The BEST Christmas - A CHRONICLE

2010 was just the best Christmas EVER!  My boys, Vincent and Skylar, both came for the Holiday.

Here I am with ALL my boys:

Vince arrived on the 21st, from LA.  His brother was supposed to arrive then too, but he missed his plane from New York.  The next day was Vincent's birthday.  I took him for a driving tour of the south/west side of the island.  We traipsed up Waimea canyon only to find it totally fogged in. 

a stop on the way up the mountain to waimea canyon before the sun went away
Then I took him to see glass beach,

 we picked up Sky at the airport,
 and then it was home for bouillabaisse with crab and lobster and scallops and birthday cheesecake!  

SKYLAR

The next day we did some unfinished Christmas shopping, and then we had lunch at mermaids (ahi wraps) and then off we went to try  ziplining in Princeville.  They had 9 lines, including a 1200 ft long one, 150 feet over the kilauea River called "King Kong". 

It was glorious!  Of course I took 3 pictures with my camera and then..the battery died.  my boys laughed - so typical of me! 

Sky

Vince

rope bridge with deep gaps we had to cross....

KING KONG!

Vince and Sky racing each other on King Kong...they are so tiny you can barely see them...

After ziplining we came home to warm and welcomed delicious barbecued beef brisket sandwiches that Lance had made us.....

The next day the boys headed to Kealia beach for sun and snorkeling while I got ready for Christmas.  

Unfortunately the weather was on again/off again with sun/rain and mostly they just got clouds...They went to Haena but the beach was closed because of the high surf.

Christmas morning was a blast...opening Santa stockings to Christmas music and a roaring fire on the flat screen!

Chalupa and Sookie fight over their presents

Dinner was prime rib with all the trimmings and lemon meringue pie.

Sunday the boys and I went to the beach in Poipu.  A bit of sun here and there, but again mostly cloudy.  But i didn't care!  i was with my boys!

 We stopped in Kapaa for yummy shave ice with ice cream on the bottom and cream on top.
...and then it was Monday morning.

Vince, Lance and Sky

...and my boys caught a plane for Honolulu,
It all went by so fast. 

When I got home from the airport, I saw THIS in the mountains just outside our gate. 

yep- it's a waterfall.  In all the years we've lived here I'd never seen it before....

 I really enjoyed Vince and Skylar.

...and I really miss them already.  

an update - PLUS - pics from A WINTER SOLSTICE Swap!

Look how BIG my chocolate pod has grown!

...and now there is a new pod, up higher on the tree....

We have had tons and tons of rain lately.  So much, in fact that our "swale" turned into a mini river.....

But the dampness also brought lots of cool surprises.....

 lots of wild fungi......

 these are "jelly" mushrooms growing on an ironwood log. they feel really rubbery, and apparently they are edible - used in chinese cuisine.....not that i would dare to try them.....

 ...here are more of them.....

...and this is a giant hibiscus...look at that dreamy color!

 ...and this is a giant moth (about 4 inches) that did not survive the storm.  I just love the tattered wings!  I ordered some liquid silicone rubber and when it  arrives I hope to paint it on the wings to make molds ...I also found a mynah bird HEAD.  I did take a pic of it, but it is rather disgusting.   I think it was decapitated by a cat...but i won't show the pic.....i put the head aside so maybe it will decay and bleach out and leave me a nice skull....

Several pieces of vintage sterling silver flatware I have flattened to use as the bases for cuffs....

..

bronze and copper clay charms....

cute little butts...i tried to give the trolls wire hair, but i couldn't get the resin to set up right, so I'm still working on it....

this a a vacuum tool i have had for a long time.  For Christmas I got three types of plastic squares to melt in the platen and then lower onto objects i wanted to mold. 

 these are my first attempts.....

 isn't this cool?  I have to be really careful with undercuts or else the objects are hard to remove from the molds.....but it was fun experimenting and the molds are really detailed.  I love molds.  I collect them!...but i am trying my hand at making some myself now.

 This year 4 friends and I had a "winter solstice swap".  It was the BEST swap ever!
This is a handpainted and pieced canvas purse made for me by Fran Saperstein.  Glorious colors! Isn't it exquisite!  Fran also makes lovely paintings of all her travels.....

 Look at the yummy lining!
....and this is the incredible charm bracelet I received from Amber Dawn - the Queen of Charms!  Amber Dawn is FAMOUS for her macro-mini polymer clay cupcakes and other goodies.

Lucky Me!  A whole collection of Amber's one of a kind ART charms!    

Kara Klein sent me this stunning clutch made from hand dyed vintage crocheted linens.  It is SOOOO elegant!  Click on Kara's name link above to watch a video that interviews Kara as she describes how she makes the most AMAZING travel journal.

..and my last gift was made by Joanne Thieme Huffman -Joanne is a power artist extraordinaire ....she  makes fabulous polymer buttons, metal jewelry, fabric books, banners, scarves - and DOLLS!  My doll's name is "Cordelia"   ...just look at the details!

She came with her own stand so she can be displayed, but i loved photographing her against the waves and dolphins on this body board.

 For the swap I made cherry pit stuffed goddess dolls with skinny bodies, to be used as heat pads/cold packs.  ....but i forgot to take any pictures of them. LOL.

October News

My sister Gina and her husband Mark came to visit.  They stayed in Poipu in a condo on the beach,but we were together almost every day.  It was a blast!  We did a lot of snorkeling and hiking and shopping and eating and...did i mention eating?  SO MUCH FUN!

starting the 2 mile hike from Kee beach on the Napali coast....

hiking....

hiking....

down and up and down and around again......

and around...again and again....

slippery rivlets...

steep hills

see the farthest mountain?  we are going around THAT to get to the  end...

breath taking views when you aren't swatting bugs or clearing the stinging sweat from your eyes....

...a warning....

one final rocky river to cross...

.....those who haven't made it......

.

the goal.
Big Deal.
....another beautiful kauai beach.

a nene (hawaiian goose)

Mark cracks his first coconut - from one of trees...

Gina and Mark enjoy coconut chai tea at Mermaids Cafe in Kapaa....and the yummiest ahi wraps!
t

dinner at Calypso with lance and I....

at kealia beach

the hindu momastery

a purple Radushka bead berry....

amazing anthuriums
...on another note, Lance has finally left Hawaii for the mainland - his first time in 10 years!  he has flown to Colorado to look at some properties.  He likes the Westcliffe Valley  and Trinidad.
So yesterday I mowed and did the frond pick up all by myself.  Which I didn't mind doing- I actually LOVE to mow (I sing, I say rosaries, I plan projects)....but I MISS Lance.
..I've been working in the shop - not as much as I should be....I think my muse went to Colorado with lance....
.  I am working on a line of sterling silver spoon cuffs.  Here's one with a bronze hand and a bronze eye  (this is the last bronze eye I have - so no more of those in anymore projects)...

I just started one with a serving spoon, so it will be bigger  - maybe man-sized!  I'm going to put a winged skull on it. I finally figured out how to successfully rivet. Hallelujah.
I have also finished my skull rosary.  It is a full rosary, with ceramic skulls from Peru for the Hail Mary's, pearls capped with bronze skelly hands for the Our Father's, a bronze centerpiece with an eye on one side and a spider in a web on the other ....with skelly arms as connectors, and a bronze gothic cross with hands holding a quartz crystal blessed by the Hindu Guru Brody here on Kauai.  The other side of the cross has a large bronze skull.  The bronze wings are riveted onto the cross.  It is so long, that I added a short chain with a bronze bird dangle which has a skelly hook and eye closure to shorten the rosary into a double stand so it can be worn as a rosary.  All of the bronze work was done by me.  Oh.  red garnet blood drops hang from the cross.

...a silly pairof earrings...vintage glass blossoms.drop garnets and sterling heart chain.

I am also working on a winter solstice gift exchange..for the last 2 years we have exchanged gifts for Hanukkah, but this year 3 people had to drop out, so we changed the theme. I am trying to get all my Christmas shopping done early...uh,huh. every year I say I am going to be wrapped and shipped with 2 weeks to spare so i can kick back unstressed and bake and enjoy the holidays...as yet i have never made the deadline...haha...but this year my boys are coming to visit, so i for sure want to be relaxed and ready form them!

 yah, right.