Animals in Hawai'i

DH and Amy spent an afternoon horseback rididng.

This moth was on the ceiling of the gazebo outside our house.

Yellow-billed Cardinals.

Some kind of sand crab. DH and I sat on the beach just watching these little things move seed pods from the trees and quickly bury themselves when startled.

Other animals we saw were wild goats along the road kind of like we see deer here. There were donkey crossing signs posted along the highway, but we never saw any. Once the coffee growers stopped using them for transporting coffee they let them loose, so now they just roam the land.

The most common critter we saw was the gecko. There were everywhere inside and outside the house. They keep the insect population down. The picture is blurry, but it's the only one we have.

The Big Island: geographic diversity

"The Big Island is the southernmost and easternmost of the Hawaiian Islands--it is also the largest. This island dwarfs all the others in the Hawaiian chian at 4,028 square miles and growing. It accounts for about 63 percent of the state's total landmass; the other islands could fit within it two times over. With 266 miles of coastline, the island stretches about 95 miles from north to south and 80 miles from east to west." Moon Handbooks Big Island of Hawai'i by Robert Nilsen.

The above picture is where we stayed in the little area of Puako. The house is on the far right hidden by the trees. You'll notice the desert-like land in the foreground and the green near the ocean. This west side of Hawai'i only gets about 10 inches of rain per year.

This picture is taken from the helicopter. We were approaching Hilo on the east side. The contrast is that Hilo is one of the wettest cities in the U.S. getting over 200 inches of rain per year. Hilo is less than two hours from where we stayed in Puako.

Above is lava coming from Kilauea on the southeast side of the island.

This is the ranchland where Amy and daddy rode horses. It's in the north, only about 45 minutes from the desert area.

These are trees in the Volanoes National Park. The air quality is acidic due to volcanic activity. I wonder if that's why they look so bare or if that's just the nature of that type of tree.

This is Akaka Falls near Hilo. The falls drop 442 feet to the pool at the bottom.

I was most fascinated by the diversity of the island and it's demonstration of God's power. While we are subject to God's power wherever we are I was more aware of it in Hawai'i because of the possibility of volcanoes erupting and tsunamis approaching. While we played in the ocean I noticed the strength of small waves. They knock you over. They sat my dad down a couple times. My brother-in-law was knocked into some coral and needed 10 stitches. I can hardly imagine the strength of a tsunami.

All these differences are cause for praising God for His creativity and His mercy in allowing us the fun and safety we enjoyed. I'm sure I'll have more later. ; )

A taste of Hawaii

We're back!

I'm still getting back to "normal" life, so I'm not ready to share the trip much yet, but here's a taste.

Today's the Day

We're leaving behind this when we take off this afternoon. Since I love snow I have mixed feeling about it. So I'll try to look at it as a blessed send-off.

Fall beauty

The view from the back window.

Christmas dress

Here's the Christmas dress.

Our week

We've had a normal week. I've not had that much to share it seems. But I have been busy sewing Amy a Christmas dress. It's almost finished. I'll make myself one when hers is finished, but it may have to wait until after Hawaii.

Here's a message I got from the person who bought the vintage apron pattern on ebay.

Dear momawake, Hi again! I recieved the pattern today. Thanks for the sending it so quickly. I am making vintage aprons and selling them so I can stay at home and care for my son and Dad (He is on Hospice). But what I wanted to tell you was that after I trace out the pieces and copy the directions, I will be mailing the pattern back to you to relist and sell for your friends. All I really need is the pattern. Hope this helps some. Again God Bless, Kathy
- 4kathy-c

As my friend says "the story continues."

Today we started getting a few things ready to send to HI. We're sending most of our supplements ahead. I also touched base with the dog sitter. We've been gathering things we need to take. Derrill got the itinerary all together, so we know where we are going and when. ; )

Last night we hosted the pastor and his wife. That was enjoyable and educational. We learned a few more things about the church. The church has been going through times of testing over the last couple years. Now it seems to be in a period of rebuilding or maybe almost to that point.

I think that's it for now. Oh, how could I forget the snowflakes in the air this week. There weren't many, but they were there. : )

Traveling Toast

Here's my contribution to playing host to Toast. See Amy's blog to find out more about him. http://vintageroseshome.blogspot.com.

Dress pictures

Fall Dress

It's finished! I want to add a button still, but it's wearable. ; ) I'll post a picture soon.

(Two weeks until we leave for Hawaii!)