Vicky Durand’s Adventure Blog #67

June 15, 2024

Welcome to Adventure Blog #67

After a great 65th Punahou High School reunion weekend and a busy time on Oahu I am back home trying to get out of the past and moving back into the future. The reunion was great meeting old friends and some of whom I had not seen in many years. Quite a few did not show up and made me wonder whatever happened to them. My bestie, Mahealani came from Las Vegas and it was wonderful to reunite. Her parents had a house at the opposite side of Makaha Beach so we spent many fun times out there between our camp site and her house. During High school she was always up for any wild adventure I could dream up, so there is a special place in my heart for her. She says she will come and visit here in Hana which I am looking forward to. She is pictured here with one of my favorite men , Dick Ednie from the big island. It was wonderful reconnecting with everyone. Sheila, my match maker with Bob, came from NY and we had some nice times together both at the gatherings and driving. And, always great seeing and visiting with Denby Fawcett who is an excellent writer now writing for Civil Beat.

sheila
Denby

I miss all of them now, but Oahu is so congested with people and traffic I am glad to be home in the country. This was a scene from the Saturday night luau where all the reunion classes gather. Pretty mind boggling with so many people under one tent. The luau food was better than past years and the music was loud, but good. We were the last to leave.

The Pacific Art Fest was also going on and the coconut convention was happening within that time period. In-between reunion activities I stopped by Pau Hana where Niu Now was stationed with Pacific visitors weaving and exchanging information on coconuts. Pictured here is the world’s authority on coconuts Dr. Roland Bourdiux. He and Indrijit Gunasakara are coming here on Tuesday for a few days. There was a full on coconut summit June 12 and 13 which I sadly had to miss due to a lack of animal care. A segment from the new movie Niu Forever was previewed. You can probably see it if you google Niu Forever. If not let me know and I can send it to you.

The weather conditions here during the past two weeks have made the grass go crazy so there has been a lot of mowing and weed eating to deal with. I have a lot of planting and am hoping to start that today.

My friend Maleka from the post office came for a visit with her son and daughter. The lychee tree is going off so we picked lychee and guavas and she took bags of each home. Yesterday when I went to the PO Maleka said she had something for me and it was a big bag of one of my favorite flowers-gardenias. So special as I have never had so many.

Chris, par excellence weed eater man, came and improved the view down into Wailua Cove. There is still more to do, but it is a dangerous job with the fifty foot drop off to the road.

Thanks for tuning in and I leave you with a picture of my water garden with flowers that just bloomed.

Aloha Nui Loa,

Vicky

Vicky Durand’s Adventure Blog #66

Welcome to Blog #66
June 1, 202¢

Well, this is a very unusual start to this weekly blog which I usually do religiously on Sat. morning. But, today I felt compelled to go to book club with a great group of women that meet on the first Saturday of every month usually at a farm Hana Tropicals. Today was Jack London’s Stories of Hawaii and then the plan was to come right home to write the blog. But, plans are only made to change and It is now 3PM and I just got home from book club which started at 10 Am. After I went to the Post Office I was driving past the Ranch House Restaurant and two farmer friends from book club were standing outside so I stopped to say hi and asked if they were having lunch. They said they were meeting another friend who was not well enough to attend book club and was coming to join them for a drink. So, I said OK I will also come in and say a quick Hi to her. Another gal joined us and they all ordered martinis. For the first round I ordered lemon aid, but then saw I needed to join them on the second round with a martini and we ordered some food and had a lovely get together. This all took a big chunk out of the day so this will not be a long one.

This week we have been doing a lot of weed eating and mowing as the grass is growing so fast. There is no building till July when my back patio starts.

The big news is I now have hot water inside. This a great new luxury, but I am cautious about using it because quite a bit of cold water comes out before the hot arrives. Living off grid has made me mindful of every drip of water going into the septic tank and also the electricity usage. I have ten panels and a substantial system but we are supposed to unplug appliances even when not in use as they draw electricity just being plugged in. The water also hoses have to be guarded closely so the water tank does not get drained. It is all about needed total awareness living off-grid. And, when I get news flashes people are without electricity on various parts of Oahu I am so thankful to have a kind of independence from Hawaiian Electric.

My social life is picking up as I continue to meet and make new friends. Sunday evening was an Indian food dinner at Jan and Rick’s from Colorado. They have a one mile very rough driveway up to their house high above the airport. They also have the pool where Wednesday water aerobics takes place. Wednesday night Nancy came here for dinner. Nancy is an agronomist who gave me advice on pruning and caring for some trees which is very helpful. She is coming back to do some actually pruning.

Chris spent some time clearing the point making a spectacular view down into historic Wailua Cove. There is a little more to do, but tricky work as the 40 foot drop off is right there and very steep right down to the road. He also spent some time trying to dig a big rock up, but we finally gave up and just covered it with dirt so as to get the lawn mower over it.

Next weekend is my 65th high school reunion so I will not be doing the blog till the following week. I am looking forward to seeing some old friends. I will take pictures and tell you all about it.

I heard an interesting thing about worry. Busy people are too busy to worry during the day and too tired to worry at night.

Vicky Durand’s Adventure Blog #65

May 25, 2024

Welcome to Blog #65

Almost seems hard to believe there have been so many weeks-and the weeks are going faster and faster.

It has been another good week with some progress-bit by bit things are coming together. This project is really teaching me the value of patience. And, without a lot of patience I would just be in a constant state of irritation.

One of my hesitations oncoming here was no vet, or rather the vet we have is so old he shakes when putting in needles. That situation has been solved with a fabulous mobile vet-Dr Krista. She came this week with her friend David who is her helper and a stunt man. They worked on little Ehu, shaving dreadlocks off Scruffy and checking Boki. Ehu who is feral ended up biting all three of us while dealing with her and drawing blood on Krista and David.

I am now just breaths away from hot water. Caleb, the plumber finally showed up for about a half hour and attached the on demand heater. He then had to leave for his regular Wed. lunch with the “boys”. He said he would probably return on the weekend, so I am waiting.

AJ always shows up and does the work also came on Wed. to finish putting black shade cloth on the green house tool shed. I crawled along with him in the dirt stretching the cloth while he put the wiggle wire on. This makes a better look and helps keep the mongeese at bay.

This time of year the grass grows unbelievably fast and there has been a lot of weed whacking to do. AJ picked up another roll of weed barrier cloth and we are putting that down to keep parts of the yard in check. After the cloth is laid we shovel wood chips on top. And, more coconuts will soon be planted.

I continue to be amazed by the uniqueness of this community. Before moving here a friend asked me what I was going to eat-like that might be a problem. There is so much food here it really would be nearly impossible to starve. Since there are so many deer causing problems a company is grinding up venison and Hasegawa market gives out the ground meat packages. I use some of it for the dogs and there are some great recipes. My friend Karen stuffed one of my squash last week with rice and ground venison. And, it was a very tasty dish.

Yesterday at the farmers market they gave out Kapuna bags of veggies and lychee. I have so many squash growing, but not yet enough to sell commercially at this point so I give them away. Eventually they will be a cash crop. The lychee tree is loaded with fruit which will soon be ready. There are always papayas, oranges, coconuts, breadfruit and limes. My young fig tree already has figs and I can hardly wait till they ripen.

Before typing this I looked over last week’s blog and saw some typos. EAKS! Also I forgot to show the pictures from the week before.

Here are the coconut lights finally installed. These are lights Bob and I flew up to Kauai to cut out of the ceiling at the Coco Palms before demolition. After sitting in dirty garages for many years I dug them out, painted them and had them rewired. They are now over my cooktop.

Almost every time I go into the I Love Hana Store a book sells and I do an autograph. This was yesterday a book for Pepper from Utah. I am still dreaming of a TV series or some kind of a movie for Wave Woman-The Life and Struggles of a Surfing Pioneer. I just keep putting it out there…

Wishing everyone a Happy Memorial Day weekend remembering all of our loved ones. When you get to my age there are a lot to remember and be thankful about knowing.

Aloha Nui,

Vicky

Vicky Durand’s Adventure Blog #64

May 18,2024

Welcome to Blog #64

It has been another great week finishing projects and organizing building materials so they are not everywhere. Feels like I am still living in a construction zone, We but this should end in July. We survived the flood alerts with wind, some overcast and not to much rain here on the property. I am very glad not to depend on Hawaiian Electric after hearing about their power outages.

Sunday a couple of my new lovely friends Cheryl and Jan came for lunching to see the property. Jan took white native hibiscus cuttings and I shared greens from the garden with Cheryl.

Monday I made the merathon trip to Kahalui for food and building supplies. Hopefully I don’t have to return there until a few weeks until I fly to Oahu for our 65th Punahou High school reunion and the Pacific Arts Festival. The coconut convention will take place within the big festival June 12-14th. It is going to be very exciting!

Wednesday is water aerobics at Jan’s house high on the mountain above the airport. She has a grizzly long dirt and gravel driveway and the pool water is really cold, but the group of women are great company and they say cold water is really good for you.

AJ came and put the metal roof on the cat house patio and tool shed. No more struggling with tarps and water. I love his design and he is an amazing carpenter from Kipahulu.

Yesterday Chris my weed eater man was able to get the beautiful lipstick palm up to my entrance patio. It is very heavy and two Hawaiian men said they could’nt move it-too heavy. Chis wrestled it on a dolly and tied the pot to the dolly. The last part was up a hill where he was pulling and I was pushing and voila, after a lot of huffing and puffing and several stops for catching our breath we made it. The next challenge is getting the two big hunks of old growth cedar wood into place for benches. I will sand and refinish and maybe carve the seats out. These projects are really hard but, at the same time lots of fun to make happen.

Last night was Hawaiian music night at the local pizza place. Besides my step daughter Sarah A whole gang of new friends were there-Mary a retired American Airlines pilot, Nancy, an agriculture adviser, Jan, her visiting cousins, and husband Ricky, Terry and Michael from Entaben Gardens, Rebecca and significant other an amazing textile artist. A great group and I feel so lucky to have met them all and live in this community.

After all our picnic table friends left six Hana policeman joined us and were gobbling up pizza. Most of them were young recruits who are sent out here to start their careers. One of single men was trying to pick up Sarah-which was hilarious, but funny conversation.

Here is another Hana story. The bank does not open till 3:PM. After the Friday Farmers market I went up to the bank and was sitting on a bench waiting for the bank to open in ten minutes. One of the friendly bank tellers came up, said “hi Victoria” and asked what I needed. I said just going to cash a check for some cash. She said, “do you have a pen to write a check and I will get it for you.” I didn’t have to pen so she brought me one and I wrote the check, gave it to her and she went inside and brought me the cash. PRETTY amazing service!!

The garden is doing great, potatoes have covered the berm and the cats are pretty happy. That’s this week’s news and time for me to get to work.

These cats know how to relax.

Thanks for tuning in and hope everyone has a great week.

Aloha nui,
Vicky

Vicky Durand’s Adventure Blo #62

May 11, 2024

Welcome to BLOG #62

We survived all the flood watches, but with lots of rain and mud this week. Last night there was beautiful lightening out over the ocean. Today is the most beautiful sunny day ever.

I am having trouble with my computer so am going to just hit some of the week’s highlights and get this out before anything more happens.

After years of planning the third coconut chandelier finally got installed over my kitchen work table and they look great! Kane, the electrician also did all the last electrical work which included four outdoor porch lights. I found some cool coconut designed lamps where the light will shine through the coconut cut outs.

Caleb the plumber came and did some minor work and assures me will return next week for the hot water and outside shower.

Thanks to a worker we got chips spread on two more lo’i. Things are green and growing. I have been harvesting delicious lettuce, arugula and cilantro for salads. The potatoes have covered the mounds of dirt and chips and look beautiful with their dark green leaves. There was a bumper crop of chioti (sp?) squash that Kira and I took to the farmer’s market yesterday and gave away.

I happily finished my last rounds of paper work for Hawaii State Compliance. That was quite a job and happy to have that work behind so more gardening is possible. There is lots to plant.

I am posting this without pictures as they are not coming through with the computer problems and I am trying to get help, but meanwhile….I will combine this weeks pics in next weeks blog.

Thanks for tuning in and wishing everyone a great week.

Aloha Nui,

Vicky

Vicky Durand’s Adventure Blog #61

May 4, 2024

Welcome to BLOG #61

It has been a quiet week here, one with a lot of clouds and rain to fill the water tanks and water the newly planted coconuts and taro. They all seem quite happy and it is such a joy to look out at the hill and see the plants all doing so well. Most of the taro stocks now have two leaves.

I just watched the University of Hawaii West Oahu graduation where Kehau who came here two weeks ago to help plant the coconuts gave the student graduation speech. It was heart warming as she was a drug baby preemie born two pounds with little chance of survival and raised by two foster mothers. It was impressive to see so many local kids getting four year degrees.

Kehau giving her speech

It was a lovely graduation and made me think and wonder when the Chancellor gave the introduction saying we are our ancestors wildest dreams. This made me think of my Salt Lake City pioneer ancestors and how daring and creative they were to make the journey from England via ship and wagon train to make a new life. I wonder what they would actually think of our Niu Now and Koali coconut gene bank.
I am excited about this venture to be sure!!!

We had one of our last controlled burn for this first phase of clearing and putting weed barrier cloth this week. In another month more coconuts will be planted on the hill and as we can secure more grant money we will continue moving up the hill toward the pool and water fall.

This week I have been adding different color plumeria plants so to have them in the back yard garden. The first group of beets has been harvested to cook and lettuce is abundant along with arugula and cilantro.

This week I finalized a Green grant application for a Polaris to haul things around the property here. Will be interesting to see what happens.

The mongooses have gotten to be a big problem in the cat house. They come in for the food and are vicious critters. Everyday I have been trapping and relocating at least three. I bought three more traps so will continue this in a bigger way. This might be an ongoing activity as there are so many here. Many cats have left that space for cozier surroundings-my bed.

Looking forward to the green metal roofing for my new tool shed and patio off cat house that will arrive this next week. The lighting materials arrived and the Electrician says he will show up this next week. And, the plumber said soon for hot water.

A friend, Karen, just came up and was wooed by the progress. Things are really taking shape now and this is a big joy for me. She brought her friend and neighbor Mabel who showed me how to cook chiaotie squash. They sat down for a sample of chocolate sapote which I can’t say I love.

Well, time to sign out and get some paper work behind me. Thanks for tuning in and wishing everyone a great week ahead.

Aloha Nui Loa,

Vicky

Some´photos from this week

Vicky Durand’s Adventure Blog #60

April 27, 2024
Welcome to Blog #60

Thanks for tuning in and I want to tell you it has been an AMAZING two weeks of progress here! It is actually hard to know where to start. Maybe with one of the most important…..Last Saturday the first coconuts were planted on the hill-the beginning for the first coconut gene bank on Maui. It was a very touching and beautiful ceremony thanks to the Niu Now group -Indrajit, Jessy, Chris, Kehau and Wainani. As everyone was cutting holes in the weed barrier cloth and digging the holes Wainani was chanting a beautiful chant for success and growth. Planting was also started at 4 PM, a time during an important astrological happening and the moon was in a great place for planting according to the Hawaiian Moon Calendar. A perfect timing after two years of planning and working to make a dream actualized. I might add the Kaulunani Grant also made this all possible. We are hoping this is just the beginning of the project.

After the planting everyone hiked up to the pool and waterfall and went swimming.

Before the coconut planting the group harvested and cleaned taro from my little taro garden. They made the garden bigger and after the coconuts were planted Jessy planted taro on the lo’i that probably has not seen taro for over a hundred years. Just in one week there is a leaf on each stem. SO SO EXCITING! I can tell the taro is very happy…
We will keep planting the lo’i and that along with squash will be the ground cover.

Another great happening was Kane an electrician who came to properly install electricity. He showed up with a crew of two people who got the job done professionally and . They were here for two days drilling into metal and putting it all together according to code. It was great getting rid of all the extension cords. Two of the coconut chandeliers were hung over my kitchen work bench. I am waiting for more chain and cord for the middle light. These lights are antiques as years ago Bob and I flew to Kauai to cut them out of three rooms at the Coco Palms Hotel. I had them wired and painted for the coconut institute.

A super carpenter AJ who came to finish my windows. So happy as they were just barely held in place with wood and screws and water was coming in. He had some extra time so I had him rebuild the patio off the cat green house. This will double as a tool shed and we are waiting for the metal roofing. Now that will be weatherized and it looks 100% better.

I also found a mobil vet Dr. Krista who came to visit last week as poor Justin had cancer. She is a gem and will come out to Hana every month if not sooner.

It was a fun weekend with lots of laughter and great food fixed by chef Chris.

I am now nursing my right foot which one of these pallets fell on by mistake when some trees were getting trimmed this week.

Things are really growing here.

Thanks for tuning in and wishing you a super week.

Aloha Nui,

Vicky

Vicky Durand’s Adventure Blog #59

Welcome to Blog #59
April 13, 2024

It has been a week with some driving to the locals call the “other side”. The truck has been very dependable, but just discovered it needed some work and well deserved after all the years of dependable service. And, my biggest nightmare would be getting stuck on the Hana Hwy. where there is no reception to call anyone and it would be a real mess. Luckily I found a great mechanic up in Wailuku, but that meant leaving the truck there for a couple of days renting a car, coming back and then another trip back. Basically, hours on the road and I came to realized the Hana Hwy is not for the faint of heart. Going in early Tuesday morning a local going fast came barreling around a corner half in my lane and there must have been just an inch between us. It was so close I thought it would be a side swiping for sure. Then the big delivery trucks also come zooming around corners just barely missing you. Coming back on Thursday a tourist car went off the road down an embankment. As we passed before the police and ambulance came I could see them scrambling up the hill back to the road.

On a better note I managed to get one day of building in. Mikey put a cutting board at the end of my damaged sink which kind of disguises the blemishes and gives more counter space. Builder Chris left with the large wooden beams held to the metal beams with just clamps. They are now secured with bolts. Mikey can’t come back for three weeks, but luckily through friends I met AJ yesterday who has some time between his jobs and is going to finish the windows and trim starting this next week. If time permits he will do more.

I am constantly reaching out to different men to get this job finished. They are all super busy because there is only one electrician and one plumber in Hana so it takes a lot of haranguing and follow through. Just by chance minutes ago I called Kane the electrician again and my some miracle he answered and he is coming Monday to check what I need. And, speaking of electricity we have had a week of dismal cloudy days which is big trouble for solar. When I was away on Thursday it got way down. My solar man, Cory, who is an angle watched over it and reached out to tell me to turn on the generator. I had a little lesson on Tuesday from Mikey so it was all good to go to get things charged up yesterday. Today we have much wanted sun.

Hopefully in a couple of weeks Caleb the plumber will show to hook up the hot water and water filter for drinking. It is all a slow go, but very worth it. I have learned a lot about patience in the last months.

Another great builder James showed up last week who will do my back patio in July. We have a Makaha connection as his aunt is Buffalo’s sister and he is head of the building department at Hana High School. James has a great family. His sister Chloe helps me with my cats several days a week and is a real doll. She just turned thirteen and danced at the Merri Monarch. Ethan also helps me. He is wearing the hat in the picture. James is the tall one in the black shirt. This really goes to show that when one door closes a better one often opens.

I did some planting this week and hope to do much more this coming week. The lettuce and arugula are really growing fast and we have been enjoying salads. In a few weeks we will be eating beets.

The afternoon is moving on rapidly with much to do now that my lawn mower is out of the shop.

Next weekend is the Hana Taro Fest and company is coming in so I will not be doing my weekly blog. I will tell you all about it in Blog #60 the following week.

Thanks for tuning in and wishes for a great week.
Aloha nui,
Vicky

Vicky Durand’s Adventure Post #58

Welcome to Adventure Blog #57

April 6, 2024

Thanks for tuning in. I always love hearing from any of you and it is always reassuring
that I am not completely writing to the wind. If you cannot figure out how to respond on Word Press just email me at Wavewomanbook@gmail.com

I always love hearing from you!

It has been a week of problem solving. I guess this is good for the aging brain to keep figuring out how to solve the problems in order to follow a dream.

We continue putting down weed barrier cloth and spreading chips on top. The hill terraces are looking better and better each week. Now we are waiting for another roll and ground steaks which I will get this next on my next trip to town. Kira is a great worker.

Tuesday morning I was headed for town as Mana had a 10 grooming appointment at Petco and a 10:30 vet appt. for a little sick cat that wandered in here from who knows where. I got everyone in the truck at 6 am for a nice early start before road work, put the key in the ignition, and click click. After a few telephone calls for a jump start my friend John finally showed up and we headed out. I ran into a few road blocks but we barely made the appts. After an hour plus driving around looking for a recommended mechanic I bought a new battery from the store next door. Fernando then told me I need a new radiator so I am going back in on Tuesday and leaving it with him for a few days. Meanwhile the truck still needs a jump start which is not comforting.

Then another funny thing happened this week. I was taking a shower in the hot water one demand funky outdoor shower and the phone rang so I got out to answer. When I went back in the water was only cold. Luckily Chris the weed eater man was here yesterday and has the same shower and we just needed new batteries. I keep a supply of those, so that is back and running hot now.

All week I have been reaching out to friends for possible builders to work here. I have found some piece meal helpers which might just work out best in the long run. I will keep you posted as the weeks move on. I have four that have committed to different time periods over the next months. It is all about patience which I am slowly learning.

I have more to report, but have some much needed paper work to get out. I had it all laid out on my table-files from 2017 and at 2:30 this morning Mana turned the table over with a loud crash. Now I need to straighten it all out (as if doing the paper work isn’t enough of a pain) and complete it to become compliant with the state Hawaii. I can’t get any more grant money till I am compliant so there is great motivation to get this job behind me. I have applied for another grant and will find out Monday.

The cats seem happy in spite of the off and on rain and cool weather. The kitten wandered in with a mother and brother and I am in the process of trapping and getting them neutered. The process is much more difficult here, but will hopefully happen asap with the help of my new friend Sharon from the HHS.

Everything is growing and the lettuce is ready for picking. The potatoes are slowly but surely working their way over the mulch hill. The Chiote squash are plentiful and I am wondering what to do with some of them. We are harvesting beautiful star apples.

We were blessed with some of John’s amazing empanadas.

Thanks for tuning in and it will be interesting to see what Monday April 8th’s solar event brings to pass. Have a great week!

Aloha Nui,

Vicky

Vicky Durand’s Adventure Blog #57

March 30, 2024

Welcome to Blog #57

This week has seen some progress on the hill and it is looking better and better.

There has been no building as Chris disappeared. I am now putting the word out for a new builder. Everyone is busy so finding the right person will be interesting. There are some possibilities and I am hoping the perfect person will show up. The right plumber Caleb showed pup last Sunday to clean out my water filter and in the next weeks he is going to do the hot water and plumbing. And, also the filtration system so I can stop buying drinking water.

Kari has been helping me make social media posts which has been a lot of fun. I am doing this to create a wider audience of readers for my book Wave Woman book and to tell people about the process of building our coconut research institute, grove, gene bank and educational center.

Kari is from Chicago and after her rich Hana experiences here I think her life will never be the same. She is currently off on a weekend fishing and camping trip with my masseuse’s son Elija.
They are both twenty and so cute.

I had some old family friends visit yesterday and that was very nice. They brought a picnic lunch and we had a great visit. Afterwards we all went into town to the farmers market.

Many people have asked me about how I get my food. There is an abundant supply here and we will be quite fine if the boats stop coming. One source is the from Maui Hub which has a wide variety of fruits and vegetables along with venison and shrimp. Ordering is on line from noon on Saturday to midnight on Monday night. Each week the order is put in a box and we pick it up at the farmers market on Friday afternoon. This week I got a great box with cucumbers, green beans, cilantro, tomatoes, zucchini, mushrooms, ground venison, and a pineapple. The farmers market has a baker for breads and sweets as well as wonderful fresh fish and other great vegetables. All of this promotes a very healthy diet. I get eggs from the neighbor for 5$ a dozen if you have the container.


I have lots of orange squash, chioti, avocados, limes and oranges. The neighbor has tons of grateful that just fall on the ground and rot if we don’t get them. The Ranch Market has everything one would need, but just at a high price. So, you can see there is plenty of food here plus the tiny shrimp in the pool at the top of the property. I also stock up on staples when I go to Kahalui and hopefully it all lasts for a few weeks.

Small sweet red peppers from farmers market

I am working on a Request For Funds that is due on Monday so I need to get going. It will be for a Polaris to transport equipment around on the property. It is a long shot, but one never knows as “long shots” often happen and I keep reaching to make things happen.

My new friend Sharon who came to check a cat chip
Polaris

Wishing you all a happy and joyful Easter and thanks for tuning in.

Aloha nui,
Vicky

My vegetable garden is starting to take shape.