August 12, 2023

Under the circumstance here on Maui this is an extremely difficult blog to write. My activities here seem almost meaningless with what has happened and is still happening in Lahaina-armagenden. From what I hear on the news on the death toll is not even close to reality. The terrible devastation and loss is beyond words. Besides the loss of life and structures there was so much valuable early Hawaiian history there in Lahaina all up in smoke-only ashes now. I was actually tempted not to write this blog at all, but for the records I need to keep documenting the week’s progress here at Koali Niu and moving forward. So, I start this #28 blog with a very heavy and sad heart just after the wonderful land blessing memories from two weeks ago.

I had a hard time with the pictures last week so am going to put a few more that were air dropped and should go in easier. A surprise of the blessing was that Elliot Kalima, the significant other of my new friend Carol, is related to Kumu Leiohu. They had a lovely meeting.

After weeks of waiting two sliding doors were installed in this week. They look really great and in case of more hurricanes I am pretty much secured. I am waiting now for the third one which was an after thought to be delivered mid September.

Work progresses on the ocean side patio roof. There is even work today being done on the cross beams so when the roofing arrives it will go right on in one day.

Bradley and boys spent a couple days here taking out the hau and tulip roots. Now the job is to spread out the hau chips that are in piles and get rid of six more tulip trees.

I harvested about eight squash which the locals call pumpkin. They cook the squash with pork and it is a desired dish. This will be a continued crop and I might even have to open a stand at the farmers market with extras. I heard it is good for dogs so am also going to add it to Mana and Ehu’s meals. Maybe the cats will even like it?

Luckily so many are reaching out to help those in need and supplies are heading in by air. I am trying to figure out what I can do.

Thanks for tuning in.

Aloha Nui,

Vicky

August 7, 2023

Welcome to Blog 27

It has been a grand and glorious week starting last Friday when my daughter Marcie arrived in Hana and we met them at Hana Farms for salad and pizza. This was the beginning of many fun activities.

I covered Sat. lunch in last blog. My architect Mireille and husband Harold flew in and we all had dinner at the Ranch restaurant Saturday night. A new treasured friend, Carol, had the haku lei made and surprised me at the restaurant.

Sunday morning my two friends and major helpers Alana and Megan arrived on the early plane into Hana.On the way back we went to the bay to see the Saturday unveiling of the Queen Ka’ahumanu statue. Ka’ahumanu was the daughter of the Great Maui King Kekaulike and Ha’alo’u. She was born in a cave just around the corner from the Bay. The statue is a beautiful addition to the Bay which is a meeting, swimming, canoeing and resting place.

Sunday afternoon Indrajit arrived with Jessie (kalo specialist), Brittany (voyager) and film maker/producer Alex. They all helped with some stuff here and trimmed the lichee tree so we could eat lichee.

Sunday eve we had dinner for twelve and that was a task with a camp kitchen, but it turned out really great. After dinner we all sat around a big bon fire while Alex filmed us talking about our coconut project.

The land blessing on Monday was beyond fabulous! After six months of talking on the phone and planning a date, it finally happened! Lei’ohu Ryder along with her partner Maydeen ‘Iao drove out from Kula. Lei’ohu is a Hawaiian spiritual leader, visionary, singer/songwriter, healer, and educator. They are truly Kumu with amazing Aloha. They did a magnificent job and it was the best having them along with so many friends and family here on this special land. After the ceremony we all enjoyed a delicious lunch prepared by chef minded farms under the fragrant Pak Lan tree.

Over the next days everyone slowly drifted back to their own places. I miss them all, but I am very happily here on my pu’uhonua with wonderful memories along with big dreams and plans for the future.

What especially comes to mind today as I write this is the famous quote from mother. “You are today where your thought have bought you. You will be tomorrow where your thoughts have taken you.”

Wishing everyone similar thoughts and thanks for tuning in. I am so sorry that many of the wonderful pictures were taken in video and I am having trouble loading them into blog. Maybe by next week I will have some help.

Aloha Nui

Vicky

Welcome to Blog #26

This is going to be super short as I have family here and am waiting on some old friends to arrive.

One of the best things about this week is the chipper was here Monday and Tues and the hau piles are now mountains of hau chips. The chips will have to be raked out in between the rock walls for the planting. There is still a lot of wood Debre to be removed by Bradley’s backhoe.

The patio beams are going up and looking super gorgeous. Chris is fitting them together with notching so there is no ugly metal bracing.

Bradley came yesterday and took the pile of sand up mauna so the front yard is looking better.

There are still two big piles of beams covered with a tarp that we need to look beyond. I had hoped to get the front yard cleared out of building materials for the blessing day, but no luck.

My daughter Rennie and her husband Billy were here for two nights camping with me and so nice having some family around. They hiked up the new trail to the pool and waterfall yesterday.

Saturday our very old friend from Montecito days Keoki Raymond came out with his daughter Melissa. When Melissa was three years old and the girls were five and six they all played together. Now they are all in their mid to late 50’s and had not seen each other over all the years. My step daughter Sarah (who had also not seen Marcie and Rennie for years) joined us and we had a wonderful reunion lunch at the Ranch House.

So, now this is going out two weeks late due to all the company and activity. I am moving on to Blog #27 which is also late.
It has been a whirl wind of fun and the next blog will tell about it.

Thanks for tuning in.
A hui hou,
Vicky

July 22, 2023
Welcome to Blog 25

This has been a wild week with all sorts of unknowns and surprises. As for the hurricane warning we prepared for the worst, but luckily the hurricane turned out to be just a tropical storm with breezes and rain. Chris did close up the back room on the ag shed so I was not sitting here in open buildings. I was very glad for the rain as it has partially filled my empty water tank. I still need the gutter from the other side, but it is like pulling teeth to get anything done here.

There have been a lot of graduation parties with a lot of preparation. Life here is very communal and they all help each other to make it happen. The food is all locally grown and wild caught. They gather opihe, fish and hunt for the pork, beef and venison. So, work stopped at noon yesterday for a party prep. Monday might be slow for weekend recovery. As I sit here with so much to do it is very frustrating to say the least, but I am trying to go with the flow and I might add a slow flow.

This blog is going to be short as I am pressed for time. My family is arriving in a few days and there is much to be done before next weekend when seven more friends arrive for the land blessing. Actually, the pictures did not load so it is now Saturday night.

Alex, who made Kumu Niu and another film producer are included inn the group. They will be filming the blessing, conversations, and our beginning work here. Stay tuned for the documentary.

We keep very busy clearing and uncovering more amazing rock work. I am constantly blown away by the extent of the work and wondering where everyone disappeared to. Along with the clearing we cut a guava tree for a better view of the beautiful white shower tree blooms.

Monday was spent getting work done on the truck. Luckily I was able to connect with a mechanic out here so didn’t drive to town. He did it the old fashion way up at Whispering Winds.

Indrajit and I finished work on an important and exciting reforesting grant which will hopefully pave the way for our coming bigger projects. We worked together remotely and it worked out great. He is currently witnessing the damage on the coconut trees in Waianae and figuring out a plan.

The workers put the kiawe uprights on and attached the first cedar beam. And, it looks amazing!

Looking forward to the rest going on this week. I am now starting to think about the inside and getting the library set up.

Thanks for tuning in. I heard this a couple weeks ago and I will pass it on as a thought for the week-Age gives us the chance to become the person we have always wanted to be.

Aloha nui,
Vicky

Welcome To Adventure Blog #24

July 15, 2023

Hard to believe it is the end of another week and we are half way through July. How optimistic I was when I pictured camping for just two or three months. Now it has five and a half months, but extremely happy months. The weeks are rolling around so quickly, but this has been a busy and productive week. Sunday I joined friends for a brunch at a new friend’s house on the bay. His sister had sent him a special food package from New York and he invited us to help him eat it. We gladly agreed and it was a relief from the usual Sunday yard work.

Monday morning I left at 5am for Kahalui to get the tires balanced and Mana sheared. A woman I met at Petco when they refused her due to heavy matting offered. It worked out really great and I will not let that happen again. For awhile I thought an expensive vet visit with putting to sleep while cutting would be in store. Luckily, we were saved and Mana seems much more comfortable with all the fur gone. She is acting up a bit more than usual and maybe due to the big change with her fur. She is always a total handful and I keep waiting for maturity.

The guys are working on the huge old growth cedar beams and kiawe posts. The beams are so heavy they drive the truck to where beams are stacked, load the beams and drive up to ag shed. All week they have been sanding and painting with stain and they are looking rich and beautiful. Monday they will start with putting the uprights for the patio and I can hardly wait.

Wednesday Indrajit and I worked on and finished the writeup for a Department of Agriculture reforesting grant which is due July 20 with an August 20th award date. I am hoping we can get this money as it will be a big step forward. This grant will set the stage for the next big project which is going to be very exciting and possibly a documentary film will be made about it. Meanwhile I am waiting for the micro grant results. Other government grants are coming down the pipeline which I am hoping to tap into for reforesting.

Bradley came yesterday to take out a tulip tree and remove many of the tulip tree stumps in our way for the next chipping date and planting. Those trees are a menace and there are about five more to go for the next phase. There is a lot of work to smooth out the terraces and distribute the chips evenly. I am working on getting things cleaned up for the property blessing in two weeks. A few people who have helped me here are coming for the event along with two film makers (Alex who made Kumu Niu and a friend). I hope you have all watched the Youtube short film Kumu Niu by now.

There are four lo’i cleared of hau and we have cleared right up to the back jungle. Now there is still a lot of work to do smoothing out the earth and chips for our planting. The area is looking pretty messy right now but, in about ten days this will change. At this point I am happy with the large area we have managed to clear in the last year. Some of the rock walls have been damaged by cows trampling over them and hopefully they can be somewhat repaired.

Wednesday evening I was weeding around some rocks out on the high point on the property and discovered another rock wall hidden by years of soil accumulation, grass and weeds. I was out there till dark with the pick gently uncovering this wall. There is more work to be done, but this is really fun.

They poured the back yard patio footings yesterday. When I returned from the farmers market the pump was humming and I realized they totally drained my 5,000 gallon water tank. Now I sit with no water until the next rain which hopefully will be soon. I am going to a friend’s house to fill up some jugs to eak along until the predicted storm on Tuesday. There is a hose at Karen’s and the beach also has a shower which helps. Meanwhile I am playing a water game repurposing every extra drop of used water and praying for rain. No hurricane-just the rain.

Well, I better close now, send this blog out and get to the garden work. Thanks for tuning in and hope you will be in touch next week when there will be some exciting steps forward with a front patio frame. The shower tree Bob and I planted is in full bloom and gracing the driveway entrance.

Wishing a great week for all of you. Please leave some comments.

Aloha Nui,

Vicky

Blog #22

July 1, 2023

This has been a very exciting week as stuff is really starting to move. This blog is going to be a short one due to time limits this morning. Company arrived on Friday and I spent much of the day in preparation for the weekend work and cleaning up the construction mess. This morning two friends are flying in for a four day work-a-thon. Finally the big piles of cut hau are going to be chipped on Monday and possibly Tuesday.

Mana had a grooming appointment at Petco on Tuesday so we made the trek into town. When I took her in and they saw how matted her fur has gotten she got rejected. Luckily a woman there said she would come here to cut all this fur next week. But meanwhile I had Mana with me to do all my errands which was a real painnd some had to be cut short. I did manage to get a large roll of weed barrier which will go on the ground for the patios. It will be the barrier, sand and pavers. The real hassle with all of this big stuff is getting people to tie it down. They are all hesitant due to liability and I have to really do some fast talking and bribing, but after time they  usually concede. I need to learn how to do this job.

Finally the huge heavy old growth cedar beams have come out from under the tarp in the front yard. The guys dug specific sizes out of the wood pile, sanding them lightly and putting two coats of Cetol stain on them. They are looking rich and beautiful just like I imagined. I bought a pile of these beams from a man who years ago had them milled specially in Vancouver. He built a gorgeous multi million dollar cedar house on Lanae. When he sold the house the extra cedar all had to go. Luckily through mutual friends I was able to buy the whole package sight unseen and I ended up with a treasure trove of building materials. These beams will be used for the patio uprights with four keawe posts to support them. All this has to be installed before the gutters can be put on the shed. 

Guys pulling out keawe posts that will support beams

Bradley’s four nephews came for two days and cut hau so there is lots to chip and we are making way up the hill. While they were cutting Bradley pulled out six big tulip tree stumps. There are more stumps but due to the mud he has to wait for dryer weather.

It has been raining in the early morning just enough to make the loose dirt mud. It is a very messy time right now, but progress is being made inspire of weather constraints and machinery breakdowns. We are now waiting for Bradley to borrow a truck to bring up gravel for the concrete footings. Both front and back yards are prepared for the concrete pouring.

Sunday Derek came and cut an entrance tree that was blocking the yellow shower tree blossoms. Due to the frequent showers followed by sun and long days the grass has been growing like crazy. Chris came and did a lot of weed whacking and the yard is looking picture gorgeous.

Just about every evening I have been trapping mongeese so the cats don’t all move here to my tiny camp site. It is getting pretty crowded and hard to do desk work without a cat crawling onto my paper work or computer keyboard.

At times it feels like they are taking over. Even Mana now jumps easily up on my five foot high bed.

And, a friend called to ask a special favor of taking in Caruso who wandered in to her property and did not get along with her cat. After a couple of days slowly working his way closer he has moved in, hands out and eats on a shelf and is not problem.

OK workers have arrived and I am ready to get this out and work on today’s project cutting a better path to the pool. Thanks for tuning in and I think there will be some big changes by next week.

Wishing everyone a happy 4th and great week.

Aloha Nui,

Vicky

June 24,2023
Welcome to Blog #21

It has been an uneventful week compared with the last weeks. All the yard smoothing was finished last week so Ryan’s large Kabota machine left for home in Kipahulu Saturday evening via Derek’s hauling truck. The road is very narrow at the base of the drive so it was interesting as a line of cars showed up and waited while Ryan drove it up on the large flatbed. I don’t know how they made it back home in that huge truck with such a narrow road.

Monday was a holiday so only Chris showed for a few hours.On Sunday I worked with Derek clearing overgrown brush. We uncovered a lot of beautiful old rock formations.

Tuesday my new gate was hung and now am waiting for the solar panel to be installed so I can come and go without getting in and out of the truck.

In the last couple of days they have been laying out the patios. I just found out the patio beams and posts have to go on in order to put the gutters on. The gutters need to go on asap to start collecting water off the roof into the large tank before the dry season. Chris told me he is bringing in another helper to move this project along faster. That was good news because every other day one of the helpers has some thing going on and does not show up for work. A lot of decisions are having to be made and hopefully it will all work out.

A family of mongeese moved into the green house and the cats and I are not happy. They are real mean little varments and messy pests. All week I have been trapping them and relocating. I now have three Have a Heart traps and will probably be doing this on a continual basis. I use the same trap I used for cats and they are much easier to catch. Most people just kill them, but I cannot do that.

My new toaster arrived this week and so great to have toast after four months. Heating bread in a pan does not cut it. The simple kitchen pleasures are now pretty much in place. I remodeled my kitchen area with an extra book case so there is more room for cooking and storage and things are working pretty well. We have just enough sun to keep the solar batteries charged and just enough water to keep the little tank full.

Mana is a matted mess but is going to be sheared this next week. She jumps in the cooler full of water when she gets hot. I am going to get a little pool for her that will fill with rain water from the roof.

The cats are all pretty relaxed. A friend needed a place for one that had wondered on to her property and was not getting along so I took him in. A couple new faces have showed up and as long as there are no issues they are welcome to eat here.

I am looking forward to this next weekend when I have a team coming in to do clearing and chipping. This will give space for the first coconut planting in August after the property is blessed.

Got to go do some weed eating. Thanks for tuning in and wishing all of you a cheery week.

Aloha Nui,

Vicky

June 17, 2023

Welcome to Vicky Durand’s Adventure Blog and thanks for tuning in this week. Hard to believe it is already up to #20.

It has been a good week progress wise.

Early Sunday morning I went to the bay with my mask and fins and had a great swim. Derek came later and we worked together to clear brush that exposed some beautiful old rock work. Makes me think the Kings Highway might have gone through here. I am planning on doing some research to see what I can find. The area overlooks Wailua Cove and the stones are each about a ton forming steps up a steep cliff. It has a special feeling and I will try to get some pictures.

Ryan from Wispering Winds came in his antique red truck on Monday and loaded up the big wooden box holding the metal roll up door and it is finally is out of the front yard. Turns out Shane who is doing the septic can use it so I was happy to see it go off to a good home. And, we did a trade for the extra materials he needed for the septic system. A win win situation. Turned out there were extra costs not figured in the original quote as Patrick had to deliver four loads (13 tons each load) of special gravel from town to spread out over the leach line. This was a necessary, but huge project that I am very happy to have behind.

Tuesday morning I turned in my application for a mini grant to kick start the first coconut planting in August. After that I watched a zoom for the next Hawaii Department of Agriculture government farm grant coming down the pike which I will also apply for in the next weeks. I am keeping fingers crossed for success. Indrajit has thought of another exciting plan for the coconut/niu project and I will be sharing this when things firm up.

Early Wednesday morning I took Haumana back to the vet for an Xray. She is healed up so can now be out of her cage. This is a big relief for both of us although she was an exemplary patient. Hopefully she will stay away from vehicles from now on.

The early morning drives to town are magical as there are hardly any cars on the road so we drive down the middle avoiding some of the twists and turns. The sun rise coming through the clouds over the ocean is spectacular.

However, the return home in the afternoon after endless errands and with sharing the single lane bridges with steady streams of tourist cars is less than wonderful. But that is the price for living here in this heavenly place. When the building is finished town trips will hopefully be very infrequent.

We had a big rain Wednesday night so the ground was pretty muddy Thursday and progress seemed so slow. And, it is now Friday morning 11:30 and the workers have not arrived. Every three months there is metal recycling and supposedly they are there in line. But, there is so much to do here I find it extremely frustrating…

On a positive note my new gate is on and waiting for installation of the solar unit. They have cut one hole for the six foot sliding door and are making the wooden frame. After much manual and machine work the piles of dirt and holes in the immediate yard are all smoothed overt now are ready for grass and gravel.

The cats are having a ball with all the loose dirt, heavy machinery and tree branches to play on. Since Mana has been out of the cage she is not chasing them as much. The mongeese have discovered the cat food are are making messes. I have been trapping them and relocating near the land fill.

I listened to an amazing zoom put on by  the San Diego Writers Group put on with Rabbi Steve Leder. He has been the Rabbi at the Beverly Hills Synagog for thirty years and has written five books. Among many interesting ideas he said the happiest and most peaceful  people are living both their professed values and their living values. Also that everyone has had adventure, love, sadness, loss and we just want to tell our story so our loved ones will know how to remember us.

This is one reason I am doing this blog, but also to document the story of my Niu Now movement here. Before moving to Hawaii for my first chapter in life, I grew up on a five acre farm with chickens, horses, dogs and cats. I was a member of Future Farmers raising animals. We all fell in love with Hawaii and that was the end of farm life in Southern California. But, now, I am happily back on five acres with my own farming adventure. 

It was a great week for book sales and I am anxiously awaiting more books from Ingram Publisher Services.

Today is International Surfing Day and so cool that Wave woman was on the first International surfing team to Peru where she took first place.

Thanks for tuning in and best wishes for a great week.

Aloha Nui,

Vicky