The start of Route 66

 Mahina was bright and full enough to wake me early for the start of my 66th year, The Year of Joy Riding on my personal Route 66.

 I mixed up a small batch of gluten-free/oatmeal and banana pancakes, drizzled with coconut oil and lili'ko'i syrup, drank some young coconut water and felt the Gypsy queen in our little Quonset.

 Once filled with food, and changed into birthday clothes Pete was my driver for this first of joy-rides on Route 66. Phone calls began with greetings in 'olelo Hawaii, "Hauoli La Hanau, Mom." Could it get any better.  It did, and I relished in it, answering the cellphone for other birthday wishes and visiting friends along the way. We headed for one of our treasure of beaches that faces the open ocean and Hawaii, Libby Beach on the west side of Whidbey Island. The tide was full and the waves busy.

 Pete called our son back to leave him a voice message of the waves coming in over the pohaku (rocks) on the shore.

 I chanted to the akua of air and water, sending my voice to Hawaii. E Ho Mai. What I am to know, let it be known to me.

 On the way back we stopped to visit the Madrone along the road at Deception Pass

 and were blessed with cleared skies and a sunset as electric and orange as my birthday card.

It has been a day of Joy, Luck, no Cake ... but lots of Joy and Luck. I have a prize of birthday apple pie waiting for me at another friend's home. What a lucky ole gal I am to be blessed with such gifts. Mahalo Laurence for the sweet camera that is taking all these photos.

Thank you all!!!!xoxo

What fun!

Ho'omanawanui ... Jera ... patience ... harvest

April in the woods is a blast!  A blast of unexpectedly bang on the roof blast of ice pellets.  Incredible shades of light blast.  Cool wood scented blasts of fresh air.  Dark blasts of night-time quiet.  Comforting blasts of warmth in the tiny vardo we call home blasts.  Has it been too long in coming these blasts? Have we suffered loss after loss too long?

April in the woods is a blast!  Duck waddles,  hens crow blast.  One gate, two gates, three gates. God I think we must have ten gates. Opening into, leaving behind.  All kinds of blasts from the past gates.  We have peas growing, sunflowers ready to blast out of dark lepo.  Has it been too long in coming these waddles,  crows, gates, peas and sunflowers out of the dark lepo blasts?

In another version of the story maybe.
This time the story ends with.  No not so very long.
This time we tell a different story and there's nothing so wrong.
Patience.  Long Harvest. Ho'omanawanui.  Jera.  Old words. New story. What a blast!