Waimanalo Pumpkin Patch

"So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything but God, who makes things grow" 1 Cor. 3:7 is the belief of Waimanalo Country Farms.

Dakota Supersweet...what a great morning.

Makahiki

The Makahiki is an ancient annual festival dedicated to Lono, the guardian of agriculture, rain, health, and peace. The Makahiki festival was celebrated for 2,000 years throughout the Hawaiian Islands. It was based on the lunar calendar, the beginning of the Hawaiian new year began on the first night of the rising of the constellation Makali'i (Pleiades). The four months following the rise of Makali'i, October through January, was set aside as a time for Lono-to give thanksgiving for the bounty of the land and sea. During the Makahiki all warfare was strictly forbidden in reverence to Lono. Lono represented the spiritual life-force that came from agricultural efforts, the people celebrated with feasting. The focus on health and welfare was celebrated with games of skill that tested body and mind.

The first phase was spiritual cleansing and making offerings to the gods. The offerings were made on the altar of Lono.

here the Nakoa is accepting a ho'okupu-gift according to royal protocol,
the Kahuna Nui- high priest cleansing the area before the games,



the second phase was a time of celebration of hula, sports (one legged wrestling-hakamoa is pictured above, sliding on sleds, surfing, canoe races, relays, swimming), singing, and feasting. There is a preserved lava sled slide in Keauhou on the Big Island. All royal protocol was suspended during this time.
Kapuaikaula (Hawaiian name for the lands that are now Hickam base) dignitaries,

Erica participating in the games, this is moa pahe'e,
I was impressed with how she threw the spear in the makaihe,
and her rock was right on for the ulu maika game. At the end of the games-"pani" and feasting royal protocol was returned where the king could not be looked in the eye and all had to stay below the king's level.
In the Hawaiian language Mahakiki is year, change of harvest time to the beginning of the new season, ma Kahiki also means "as in Tahiti", Lono is associated with voyages to and from Tahiti and return to Lono during the early migration in the form of man. The third phase, at the end of the Makahiki festival, a canoe was loaded with ho'okupu and taken out to sea where it was set adrift as a gift to Lono.

The Hawaiian language is really poetic. "Kama" means to take, "aina" is land so Kama'aina is this land stole your heart. People who homestead in the islands are kama'aina. "Koko" is blood so Koko'aina are the people who's blood is tied to the land.

"pa'a" is salt which was cherished, "kai" water so pa'akai is ocean water. "O" circle, eternity, "wai" water so "wai" is fresh water, "ha" breath of life so "O'wai kouinoa piha" means: from what waters do you drink? or what is your name? How cool is that...

SOEST

The SOEST Open House is such fun, I check their web site often-it is great resource for science workshops and lectures around the island which are usually kid friendly and free,
cornstarch and water...is it a solid or
is it a liquid....
next learning about crust sampling,

learning how to do fossil rubbings,
next learning about marine phytoplankton,
learning about sea pressure,
practicing being on a research boat,

timed morning-Erica did it in 7 seconds!
here they learned about atmospheric pressure with a crushed can and balloon rocket experiment and how it relates to weather,
we spent the most time here learning about rocks, Erica loves rocks and has a large collection...that is all over the house...

next I stopped in to visit Chip Fletcher, now Associate Dean of SOEST and scientist for NOAA...go figure, I used to swim with him everyday at lunch when I went to UH, then he was head of UH's Geology & Geophysics Dept. His wife is a Dean at Punahou. The other person I swam with, Rick Rocheleau is head of UH Engineering and Director of HNEI (HI Natural Energy Institute) which is under SOEST and leading in grant acquisitions for UH...who knew?!
I showed the kids where my clinic and classes were when I was a grad student...which was right across
from the pool-I could walk out the front door of the clinic and into the front door of the pool.

My Dad Is SO COOL!

This morning I worked on the filming for a movie, the filming was done in Baltimore Harbor on board the restored Civil War sloop of war Constellation, I portrayed the Capt. of the Trent, a British ship that was stopped and boarded by the US Navy at the beginning of the Civil War and the Confederate ambassador Mason and Seidel were arrested and removed, this stopping and boarding of a British ship on the high seas was a grave incident between the US and Britain. It was interesting and fun doing the filming, I've attached a photo of myself and another actor who portrayed the Capt. of a slave ship whose ship was also boarded and he was arrested in placed in irons.

Last Week

Morning moon and sky,


falling asleep on a short trip home,
Gilbert (a female kitty),
doing school with the kitten,




we've had to go down town a bunch lately-Erica needs oral surgery and both Evan and Erica need braces soon,
in our trips down we see all these murals,

kitten break again,
evening sunset.