A Whole New World...

Never have I had the pleasure of visiting any of the Hawaiian islands, until recently!  We explored the Big Island of Hawaii.  We were invited by friends to share a condo with them while they visited their daughter, who'd been living there for 3 years.  It was an offer we could not refuse, and I am so glad we didn't!

My hubby and I arrived around noon, and our friends weren't due in until 9:00 that night, so we took another friend's advice and headed toward Kona from the Kona airport.  He insisted we go to the Harbor House Bar and Restaurant and have a cold Steinlager beer and an order of Poke.  Well, we thought, why not?  When in Rome, you know?  By far it was the coldest beer we had the entire time, and the Poke was actually very good! 

Poke at the Harbor House Restaurant

Poke is cubed, raw, Ahi tuna served on a bed of cabbage with green onions and splashed with some sort of Teriyaki/Soy sauce.  To begin with, I can hardly do some types of sushi, so raw tuna did not sound appealing, but it had absolutely no fish taste to it at all.  The texture was nice and it kind of had a buttery, mild taste to it.  Along with that ice cold "Steiny" we drank, it was great!  So glad we had that tip from our friend to give it a try.  Thanks, Rene!

As we headed north to where we were staying, we were surprised at first by how desert-like it appeared, with all the lava rock covering so much of the area.  Not at all like we had pictured Hawaii!  But after a while, the unique beauty of it all grew on us. 



A Plumeria tree, growing out of the lava rock.


It almost felt like we were where it all began! You know, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." As the volcano's erupt and flow, the lava hardens, and eventually forms new land by spilling into the ocean. Eventually, life springs back from the lava, in the forms of grasses and other vegetation. Pretty amazing stuff.

We  ventured up to the 9000 ft. level of Mauna Kea, a currently inactive volcano.  They have an observatory up there (and at the top too, which is 14,000-ft.) with high-powered telescopes for viewing the night sky and constellations.  I've never been so close to heaven before!  Breathtaking!  I really had no idea how cool that all was, nor did my hubby.  The technician up there was naming stars and nebula's the scopes were dialed in on, but honestly, I think we had a glimpse of God's face.

(Sorry, I have no photos of my own that could possibly do the heavens justice -- to get a good idea, just do a search for heavens & constellations -- Orion was one of the constellations we zero'd in on!)

From one world to the next, we found ourselves swimming with the ocean creatures a couple of days later. Just snorkeling on the surface, but having your face in the water with a good mask and the ability to cruise along and see such beauty beneath the sea, (while breathing!) was so cool. My hubby got to experience a "Honu world," they told him. Honu is the Hawaiian word for sea turtle, apparently, lol. I didn't get to see a Honu while snorkeling, but I did get to see a "squadron" of squid, just kind of hovering over a reef area, protective like. I was told they are not seen very often. I think snorkeling ranks right up there at the top of my "favorites" list! We had the benefit of having our own personal tour guides, with our friends' daughter and her boyfriend knowing all the best places to visit. The cove they chose to take us to for snorkeling was so beautiful. Mahalo, Sara and Will, AND to our friends Terri and Tim for the invite!

Of course, we also hiked to some waterfalls and through lava tubes (scary and NOT for me!) and saw some incredibly beautiful areas of the island.  Lush, green, brilliantly colored flowers and foliage that I had always imagined Hawaii would be like and it did not disappoint!  The Plumeria and Hibiscus flowers were amazing.  We shopped, drank exotic drinks, and saw some amazing sunsets.

  



The most delicious pina colada....



Our last sunset before flying home....

Will we go back?  Absolutely!  However, we may just find ourselves visiting some of the other islands as well!  I have always wanted to see the magnificent waves on the North Shore of Oahu,  the garden isle of Kauai, and OMG, we actually have family on Maui that we really must go visit!  And soon, lol!

I'm so glad I left our suitcases handy...  Aloha!

Seal Ornament

Although I'm not quite finished with it, I am happy with my little seal ornament.  It's kind of been in the works, at least in my head, for a while.  Had my idea, I just wasn't making the time to get to it.  I had cut out the paper pattern months ago, then last week, I cut out four of them in glass.  I think I will have to make more in different colors.  These first ones are all the same, cut out of white iridescent glass, blue nugget eyes, a black heart-shaped nose, and pink tongue.  I still need to finish the edges with the lead came, add the loop for hanging, and it will be done, except for the final polishing.

They remind me of the baby harp seals in Alaska.  Since we have a different species locally, I will make some in browns and grays.  Don't the whiskers add character? 

You can SOON order them in my ETSY shop at:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/JanGonzalez
Thanks for checking in with the blog!

Update:  Complete with edging, and ready for a new home! 

Fly Away Home

Wow, I am really on a roll, ha ha. After almost a whole year, I've sold another stained glass piece on ETSY--this one a hummingbird.  I was just looking at it yesterday after spending the afternoon in my glass shop, working away on some new projects.  It had not been too long since I had put this piece on sale -- a whopping $10 off -- but then, I raised the shipping after the last piece cost me more than I realized it would.  It's all good, although I think I'm going to miss this piece, the little hummer, with her ruby throat and blue wings, drinking nectar from a yellow flower.

It has been purchased by a woman in Washington DC, as a Christmas gift for her boyfriend's mom.  I love hearing who my pieces are going to--somehow makes it easier to part with things I've put my heart into.

I'll just have to make another -- I've already been thinking about how I'd like to do the next one. 

Fare well little hummer....time to spread your wings and fly away home!

By and By

And by and by, Christopher Robin came

to an end of things,

and he was silent, and he just sat there,

looking out over the world,

wishing it wouldn't stop.

 

~ Winnie The Pooh, The House At Pooh Corner

One More Day

My grandmother, whom we always called MeeMa, would have turned 104 years-old this very day, August 18, if she was still with us. I think she was born in 1906, or close to it.  I don't know a whole lot about her early life, but she married my grandfather and they had four children:  First, two boys, then two girls, the older girl being my mother, now close to eighty years old herself.

They lived in Hot Springs, Arkansas and raised their family there, where most of them also settled, or at least somewhat near by.  Not my mom!   She came out to California and married my dad, where they remained and raised their family -- my brother and I.

Regardless of this distance between us, I grew up feeling close to my grandparents.  We really only visited about once a year, if that often, but we were letter-writers, so I took my time and shared a lot of what was going on with her California family. I guess I loved writing even back then.

It was in her later years, after my grandfather passed away, that we grew even closer.  She had moved in with my mom's sister, and used to come out to CA to stay with us for a few months at a time.  It was during these years that I discovered what a truly amazing woman she was.  She was very spiritual and shared many of her beliefs with us, but only when we asked.  She lived her beliefs, and treated everyone she met AND those closest to her especially, with the utmost respect.  It seemed it made her happiest when she could be helpful to one of us, and she was always doing something for someone. She used to tell me, whenever I'd be worried about something, to just let it go, and to try and help someone else to get my mind off my own worries! 

Oh she was an amazing cook!  She could whip up the best meal ever using whatever left-overs she could find -- and she kept a close eye on those and the staples to make sure she used them up before anything could go bad.  Of course, she raised her family during the depression years, so they learned to make due with whatever they could get back then.  She did not believe in being wasteful! 

She taught me how to crochet, and we three gals  (her, my mom, and I) would work on our afghans in the evenings after dinner chores were done.  She was really fond of playing cards, too, and would often beat us all, much to her delight.  Above all, she taught me a lot about loving and respecting others, and doing what was right, but also knowing when to back off and just let things be.  Of course, I am hopefully still growing in those areas, and have about another forty-years of livin' before I will have reached her ripe old age and hopefully the wisdom that comes with it!

I so wish I could have just one more day with you, Meema.  Much love to you today, on what would have been your birthday, and everyday.  Although you've been gone for a number of years now, I carry you close in my heart still..... and always will. ♥

Wearing one of her own beautifully crocheted ponchos

Her last Easter Sunday, watching the kids on an egg-hunt.
I spoke with her on this day, and she told me she didn't want me
to be sad when she passed -- she'd had such a wonderful life.
She died about a month later.
Elga Ada Tillman Irons

In A Jam

Tried a different recipe, quick and easy, for raspberry jam.  I found it in Paula Deen's magazine. Unfortunately, it was not as quick Or as easy as it was supposed to be!  I'll admit, it may have been my fault, because (gasp!) I doubled the recipe.

The recipe called for two-cups of raspberries, but I had four, so there you go!  Made sense to me, right?  Well, no, really I knew better, from having read and made past recipes on jamming.  But it was such a different process, I really didn't think it would matter. 

Usually, you cook the fruit with the pectin before adding sugar.  This recipe called for pouring all the sugar over the fruit and letting it sit for ten-minutes.  In the meantime, you cook the pectin with water for a bit, then pour it over the fruit/sugar mixture, and stir until all the sugar has dissolved.

Ultimately, the pectin/water was just not sufficient enough to dissolve the sugar on the fruit.  Ugh!  I had a big mixture of pink goo.  Plan B? 

Had to try and salvage it all, so I had no choice but to pour it all into a big pan and cook it until all the sugar dissolved, and then some for added measure.  It foamed up so much, I wasn't sure it was even clear beneath, so I added a tad bit of butter, like I'd done in the past for other recipes, then skimmed off as much foam as I could.

 

Eventually got it all ladled into the jars, cleaned the rims, screwed on the rings, and put them all into a boiling water bath for 15-minutes.  Only time would tell if we would have jam, or LOTS of raspberry sauce.

I let it sit overnight and the jars had definitely sealed well.  I put one jar in the fridge so it would have a nice chill to it in time to have with our morning toast.  We sat down for breakfast, and as I opened the jar and scooped out the first little bit, I saw that it had indeed set-up well!  Whew!  And not only that, it was very yummy. 

It's always fun trying new recipes, but next time, I think I will avoid the drama and use my other tried & true methods for jammin'. 

Sunshine!

Dang, that ol' alarm clock rang way too soon this morning, but wait.....what is THAT?  I don't believe it!  It's early morning sunshine, streaming through our windows. 

Now for some of you, this may seem like no big deal, right?  For us, living right on the coast, we often get heavy marine layer all through May and June, and sometimes most of the summer.  We call it "May Gray" and "June Gloom."  Well, it had even been extending into July....until this morning.  Ah, it was glorious!

Unfortunately, I had to go to work and be indoors.  But as soon as my work day ended, I drove home, got my daughter, and we headed to the local garden center and picked out some plants for the new planter my hubby made over the weekend.

Zinnias

White Impatience and Lobelia

See the little wooden snake?

Under the Avo tree

There's just something about waking up to sunshine that motivates me!  I hope our summer has officially begun, and that we get a lot more sunny days, than not.

My Little Chickadee....

I was so happy to be doing glass again. I'd found a sweet little pattern of a chickadee on a branch, with a few flowers and leaves. It was a small pattern, roughly 8-inches diameter, and I'd had it for a long time, I'd just never seen it in the same light before. Patterns are like that for me, and I almost always have to change them up a bit. But this one, it didn't need any enhancing in my opinion.

Picking out the glass took longer than it should have, but I finally found the perfect colors. I barely had enough of the color I wanted for the flower petals, but managed to squeak them all out. I was so happy with it, all cut out on my light-box. I got all the pieces wrapped with the copper foil, then covered it with Saran-wrap, since I didn't want it laying out in the open to oxidize, and God only knows when I'd get the opportunity to solder it.

Life is just busier for me now -- I swear I could use at least three of me to do all that I want to do in a week. Anyway, day after day, weekend after weekend passed, and my poor little chickadee just laid there, waiting to be brought to life.

One day, after working all day at my day job, I came home, determined to solder the little bird together. Gathered all the materials, heated up the soldering iron, got all the pieces secured together with push-pins so as not to move during the process. Got a few tack welds in place, then the phone rang......then it rang again.....ok, just stop answering the phone for a while. FINALLY, I held the piece up to the light and I swear..... that little bird chirped at me! Tomorrow, I would get the outer lead around it and give it the finishing touches.

Well, I didn't have the kind of lead I wanted to use, so daughter , who was going to be in the area of the stained-glass store, agreed to stop in and get me some. She brought home exactly what I thought I wanted, but it was a little larger/thicker than I'd used before, especially on a piece that small. Got it measured out and from the first tack solder, it went down-hill from there. Don't ask me why, but it was as if I couldn't do anything right. I ended up with a huge mess! I turned off the iron, washed it thoroughly to remove the flux, etc, and turned out the light. Grrr.....that was a complete waste of time, not to mention materials.

The next time I ventured in there, it was simply to remove the outer lead. However, since I had soldered it to the piece pretty thoroughly, it was NOT easy, and I broke two pieces in the process. I was about ready to see how well the little Chickadee could fly, but honestly, I had already bonded with him. I gently and lovingly removed the broken pieces, cleaned the surrounding edges of glass so I could re-foil them, cleaned all the remaining glass very carefully, and I am now ready to re-cut and make it right.

This is the original piece before being soldered and destroyed, ha ha.

Stay tuned for the finished product, which, when ready, I will upload a picture to ETSY. Well....providing I can part with him, that is.