Sea Turtles born today at Punalu'u!

Hawksbill Turtle Recovery Project Photos by Isaiah Berg

Isaiah and Kealani were able to participate in the Hawksbill Sea Turtle Project at Punalu'u today. Click HERE for a video and more information.

They found her!!

Meghan Olcott is found!!

Missing, Hilo girl, have you seen her?

Her mother is Brenda Olcott of Hospice of Hilo.
If you would like to see the news article, click here.

The Sound of Music

Jeri Gertz and Kealani (and Ursula)

When I was nine I was in The Sound of Music, directed by Jeri Gertz, at the UHH Theater. Here is Kealani with her at age 10. They just finished The Music Man at the Palace Theater. Jeri was Eulalie Makecknie Shinn, and Kealani played Amaryllis.

Before the Bridge

Ansel Adams Golden Gate before The Bridge

I have always loved Ansel Adams, but have never seen this photo before. Amazing.

SPICY Corn Chowder

Souper easy Spicy Corn Chowder

Ingredients:
Imagine Organic Harvest Corn Soup 1qt. carton
1/2 onion
clove garlic
1/2 stick butter
2 cups fresh or frozen corn(or more)
crispy BACON
chili pepper
salt to taste

Melt butter, and saute the onion till clear and soft. Add corn, and garlic,and saute a few minutes more. Add diced pepper, and soup base. Simmer 10 min.
Sprinkle with bacon, and serve with a salad and fresh bread.

Music Man

We have been very busy with rehearsals, dress rehearsals, and now performances. Hilo's Palace Theater presents: The Music Man.
Kealani has the role of Amaryllis, and Isaiah is an usher, and gets to shout out a line on a megaphone in the middle of the play. Kealani is SO thrilled to be a part of this show, and is having tons of fun. The play is very entertaining, and funny, even if you are not a big fan of musicals like me. The band is amazing! If you are in Hilo, you should not miss it, or the historical Palace Theater.

Processing Center in Hawaii!!

Operation Christmas Child Team at work

We are now going to have our own processing center here in Hawaii for the Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes! This year is the first year as usually our boxes go to the mainland first and then around the world.

12,500 boxes were collected last year from the beautiful people of Hawaii for children in desperate need around the world.
Operation Christmas Child is kids- helping kids project that uses simple gift filled shoe boxes to let hurting children know that they are loved.

These shoe boxes are filled with basic necessities, like soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, paper and pencils, and also fun stuff like, candy and toys. The boxes go to children who are living on garbage heaps, living in orphanages, refuge camps, and hospitals. Most of these children have never had a gift before in their lives.

Operation Christmas Child shoe box gifts are hand delivered to hurting children using whatever means necessary, sea containers, trucks, trains, airplanes, helicopters, canoes, camels, and even dog sleds.
Here in Hawaii our seniors, keikis, schools, businesses, Life Care Centers, Boy Scouts, and Churches have gotten involved in this wonderful project, sending Aloha around the world.
The Big Island alone gave 4,303 boxes last year, and we have relay centers in Maui, and Oahu. This year there will be a relay center on Kauai! The biggest most exciting news this year though is the Processing Center which will be in Honolulu this year!
The Collection Week is November 16- the 23, and the Hawaii Collection Center will be open for business Sat. Dec. 12- 17th from 10am-8pm week days and 9 am to 9pm on the weekend.

Infinity

Infinity is written in the heavens, in the ocean, in a sea shell, a grain of sand, a single cell, in our hearts, yet we can get so trapped in the immediate gratification of the now, and miss what is true.

Angel in my front yard

Ode to New York City

I just read an amazing article in National Geographic with the most amazing photos and artist renderings of New York before and after.

I have not been to New York since 1991. I still have photos of myself and classmates on the top floor of the Twin Towers, and in my scrapbook I kept my ticket stubs for my trip to the top of the building. New York City is an amazing city, with a fascinating history. Click on the link above to see the online version of the article complete with the computer generated artists rendering of what Manhattan looked like 200 and 400 years ago.

There hasn't been a beaver in New York for 200 years.
We hunted these buck toothed creatures for their soft fur. I wish I could have seen the towering Chestnuts,the mushroom cloud Oaks, and Hickory trees. The sandy beaches contained feasts of oysters and clams. The 17th century Dutch village had a lovely pond. Deer sipped the fresh water, and ducks played in the far edge while Sunfish swam and leaped. Now we have the Marriot Marquis Hotel on the corner of Broadway and West 46th St.
The streams, and hills, and swamps, the eels, and pickerel are gone. The pond is gone. It was polluted by a tannery, then was buried by a slum. Foley Square now lies there with it's grey cement, asphalt, silver towers, red brick, and "golden arches".
One tree remains there in Foley Square. It once was one of millions, and now exists as a remnant, a single specimen for a museum, for posterity, a single tree with roots far beneath the cement, down where there is still dirt, dirt that was there before trappers, before soldiers, and bankers, before hot dogs, bagels, and pasta, before Sicilian pizza, dollar bills, Gucci, and Times Square.

The Sailboat = Ultimate Green Transportation

Sailing 2009

I love the way sailboats look,
all happy, and free
bright, cheerful, serene
untethered, simplicity
independent, adventurous,
I stare into the ocean, and dream of sailing away where ever the wind could take me.

Tasty Vortex *BACON*

Do you need to laugh as much as I do? Jim Gaffigan is better than Prozac. Bacon. Also highly recommended, Cake, Camping, and Hot Pockets.

Hawaiian Paradise Park

Photos by Sunny and Isaiah Berg