for years.  They remembered it when it was held on Molokai.  They talked about the former manager, Mark, whom they didn’t like, and how they like Konabob, the new manager.  They said they came because Herb Ohta Jr. was the ukulele instructor.  Herb does not sing, so he uses more interesting strumming and finds melodies to play, not just chords.  He has several instrumental recordings and is in high demand for performances.  I sat with him at dinner once.

After lunch the session I took was beginning hula with Maunalani Beamer, Keola’s wife.  She is the spirit of Aloha in a woman’s body.  I love her smile and her hula style and her personality.  Everyone was still sort of mourning the death of Auntie Nona Beamer, the Mother of Keola, who taught hula and Hawaiian culture and wrote songs and stories.  She was the life blood of the camp.  To me, Maunalani was what I imagined Nona was like.  She explained that the Beamer style of hula was 1,2,3,4 – step, step, step, step.  Whereas many other hula teachers teach step, step, step, touch.  The main movement is called the leva.  By lifting your foot, then the other, and moving your hip as you lift, you create the swaying hips of the hula.  It seems simple, but was actually quite difficult.  My one hip went one way, but the other did something else when it was its turn.  We learned how to change direction and the names of the directions, and some other simple steps, like pointing your toe one after another.  Your hands are a whole other dimension.  She kept it simple by saying you cupped your hands like holding water, and if you moved your fingers in that beautiful graceful way, it is as if you were gently touching sand.  I was exhausted after the first day of this, so I did not take the next hula class taught by Uluwehi Guerroro, a very famous hula teacher, dancer, singer and accompanist.  He also has recorded a couple CD’s.

You could also take Beginning or Advanced slack key guitar from Keola Beamer.  Ozzie Kotani taught Intermediate Slack Key.

Dr. Sam blessing the ti leaves

The last class of the day became ti leaf sandal making.  Monday we drove to a coffee farm in Holualoa and picked ti leaves after Dr. Sam Gon, our instructor, blessed the leaves with a chant.  Dr. Sam was also the Oli teacher.  Oli means chant.  Chants are performed ceremonially often in Hawaii.  It is almost like a song.

My sandals

Dr. Sam weaving

 

Auntie Elaine

The last class was over about 4:30pm and dinner didn’t start until 6:00.  Since David and I only have one car, I hung out in the hotel lobby the rest of the day.  Luckily, musicians can’t sit around doing nothing.  Usually they got together in the lobby in a circle and played Hawaiian songs.  Alan Akaka, the steel guitar teacher, usually led the gathering, called a Kanikapila.  Auntie Elaine was there playing her uke with long beautifully manicured nails.  A Hawaiian song would be suggested, then the musical key would be decided, then everyone would begin to play and sing.  Since it was a big group, at least someone could remember the words to the song.  Most everyone seemed to know the tune.  If you are experienced, and you know the key in which the song is played, you can play most anything even if you have never heard it.  At this point, since I barely knew three chords, I was content and honored to watch and listen.  I think this part of the day was the most fun for me. Alan would usually “talk story” between each song.  “Talk story” is telling a personal story about how you learned the song or where it came.  Alan, Kaliko and Keola were particularly good at this.

Lobby Kanikapila with Alan Akaka

During dinner I tried to sit with interesting looking people and find out who might actually live on island that I could get to know.  Besides these folks I will talk about later, I met several others who had never attended camp like me.  One was a luthier.  One had been playing banjo professionally for 30 years and took steel guitar for the first time.  One had been playing slack key guitar for years and years all by himself.  There were several couples.  The man usually took an instrumental class and the wives took hula or lei making.  I really admired the people who took an interest in a new instrument for them.  There must be nothing like learning slack key guitar from Keola Beamer, who has two songs on the Descendants’ soundtrack.  A couple of the teachers have grammy awards.  I forget which ones.  I particularly enjoyed meeting Madeleine Brandli, a recorded ukulele musician in her own right, who was a student at the camp.

Keola Beamer

Monday night after dinner the teachers gave a concert.  Tuesday evening was open mike.  I skipped this to go home and practice my new ukulele.  I was exhausted as well.  Wednesday night they played the movie being made about the life of Nona Beamer.  Thursday was the Beamer family concert night. 

Friday night was the night everyone had to perform what they learned in their classes.  I had two performances.  Then I discovered that my ti leaf sandals were given an oli chant blessing so I had to stand on stage again.  Our hula class performed the song Pupu Hinuhinu which was written by Nona Beamer.  It means shiny shell and is a lullaby.  I just loved the music and the hula that went with it.  I can play it and sing it on my ukulele now.   The Hawaiian language class and the beginning ukulele class were combined into one performance song:  Wahine ʻIlikea.  The language class sang and the uke class played.  I was in the back row playing chords, hopefully the right ones.  It was fortunate that so many experienced players were in our beginning class.  Someone looked at me funny once, maybe because I have a hard time strumming.  I don’t want to strum too loudly because my chord fingers don’t always hit the strings correctly in time for the strum.  Not pretty.

Saturday morning was the closing ceremony.  We had lots of speeches, chants, lei presenting, and even a communion of sorts when we all shared a plate of Hawaiian sweet potato and taro.  Of course we all sang Hawaiʻi Aloha, the state song.  This song will have to be the first one I learn because it is always sung at the end of just about any occasion.  Everyone holds hands in a circle during the song and raise them together at the end.

We all said our goodbye’s and got addresses and phone numbers and took pictures.  The next camp is scheduled for July 1 to 5 here in Keauhou.  I get a $500 discount on tuition if I recommend someone new and they attend, so now is your opportunity!  David bought steel guitar picks and bar from Alan Akaka before he left, so I may get a discount for him.  My dilemma will be whether or not I am ready to take anything but beginning ukulele again.   

Follow through so far consists of the Tuesday ukulele class held in the lobby of the Keauhou Beach Resort, the Wednesday night Kanikapila there, Thursday morning smaller Kanikapila with Alan, and practice on my own.  I just learned of a new class on Fridays.  I have to keep those calluses on the tips of my left hand.  The chords I know I can find and play, so far.  However, the list of chords is endless.  I bought a book today that has three different choices for F, so that if I can’t reach the strings one way, hopefully I can find another way to play the chord.  I’ve already figured out that I can play the chords I know and skip the ones I don’t.

Kona Kanikapila

Wednesday night from 6 to 8 there was a Kona Kanikapila.  Over 90 musicians gathered in a large circle and played Hawaiian songs, mostly from the book "He Mele Aloha".  It was quite inspiring.  I am looking forward to participating Wednesday evenings, even though I haven’t even heard most of the songs, let alone know how to play or sing them.  There is a lot of joy in that room.

Hinuhinu

Disney's Aulani



Lobby

David and I visited the new Disney resort, Aulani, last year during the first week it was open.  We ate at the ʻAmaʻAma restaurant which has a stunning ocean view.  To our surprise, the menu lit up when opened!  David always carries a tiny flashlight on his key chain just so he can read menus, so this was a unique and welcome touch.  The choices were a delight.  We just couldn’t decide.  It was last year, so I can’t remember what we ate, just that most everything was from the islands and the chefs used traditional foods in creative ways.  It is, however, very expensive.

view of slide and lazy river

This year we returned to Aulani during the day with a friend who was interested in their lifeguard system.  This resort has certified lifeguards for all the pools inside the resort.  They have an extensive lazy river system, an incredible slide, a snorkeling area with tropical fish, and a splash play park for kids.  Our friend thought this was the only resort in Hawaii that had certified lifeguards.  When he was interviewing one of them, she always had her eye on the water while talking.

Lazy river

We wandered the grounds and were impressed by the little details they added to make the resort special. Lights shaped like bubbles in the foilage. Koi of unusual bright colors. Water lilies in perfect bloom. Hand braided rope on posts. Tiki torches especially and artistically made. Lots of Hawaiian art and artifacts. Hawaiian traditional themes.  We also ran into Stitch.

Stitch

The ocean waterfront has water toys you can rent.  For example, a stand-up paddle board for $30.00 per hour.  They are new, lightweight, and have a plastic hole so you can lie on it if you want and look at fish.  David and I rented it together for an hour.  It wasn’t that hard to do, but it would take practice to balance for more than a few minutes.  The Marriott resorts charged a lot more per hour and the boards were not as nice.  Disney also offered a special outrigger sail excursion right from the beach lagoon.

End of slide

Rates for Aulani are not outrageous.  You can book a regular room for $375.00 per night.  Or a special offer was $500 per night including breakfast for an ocean view.  The rooms are spacious with a sofabed, frig, balcony, etc.  To compare, the Four Seasons on the Big Island is over $1,000 per night for a regular room. 

snorkeling

Disney seems to know how to give people a vacation.  The boys compare every other family vacation we took to the one we had on the Disney cruise line in about 1988.  Except for the rogue dolphin that pointed Aaron into the pier and hit his head, it was an amazing vacation.  The kids were having a great time all day and the adults had plenty to do that was fun as well.  Aulani is the same way in that you can leave your kids at the pool areas and go off and do your own thing.  There are activities all the time.

I have to say that at our timeshare at the Marriott KoʻOlina, they do a good job as well with activities for everyone and it is very comfortable and nice.  Of course the KoʻOlina lagoons are the main attraction:  wide sandy beaches protected by rocks to create a lagoon, where snorkling is good as well.