Ke Kuapa 'o Maxwelton Creek

The Sun sets early in late November. Tonight as Pete finished doing dishes, and I sat at the keyboard considering the day and life we live, I heard "As you ready?" Lost in my own world of thinking what story might like to split itself onto the page I forget what I'm supposed to be ready to do. Sunset. Time to chant Ke Au i Ne Ka La, Good night Sun .  Through the edge of the forest looking west from the porch of the vardo, orange sky marks Ka La's descent. Pete faced the Sun and I stood on the porch. We began to oli.  The simple ritual has become a thing. With daily practice we get better at pronunciation, and the meaning behind the words finds places within us. Individually and as a family the ending of a day is witnessed.  When I was part of a different family, witnessing the Sun setting was already a thing. From the high bank overlooking Puget Sound (I did not know to call that water "The Salish Sea") my son, his father and I would watch the Sun set and th...

 More rain falls and the winds have been, and promise to be, powerful in their gusts. Our pots of Ohe (Bamboo) topple. Pete resets them using cement blocks to hold them up but then the Wind swirls comes from the other direction and down they go. For now we'll leave them in the horizontal position.  This is a grateful for the life post written as my old year draws itself into a blustery, Lono-filled slip knot.  The photos that fill this post are in a jumble of order, or not. If you're curious, leave me a question in the comments. And if you'd just like to comment, that will be fun, too. "The  slip knot  is a  stopper knot  which is easily undone by pulling the tail ( working end ). The slip  knot  is related to the  running knot , which will release when the  standing end  is pulled. Both knots are identical and are composed of a slipped  overhand knot , where a  bight  allows the knot to be released by pulling ...

  In November swinging with Tutu on one island looking back at May in a swing on another island ...  The rain continues to fall here on Whidbey. Pete has hauled and shoveled loads of gravel onto the wettest of pockets: between the Quonset and the Vardo steps, at the edge of the gravel road and the dip that is our driveway. We'll need more. Our first winter on this pond has a lot to teach us; we get to be learners, again. The Quonset's transition to make it a warm and cozy space is in the making. As I write, Pete is rearranging things and re-drilling the makeshift table that holds our new 'big ass' oven. A Breville Smart Oven. Oven big enough to roast a whole chicken at one time! A surprise gift from good friends. Wow, what an upgrade to our teeny tiny toaster oven (which we still love use from the ledge on the porch).  The years of learning to live from teeny tiny spaces is a great experience with transitions. Moving from one place or space to another can be a small (an...

Our son and his family came for a visit. With a quickly assembled plan, commitment to accommodate the cross-Pacific travelers, and answered prayers for a grand memory-making experience we did it! Hopi and Luna meet the family. Carter and Tutu swing The two CBs (Carter and Christopher) at Greenbank with the two Tutus enjoying time, lavender and great sandwiches from Greenbank Deli. The CBs and Maleka in Langley town. More smelling at Greenbank Hugs in the parking lot at the Langley Motel. Playing  Does this look like rain? Yup, it was a big one. Lagoon Point Back at the Pond, Pete and Moki warm up the Quonset for a first meal and open house with the fam while the visitors visit with old friends at the Earth Sanctuary in Freeland and Pete screws together a table so Moki can roast a chicken for dinner. Maleka and Moki walk and talkstory at The Muliwai (Sunlight Beach). Mahalo nui kini a ke akua, lehua a ke akua, manu a ke akua, pukui a ke akua. All the multiple of gods thank you so mu...