Hawaiiana

Hawaii was the theme, by coincidence (I promise),
at a summer program I taught for. 

Volcanoes: the science and mythology.  We also did the thrilling baking soda (volcano powder) + vinegar with red food coloring (lava juice) and erupted volcanoes we built. Very high interest.

We look so insignificant on the globe.

Um, why is Oahu bigger than Maui?

I broke out my trusty uke from 5th grade and taught the kids
songs using the five chords I remember.

Petroglyphs on "bark" paper.

Clover chains count as lei in my opinion.

A tangle of lei after our hula performance.

Group collage:  The kids LOVED the end result. So did I.
Now, I'm extra ready to head home.  

School's Out

Feeling completely adored...the last week of school was a lovefest. I am so proud of the kids and how much they've grown. I also work with some wonderfully inspiring teachers. They are so generous with their craft!

I got a book from my students filled with their illustrations and sweet sentiments they wrote out. I don't remember ever being so kind to a teacher. Pictures of me (in Hawaii getting married), pictures of me and some of my students, and pictures of Andrew and me as a couple.

The end is bittersweet!

The Joy of Reading

As seen in my grandmother's basement...

Haven't changed much, have I?
Still in a classroom,
still surrounded by books and flowers.

Artistic Aunties

Acquiring art and taking photographs comes easily to me.  It's the processing part that gets me. Printing, framing, and displaying are art forms of their own and are likely to be procrastinated around here. One of my fifty New Year resolutions is to be better about printing and displaying photographs.

In my family, we all have homes decorated with the art of my Aunt Nancy. Her cheerful, tropical art deserves a post of its own.  In the meanwhile, I came across a copy of an old watercolor she did of my brother, sister, and me at the beach (the middle picture above). Don't I look fabulous in a pink ruffly one-piece?

My Auntie June is a lawyer and an enthusiastic hobbyist: she weaves on a loom, plays several instruments, attends dance class, and has taken up oil painting. This love of learning is prevalent in my family and contributes to keeping everyone young and interesting.  I'm impressed with her vigor, but also the art she has recently produced and displayed.   Above you can see some ripe papayas and some red and green ti-leaves inspired by her visits to Hawaii.

I especially enjoy art created by those I love.

I admire the many strong talented women in my family. Here I am laughing with my Grandma and her girls Nancy (top) and June (bottom center).

Telling Stories With Pictures

Inspired by the artwork of BFF's Hillary and Heidi.

That man is richest whose pleasures are cheapest.  
-Henry David Thoreau

I love blogging. And encouraging others to give it a whirl. I began blogging with trepidation and still don't work to network or gather followers or popularity. My blog has developed into a sort of photo-journal and I've grown more comfortable and freed up with practice. Still, most of my blog crushes are people I adore in real life (see column to the left).

One thing I am most proud of is my friends.  I must have marvelous taste in people because I can't help but be inspired by company I keep and the friends I've collected over the years

Some good friends recently started a blog with this idea:  take a photo everyday, with whatever device is available, and do not share the photos until they are posted. 

Hillary and Heidi are smart and funny. These girls have natural sass, style, and wit. They've both encourage me artistically and now I can get my daily dose and a peak into the simple pleasures and beauty in their worlds.  I am also inspired to be more a more consistent blogger.  I've also been applying my cousin's present-getting-philosophy: favor quantity, not quality. ;-)  

 You can wander over to my favorite new blog at:

http://alotcanhappeninayear.com/

Santa Barbara --> Hawaii

Exploring Letter 'O': Octopus Holding Oranges by my youngest student (age 3).

My summer teaching job is over, with its many highs and lows. I am currently with family in Hawaii, re-immersing myself in the culture I grew up in. I feel like a fish back in water. The air is so different. My skin is naturally moisturized and my hair is salty and wavy. Apple bananas and poi. Mangoes and plumerias. Luscious warm ocean water. Balmy rain showers and trade winds.

I love Santa Barbara and I've created a good life there, but this place will always be home.

Affordable Luxuries

While I'm busy boasting about the talented people and lovely things in my life I thought I would remind you all to treat yourselves to some regular doses of beauty. As mentioned before, I've been collecting pieces by my friend Hawaiian artist Renee Coates. You can bid for an original ebay style or buy a limited edition print for an extremely wallet friendly price ($1 for the first, $2 for the second... All past archived prints are about to move up to $75 each so get them while they are still a steal.

Homegrown dahlias in an old pepper jar.

In yet another ode to flowers I must remind you that they are an affordable luxury. Having flowers around will make you feel indulgent, loved, and celebratory. Your eyes always land on them when you scan a room. Growing, Planting, Picking, or even Buying flowers are all worthwhile pursuits.

Someone's Got Talent

Andrew is the ceramicist behind these creations...

Now you may be able to anticipate future gifts in years to come.

Summer Loving Had Me a Blast

One highlight of working downtown all summer long was spending my lunch hour at the beach. I slipped a bathing suit top on under my clothes, kicked off my work shoes and rolled up my pants so I could dip my toes in the cold California sea. The warmth of the sun, the sound of the waves, and the smell of the ocean air relaxed and recharged me and made me a better teacher.
Fresh picked goodies from the garden. I successful grew a whole head of garlic from one little clove! Digging up bulbs is like digging for treasure.
My friends. I am grateful to have a solid group of quality friends in Santa Barbara.

I Modonnari, The Italian Street Painting festival at the SB Mission.

Getting my hippie on at the annual Summer Solstice parade which was hot, hot, hot.

What were the highlights of your summer?

Clayfulness

I love this picture hanging in the pottery studio. The preschooler who made it really captured someone at the wheel. Check out Andrew getting down and dirty in a comparable image:

There are masterful artists who work and fire in the studio. Watching them unload the kiln is an enthralling art show. Most potters are generous with their knowledge. I am trying different decorative techniques out. Below is a bowl designed with pencil when leather hard, dipped in colored slip, coated with wax resist, then recarved and filled in with iron oxide. Next step: salt kiln. I'll post an "after" if it makes it. Here are two bowls I made after glazing:Same bowls after:I read an NPR article on the phasing out of the boombox, A Eulogy for The Boombox, the same day I noticed these folks still partying like it's 1988.

Photoshopping and other Skillz

I'm taking a photoshop class. I don't have any skill yet but I suddenly have the confidence to play around a bit. Check out Street Surfah: my athletic sis carving down our street at home on Maui. I hope to learn a lot more important stuff like how to erase pimples and double chins. On day one we had a session on how to save a file, so I'm keeping up so far.

I'm also taking sewing. I made a pillow case out of scraps (for a pillow shape I do not own) and am planning to make a quilt out of a kit a friend gave me. It is a class full of experienced people (mainly elderly women) and I'm the one in the corner learning pin vs. needle and surger vs. sewing machine. I am hoping the communal expertise will rub off.

And I'm in drawing! I'm a life long doodler from a family of artists (and a poster contest winner way back in second grade) so I am really excited by this prospect. My skills haven't progressed much beyond that elementary school level so I'm excited to learn more. I love that drawing is so fundamental (and complimentary ) to other art forms. My first class made me confident enough to carve a design into the bowl I made in ceramics yesterday. Plus, the materials are a helluva lot cheaper than oil painting.

I look forward to posting pictures on here of things that turn out decently. Stay tuned!

52 Pieces: Art by Maui Girl Renee Coates

One of my dear friends from way back (say, age 10), Renee Coates is a talented artist with an ingenious blog called 52 Pieces. Each week, people can bid on new painting. Soon, we will also be able to do the same with high-quality prints of those gorgeous originals. I can't wait, since I am still mourning those originals I missed out on but now plan to write Santa for copies of. I know how hard it can be to write a single blog in one week--Renee pulls of posting a blog--and doing an original painting. Each. Week.

Her art covers all of my personal favorites--flowers, fish, fruit, cattle, beautiful faces. Those things that are ubiquitous and taken for granted while in the Hawaiian Islands. I especially appreciate seeing her art on my walls while residing in the mainland--it's like having a piece of home with me. Plus, if she was a talented artist in middle school you should see her now. My friends really make me proud.

May '08: Larissa from The Larissa Monologues, Katy Renee from 52 Pieces and me

Anyway, Katy--err Renee (childhood nicknames are hard habits to break) and her clever blog are being featured on blogs.com. And Renee has picked Emily October as one of her top ten favorite blogs! I am seriously flattered that my humble little hideout on the blogosphere is listed here. In my paranoia I haven't let any of many people in on this blog, nor have I made it searchable in search engines, and I have yet to comment on a single stranger's blog (called delurking right?). I think it is time I get over my stranger=danger phobia and become a more neighborly blogger. A writer is supposed to want an audience, right?

Lemons, Limes, Pottery and Politics

I bought some watercress seeds--and I am already anticipating those pungent, under-celebrated greens in beautiful salads, and wilted with garlic. I found my way to my favorite gardening store Island Seed and Feed. It reminds me of the small town feed store I grew up going to in Makawao. It's complete with an old farm cat, hens, locally collected seeds, fresh honey, great organic veggie flats, and a folksy feel I love.

On November 4 I proudly wore my "I voted" sticker and was surprised when they gave me coffee on the house at Starbucks. I tend to avoid Starbucks due to their lack of free wireless but I am glad my need for caffeine led me there. I spent time writing and had a friendly conversation with an elderly fellow who retired here from Switzerland. Ｉ told him of my Swiss background (my Grandpa was from Switzerland) and he knew the family name. Then we talked plants and I took notes.

I really love California. It feels like a nation unto itself sometimes. I got to vote on some important propositions, namely:

Yes on 2: Improve the treatment of farmed animals. Give those poor chickens and piggies more room! I have been a vegetarian for the last 10 years (despite my occasional fish) mainly due to health and habit. In the past few years IＩhave grown to appreciate the environmental implications of my choices—but lately, only in the last year (I am embarrassed to admit,) has the concern for animals had anything to do for it. I think falling deeply in love with my family's tiny dogs had something to do with it. Lately it has felt like more of a spiritual choice. I do not need to take life to sustain life.　　

Good news: Prop 2 passed--but I am sorry Prop 8 did :-(

Other good news:
*I bought a dwarf lime tree. My Meyer Lemon tree has brought me (and the hummingbirds!) great pleasure. It burst with fragrant blossoms and is now displaying about 50 bead size lemons. There is something about watching a tree grow and change with the seasons. And I have the perfect view of these mini-trees from my kitchen window.

*I am LOVING ceramics. It was such a challenge to learn to center on the potter's wheel. I am not used to thing being so hard! I was so frustrated that I gave up for a few weeks and focused on hand building and molding. My exceedingly patient (and talented) boyfriend marched me into the studio last Friday and coached me on the wheel for 2 hours. By the end of the session I had made one honey-pot shaped symmetrical piece.

Evoking images of Ghost...

It was just what I needed. I went into another studio hour and whipped out two perfect bowls and a mini-mug (with added handle and all). It reminds me of learning to type or driving stick shift; that mind/body co-ordination that can be a challenge to get but once you "get it" it is yours to keep.

I recall each member of my immediate family trying to teach me stick-shift and giving up on me as a lost cause (including my younger siblings). I really thought I was hopeless--but then I got a boyfriend with a manual car I wanted to drive. Andrew really is a gifted teacher (others agree--you should read his students' feedback from the math course he taught at Portland Community College).

I haven't been a dedicated blogger in the last year, but I plan to be better (and bolder). It really is a great way to make sense of life. So, keep on checking—and I'll be back soon!