Rainbow Artists

As many of you know I have a shop on Etsy where I sell my handmade journals and cards, hand knitted items, a few paintings and my photography. However, Etsy is not only for selling, but also for getting in touch with other talented artists. I am member of two great teams and one of them is the Rainbow Artists Team.

I would like to introduce some of the artists to you every now and then.

Please meet Gilly Thomas, a sculptor from New Ross in Ireland, who rather late came to sculpture and thoroughly enjoys it. You can see that in her art! This is my favorite piece from her beautiful shop - art that speaks to me:

Next up is Monika from TobisiasLilThing. She lives in Northumberland, England and is a jewelry and card maker. She uses beautiful colors in her artwork. Her jewelry is lovely, and what I really like is that she also makes fun little jewelry for children - like these bracelets that I would buy in a heartbeat if my girl was still little (and especially since she loves orange):

Then there's Kent Olinger. What can I say? His shop is filled with beautiful jewelry that gets its inspiration from wildlife, and I do think he especially likes crows and ravens. He lives on Vancouver Island in British Columbia and I suspect that he has nature right at his front door - at least that is how I remember this beautiful part in the world. His handcrafted silver and copper jewelry is unique. Since I love crows I'm drawn to this gorgeous piece:

Last but certainly not least there's Christina Goldstein from Florida. Due to health reasons she couldn't crochet anymore and now gives us beautiful paintings. It's often painful for her to paint - her shop also carries the name Art Through the Pain. Her paintings are colorful and uplifting. This one is my favorite:

I hope you have enjoyed this little wandering into some Etsy stores.

The Different Faces of Lava (The Volcano Part 3)

You have probably heard that there are different kinds of lava - 'a'ā and pāhoehoe. 'A'ā has a very rough surface whereas pāhoehoe is smooth. But even though we know of these differences it is still amazing how different lava can look.

This is from the lava flow of 1974 at Kīlauea, right next to the Chain of Craters Road in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park -  parts of the road were run over by the lava and had to be rebuilt. 

Further on there are big boulders of lava, just by the side of the road. Some of them remind of an oversized skull.

When you look closer you can see how beautiful, sparkling and even colorful some of the lava can be.

Right next to it you find a piece of lava that looks like dried mud.

Walking on lava, especially 'a'ā, is not easy and you always have to watch out because there are holes everywhere - and you don't really want to step into them and get stuck or sprain your ankle.

We took Hilina Pali Road leading away from Chain of Craters Road and were rather surprised to see lava with a completely different look.

No, this isn't photoshopped! Isn't it amazing?

The lava in this area is very old - the last lava flow occurred about 650 years ago. That might be the reason why the color is so different (I'm just guessing here, I actually have no idea).

And through all the rock and destruction new life claims back the land.

The view to the ocean and along the coast of the Big Island is beautiful. You can see the different shades of lava flows - quite fascinating, isn't it?

Can you see the steam in the distance? This is where the hot lava of the current flow enters the ocean. But that, my friends, is a different story.

October Giveaway

In this golden month of October I am teaming up with three other sellers on Etsy. We are having a very exciting giveaway of a collection of beautiful items for one lucky reader. These are the prizes:

• A pair of black onyx spider earrings from AudacityWear
• A set of three Christmas tree ornaments from Ceraminic
• A set of five greeting cards from CarolaBartz
• A handknit scarf from thechillydog

This giveaway is open to entrants worldwide. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Inside the Lava (The Volcano Part 2)

In Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park you can visit a pretty spectacular lava tube, the Thurston Lava Tube, just a short hike away from the Crater Rim Drive. It is so easy to reach that it has become one of the most popular destinations at Kīlauea. We were very lucky to arrive there between tour buses and had a rather uncrowded experience.

After a few minutes on the paved trail you reach this walkway and see the entrance to the tube.

No, this is not the glow from lava, just from the lights that illuminate the tube. However, it does look eerie, doesn't it? I was more than ready to go inside.

This was the first view after we had entered the tube. It took my breath away. I had been inside some lava tubes in the Lava Beds National Monument in Northern California, but most of them were smaller and not as well lit (we often had to take our torches inside). This was a tunnel with a very comfortable height - no crouching necessary.

A last view back before we moved deeper into the tube.

This is where lava was flowing beneath the hardened surface of a lava flow. There are still tubes in a different part of the park that actively drain lava from the volcano, mainly from Pu'u 'O'o, the current eruption site. So these tubes are types of lava caves that form when lava develops a continuous and hard crust, which thickens and forms a roof over the still flowing lava. It's lava flowing beneath lava. When the lava flow has ceased and the rock has cooled, a long channel is left - the lava tube.

It is mind boggling to imagine that real hot glowing lava used to flow here, creating new land, destroying everything in its way. Today we walk through there and don't even have to worry about banging our head (which happened to me in the lave tubes at Lava Beds NM and was very painful). The ground is wet, but even inside this inhospitable environment there are organism that grow happily along.

The lava tube was way to short for my taste. There is another part of the tube that is closed to the public. It actually goes further on for another 1000 feet - unlit in complete darkness. However, the end of the tunnel was visible way too soon.

I looked back for a farewell view to always remember this before I ascended the stairs into the lush rain forest of the Big Island.

Then you turn around and realize that indeed you were quite a way deep inside the lava. Fascinating.

There are quite some fences in here, so I link up to Theresa's wonderful Good Fences.

'Āina a ke akua i noho ai... Land Where the Goddess Dwells (The Volcano Part 1)

 

'Āina a ke akua i noho ai - these words are the title of the pamphlet you receive when you visit Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island, home to two of the world's most active volcanoes, Kīlauea and Mauna Loa. Both volcanoes still add land to the Island of Hawai'i, and according to recent rumours I have heard there are attempts that this new land shall not be considered American soil. I thought this highly interesting.

Let me quote the introducing paragraph from the National Park's pamphlet:
"Volcanoes are monuments to Earth's origin, evidence that primordial forces are still at work. Volcanic eruptions remind us that our planet is ever-changing, with its basic processes beyond human control. As much as we have altered Earth's face to suit our needs, we can only stand in awe before the power of an eruption."

In awe... it's not only eruption, but the entire volcano by itself. Visiting Kīlauea with its active crater, its lava flow and fumes, the lava tunnels and ancient petroglyphs kept me constantly in awe. When I hear someone mentioning "Hawai'i" I automatically think "Kīlauea".

Kīlauea - often called the "drive-in volcano because it is so user friendly - is right on the flanks of Mauna Loa and is not visible from anywhere on the island. You constantly wonder where that mountain is, even when you're right there. When you get up the mountain and enter the National Park the first thing you see is the huge caldera at an altitude of 4000 feet. You can see it in the image above, and this is not even half of it. The crater is Halema'uma'u Crater, actually a crater within a crater (Kīlauea Crater). This is the home of Pele, the Hawai'ian volcano goddess. The crater is steaming and has a lava lake that has risen and fallen over time.

One of the best views of the crater you have from the Jagger Museum, and that is as close as you get (the photo above was taken with a zoom lens). The road beyond is closed and it is no longer possible to take the Crater Rim Drive because of the nasty gases Halema'uma'u started spewing in 2008.

When you look toward the crater you will notice that the caldera is very much alive. Do you see the bits of steam coming out of the ground in the picture below? It's hot there!

Just along the Crater Rim Trail you can get close to the Steam Vents - only a fence will prevent you from getting too close. It is fascinating to look in there and feel the heat that is coming out of Earth.

The entire region was shrouded in steam, giving it a misty look - it was magical and mysterious. It was nature at work, the ground you were standing on boiling in its depth - fascinating.

The National Park is open all day and all night. On the second night we drove to the overlook at Jaggar Museum again and saw the magical glow of the lava lake - I can't even put in words how fascinating this was. What did the pamphlet say about awe?

It was cold, it was raining, but nothing could persuade me to leave this sight after only a few minutes. This was too good to be true. It was a full moon as well, and this was the first time in my life that I saw a moonbow. I tried to take a picture of it - well, that didn't work.

But I was able to include the fence at the rim of the caldera - and will link to Theresa's Good Fences!

Recently Madame Pele has raised her head again - or, to be more accurate, she raised the lava lake in Halema'uma'u. Early in September the lava lake rose and started to splash and slosh inside the crater. You can see a video of it here - it's fascinating! The Pu'u' Ō'ō vents are very active as well, and the lava flow from there has reached the ocean. Madame Pele certainly wants to make a statement again - beyond human control, and we can only stand in awe!

She's Gone

 

On Sunday we moved Kaefer into her dorm at UC Davis. Of course it was the hottest day - and hot at the edge of the Central Valley means really hot.

The move in was very well organized. We were there shortly before eight in the morning (yes, we left home early), she checked in, got her key, and when the residence halls opened at eight we started to unload the car. There were special unloading zones for each hall and each student got 20 minutes assigned to unload. We made it in about 22 minutes! I found a parking lot close by, and then we could start putting her things away, making her bed and decorating her room.

Her roommate hadn't arrived yet which was good since it would have been a bit crowded with two students and their parents, trying to get some order in the unpacking chaos. She arrived later in the afternoon when Kaefer was pretty much done. They have both met through the Davis Freshman Facebook page and over the summer in person when Kaefer invited her to her graduation party. I think they will be fine.

Kaefer is very lucky that she already knows a few other students, and that day I met another girl from her high school who lives on the same floor. In the afternoon one of her friends came by - she had a flat tire, and luckily we were still around so the Geek could give them a first lesson in independence: how to change a bike tire. It's a good thing to have a handy dad!

We finally left in the early afternoon when we had the feeling that Kaefer was settled in a bit and there really wasn't much more to do. To say that our good bye was easy would be a lie; but at least I managed not to cry. That happened later.

The first day without her was hard, especially in the morning. I always used to go into her room to say good morning, and sometimes we would chat a little bit, sometimes not. But yesterday morning there was only an empty room and I felt very very sad. The morning was just weird. I walked around like in a cloud, and my heart was aching. Fortunately I had a teacher meeting later in the morning and that turned out to be a good thing. The meeting lasted for almost three hours, and afterwards I went to one of my favorite nurseries. It was so hot, however, that I didn't stay long, but still managed to get a few plants that will look beautiful in my garden.

Even though I am still sad I've found my center again. I was happily knitting yesterday evening, sitting on the couch and listening to Native American music, feeling quite content. Kaefer and I had texted each other off and on throughout the day and I knew she was doing fine, but didn't like the heat. She was biking around campus, trying to find out where her classes will take place. Classes start on Wednesday.

I love her and I miss my goofy girl, but I am also so very happy for her. It's bittersweet.

Avocado Tree House

In my first Hawai'i post I mentioned that for the first few days we were living in a tree house near Pāhoa - its name was Avocado Tree House and it was built in and around a mature avocado tree. It actually is the hosts' children's old tree house. When they were grown up, their parents decided to expand it and make a vacation rental out of it.

The old tree house is now the "meditation room" that you can reach over a very steep stair-ladder.

The view from up there is magnificent. Unfortunately the windows don't have any screens, so we weren't really able to spend much time up there in the evenings.

The house itself has all the basics that we needed but nothing fancy. There was a big bed for us, a little living area and a loft bed for Kaefer. Many windows all around that were open all the time (these have screens) with a large window to the east with a wonderful view as well.

There was a lot of art in and outside the house. Some of them were bought at local markets and some were made by Hugh, the owner. I especially liked the gecko and was quite happy when I found a smaller version on a market that I could take home.

When you got out of the house through the back door you reached the bathroom section. A wash basin right where the tree is and to the side the toilet. Kind of in the middle of the jungle.

This was the view from the toilet... (I never thought I would post something like this!)

You pretty much just had to reach out your hand and pick avocados. They were literally growing into our mouth (while we were brushing our teeth). I enjoyed this so very much!

And I wasn't the only one who enjoyed this lovely and unique place!

Oh - you probably want to know whether we had a bit more than this gorgeous bathroom for our personal hygiene - of course we had! There was a fully functioning outdoor shower, on the way to the kitchen.

Every morning when I went to take a shower I saw this on my way there:

Can you imagine being greeted like this every morning (you also have to add all the birds that were very active here)?

The kitchen was in a different building right next to the tree house. The kitchen itself was well equipped and had everything we needed. There was a balcony in front of it where we always sat to have our breakfast. We could see the ocean from here. It was my personal slice of heaven.

The Avocado Tree House is part of a huge organic farm, and Elvira and Hugh, the owners and our hosts, provided us with fresh fruit every day (plus organic eggs, butter, Kona coffee etc.). My favorite was the white pineapple that you get only here (it cannot be shipped). It is soooo sweet and very low acidic.

Our breakfast company - Gold Dust Day Geckos - liked it as well.

There was also a porch at the front entrance of the tree house. We mainly dried our snorkeling items here and hung our towels to dry, but seldom sat here. We liked the kitchen balcony a little bit better. However, sitting out here in the evening drinking Mai Tais with friends would be really nice.

There was so much vegetation on this farm - it was incredible. The Royal Poinciana was my favorite tree. The reddish-orange flowers were gorgeous.

This was the best vacation rental we had in Hawai'i. It set the bar very high. If you're ever looking for a place near Pāhoa - close to the Volcano, lava flow, water falls and some awesome snorkeling - and like a quiet and unique place, you can find it on Airbnb.