The right frame

As a fine artist, I believe in displaying pictures in good frames. Recently, my cousin Titus gave me a photograph of my mother at a Steinway piano. I already have a similar one from the same shoot of her facing the keyboard. In the one Titus gave me, she is facing the camera, and she signed it!

My mother at the Steinway

I picked out a light brown mat board and a black frame for it.

Secondly, I mounted and framed the well-known ahupuaʻa poster for yesterday’s Earth Day [ka Lā Hōnua] event at the Bishop Museum.

The frame is brown to match the land in the picture.

Ahupuaʻa land division in Hawaiʻi, from the mountains to the sea

Many thanks to Kyle, Melinda,
Letitia, and Jim at Sunshine Arts in Kahaluʻu, Oʻahu, for taking care of my framing needs.

Be well.

~ Rebekah

Road trip from Kaʻaʻawa to Kāneʻohe

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Living in Windward Oʻahu, the closest “civilization” is  the town of Kāneʻohe. We go there for medical services, mall shopping, pet care, restaurants, car servicing—you get the idea.

Along Kamehameha highway, the main drag, I notice the various landmarks between here and there. Come along for the ride.

Approaching the ironwood trees

Kaʻaʻawa Valley

Hawaiian flag

Kualoa Ranch

Shell ginger

Monkeypod tree

Toward Kāneʻohe

The big tree near Kaʻiulani’s house

Doctors’ offices at Windward Mall

Charging station for the electric car

My ZipMin soup from Zippy’s restaurant. One size only!

Condiments at Zippy’s

Good meeting place

CVS

Be well.

~Rebekah 

Grateful and lucky

 

I’m grateful and know I am lucky for a family membership at a yacht club in Hawaiʻi, namely Kaneohe Yacht Club at windward Oʻahu.

In the beginning Pete and I were guests of friends Ken and Georgia whose sailboat we crewed on, in races and on day sails. Even before that, the three raced Hobie Cats off Kailua. When Pete bought a second-hand Santa Ana 27’ and scored a boat slip at KYC, it was time for our own membership there.

Membership has its privileges: special events, bar and regular restaurant service on selected days and times, meeting rooms, swimming pool, bathrooms and shower facilities, picnic areas, tennis courts, and the Locker where one can purchase KYC logo ware.

Kaneohe Yacht Club greets and hosts the arriving boats in the Pacific Cup yacht race from San Francisco to Kaneohe in even-numbered years.

On Palm Sunday we invited guests to brunch in the Longhouse. A class-boat race started from the bulkhead. And what a view! A good time was had by all.

 

Be well. Enjoy the outdoors when you can.

~Rebekah

Nā pua = the flowers

No Hawaiian language class this morning, but if there was, I would share this moʻolelo (story). Keep reading for the translation.

I koʻu holoholo wāwae i ka wahi noho kokoke mamua ae ka ʻaina kakahiaka, ua nāna au i kekahi mau pua: nā kokiʻo, ka manakō, ka pua lei aliʻi, ka niu, ka pua manu.  E nani e!

On my walk around the neighborhood this morning, I saw some flowers [pictured from top to bottom]: hibiscuses, mango, crown flower, coconut, and bird of paradise. Beautiful!

Hibiscus

E nānā kākou ana nā pua. Look for the flowers and be well.

~ Rebekah

Red ti leaves in my garden

Imagining a pretty border of reddish flowers in front of the old panax hedge in the garden, I went shopping to see what I could find. The plants I was attracted to required full sun that they wouldn’t get. Native plants would be iffy, requiring special care. The more we thought about it, my hubby and I decided to plant what we already had—red ti leaves.

Hawaiians generally prefer green leaves to the red ones because red represented “newcomer”, unlike “native”, I’m told.

But two women come every year for the red ones, and I am happy to donate.

Gwen comes only for the lāʻī, the leaves that she cleans thoroughly before they are fumigated at the State Dept. of Agriculture prior to the flight to Houston, Texas. She fashions lei for the horses in the Paniolo Parade there.

Kapua likes to cut whole stalks to decorate the stage at ʻIolani Palace for ʻOnipaʻa, an observance on January 17, the date Queen Liliʻuokalani was overthrown. How lucky that ti plants regrow their leaves readily after the stalk is cut.

So, that is what we will plant in front of the panax. Red ti!

Here is a photo by Gwendolyn Takeuchi of her lei with horse and rider representing Kauaʻi Island in the parade. Can you spot the red ti?

Fern White’s horse wears lei with red ti leaves. Feb. 2024. Houston, Texas. Lei by Gwendolyn Takeguchi.

Beautiful!

Be well.

~ Rebekah

Chinese New Year dinner for 8

My gracious cousin Dorette hosted dinner last night at her hillside home overlooking Diamond Head in Honolulu.

It’s the Year of the Dragon! Guests contributed tasty dishes: colorful salad, salmon, sweet and sour spare ribs, stir-fried veggies, hot soup, jai, and gau.

Time flew, and before we knew it, it was past midnight. 

I got reacquainted with Jeff and Liane Liu who repped me and my art at Island Art and Framing years ago when I first dared to show my paintings. They are still in the art business, now at the Sheraton Moana Surfrider hotel in Waikīkī.

My cousin luthier Nate Ching came, too, as did my chorister sister Sharon Sawdey.

Darling husband Pete brought champagne, and Dorette served hot Chinese tea from an heirloom tea cozy.

Wood dragon

At sunset

 

Beautiful place setting

Details

Family photo

Gracious host

From “Everyone, Eat Slowly: The Chong Family Food Book”

My Aunty Yun’s recipe

 

Welcoming front door

All in all, a good time was had by all.

Continued new-year blessings! Be well.

~Rebekah

When the electricity goes out

Yesterday’s massive power outage on Oʻahu gave me pause to reflect on how our family might prepare for emergencies better at the studio.
• For starters, we will go to the hardware store and buy another battery-powered lantern. We prefer this to open-flame candles.
• Always have hot water ready in the automatic kettle for beverages, although hottest tap water will work instead.
• Update our emergency stores of canned goods.
• Maintain garden with timely raking of leaves and disposal of fallen tree branches.
• Keep the car fueled up, and remember we can charge our phones in the car if needed.
• Reassure the dog that everything will be all right. Our JJ knew something was different—no lights, very quiet outdoors, coddling by his peeps.

Water, light, playing cards to pass the time

• If you need to open the fridge, think of all the items you need and take them all out at the same time.
• Keep the propane tank for the bbq grill filled.
• Invest in a portable AM/FM radio. If you have a solar water heater, take baths while the sun is shining.

What tips do you have?
Be well!
~Rebekah