Party Time!Kick off St.Pat's Weekend in Hawaii

Hawaiians love to have parties. Almost every weekend we have a variety of opportunities to go to at least one shindig or two of some kind.  However, last weekend we were invited to a SERIOUS Party (actually two, but the second one is another post).  My friend Teri Suggs , a fellow ceramic artist from the Walnut Creek Clay Arts Guild who moved here last summer and lives in a fantastic kind of Shangrila North of Honokaa. Their property has several houses and acres of fantastic mature fruit and nut trees. Teri is also a musician and plays the fiddle focusing on celtic music, but I learned on Saturday night that she also is a "Sultry Siren" when she sings. She plays the beautiful sculptural ocarinas that she makes. Teri teaches sculpture and ceramics in Honokaa, you can contact her through her link for more information.

Teri's Saint Patrick's Day Party was so much fun. There were over 60 people there and when we arrived there was a large L shaped tent, filled with candle lit tables and twinkling lights. There was a beverage tent (With abundant Guinness) and inside the house was an array of fantastic foods brought by the guests as well as the Corned Beef and Cabbage provided by our hosts.

We met several fun people and a few darling dogs who were absolute experts in begging for food. Bubba in particular had a great style. He was a huge black lab that looked like he probably had a Great Dane ancestor or two. He had this incredibly large head and sweet face. With those eyes it was difficult to resist not giving him a wee piece of corned beef.  I succumbed.

The entire evening was enchanting, but the best part was the music. Here is a video of some of the music. Teri is featured here, but we were also highly impressed with this clarinet player... she was a real "cat" when it came to playing. I don't know her name, but I am sure Teri will e-mail me with her name when she reads this. Sorry for the low lights, I did not want to spoil the mood for others by adding lighting:

Scuba Sunday

From my friends at Puna Web, I learned about a really great opportunity to get out and have some fun at the beach. Sunday, March 1st was my first opportunity to go to Scuba Sunday, sponsored by DiveHilo.com.

Every month a post goes out from Andrew that looks like this:

All welcome including SCUBA divers, snorkellers, kayakers, swimmers, surfers, sun-bathers, chair sitters, talk storyers, bbq cookers and eaters. Come one come all. Look for our Dive Hilo Dive Club banner to find us.

Bring a dish and a smile to share.
Bring your water toys and an attitude of fun.
Bring tales to talk story with.
Above all just be there!!

Sunday April 5th (that is our upcoming event, it is the first Sunday of each month)
Richardson's Beach Park, Hilo Hawaii
For directions to Richardson's: http://www.divehilo.com/announcements.html#directions

The invitation is appropriate. While there are divers in the group, it is not just for divers. I am an avid snorkeler and learning new areas to snorkel is really wonderful for me. However, this Sunday the surf was extremely high and conditions were not ideal. Two of our divers Wes (not my Wes, another one!) and David braved the surf and gave us all a fright as we saw lifeguards paddling out for a rescue and then a helicopter came too. In the end they were fine, just a little off course. Here they are with their "rescuer" whom we nicknamed David Hasslehoff.

We had a great potluck with many delightful dishes. There was a grill going and there was more than enough food for twice as many people. It was a mostly sunny day, but a bit over cast and with just a sprinkle late in the day. Even though rain was predicted (it is predicted almost every day in Hilo!) we had pretty nice weather even if the sea was a bit on the rough side. We sat up our chairs and had a nice visit.

Pam Lamont who had just had knee replacement surgery came for a visit and it was good to see her, though it was obviously rough on her to get out and about so soon after her surgery. Bob drove her down to the picnic area, which is a good thing because it is on some fairly unstable territory for someone who is using a walker. She made it like the trouper she is.

Noel and I went for a walk and met a very friendly Auntie with two Tanimbar Corellas on her shoulders. One was the most beautiful pink color. She said they sit on her shoulders all day like that and never leave her. I had to wonder if maybe she had some sore spots on her shoulders after a day like that, as their claws looked sharp to me. They were really beautiful birds and she was a sweet lady that liked to talk story and share aloha.

The auntie was watching her grandchildren play in the water, there for a birthday celebration with a very large family. She chatted with us and told us a little history about Richardson's Beach. She had grown up in Hilo and had been to the park when it was a private residence, owned of course by the Richardsons! Their home was eventually turned into an ocean interpretive center, but it is now a police station.

We walked out on the lava and saw lots of honu (sea turtles) swimming around. This was an opportunity to see them up close. We did see some at Shipman Beach a few weeks ago but they were in deeper water. Here they were in a tide pool and it was fun taking some pictures of them.

As the tide came in the monster surf conditions made the water rise quickly. It was a bit deceptive because the water was breaking over a 15' high wall of lava. Suddenly, we were surrounded by water. My friend Bonnie (the baker-goddess) had come to the beach directly from church and was still in her church clothes while walking on the rocks with us. When a particularly large wave broke over the rocks, suddenly to her surprise the rock she was standing on was instantly submerged in knee high water. You can see the video here :

as she was rescued by a nice guy and then her husband Joey. It is easy to laugh about it now, but at the moment it was a bit frightening. We called this little film, Bonnie's Tsunami. And then I found out that her middle name is "Sue" making it Bonnie Sue "nami", even more appropriate.

All in all, we had a great time and I am looking forward to April 4th for another fun Sunday at the beach. For more information about the next Scuba Sunday, send me an e-mail.

Next Post... St. Patty's Party

Peasant Foods of the World

*note... this post has a lot of pictures, be patient while it loads*

Last Saturday was the fourth International Cooking Club Dinner. This one was hosted by Lelani

 and had the theme "Peasant Foods of the World".  Once again there was an abundance of wonderful food, plenty of wine and most of all a good time! 36 members and guests showed up and Lelani had converted her great room into a dining hall complete with candles on the tables and cloth napkins for everyone! 

There were so many foods from so many countries that I did not even get pictures of half of them. Lelani served pizzas as pupus and nobody would have ever known that they were her first home made pizzas if she hadn't told us! They just kept coming out of the oven every few minutes. 

Joey and Bonnie made authentic Buffalo Wings from his "homeland". They disappeared every time Bonnie brought a plate out, so I never had a chance to get a picture! 

Here are just a few of the many offerings from the evening that I was able to photograph before they were gobbled up: 

Noel made his mother's recipe of Pancit and all of that with a severely broken finger too!

Liz (along with help from Mike the farmer) made Chicken and Dumplings with their own chickens and veggies from their garden. 

Kieth, Mike and Liz awaiting the next batch of chicken wings! 

Carrie made a South African Dish that I am not sure how to spell. 

Bonnie made delicious bread (as always) and a fantastic Pilaf that I think was her mother's family recipe.

Brad and Ron made some of the best Macaroni and Cheese that I have ever tasted. 

Here are Ron, Keith (he always gets in my pictures!) and Brad

I need to take better notes! The woman that brought the Portuguese Beans (no not soup, just the beans) won Wes' heart. 

The best thing of all was having good friends to dine with and hearing some of the stories that went along with the food. 

Laney Pizza Chef and Bonnie the Baker

Ron Brad and Noel (note the splint on his hand)

And here is a video from the night, Joey sharing his "heritage of Buffalo Wings" and more...

Next month is going to be at our house for Spanish Tapas on March 28th. 

If you are interested in joining our group, please e-mail me  with your name, location and e-mail address and I will put you in our data base and send you an invitation. 

The next post will be about Scuba Sunday! After that, the Big Island Nurseryman's Sale!