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One of the joys of this holiday season is the creativity of the Ginger Bread Houses in the neighborhood. Come up to Ke’olu to see the fabulous gingerbread display created by our incredibly talented Ke’olu Bakeshop Pastry team.
Friday night’s sunset was psychedelic.
photo courtesy of Jen Muscatel
photo courtesty of Bill McDowell
I was beginning to worry—All fall I haven’t seen any turtles around. Wednesday, I finally saw two in Turtle Cove. On Thursday I stopped by King’s Pond to ask the experts what was going on.
“Two years ago, that big storm wiped out the turtles’ primary nesting habitat. It’s taken a toll on the population,” David Chai, Hualalai’s Director of Natural Resources, told me.
“It’s also possible the turtles have moved closer to more plentiful seaweed areas,” he said.
I hope we begin to see more of our amniote buddies sunning themselves on the sand. I miss them. Meanwhile, it’s sunsets for me.
The new soft serve ice cream machine is up and running.
And that date above is actually December 18.
I’d like to invite anyone who is interested in writing and/or writing their story to come to the Writing Class on Monday mornings from 10:30 to 12:00 Noon, starting January 6. We’ve been doing this for several years now and I’m proud to report that Debby Webster’s memoir piece, “Green Island”, has been accepted for publication. Feel free to just stop by.
#GivingTuesday Hualalai ‘Ohana Foundation
Tomorrow, members have a wonderful opportunity to interact with Calley O’Neill at 4:00 PM in the Keolu Great Room before the Member Reception. Calley is the real deal! She is an exceptional artist and yoga instructor, as well as a special individual. She is now working on a mural project at the Kona Airport.
Recently several Hualalai folks went on a hike to the highest level of craters on Hualalai Mountain. Led by Robert Pacheco, the founder of Hawaii Forest and Trail, and Melanie Seyler, one of his top guides, the group hiked through lava tubes, three different levels of high-altitude tropical forest eco-systems, and over narrow ridges that topped vertical crater walls.
“We were at altitudes ranging from 5,500 to 6,500 feet. At the end of the day we all felt a pleasant tiredness, just short of exhaustion,” Chantal Prunier said.
“It was an absolutely fantastic hike,” Sebastian Hinsch said.
FACTOID: the coast west of Hualālai is a popular location for vacation resorts, since the rain shadowof the mountain causes many sunny days. The first, Kona Village resort, was built in 1961. Since then the Four Seasons Resort[21]and the Kūkiʻogolf course and vacation home complex have also been built on the 1800 flow.[(Wikipedia)
For two days, Hualalai was the calm in the middle of a storm. Thunder boomed during the day and at night, shaking our foundations. Lightning slashed across the dark skies, appearing as if commanded by a magician’s wand. As the growl of thunder reverberated around us, it made me understand why Native people felt that angry gods dominated the atmosphere. But, of course, at Hualalai, we were spared from the storm’s fury. Instead, as the far off rain mixed with the sun, we had technicolor rainbows.
photo courtesy of Bob Holman
photo courtesy of Robert Huret
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