The Dress

So, here's the dress on my beautiful younger daughter. After a few unexpected difficulties, we barely got it done on time and had no time for alterations.

She still loved it and her friends liked it, too. The dress is a purple-black taffeta with a blue, bejeweled sheer over the taffeta on the corset. The skirt and corset are two pieces, but we did tack them together for her comfort.

Lots of work. Less than $100 total. And the last prom dress I'll have to make. :-)

(Picture taken about 7 pm - during one of our sun breaks during a crazy-weather day.)

Break Time

Ah. Time to take just a few moments to breathe and maybe run outside to catch that last ray of setting sun - since the forecast isn't so lovely the next few days. A prediction of snow down to 1,000 feet usually makes us wish for that extra 500 feet to get snow on the ground here, but in the last part of April I am ready for more sunny days.

However, maybe a dusting of white would be a welcome sight after seeing nothing but dark purple taffeta for days on end. Okay, so I'm exaggerating a bit. But making a floor-length prom dress from 10 yards of 60" wide taffeta FEELS like mountains. Then, there are the 15 yards of black lining fabric (including the "stay" - a second lining that the poofs of taffeta are tacked to). And don't get me started on how many yards of boning have to be laid down each seam of the corset-style bodice!


Last night, I listened (and occasionally glanced at) HGTV while working away. Tonight, it is just my iTunes and I. I have some oldies, movie soundtracks (Sound of Music, Pirates and Polar Express), contemporary Christian favorites and even Christmas music. It's all playing randomly while I stitch away. I may switch to TV when "Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?" comes on, though it is embarrassing how many answers I, as a high school teaher, don't know.

Yeah, I know I shouldn't be grumbling, Lord, but after working hard all day then facing this dress at night don't I deserve a little "poor me" time? No? Yes, it was my choice. (Who could blame me after looking at the prices of store-bought dresses?) And I probably could have pushed harder for my daughter to make a decision about a pattern and fabric earlier. Okay. And I also admit I rather like the challenge of making something (hopefully) stunning out of a few yards of fabric and a spool of thread. Right. My choice. No room for complaining.

And it's time to get back to work!

Flowers

I was hoping to have all my Hawaii flower pictures uploaded to my Flickr account so I could put a flower slide-show on this page, but I have to finish my daughter's prom dress first. (There is no way I can include even a fraction of the photos in one little blog!)

I can't say I was impressed by the flowers the moment we arrived in Kona. After all, it was dark and I couldn't SEE any flowers! However, beginning the next morning from the time I stepped onto the lanai I was treated to such a vast array of colors and shapes and scents... Truly breathtaking!

One of the most awesome memories from the trip was our visit to Hawaii Tropical Botanical Gardens. Located just north of Hilo, you have to take this twisty, narrow side road for several miles (and of course, they were doing construction on the road when we were there, so that took up half of that narrow road for a bit!). Once we arrived at the gift shop and purchased our tickets, we had a lovely walk down wooden and asphalt trails. Yes, I said "down." The gardens are on a fairly steep hillside, but it isn't too difficult to navigate. And once at the bottom, you can "cheat" like we did and hire the golf cart to take you to the top for just $5!


Everything is clearly labeled, but don't ask the names of all the flowers I took pictures of. If I was just a sight-seer, I might have thought to include the signs with the plants so I'd have that record, but as a photographer, I was more concerned with colors and lighting and cropping. I could have spent many more hours here, but we had a helicopter to catch so could only stay for about 90 minutes.

Another great flower venue was our hotel, the Dolphin Bay Hotel in Hilo. Their grounds were like a miniature botanical gardens, sans the signs. Here we were also treated to beautiful birds and cascades of bananas and clusters of papaya. (You can pick and eat any of the fruit on the grounds while you are there. But they keep fresh fruit in the lobby so you don't have to figure out how to shimmy up the trees!)

Still wondering about that burlap bag below? Soon...

Hmmm...

Now, you know there must be a story behind this. You'll have to come back for a blog update in a day or so to find out!

serendipitous

No vacation is perfect. With so many variables out of our control (weather, traffic, irresponsible customer service representatives,...) one can never be certain that plans will go as expected. So, we take a deep breath and forge ahead and hope for the best.

Perfection aside, our Hawaii trip was especially enjoyable. Time and again when things didn't go as expected, we found they often went better. From having no traffic on the Southern California freeways going into LAX, we had pleasant surprises around nearly every bend in our journey. Mind you, not all the blessings we encountered would have held meaning for other travelers, but for us they were treasures.



After arriving "late" in Kailua-Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii (only 8 pm their time, but that meant 11 pm for us!), we managed to get to our room and flop into bed. Our first morning we brewed and enjoyed the sample of Kona coffee that came with the room sitting on the lanai. I have one of those inquiring minds and must learn about the flora and fauna everywhere I go. I am fascinated by the colors, shapes, sounds and habits of living things. To be in a new location with so many unfamiliar plants, flowers, birds and animals to see... I was thrilled! I saw many new birds and even a mongoose just outside our door. (So glad I bought the new camera and camcorder before going!!)

We were planning two nights on the road (Hilo and Volcano House - yes, the one that was evacuated and closed yesterday because of elevated sulphur dioxide levels at Kilauea), so we packed our things and headed out. Our receptionist didn't know of any good spots near the resort for breakfast, so we figured we'd find something as we went along. We headed south out of town and found there weren't many commercial establishments in that direction. Soon, we started to get hungry and at last spied a small cafe (as we drove past). After we turned around and got back, we found the place was packed. It wouldn't have been a problem to wait, but there were NO parking places to be found. We went on down the road, knowing we had a few granola bars tucked in our luggage, if it came to that.



Luckily, it didn't. Here's where we could really use that "serendipitous" word. I'm sure that first cafe would have been fine, but we wound up at The Coffee Shack, about one mile south of the Captain Cook Post Office on Hwy 11. It doesn't look like much from the outside, but we were hoping for some local flavor. And we got it. Great breakfast, but even better was eating out on the lanai overlooking a beautiful panorama. I wrote notes on most of the fabric postcards I brought to mail to some ladies in my exchange group. Best of all we were accompanied by bright green geckos on the balcony railings! What a treat! The intense blue eyes and cute little toes - what's not to love! (And they didn't try even once to sell me car insurance.)

We left with full bellies, but more importantly we were full of joy and laughter and expectancy. Who knew what was waiting at our next stop?

Pre-Hawaii

Our trip to the Big Island of Hawaii was scheduled during our Spring Break, but due to flight prices, we actually missed two school days at the beginning and another two school days at the end of the break. My daughter and I are usually both very dedicated and responsible at school/work, so I decided a few extra days (for once) would be okay. And I do so want to spend as much time with my mom as possible, since we live so far apart.

We left Salem, OR, early on March 20. I found out later that the weather turned weird that day and included rain, hail and SNOW! Southern California was sunny and much warmer!

While in Upland, CA, for a few days my mom treated my daughter and I to manicures and pedicures for Easter. (Really for the trip, but she justified the extra money by calling it an Easter present!) It was fun and different (not something I treat myself to at home - though I may start...).

My school colors include purple, so I got purple toes. My fingernails become too brittle with polish, so they were just nicely buffed. My daughter chose a rosy color and only afterward realized they were a perfect match for her new filp-flops!




We enjoy time at mom's for lots of reasons. We walk a lot, and that is good for us. She has a few neat stores nearby - including an Italian deli/store that smells wonderful (baked goods, cheeses, herbs,...) and has a great assortment of goodies! We also play dominoes - a game called muggins. We play over and over. It is a great time just chatting and we always wind up laughing so hard we cry.

Aloha!

Where does one start? It can't be a travelogue. No matter how much one tries to describe a place objectively, the "stories" of trips and vacations and holidays invariably weave personal perspective with objective information. We all see the world through the lenses of our past experiences, beliefs and expectations. I suppose the best we can hope for is an audience that appreciates our viewpoints, quirks and eccentricities.

So, welcome to the Big Island as viewed through DeBee colored glasses! It won't always be chronological or even logical, but I hope you enjoy the journey.



The idea began (and continued) with my generous mother inviting my younger daughter and I to go to Hawaii with her. Knowing I struggle to make ends meet each month (and with a daughter looking at college in the fall), she offered to pay our way. How could I say "no"? Besides, I have always wanted to go to Hawaii. Not for the sun and surf, but for the natural elements: flowers, birds, waterfalls and volcanoes.

We researched online and picked what seemed to be a dependable guide book, then set about the task of choosing a package deal, plus a few extras on our own. We ended up with five nights at the Kona Coast Resort, knowing we would actually spend two of those nights in other places (Hilo and Volcano). I started reading the Hilo newspaper online and occasionally browsed images of Kilauea. We began making our "wish list" of things to see and do, knowing our limited time would force us to prioritize along the way. I mapped these on Google Earth and began to get a sense of "the lay of the land."

After nearly 9 months of anticipation, we took off from LAX on Sunday, March 23; finally on the way!