Aloha Friday at the Farmer Files

Fridays are the days we take it easy in Hawaii. We call it Aloha Friday, much like what folks on the mainland call TGIF. An Island Life hosts the Aloha Friday meme. So I am going to play along. I post a question, y'all comment. That's it. You don't have to do the meme, you just have to post your answer here! So here is my question:

Do you love camping with your family? Why or why not?

Wanna know what inspired us? Read here.

Moon Cake

I love when dinner company brings treats! We never expect, but graciously accept!

Some friends came for dinner and brought a Chinese Moon Cake. I had never heard of Mooncake. They are a Chinese pastry eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival. This is the second most important day in the Chinese calendar, next to Chinese New Year. It is a legal holiday in many Asian countries. It is celebrated the 15th day of the 8th month in the Chinese calendar, which is mid-September on our Gregorian calendar. Farmers celebrate the end of their harvest. Families gather and share small cakes together, and admire the full moon. Everyone gets just a little piece.
My friend is Chinese. She grew up eating moon cakes. She warned us not to expect a sweet Western type pastry. The Chinese characters for "longevity" and "harmony" decorate the top. Inside, the cake was made of red bean paste and in the center was a yolk. That's the yellow thing in the center.

The Mooncake had a unique flavor. It was really dense and heavy. I am so appreciative that my friend brought such a thoughtful treat! Hubby and I both are fascinated by customs from other cultures!

How about you? Have you learned something new about a different culture?

Fine, It is Rainy Season!!

I was in denial the rainy season has arrived in Hawaii, until my walk on Monday. For more WW participants, go here.

Skiing off the Bucket List

Hubby crossed off another Hawaii Bucket List adventure. This one involved Son1. Can you guess?

He has been dying to take Son1 jet skiing. I put my foot down when he was about two years old. He was too young! I was a teeny bit nervous now two years later, but Hubby and the company owner were confident Son1 would be fine. Ahh I am easily convinced!

We wrangled up our family and drove to Haleiwa Harbor. We drove across the historic twin span Rainbow Bridge, the entrance to the north end of Haleiwa. What do you know, I captured a rainbow over Rainbow Bridge. Can you see it on the right, in the clouds?We arrived and told Son1 Daddy had a surprise for him. We parked in the boat harbor. He was not impressed. Where was the beach? He wanted the beach!We explained he was headed for the open ocean on a jet ski. He just listened. He was nervous! When the time came to jump on with his daddy, he made a quiet little walk up the boat ramp toward me. I quietly walked him right back down! I assured him he would love it! He jumped on with his daddy, and with great trust, he was off! Meanwhile, Son2 and I walked the short boat dock over and over. I walked and he strolled. At one end we gazed into Haleiwa Beach Park. We turned around and walked back up the docks along the boat slips. We spied many crabs hiding in pukas (Hawaiian word for hole, no one says hole here).
Small fish swam along the boat slips. He peered down and watched them closely.Son2 and I enjoyed our quiet alone time, taking in our surroundings. An engine rumbled somewhere in the distance. A half an hour later we cheered when the big boys appeared in the harbor.
Son1 LOVED the jet ski! They got up to good speeds, and they even spotted two huge Hawaiian green turtles in the middle of the ocean. Son1 made me all giggly with his turtle impersonation.
Do you just love the shower the jet ski company offers? Aahh the spa treatment!

After the jet ski adventure we were starved. Now you can imagine where we landed our little selves. Think teriyaki cheese fries and half pound burgers with whole avocados and spongy buns. Oh yeah, uh huh, we were not going to pass up a Grass Skirt Grill dinner! We ordered dinner to go, and swung by McDonald's (yes, in a town of three thousand) for a chocolate milk shake for the kids. Their fries and chicken strips came from Grass Skirt Grill, though.

We looped back to the north entrance to Haleiwa, and pulled into Ali'i Beach park. We found picnic tables under a stunning tree. We planned to eat dinner at the park, and then catch the sunset on the beach. Ali'i Beach is also known as the Royal Beach. Many scenes from Baywatch Hawaii were filmed here, and this is also home to many surf competitions.
The sun started to set, and it was obvious dinner was all we could manage. So Hubs caught the sunset behind my absolute admiration for my burger. Aaahh this was romance. NO I did NOT throw away the bun like Dr. South Beach suggests. And you know every time we dine on Grass Skirt I must share pictures with you.

Son2 was incredibly content with dinner. He is just like his parents! He loves a great meal!
But after awhile he took in the expanse of the near empty park and insisted on tumbling and running with his brother. They ran and chased until it was time to go. Son1 willingly climbed into the car. Now his brother was a different story. His daddy tackled him and did that munchkin laugh at the thought of a possible escape! But for the time being, his daddy and I are bigger than him!

How Come I Don't See It?

This morning a preschool teacher was shocked at how much my boys look alike. Many of you leave comments and agree. I am told this all of the time in person, too. Even Hubby says it now. What is wrong with me? I secretly stare at them for minutes hoping to see what you all see. They undoubtedly look like brothers. I see that. But I don't see Son2 as the mini me of Son1. Did I mention I need to make an eye appointment?!?Do you have a mini me? Are you a mini me?

Office Party in Hawaii

Welcome to what Hubby's work calls an "office party." Many of his work parties are held here, at Bellows Air Station. Bellows is a military reservation, used for special trainings. It is also a destination spot for parties and tent and cabin camping. We held our family reunion here in 2006. This was actually an aloha and mahalo party for three folks departing the island.



Don't blink. I really took this picture.
The entire family is invited during work hours, on a work day to these parties. Now these folks are no beach bums. They work really, really hard when they are indoors. But on these days, Son1 finds the other kids rather quickly.

Our party was held right behind this little boy under a pavilion steps from the water. They change up the food plans each party. I secretly hoped for a charcoal barbecue. I L.O.V.E. me some charcoal barbecue. (The next time y'all get your lighter fluid and briquettes out, INVITE THE FARMERS. I will bring a heavy side dish. I promise.) Instead they catered "plate lunch."

You cannot go wrong with Hawaiian plate lunch. It is local and it is a favorite. Can you see how we ended up on the South Beach diet?!? Plate lunch is equivalent to "meat and threes" in the South. Just trade the veggies for lots of starches served with ample meat. Here is what our family ate.

We skipped the rice, but helped ourselves to Hawaiian fried noodles. Oooh they are so tasty and so greasy, but not slippery. I didn't have any Hawaiian mac salad, but that is also a huge factor in a great plate lunch. We feasted on kalua pork, grilled mahi mahi, and teriyaki chicken. The caterers also provided haupia (pronounced how-pee-uh). Hubby and I don't usually love this coconut milk based gelatin, but oooh la la this was best haupia e.v.e.r. It must have been made with shovels of sugar. Son2 packed this down like a champ.


We finished eating, and Hubby had some words to say into some microphone. I don't know. I try not to allow my kids to embarrass draw special attention to their father if I can help it. We got ready for beach time, instead.


The family hit the beach. We are getting to that age where Son1 is independent enough to hang with his daddy. So Hubby explained to him how to get his own boogie board leash on by himself.

Son2 and I hung on the beach for a little bit. We dug sand castles and revved our jeep, and suddenly I wasn't cutting the mustard, anymore.After awhile, he missed the big boys. He wasn't really ok with that.

Hubby came to his rescue.

Son2 rode small shore breaks into the sand. I love this picture because I imagine it happening again and again.



He tried surfing again, but the surf was too rough for his 17 month legs.
From Bellows beach we had a view to Rabbit Island. It is really called Manana Island, but everyone I know calls it Rabbit Island. It looks like a rabbit, and once upon a time many rabbits lived there. Now it is a bird sanctuary and Hawaiian monk seals live there.
We also saw the back side of Mokulua Islands. They are bird sanctuaries. One islet has a canyon and a black sand beach. On the other side is Lanikai Beach, one of the top ten beaches in the world.After some hard hitting waves, we packed up the family for home. Aloha ahui hou , Bellows! See the little tiny gray bridge on the bottom left of this picture? That is the entrance to the H3 interstate, through the Ko'Olau mountain range. It dwarfs against the mighty Ko'Olaus.
Just before we drove through the tunnel I snagged this picture of Kane'ohe Bay.


Sometimes I freak a little over hanging out the window for a picture. Do you?

Mahalo for the Prayers and Well Wishes

Friends,

((((HUGS)))) and a big MAHALO (thank you) to all who uplifted our family in prayer! My sister was very uneasy about her day in court. Her case held a lot of what-ifs. She called afterward and said she was comforted by all of the prayers. God very much protected her! Let me explain.

Many divorce cases in Calfornia end in settlements and most do not go to trial. This was not the case for my sister. Her sticky case had reached an impass. She and her attorney prepared for a trial on Friday. The judge attempted an absolutely miraculous and unexpected last ditch effort for settlement, and it materialized! The judge ruled harshly in favor of my sister, beyond anyone's expectation. (She and her now ex-husband are both attorneys, and each were represented by an attorney, and they were all surprised.)

This was not a happy day in court. It was grievous. As a formality, the judge called both her and her ex-husband forward and asked if there was anything more that could be done to save this marriage. My sister doesn't remember saying no, but knows that she must have said it. She remembers just sobbing. She had "gone to the mattresses," as they say in boxing, for this marriage. He cried, too. They were both broken, even though she had every right to divorce him. She told me she felt like someone had died. But life goes on...

This weekend she has known tremendous relief, motivation, and good spirits. Have I told you she has an A.W.E.S.O.M.E. job offer?!? Ok, I know I have! It is less money, more perks, and more time with her son. It is just so A.W.E.S.O.M.E. I am not allowed to blog about it. But be happy for her!!!

No Clean Breaks

Thursday night my sister called me on her way home from meeting with her attorney. She humbly asked if I would post something asking y'all to pray for her on Friday. And if you know my sister, you know she doesn't air her dirty laundry. Actually, she doesn't air her good laundry either. It wasn't a request I ever expected. I agreed, and ran a couple of things past her I might write. So here are some very, very personal thoughts.

Last night she said it was like a death in the family. She's right. In some ways it feels like death's end without understanding for those left behind. Tomorrow she will testify across from someone she once called her best friend, someone who shared her hopes, who shared her dreams, and shared the birth of her son. In some ways it is the end of something that began in 1996. In some ways, but not all ways. There is no such thing as a clean break.

The last fourteen months have been an intense roller coaster of emotions for our family. We have known tremendous shock, disbelief, absolute horror, helplessness, grief, and sorrow. There have been glimmers of hope mixed in there, too. Some of those glimmers of hope were shattered, some were not. And I do mean fourteen months. Once the reality of the situation came to light, it was far from the end. It was just the beginning. The pain and dark spot where my sister found herself was not pretty. My husband watched the way I felt intense pain for the three of them, 2,500 miles away. Some nights I slept little. Some nights I kept my phone close. Some nights he talked to her when I could not. My parents felt the intensity in a way I pray I will never know for my own children. And in a quiet place in my soul, I know this is a tragedy for my sister's in-laws as well. There is no such thing as a clean break.


Friday no one will emerge a winner. Emotional loss started fourteen months ago. Now it is the legal stuff, the paper stuff, the money stuff, the testimony stuff, the privacy stuff. Please pray for her. There is no such thing as a clean break.

I know divorces are a dime a dozen these days. They happen. So what? But have we really allowed ourselves to become so removed, so casual, so indifferent? My sister spoke with her husband earlier this week, and she laid it on the line. She is not supposed to be thinking of finding someone else or starting another life. This was not the way it was supposed to happen. She holds to the Christian belief of monogamy until parting at death. This divorce was not in the plan. But her heart was torn open. She tried reconciliation to no avail. Life took her in a new direction. She pulled herself up by her bootstraps. She sought God fervently. She immersed herself in a community of support at church. Her firm extended her understanding. Her family and friends rallied around her. Things were looking up. But the reality of the situation had not changed. There is no such thing as a clean break.


My sister has an amazing career opportunity before her, with a conditional offer of employment, outside of her current firm. My family is in awe of her confidence, her belief in God's protection and provision, and her ability to stand alone. Still there is the looming thought. There is no such thing as a clean break.


A bitty three year old boy is involved. There is no such thing as a clean break.


Saturdays my sister takes her little boy to McDonald's, and she has the same thoughts time and again. She looks around, and it is apparent her family looks different from the others. She thinks they look happy. Someone is missing from her table, though. There is no such thing as a clean break.


On Sundays my sister joined a family class at church. She looks forward to the Sundays when the families gather with their children for social events. She feels like she fits. Then there are the Sundays she does not have her son. Sometimes she doesn't go. There is no such thing as a clean break.


Friday marks the end, a new beginning, sort of, kind of, in a way. In some ways my sister feels it could mark the end of a living, endless nightmare. In a few ways it might. Please, please pray for her. There is no such thing as a clean break.

Shark Encounter: Cross It Off Hubby's Bucket List

Yesterday I shared how Hubby and I made Hawaii Bucket Lists. A shark encounter was on his list. Only two companies on the island offer shark encounters in the open water, off of Oahu's North Shore. He was pining for this adventure! Hubby has been scuba diving for over sixteen years in different countries, and has never seen a shark. He missed the shark at Molikini Crater that the rest of his group saw, and was bummed. This shark adventure was totally for him.

Hubby and a couple of guys drove to Haleiwa Harbor on the North Shore where this company launches their boat. The boat traveled three miles and 30 feet off shore. A Hawaiian law states that feeding sharks within three miles of shore is prohibited. The boat pulled along side the shark cage, tied to a buoy. As the boat slowed. they could see sharks circling around and around the boat. These sharks were hungry! The water was clear, and nearly 500 feet deep.

The guide hand fed the sharks mahi mahi pieces, heads and tails. The company gets free scrap pieces from the local fish markets, to avoid filling our brimming landfills. This is a huge problem, particularly on an island with limited space. Hawaii is very environmentally conscious.

Hubby claims the sharks were like dogs on hind legs, begging for fish. Their heads shot up two or three feet out of the water. Their breath was aggressive and shallow as they gasped for air. He compared the way the sharks chewed on fish pieces like a dog chews on a chew toy. The guide assured the group the sharks were perfectly safe. Once a deck hand was feeding the sharks, and was covered in shark pieces, when he accidentally fell in the open water with the sharks. Even though the sharks had a wild feeding frenzy with all of the fish pieces, they completely ignored the man who fell in. The man was cut up from the sharks banging into him. Shark skin is covered in tiny teeth material, so they are very rough animals. The company has also tried to feed chickens to the sharks, but they neglected the chickens and favored the fish pieces. The sharks are accustomed to the boat motor sound, and grasped that the boat symbolized free fish, an effortless appetizer.

The boat guide asked for a group of six that wanted in the cage. Hubs and his guys volunteered first. The cage is made of steel bars. It is plumb surrounded by floats on all sides at the surface. It is 10 feet deep by 8 feet long and 8 feet wide. The bars stand two feet out of the water. The cage is fully open on top. No one is locked in, and sharks cannot swim in. The bars are four inches apart, and the folks were told not to put their hands through the bars. Two viewing areas in the cage are made of thick plexiglass instead of steel bars. Once Hubby's group was in the cage, the guide started to chum the waters. You know what that means, right? He hurled gallons and gallons of fish into the water to attract sharks! Hubby counted at least twelve sharks. His group snorkeled and eyed the sharks for twenty minutes. Hubby dove down with his snorkel and mask to get deeper views. Here are a few of his pictures:

These were Galapagos sharks. They are known for being aggressive and dangerous. The company thinks that is an exaggeration. They think the sharks are bold and curious. They commonly press their bodies up against the cage's plexiglass to peer at the folks inside. The sharks that day were about ten feet long and 400 pounds.

A teeny tiny part of me wishes I would have done it. The water's depth gave me more heebie jeebies than the sharks. I scuba dove once to 100 feet and I found no enjoyment in a deep dive. I dislike heights and I certainly dislike deep depths. I adore shallow reef dives under 60 feet. The pictures below from the company's website are fascinating. They show the shark cage and the circling sharks. How about you? Would YOU have tried a shark encounter?

Doris Duke's Shangri La

Hubby and I made Hawaii Bucket Lists. There are few things that don't match up, and we are endeavoring separately. He had no desire to see Doris Duke's Shangri La estate. I had no desire to....never mind that post is coming soon! Instead I toured the estate with friends.



Even if you don't know about Doris Duke, you probably have heard about her family's money. Duke University is named for Doris Duke's daddy. He was a tobacco and energy tycoon, and died when she was just 12 years old. Half of his money went to the university. He left her the other half, the equivalent of a billion dollars. Well, back in the day she was a super famous heiress. This was 1925, and she had personal body guards to prevent her from being kidnapped for ransom.


In her early 20s she married, and honeymooned around the world for a year. Can you imagine....a year long honeymoon? She traveled mostly throughout the Islamic world, and made an extended stay in Hawaii. She purchased five acres of property on the back side of Diamond Head, the large volcanic crater on our island, right on the Pacific Ocean. She built a home from the ground up. It is full of Islamic art from her travels all around the world, and built in Islamic architecture.


The only way to get to Shangri La is to take the private tour through the Honolulu Academy of Arts. We arrived at the HAA, and were clipped with plastic numbers. We watched the required video in a building that houses some of her Islamic collection. Afterward, the docent handed us another official sticker to wear before boarding the official shuttle to Shangri La. It was all very OFFICIAL. We pulled into her unimpressive circular driveway and met our guide at the estate. Boy was the facade of the house deceptive. We had no idea what awaited us inside the front door!

We couldn't see Shangri La from the road. Even though she was one of the wealthiest women in America, she didn't try and impress people with her wealth. The property was really green with mature vegetation providing her total privacy from all angles. This is just the trunk of a huge banyan tree in her circular driveway.
The rest of the tree is elephantine and sprawling.

All over her plain walls, both inside and out, Doris mounted tiles from the Islamic world. She collected tiles from existing buildings. These tiles are several hundred years old, and tell stories in pictures. Her wall mosaics became her art.Just like the Islamic veiled culture with its privacy and beauty is what she recreated at Shangri La. The guide tugged on the wooden door and our tour group just ooohed and ahhhed. The home is totally deceptive. We had no idea such a large garden was hidden away.
This is called a Mughal garden. She visited many of these gardens in Kashmir, Pakistan, and India. We couldn't walk down the steps because it had just rained and the marble was slick. The guide explained the importance of geometry and balanced and reflective elements in Mughal gardens. Geometric patterns are within the long red brick pathways, the garden planters, and even in the waterfall that riffles down the marble steps.

We left the Mughal garden and entered her home, where no photography was allowed. You need to check out the tour on the link above, though, and you can see all the beauties I couldn't photograph. Wooo-wee I had never seen anything like this place. The dining room was done up just like the inside of a circus tent, from the floor to the tented ceiling! Yes, the ceiling looked just like an Arabian circus tent! Just off of the living room is a lanai that faces the Pacific Ocean. Mr. Random took my picture. What a nice shadow I am!
This is another view from the outside lanai. That land mass is Diamond Head. See the little pink house on the right? She called that little house here playroom. That was her guest house that was over 2,000 square feet, and modeled on an Iranian pavilion. This was an off limits area to us. Inside are collections of Iranian artifacts over 200 years old. She felt very safe in Hawaii and had no bodyguards. She went swimming with "the children" in her saltwater pool every day. "The children" were her TWENTY dogs.
I took another long shot of the back yard. Just like in her Mughal garden, the pool area was planned with reflection, geometric patterns, and water elements.
These are more of her Middle Eastern tiles mounted on the outside walls.Under this back lanai you see the tall glass windows from her living room. The walls disappear completely into a basement area. The windows are on elevator pulleys that drop them twenty feet into the ground. The archway on the left leads to a central courtyard. Her entire house is centered around this courtyard, on all four sides. The middle of her house is completely an open air square with seating all around.


Hidden cameras were all over the estate, but some weren't so hidden to me!
The house only had two bedrooms, but was 14,000 square feet inside.
A stairway led from her gardens to the balcony with awesome views.

We were not allowed to take photography past this gate. But if you look inside and gauge the ceiling you get the sense of the grandeur of the estate. Remember, this was a four sided courtyard. The chandelier lights were all on pulleys in the courtyard. Doris didn't want anyone falling when changing a light bulb. She even had the ceilings imported and installed in her home.
Our hour and a half tour came to an end. I learned so much about Islamic art and about Doris Duke, the young heiress who was once known as the Million Dollar Baby. She holds the largest collection of Islamic art in the country. In her will she left Shangri La to the Honolulu Academy of Arts. It recently opened in 2002 as a private tour offered by the museum.

After all this ogling, we were hungry! We grabbed some lunch along the pier downtown at a new restaurant. None of us had been there.
And since none of us had been there, I settled on trying something brand new. I ordered ahi belly. Now, for those of you that don't know, ahi is the Hawaiian word for tuna. But this is not like chicken of the sea. Nooooo. This is much fancier. I have had ahi steaks, just never ahi belly. So one of my friends totally rolled her eyes at me when I clarified that it wasn't tripe. Well, you know I wanted to know before it was sitting in front of me! Nooo it was just a different cut of ahi. I started out by asking the waitress what was most popular. That is my secret trick when I can't figure out what to order. I learned that one from Hubby. So it is really not that secret of a trick. She said all the big men ordered ahi belly. Well, bring it on, I thought!It was so delish I saved a little bit to give Hubby a try. He loved it, too!!!!