Spinning Dolphin Dan

Sunrise, heavenly sunshine.


We are up early and off to Moloa'a Bay. It's remote, except for a doggy who greeted us (a pale yellow colored lab with long curly hair looks like what our puppies would have looked like if Emmalou and Owen had 'married.') And then a tour bus arrived to view the movie set of Gilligan's Island, we didn't know this was a tour destination.



Dan has so much fun frolicking in the salt water, I catch him here, Spinning like a Bottlenose Dolphin. I am content to paint. And what I love is that nothing I try to paint holds a candle to God's paintings. I am routinely humbled in my attempts, though it's still fun and helps me ground and concentrate: a good discipline.



We have a feast of avocado sandwiches and organic (don't panic) red corn chips with mango bean salsa and a Pilsner Urquell.

Then we stop by the Fish Market to pick up a pound of swordfish to grill for dinner, and I take a few pictures for Sheryl Schulling, amazing botanical specimens.

We need a few grocery items, so we swing by the Farmer's Market for bananas and tomatoes, an avocado and an unexpected treasure: Lilikoi (passion fruit) goat's cheese. A scrumptuous pupu to enjoy as we grill. Today yoga is Relax Deeply from 5:30-7:00 so dinner will be stylishly late, and we'll be famished.



The Pose of the Day is Camel Pose or Ustrasana.
"Some think stiffness is in the body. Yogis believe stiffness is in the mind.
What are you holding onto?, they ask. Surrender!" ~ Bhavani



"Yoga is all about creating space. The mind, the heart, the rib cage to allow the breathe to be full, the blood vessels to soften and dilate, the vertebras to lengthen and separate, allowing for spongy discs to be full, not compressed. And the joints to open and be spacious." ~ Tara

Enough blogging for today, it's habit forming. And will make a nice journal when printed.

Mahalo Nui Loa, Susan

All of the yoga students said, "Huh?"

The mysterious quote of the day ...
"The Universe was drowning in the Light of the Soul's Divine wine . . . " ~Tara reads Hafiz, Persian poet extroidanairre
Surrender to that! It made savasana a fascinating meditation.

The day began at the pool, swimming and floating under beautiful, blue skies.
Then Yoga class, quite vigorous, so many new flow sequences and poses I have never experienced.
Lunch at the Hanalei Mixed Plate, then off to Hanalei Bay for painting and Dan enjoys the Surf. Too rough to do much of just bobbing around, which I (Dan) like best, but after a while I got up enough confidence to do some body surfing. Came out of it invigorated, slightly sore and slightly sunburned. Here's Dan (hard to see) in Hanalei Bay. This one's for you, Gail:



Dan is so at home in the Bay, when he returned to our blanket, I painted a home on the shore:




We have just enough time to shower away the sand and cool the reddened skin before the Welcome Reception.
Here is the pose of the Day...Virasana or Hero's Pose. Mostly beacause after two days off the mat, I was somewhat fidgety today, so here's a simple grounding pose, always surrendering and turning into the breath to calm the vritti (monkey) mind.

Does anyone out there need a sarong? I am dying to go shopping although I don't need a thing. They come in a dozen colors and are only $5.99; in red, hot pink, baby pink, orange, yellow, lime, aqua, navy and black. They have a little batik print at the edge. Soft, and not sheer. I can even find you a matching silk lei, for about $2, for your next luau.

Here is a whale photo, my they were busy off the Cliffs this morning. This is the best picture I took. And a photo Dan took of sunset this evening from our lanai.




Aloha,

Susan and Dan

And all God's children said, "Huh?"

Not all God's children said Huh, but we did. After listening to a particularly confusing epistle reading this morning (First Corinthians 8: 1-13. Help us here. Anybody? We usually catch on pretty quickly, but not this time: It has to do with eating, and not eating, and eating meat, and not eating food offered to idols. And some other stuff.).

That was at Lihue Lutheran, which today celebrated its 125th anniversary with a two-and-a-half-hour festival service, followed by a luau for 500 people. The bishop of the ELCA, Mark Hanson, preached, and the bishop of the Pacifica Synod, Murray Finck, presided. We felt privileged to be there.




Every table for eight had a flower arrangement; there were palms and flowers all over the place; there was music and hula dancing and drums; and a menu of kalua pork, teri chicken, mac salad, one scoop rice, lomi lomi salmon, cellophane chicken noodles, and poi, which Dan thinks is the Hawaiian Lutheran version of lutefisk. You have to eat it.

And the cakes! Lilikoi. Guava. Mac nut. Halupia. Some form of decadent chocolate. They were fabulous.

Dan wound up the courage to talk with Bishop Hanson, and thanked him for keeping the ELCA under control, which must be very hard to do. Dan explained that we had been on staff at Holden Village for a year but were only able to last six months because of all the overt political overtones and activism. The bishop was very gracious and understanding.

Now, a few words from Susan:

A sweet day. Wafffles on the lanai, after waking to an alarm clock! We have been anticipating this worship service since we were invited a year ago. It was elaborate, in food, music, dance and flowers. A beautiful blend of Hawaiian praises (pules) and old standard hymns. Then we head for home, driving past the Sleeping Giant, which watches over the Old Kapaa Town. Which reminds me . . .

The Pose of the Day is Anjali Mudra, or Namaste. (No pose . . . you know I always take Sundays off :-) Just stop, breathe in and out, and notice how everything lifts its heart towards God. The Trees and Flowers, the Mountains, as if giving thanks for creation. I give thanks for you, all those I love back home, and here, for more blessings than I can count. "Namaste."

We spend the afternoon at the pool and read and swim, sip fruit juice and enjoy meeting our temporary neighbors.

Home to grill chicken, which we will serve with a coriander chutney: yogurt with cilantro, mint, serrano chile, green onion, fresh lemon, honey and sea salt. Then who knows, maybe we'll lay on the lawn and count the stars. (Dan: Or maybe we'll have some drinks and watch Desperate Housewives . . .)

Blessings on your day of rest!

Love, Dan and Susan

Let it Shine...

The birds are twittering, chirping and screeching: "Wake up, The sun has returned".
Dan sleeps in and I hop up (my Dad was a Marine you know.. (smiles).
I watch the sun rise and decide to paint. The intensity of painting hurts my eyes, really hurts. So I've taken a few days off to rest them.
Here's today's creation:














When Dan and I have breakfast this little cutie joins us for the peanut butter toast. These cardinals abound at The Cliffs...but not when it's rainy. This is our first sighting.

Then we're off to the beach to embrace the sun and ocean's saltiness. Dan floats happily, while I read and do my yoga practice.
No formal class today; it's all about your personal practice today. All I can say is start with an intention. Shower, set the space as if you were planning to entertain a beloved friend, then meet yourself on your mat. This is where your personal experience deepens to to Joy and Love and Peace!!! I can't tell you, smiles, just take ten minutes three times a week and go deeper.

Then getting hungry we head to Kapa'a for a Thai luncheon. Back to the beach for more light and salt and ocean's roar. We never tire of the majestic ocean and it's beaches.

We head for home to freshen up before church at St. Sylvester's Catholic Church in Kiluea. Shell leis are our greeting. The priest is here presiding on Kauai ( on vacation from Idaho?). It's a terrific homily and it could be Baptist. It's the sweet simple story that we are called to live counter- culturally. "People, the Lord has already told you what is good, and this is what he requires: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. "
Then home again home again jiggety jig. We enjoy the sun setting on another day in paradise, make pizza and watch some public tv.
Sweet dreams and Mahalo for tuning in.
Love, Susan

Friday: Helloooo Sunshine!

Finally, warm sunny skies upon awakening.
After a breakfast of bananas, pinepple, waffles and (for Dan) sausage, we head for the pool. You may remember that the elusive Dan made a brief blog appearance there on Friday.


Then off to Hanalei Yoga for Hatha Flow with Tara. It is so easy to sweat and purify on these humid days, Dan has to wring me out when he picks me up. Dan prepared a picnic lunch and we go directly to Haena State Park to enjoy the feast.

The highlight of the day had to be the Limahuli National Tropical Botanical Garden, set on 17 acres and dedicated to caring for endangered species of plants. This could be an entire post in itself (from Dan: when time permits, which most likely will be after we get home since the weather is finally nice here, we'll do a web page of photos from the garden). We strolled the ancient ruins for two hours with a self-discovery map and thrilled at each new plant and tree. It was like the Hawaiian version of Honeymoon Heights at Holden Village.






Here is today's pose of the Day . . . Tree Pose.

"Let go of all words and adjectives that describe yourself.
They don't serve you . . .
They only serve to differentiate and separate you.
Instead surrender and be one with everything." ~Tara






Then a little shopping . . . at Foodland, Susan needs a new sarong. We have an appetizer, and a glass of wine before going out to Sabella's, an upscale Italian spot in a nearby developement. Dan likes the lasagna, but finds it to be way heavy on the rosemary. Susan loves her eggplant parmigiana. The wine was Il gufo . . . what a name. The restaurant has been open less than a year, and they're still figuring things out. We'll give them a couple more years before we return.

To cap the romantic evening we went to the Princeville Hotel's "Living Room" for a Tuitini (a Bombay sapphire martini with a splash of Grand Marnier) and the piano bar. It is an amazing place. We went outside we felt small under the magnificent canopy of stars.

Goodnight all, and Mahalo

Where's Dan?

Don't worry. He's still here:






And still holding out hope for better weather.

Click here for the forecast

Tropical Showers Prevail

Yes, those heavenly showers continue to nourish and refresh the islands. We have a plan to endure and enjoy each moment here in Hawaii. Warrior One is the pose of the day~


"Letting go of all your thoughts
Set yourself free" ~Tara
(of predicted outcomes, or fantasy weather scenarios)
"Surrender and rejoice'' ~Tara


We attend a time-share presentation this morning. It pays $100, and is encouraged by our owner's association because they get a cut. We were curious about the property, but not sincere about purchasing. It seems like we let the young salesman down, stealing his time. The damp stroll to the property was sweet.



We drove south to Kapaa in the worst downpour I've ever witnessed, then enjoyed a good pizza and salad for lunch. Then a little puddle hopping down main street and shopping at the Tropical Tantrum. Buying one thing takes me several days. Dan let the ladies know ...
We stopped along a few beaches to enjoy some yoga stretches and watch surfers, visited a guava plantation, Kilauea's Bakery and the mid-week grocery shopping at the Farmer's Market

It was a relaxing day of just going with the flow.

Relax Deeply at 5:30 was a fairly 'busy' class. It helps me as a yeacher to understand what helps students and what doesn't. I love routine and structure, poses and directions, not "Find a nice stretch for yourself."

"To be sensitive, is to really live." ~ Kari
"Be willing to feel ... and heal." ~ Kari

But there is always something to learn from a yoga class: "Without the breath, the poses are just a lot of calisthenics. Add the breath and go deeper, heal." ~ Bhavani


Dan loves watching whales off the lanai here at The Cliffs.
We had a romantic dinner outdoors around 8. Crashing surf, fragrant, warm winds, and showers!
( My 8 ounce portion is a grilled bean burrito :-)

It's all good, being here with Dan. (I have decided that I am the flea on this migratory bird.)

Aloha, Susan

A couple of days late, here's the answer to Monday's question: The pose was Uttanasana, or Waterfall Pose. Can you guess the name of this pose?

Chance of Showers

More rain today 5 inches in the last twenty four hours, but it is seventy degrees. Today began with an owner's meeting.
Then off to Yoga Hanalei for a Hatha Flow class. Savasana is always memorable. So once again, The pose of the Day is Corpse pose.
In our culture we don't necessarily like to discuss dying.
Aging is not glamorous...
But life is such a Gift!
so many flavors, textures, so many scents,sights and sounds
so many Loves and loves-lost


Cradle yourself in this moment
And feel a deep contentment!
Life is such a gift ~Bhavani

And so Yoga. Then more showers and lunch at Hanalei Gourmet. They make the best Waldorf Salad with carmelized walnuts, green crisp apple and blue cheese, folded into soft butter lettuce swimming in a creamy white light dressing.

Dan reads and nods off, while I paint.
The inspiration coming from the plants around the pool. It's too wet to paint in Plen Aire, so I seek inspiration elsewhere.
We catch sight of a double rainbow, with Both ends arcing over the Cliffs, en route to the pool. God's promise!







As the sun sets on another day in Paradise, we head down to the gazebo to grill Walu a firm white fish to enjoy for supper.

Mahalo,
Susan and Dan

Sometimes, it rains here

Just like in Oregon... If it's going to be green, it has to rain. Today, we were pretty much socked in from the get-go. So, early on, we decided that it was a good day to get in the car and go for a drive, have breakfast out, and do some shopping.
After breakfast at the Oki Diner in Lihue, about 30 minutes south of here, we drove further south to see Naiwilili Harbor. Sure enough, since it was Tuesday, the cruise ship was in. Susan took a picture:




Then it was off to Hilo Hattie's for some shopping. That was forgettable, but Susan did spot a wonderful flower outside the building:



We wandered back north, driving around Kapaa and through some terrific rainstorms. Lunch at home (sushi for Susan, salami and bread for Dan). Dan practiced savasana on the couch, while reading a good book about golf, and dozed. Susan painted:



We went to the pool for a bit, but got rained out. Back home for a while, then Susan went to Relax Deeply yoga at 5:30. Back home at 7:30, down to the gazebo to grill (pictures tomorrow), and a nice dinner of teriyaki chicken, grilled pineapple and salad:




And that's it for today. It's closing in on 9 p.m. Hawaii time; we'll watch half of the movie "Gandhi" tonight and then hit the sack.

The pose of today in Ardha Chandrasana.




"Yoga is is not about shutting out or shutting down. It is about embracing what is and inviting it in."
— Bhavani

"Yoga is a returning to self, as you were before you were Self. The breath is the language connecting the spirit to the body."
— Bhavani




Another great day in paradise. More tomorrow.

Aloha,

Dan and Susan

The weather on Kauai

You may enjoy this hilarious 'weather dog' forecast for Hawaii:
Click here to download the forecast




A very rainy night. We sleep so well to the sound of the crashing surf and resplendent rain.
And awakie at 8:30 to French Roast Lion's coffee in our Hamilton Beach Brewstation. This has no breakable glass carafe. It has an inner bucket and a bar that when pressed, dispenses coffee into a cup. Dan makes wonderful Fresh Banana Taro waffles with butter and honey. The answer to yesterday's question about waffles is this: We brought our own waffle iron.

We eat on the lanai and look for whales playful in the coastal waters. The only sightings are luminous rain clouds. We hastily go to the morning "Island Orientation', maybe we will win a Zipline adventure, horseback trip or Luau tickets! No luck, which is just fine...All we want to do is visit a Botanical garden.

So it's off to Yoga Hanalei, for the first of 10 classes, alternating Hatha Flow and Relax Deeply classes Monday thru Friday. And now, as promised, a pose of the day. Today's pose is Savasana. Dan graciously agreed to pose, demonstrating Savasana, a pose of surrender. Here is a nice narrative to accompany the experience...




"Surrender
Just Float Away
A cocoon of Light
vast and Free" TARA

"Remember the one true teacher: the Creator!
Surrender ......... and Rejoice.
Namaste" TARA"

We picnicked on avocado, cream cheese, red onion, kauai tomato and clover sprout sadwiches. Everything tastes so amazing here on the island, and especially after a hour and a half of intense yoga...if I can find my mouth! (I get a llittle spacey.)


Then an afternoon on Anini beach begins with a shower. Some reading in' Bringing Yoga to Life', and a little more savasana, beachcombing, and a long walk in the surf.

The 5 p.m. Welcome Reception features Lui Hing (This is a plum powder that tastes sweet, salty and tangy) Pineapples, Crab Puffs, Eggrolls and Edamame. We didn't win anything at this gathering, either. Oh, well.

Now for a preview of tomorrow's yoga pose of the day: Who can name it?



Namaste,

Susan and Dan

Happy Birthday, Char!

It's Sunday, Jan. 22, our first full day in Hawaii AND our first attempt at blogging. We woke up before dawn, made some French Roast Coffee (Lion brand) and settled on our lanai to watch the sun rise. As Dan was asking, which direction are the whales this time of year, we saw one breaching!
We enjoyed our Taro waffles here in the condo. You may wonder, what sort of vacation rental condo provides a waffle iron? We'll tell you tomorrow. They were succulent with butter and guava jam.
Then we went to church, at St. William's (which Dan refers to as St. Willy's) in Hanalei. We were the first ones there, and the parking lot usher said, "First ones in, first ones out." Dan liked that idea, but it was a lie. We had to merge as much as the rest of the other haoles. The highlight of chuch was Amazing Grace played on the bagpipes by a young member of the U.S. Marine Corps, who is going to Iraq soon. Please keep him in your prayers.
After church, we came home, Susan painted, Dan watched the Seahawks win, we went to the pool, swam a few laps (Susan), and came back to read and paint and have happy hour and guac and start thinking about dinner.
Which was good. It looked like this:

It's time to watch Desperate Houswives. Here are a few other photos we took today, including Susan's painting of the shower curtain.



We'll post again. Possibly more tomorrow, including Susan's Yoga Pose of the Day!
Aloha,
Susan and Dan