Deflated Corpse Flower at Foster Botanical Garden

Well, I didn't get to see the Corpse Flower in all its grandeur, but, even in this slightly deflated state, it's still pretty impressive; and I can't say that I'm all that sad about the smell having faded. Really, I wanted to see it more than smell it. So, all in all, this worked out OK for me!

(Click to enlarge)

Foster Botanical Garden did a nice job of documenting the progression of the Corpse Flower's opening. Click on the link and scroll down to see more photos.

Quilts on Display in Honolulu

The Hawaii Quilt Guild is holding its annual show at Linekona Art Academy, 1111 Victoria St., Honolulu, May 11-20, 2012. All the quilts on display are impressive and clearly a labor of love, but these were some of my favorites. I apologize for the poor quality on some of these photos. I was trying not to use my flash, trying to back up far enough to get the whole quilt in the picture, trying to see as many as I could before my meter expired, and/or just not paying good enough attention to what I was actually getting in the frame! You get the general idea though, and if you are in the area, it's a nice (air-conditioned!) break from the hustle and bustle of the city. Stop by, be impressed and inspired, and vote for your favorite. 

"My Blue Hawaii" -Wendy Pulsifer

I don't know how you tie-dye a gecko pattern, but Wendy figured it out!

"Traveling Flower Garden/Grandmother's Flower Garden" -Patricia Lei Murray

There are more than 6,000 pieces in this quilt, all of which were hand pieced 100 years ago in Germany by Marie Baumgarten. Patricia is hand quilting it for Marie's great grandchildren. 

These African and Japanese prints are the front and back of the same quilt, "The Best of Two Worlds" by Linda Dayag.

"My Father's Garden" -Jeannie Salmon

I love Jeannie's story about learning to design by going out into her yard and picking flowers to trace. Her father only loved anthuriums. 

Did you know you could send a fabric postcard? Designs by Barbara Vasold, Sharon Nakasone, Mary Harmon, Ann Boring, Joan Apana, and Arlene Adams.

"Hawaiian Monsterra" -Pat Gorelangton (design by John Serrao)

I love the colors and the design on this!

Non-surfin' Turtles at Laniakea Beach

This is one of my favorite places to bring visitors.  The turltes come up and lounge on the beach, and it's always fun to see somebody discover that not all of those "rocks" on the beach are actually rocks!

Mahalo (thank you) to the Malama na Honu (Protect the Turtles) volunteers who are always on hand to educate the public and help keep our beautiful turtles safe while they rest on the beach.  Many of the turtles are tagged and identified.  I didn't get everyone's name today, but I do remember seeing signs up for Olivia-Dawn (Hawaiian name: Ipo, Tag L-04) and Wooley-Bully (Hawaiian name: Lopeka O Holokai, Tag L-07).  

Surfin' Turtle at Electric Beach

You have no idea how many pictures I have of waves without turtles in them, but, finally, I got this!

Annual Yard Update

Well, I seem to have a habit of missing April's Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, as I did once again this year.  I wonder what's up with that?  It's also sort of become a tradition for me to take stock of my yard every April.  Mostly, this had to do with seeing the progress of my lime tree each year, but now I include most of the rest of the yard too.  I think everything has matured to a point where there's not too much difference in growth from year-to-year, but I still like to see what, if anything, has changed.  So, this probably won't be too exciting for anyone else, but you're all welcome to come along with me!

April, 2010

April, 2011-Not much has changed here except that my Puakenikeni (the tree in the foreground) has put on some new growth.

April, 2010

April, 2011-Not much has changed here either except that I've added a few pots, my red ti is coming up nicely next to my orange pot, and I haven't yet trimmed back my Euphorbia leucocephala (in the center, behind the blue flowers).  Maybe I won't this year, and we'll just see what happens.  It's a huge job--it's not that I mind the pruning, but they are full of that white sticky sap which makes it much more of a chore since I do my best to crawl around in the bushes without getting covered in sap.     

No before and after here, just a lizard saying, "Hello?" before he ran away screaming, "My eyes!  MY EYES!"  I probably should have turned the flash off.  Sorry, lizard dude.

April, 2010

April, 2011--My Monstera deliciosa (Swiss Cheese Plant) has gotten a little bit taller, Mocha has moved, and my patio is considerably more full of weeds, but luckily you can't tell that from this picture!

FYI, the Monstera make for very dramatic arrangements--with or without flowers! (That's a standard-sized vase, about 12" tall.)

April, 2010

April, 2011-Wow, all of my palms have grown up quite a bit--you can hardly see the variegated hau that is growing along the top of the rock wall.  Also, my palms have started fruiting--I'm not sure what they are, but you know I'm documenting the progression!

April, 2010

April, 2011--The biggest change here is the addition of my Big Orange Pot.  The scale is hard to get in the picture, but it's about thigh-high...if it were a pair of stockings, it would be really sexy.  Anyway, since I got it from Tropical Garden Accents, I've liked it, but I haven't been sure it was the right choice. (It was on sale, so that helped...)  Now, being able to see the before and after, I really like it!  It makes the whole yard seem so much more vibrant...or that could just be my camera.  Nah, I'm gonna go ahead and credit the pot--that just adds to my conviction that it was the right choice.  The two oranges that are growing the pot are a nice touch as well.

April, 2010

April, 2011--Yay!  I love my new pot!

April, 2010--Finally, my lime tree.  Huh.  Seems like I could have taken a better picture last year.

April, 2011--Not much difference in my lime tree, but my Monstera is almost hiding our neighbors' house.  Wow!  I didn't realize how overgrown that has become.  See?  That's why it's good for me to do these comparisons every year.

Well, the transformation from 2010 to 2011 hasn't been all that exciting; 2009 to 2010 was a lot more dramatic.  Be sure to come back next year--by then maybe my Monstera can do its own write-up!

  

Molokai-Day 3 (Finally!)

Well, it only took me a year-and-a-half, but here it is.  You may recall that back in November, 2009, I took a promotional trip to Moloka'i, which was generously supported by Hotel Moloka'i, which provided us with free accommodations.  I told you about Day 1 of our trip (which was mostly getting settled into the island and its mellow vibe) and Day 2 (which included lots of activities and the cutest dog on the planet), and I have been promising to tell you about my favorite part, Day 3, ever since.  Luckily for you, since it has been so long, I don't remember a lot of details, so this will probably be more pictures and less words. (In fact, this is an extremely photo-heavy post.)

We got up early on Day 3 to meet up with Bill, our Nature Conservancy volunteer guide.  Bill would take us on some wild four-wheel-drive roads and into the beautiful Kamakou Preserve, which consists of over 2,700 acres of beautiful rain forest and something I had never even heard of before, a mountain bog.  The end of the hike brings you to a valley overlook that is breathtaking.  So, let's begin!

On the way up to the trail, we stopped by this pit in the ground.  It doesn't look like much, but it had some fascinating history behind it regarding the sandalwood trade.  Be sure to ask your guide about it.  

Another stop along the way provided us with a beautiful valley view and a sort of preview of what was awaiting us at the end of the trail.

Finally, we made it to the boardwalk that marks the trail through the preserve.  Wow!  This is much tinier than what I had in mind!  

See the metal grid tucked behind this cool plant?  Notice how it is almost the width of the foot that is standing cross-wise on it?  Yeah, tiny.  

We walked through a lot of rain forest and saw many cool plants, like these:

Luckily, the tiny boardwalk did open up in some spots, like when we finally reached the bog area, which was beautiful, but nothing like I thought it would be.  It was a spectacularly open view and not at all full of swamp monsters and bog mummies like I was expecting. 

(Hikers, not bog mummies)

Our guide, Bill (also not a bog mummy)

There were still some cool plants tucked in to these wide open spaces, like this ohia... 

and whatever this is:

Pretty soon, it was back into the rain forest.

Wow.

Jungle-y.

And Dr. Seuss-y.

Finally, we reached the end of the trail and we were blessed with a break in the clouds for a beautiful, sunny view of the many peaks and valleys surrounding us.  It's so hard to capture, but this was truly breath-taking.  

After a nice break for lunch, it was time to head back into the jungle and prepare to return home.

I'm in there somewhere!

After this experience, I can't say enough good things about The Nature Conservancy or our guide, Bill.  He was full of information about the history of Moloka'i, gave us tons of information about the plants that  we saw on our hike, and even gave us a reading list in case we wanted to follow-up on our education.  

Funding is being cut everywhere these days, and organizations like The Nature Conservancy are going to become more and more reliant on private donations.  Please consider supporting them in any way you can.  Even if you can't donate, you can volunteer or even visit one of their projects and spread the word about your experience.  I would love for everyone to be able to come to Hawai'i and experience the beauty here, but The Nature Conservancy is active in all 50 states and over 30 countries, so even if you can't come to Hawai'i, you can probably find something close to home that will give you a whole new appreciation for the place you live.