June gloom

When we lived in CA, I was introduced to June Gloom...that time of the year when skies were gray and overcast. I can't help but think of that phrase when I try to capture what this month has felt. Between the  thick, heavy volcanic haze covering most of the island, and what I could call one of the saddest, darkest days in Big Island history (as far as I can remember) when the lava covered another couple of hundred homes in a day and the cultural/historic of landmarks of Kapoho, Champagne Ponds and Ahalanui- the overall mood has been low.

FYI, those were the three exact sites we were headed to last month when the lava fissures started to spew magma in nearby Leilani Estates. As tragic as losing hundreds of homes can be (over 600 at this point), homes can be replaced in time. But replacing a sparking, clear bay teeming with wildlife and coral? It's never going to happen in this lifetime, or the next tens of thousands of years. It was beyond devastating for the people of the island to have to see in slow motion.

Watching the flow take out this landmark has sparked fiery debate on whether goddess Pele/ke Akua (mythical legend of old Hawai'i/God) is 'cleaning house' of an area many locals see as 'taken over' by mainland/vacation rental owners who had tried to restrict/inhibit the local's use of the beach. I've NEVER been one to want to casually throw around those statements, not only because I'm not native Hawaiian and cannot purport to know what is on Pele's mind, but because it's incredibly insensitive to the natives (whether grown or flown here) who take great care to respect/malama (care for) the 'aina and live pono (righteous) lives. Many of their homes were lost too- so why were the innocent ones also being punished?

On that note, can we also please just zip our lips if we don't understand why people built in the area? Those of us who live here know it's not even close to just 'being stupid'- between devious, manipulative developers who assured locals the area was 'safe' and the fact that NOT buying land in the area might have meant NEVER owning a home, people built homes there. Yes, they knew there was some risk, but many generations have survived and thrived in the area as well...so they weren't being totally foolish or 'stupid.' Are people who bill homes in Tornado Alley 'stupid?' We also have tsunamis, earthquakes and flood zones in Hawaii...are we all stupid for building homes here? Things are never quite as simple/black and white as they may seem...so when in doubt...don't start pounding the keyboard.

There have been a few upsides, however, to a month that feels and literally, looks gray:

• My BFF Kathy, and Ryan's godmother, flew over for a visit, and we spent a day noshing on some Tex's malasada, viewing the falls of Akaka, a shopping spree at TJ Maxx for the end of Ryan's birthmonth 'renovation celebration', more noshing/buying at Big Island Candies, and some arcade time for two ten-year olds who patiently sat in the car most of the day.
• Ryan's final, for real this time(!) birthmonth festivity- a trip to the Seahorse Farm (a true wonder) with his Aunty Lynne & cousins. He got to hold a seahorse for the first time and loved learning all about the magical creatures and has touched an animal I have not (and trust me, I doooo love an animal-touching experience)!
• And on the note of touching animals...my outdoorsman nephew got to chase down a baby pig the other day (he released it). This picture cracked me up:

A few pics of our day around the island:

We could see large freshwater prawns in the water. Though I am not a lover of seafood and have never eaten a prawn in my life, it was like seeing little Kobe steaks strolling around in front of us. I wanted them!

The only Hummer experience our son will likely ever have...thanks to his sedan-loving mom. ;-)

The final results of Ryan'd bedroom remodel (and yes, clearly the theme was all things fluffy, white, blue and gray):

Thank you, Aunty Kathy for the new shelf/succulents!

Uncle Joey said he needed a plant...so Uncle Joey bought him a plant for his birthday remodel! But Ry picked out the planter and plant and replanted it for his room.

Seahorse holding ;-)

In less than a month we're off to language school in Japan, for Ryan. So we're in the thick of studying. All is going well, he's learned all 46 hiragana and 46 katakana, and we're working on the tenten, maru and little tsu variations of the characters. We have less than three weeks to nail it all down, so it's definitely crunch time! But I'm proud of our little guy for learning what I didn't start until 9th grade, and for being interested enough in language to want to try. I know the odds of achieving any measure of bilingualism are slim, but I'm still hoping and know that no matter what, it will help his brain.