HERE ON THE BIG ISLAND - That Jumping Flea! January 29, 2008
Posted by Kelly in : General , 2comments
That Jumping Flea!
The Hawaiians had never heard anything like it. In the late 19th century, Joao Fernandes, a Portuguese musician just off the boat, began to play a miniature guitar that he called a brauginha. So quickly did his plucking fingers jump among the four taut strings, that the islanders were laughingly reminded of a flea hopping about. So they called his little instrument a “jumping flea” - uku lele - which you had better pronounce “oo-koo-lay-lay” (not “yuke-a-lay-lee”) if you want to be recognized as taking its music seriously. For folks in Hawaii do consider it a serious instrument.
The rest of the world first noticed the ukulele in 1915, when Hawaiian entertainers were among the featured acts in the expositions that both San Francisco and San Diego hosted to celebrate the opening of the Panama Canal. Soon, an ukulele craze was sweeping the U.S. During the 1920s and ’30s, thousands of youngsters were strumming, and a few virtuosos arose. By the 1950s, though, the craze had passed: songs that had been recorded with ukulele accompaniment were dismissed as ditties, and the instrument was widely disdained as a toy.
But in the ’70s, with the revival of traditional Hawaiian folk music, some of the men and women who had taken up the ukulele began plucking out the intricate melodies and sophisticated chords of popular songs, vintage swing and jazz standards, and even selections from the repertoire of the classical guitar. One of the most comprehensive websites about the ukulele is www.fleamarketmusic.com
With the musical revival came an instrumental revival. The small figure-eight-shaped “soprano” ukulele is the most popular; some performers use a larger “tenor” size, for a deeper tone. The most desireable instruments are made from mahogany or koa; those crafted by Kamaka Hawaii
(www.kamakahawaii.com) are particularly revered, though the most famous Kamaka ukulele is shaped like (and hence called) the Pineapple.
Today, ukulele virtuosos give sold-out concerts, and hundreds - perhaps thousands - of folks are taking lessons or practicing. So don’t be surprised when you see teenaged boys and girls hanging out at the beach parks, not with boom-boxes, but with ukuleles, playing and singing much as youngsters began doing a century ago.
January Newsletter is Published January 29, 2008
Posted by Kelly in : Newsletter , add a commentThe January Newsletter is published.
View the January Newsletter here.
View the Current Newsletter here.
Sign up to receive future Newsletters to your email box here.
HERE ON THE BIG ISLAND - Aloha Koa January 22, 2008
Posted by Kelly in : Big Island Hawaii, General, HERE ON THE BIG ISLAND , add a commentAloha Koa
There aren’t many trees like koa.
There are other beautiful woods, of course. But look up close.
Just beneath a polished koa surface, ripples appear, like dunes along shores. And koa has a wonderful resonance with plucked strings; no wonder ukulele luthiers prefer it.
There are other materials for making a racing canoe. But Hawaiian tradition calls for a long koa log, cut in solemn ceremony, and hand-hewn.
There are other long-lived trees. But koa seeds can lay dormant for years, not sprouting until the ground is disturbed. And the wood is plenty hard. A grand formal stairway was built of koa in the 1880s, at the heart of Iolani Palace, in Honolulu; and it’s the only entirely original wooden structure there that’s still in use.
Koa are found nowhere but Hawaii, and are most abundant on the Big Island. They grow best in the cool, misty uplands, though not where their feet stay wet. Canoe-makers admire them straight and cylindrical; wood-carvers favor the spreading, gnarly ones, for more intricate grain. Whatever their shape, koa trees grow tall, eventually over-topping whatever surrounds them.
And other trees do tend to surround them. Ohia - whose lehua blossom is the Big Island’s official flower - is a familiar companion to koa in the wild. Where the land has been disturbed, koa can be huddled by an
opportunistic waiawi thicket.
Perhaps the most extraordinary thing about koa, however, is why it’s so “popular” that other trees cluster round it. Koa is not like other trees. It’s a legume. Like peas or beans or clover, koa draws its most important fertilizer - nitrogen - not from the ground but from the air. And having used what it needs, koa “fixes” the excess nitrogen: sending it down and out through its roots, enriching the soil, where other plants and trees can draw it up.
Did you ever think a tree might have the aloha spirit, too?
Just Listed! Rare Hilo Oceanfront Estate January 16, 2008
Posted by Kelly in : Big Island Hawaii, Featured Listings , add a comment
An elegant oceanfront oasis …
Four miles north of Hilo, just across Honolii Bridge, enter through a gate onto a cobblestone drive lined by Areca palms. At the driveway end, on a bluff overlooking a Hilo Bay panorama, you’ll find a private and elegant estate home.
Very few homes in Hilo are truly oceanfront — this is a rare offering. Situated on an extra large lot overlooking one of east Hawaii’s favorite surf spots, this residence offers panoramic views from most rooms. The home design is ideal for tropical indoor/outdoor living. Large wrap-around lanais, complete with soaking pool, provide spectacular views and extend the living space with areas for dining, whale-watching and relaxing. The interior of the home has been completely renovated. An open floor plan and high beamed ceilings create a serene interior ambiance ideal for tropical living and entertaining. The kitchen features a new gas stove, new cherry wood kitchen cabinets and under counter lighting. The master bath features a new spa tub and shower area with Hansgrohe thermal balanced and thermostat controlled valves with premium nickel finish and new granite countertops with double sinks. A 250,000 BTU split air conditioning unit with humidity control adjusts to your desired temperature preference.
To preserve the beauty and integrity of the home from the effects of oceanfront exposure, these additional improvements were made: new metal roof with premium heat resistant paint and thermal blanket throughout, new full metal fascia wraps entire home, outside decking created with Veranda plank (synthetic) decking and tempered glass elements, and all operational windows are dual glazed and have vinyl trim.
This home is a short drive north of Hawaii’s second largest city, Hilo. This vibrant town offers unique downtown shopping, world class astronomy centers and the University of Hawaii at Hilo.
Click here for the virtual tour and additional details
HERE ON THE BIG ISLAND - Pigs January 16, 2008
Posted by Kelly in : Big Island Hawaii, HERE ON THE BIG ISLAND , 1 comment so farPigs
There’s a small pork industry here. A handful of farmers raise pigs, and a few butchers sell or specialize in the whole animal, for which there is always local demand. Kalua pig, baked by hot rocks in an underground oven (imu) is the centerpiece of every luau. (”Ka lua,” by the way, simply means “the hole,” and so is also local slang for toilet.)
Not much bacon is made here, but most supermarkets carry local brands of “Portugese” sausage, for which, instead of mincing the meat fine, as in “Italian” sausage, the meat is very coarsely chopped. And some people make sausages at home, which they sell from their trucks along the highway.
But there are more feral pigs here than domestic stock. If you drive uphill on the gravel roads, past where most people live, into the former sugarcane fields, mauka pasturelands and rainforests, you may well see them on the road. They are the hairy (mostly black-haired) descendents of small Polynesian pigs that sailed here with the first Hawaiians, and which later mated with the European porkers that the haoles brought.
Pigs are large, omnivorous mammals, with no natural predators in Hawaii. Man is their only enemy, and in one-on-one combat they would have the advantage. They can weigh at least as much - even twice as much - as a man weighs. And they can charge at you with long, sharp tusks.
It’s always “open season” on pigs here; and in the dense forests, local guys hunt them with dogs. (Skip this if you’re squeamish: dogs corner a pig, and hold it by the ears until the hunter arrives with his gun.) So, if you don’t have a dog with you when see pigs on the road, they usually won’t be spooked. They know you’re there (hearing and smell are their strong senses, though their eyesight is poor), but they will wait a moment or two before they amble or skip - they don’t sprint - into the brush.
Perhaps, in that moment of hesitation, they’re reasoning that you are not a threat. Pigs, after all, are highly evolved creatures; maybe they’ve learned a few facts about us and our behavior, over the years, which they employ to ensure their survival. It might go something like this: “If a human appears, but you don’t hear a big bang, or if no pig suddenly drops dead for no reason, just walk away.”
HERE ON THE BIG ISLAND - A Far-Sighted Solution January 11, 2008
Posted by Kelly in : About Hawaii, Big Island Hawaii, General, HERE ON THE BIG ISLAND , add a comment
A Far-Sighted Solution
Over the past 30 years, observatories have been built on many of the cinder cones at Mauna Kea’s summit. And although a Hawaiian ceremonial structure stands on the very highest peak, science and religion have not always dwelled there in harmony. But the aloha spirit has prevailed since
2005 with the opening of ‘Imiloa, the Astronomy Center of Hawaii, in Hilo.
Conceived and built not as a museum but as an “interpretive center,” its three shiny conical roofs evoke the Big Island’s largest volcanoes; and all the landscaping is in native Hawaiian plants. More importantly, inside, ‘Imiloa honors the Hawaiians’ culture and religion - especially their concept of creation, which is presented in considerable detail, right alongside the findings of today’s astrophysicists about “black holes” and the “big bang.”
Another large permanent exhibit showcases the Polynesians’ voyages around the Pacific. Reaching Hawaii would have been impossible without their (literally) astronomical navigational skills. Wherever links can be made between modern astronomy and Hawaiian cosmology, they are made. And everything at ‘Imiloa (which means “far-seeing”) is captioned in both Hawaiian and English.
The work of the various observatories is also explained in plain language, with interactive, hands-on exhibits - something that probably should have been done, somewhere on the Big Island, decades ago. Mauna Kea is particularly well suited for telescopes that use infrared and “submillimeter” wavelengths of light, which reveal far more details about the stars and galaxies than can be seen in ordinary “visible” light.
‘Imiloa (www.imiloahawaii.org) also has a planetarium, with various star-shows several times a day, and a café run by a local celebrity chef. It’s just mauka of the University of Hawaii’s Hilo campus, and open Tues.-Sun. from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
HERE ON THE BIG ISLAND - Green Goodness January 3, 2008
Posted by Kelly in : Big Island Hawaii, General, HERE ON THE BIG ISLAND , 1 comment so farGreen Goodness
There is more than one kind of avocado, as you will realize on a walk through the local farmers’ markets.
What’s available in mainland cities is only the small variety, once known as an “alligator pear,” that’s grown in Southern California and Florida. But because those places don’t have a particular fruit-fly that lives in Hawaii (though they have their own fruit-flies!) you can’t buy a Hawaiian avocado on the mainland, or take one back with you.
Well, that just leaves more for us, here. And we enjoy at least three major varieties: the little “pear” of course, with its thin green or brown skin; a larger version that can sometimes approach a football in size; and a round, softball-size avocado with a thick rind. They all grow almost everywhere on the Big Island, though Kona seems to produce the largest ones. And while most varieties are bright yellow-green inside, the meat of those “softballs” is darker, and nuttier in taste.
When an avocado is slightly soft to the touch, it’s ready to eat. And it’s always eaten raw. Try one on the half-shell with a spoon, seasoning it with salt and pepper, or with Japanese furukake, or even with ketchup (really!) Most people slice an avocado for sandwiches, or mash and spice it up for guacamole. An avocado can be heated, as (for example) an omelet filling; but unlike almost every other fruit, it simply can not be cooked, canned or preserved.
It can, however, be sweetened. Euell Gibbons, the late naturalist, was fond of making Avocado Chiffon Pie in a graham-cracker crust. His is a standard chiffon recipe (egg yolks, milk, sugar and gelatin, heated to boiling, then cooled), to which he adds mashed avocado pulp, cools it again, and folds in stiff-whipped egg whites. As he says in his book Beachcomber’s Handbook, “Don’t dismiss the avocado as a dessert fruit until you have tried this fluffy, delectable pastry.”
