At Last!

Aloha! We have been on Molokai for almost three weeks and at last today, after very squally weather, the perfect Hawaiian day dawned. It is the kind of day we all dream of at home when the rains are torrential, the winds gusting or perhaps a little snow is falling.

Today is perfect for performing a ritual to celebrate our upcoming 30th wedding anniversary. Not upcoming until November, but we decided that this month on Molokai would be our gift to one another. And we mark each day with a gift exchange......a rainbow this morning for me from Bruce, yesterday he got a bite of my taro donut!

Today's gift exchange, following a Hawaiian tradition. The legend is that if you cast your leis upon the ocean, you are assured of a safe return to Hawaii.

 We received the lei from the Librarian at the Molokai Public Library where we did a presentation on Back to Vietnam. Everyone was very welcoming, with much aloha. In the group, a Vietnam Veteran and his wife, a veteran from Iraq, who now farms on Molokai, the mother of a veteran of Afghanistan and a couple, both teachers, retired from the US Mainland, who have come to Molokai to serve. 

Yes, there is plenty of work for this dedicated couple. Molokai's isolation and anti-development politics, poverty, domestic abuse, drug addiction and the housing crisis all create a struggle for low-income families. Monsanto has been the largest employer here for some time, but they are shutting down. 250 of the 500 positions have already been cut. Molokai has more food stamp recipients than any other island in the State. Education is difficult. With many school beginners, speaking pidgin, early reading from English texts is frustrating for both teachers and students. However, there are marvelous programs being developed and the high school now has a Hawaiian emersion stream.

 A bit disappointing that the "Friends of the Library" did not sell more of the books we had donated for their fundraising. Mahalo to everyone who helped us get set up.

So what have we been doing for all these prior cloudy, rainy and very windy days? They have been quiet and gentle and sometimes very amusing. It does not take much to amuse us though. Below you see a small collection of photos of things that have stopped us in our tracks as we have explored the island.

Check out the sunglasses!

There really is a "wata tank" up this road

Alice could not live without Raleigh

Highway art show!

On every visit to Hawaii, we are awed by the tropical flowers. This year's discovery was an edible hibiscus. We have been aware of the flower tea, but this one has edible foliage. The leaves taste like a sweet lettuce and are used in salads.

Edible hibiscus, Abelmoschus manihot, is a shrubby perennial from Indonesia, the leaves of which are flavorful eaten fresh as one would eat lettuce or cooked either alone or added to soups. It is grown exclusively for its leaves and is a very prolific producer, out yielding most crops planted for the production of leafy greens.


The plant was a showpiece on a Flower Farm in the Halawa Valley. After a bit of a search we found this place on the private road which cuts through the valley where once 5000 Hawaiians resided making their living growing taro. A tsunami in the 1940's obliterated the taro fields and much of the population. Now five intrepid families make the off-the-grid valley home. Two of those families conduct hikes up to the Hipuapua Falls, through the jungle which has taken over the former taro terraces. When we asked our guide Kalani why the sign was upside down he said, "Well, when we hung it right side up the arrow pointed the wrong way."

The 6-mile hike ( 3 up, 3 down) was moderately strenuous and the falls lovely to see.

 

On an earlier, cloudy and windy day we headed over to the east shore to walk on the blustery shoreline, overlooking dramatic beaches.

It has been grand and we are so grateful that we have discovered the rural charms of Molokai. Mahalo for the welcome Molokai: including Sri at the library, the school crossing guard we pass on our morning walks who flirts with Bruce, the growers at Humu Farms who produce the best organic fruits and veggies, the folks at Friendly Farm for the fresh bread, Teri at the bookstore for her guidance, good hints and enthusiasm for our book and story, the wait staff at Kanemitsu Bakery, and the barista's at Hula Coffee!

Love to all of our friends and family at home. See you soon!