Cherry Blossom Festival Waimea 2010

Waimea Feb. 6 2010

Sonnet LXV: Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea

by William Shakespeare
Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea
But sad mortality o’er-sways their power,
How with this rage shall beauty hold a plea,
Whose action is no stronger than a flower?
O, how shall summer’s honey breath hold out
Against the wrackful siege of batt’ring days,
When rocks impregnable are not so stout,
Nor gates of steel so strong, but time decays?
O fearful meditation! where, alack,
Shall time’s best jewel from time’s chest lie hid?
Or what strong hand can hold his swift foot back?
Or who his spoil of beauty can forbid?
O, none, unless this miracle have might,
That in black ink my love may still shine bright.

hello?is anybody home?

Detroit photo by kevin bauman

It was about 2 years ago when I discovered the ghettos of Detroit. From the safety of my computer, I stumbled upon the most amazing photos and videos of what was once a booming,industrious city.I am drawn to these photos again and again. The images are haunting. The strangest things will remind me of those images. Detroit now has a ghetto about the size of the city of San Francisco, with about 12,000 abandoned homes. When I first came across images of the ruins of Detroit, I felt sick to my stomach, and I am moved to tears. What happens when all the lights go out in a neighborhood, or the mail is no longer delivered? I wish I could have been there in the heyday of the city.I try to imagine the people going in and out. Where did they go? I think some of my feelings come from my love of America. Deep down, I want to hold on to the feeling I had as a child, listening to my Dad talk about Chevy and Ford. That was when America sparkled and shined like a new Mustang. It was an America that didn't have a ghetto the size of San Francisco.

Kevin Bauman is selling limited edition series called 100 abandoned houses.A portion of the proceeds will go to an organizations doing positive work in Detroit, Habitat for Humanity, and The Greening of Detroit. To purchase one of these photos, visit Kevin HERE.

Is there hope for Detroit? I am sure there is. Imagine how lovely it would be if a new industry popped up, and these neighborhoods were repaired, a small section at a time. These homes are not the ugly cookie cutter,same same,tract houses we see everywhere. They have character,and style.
Thank you sfgirlbybay for reminding me of Detroit once again.

The Masonry Oven Finished!!!

Isaiah with the completed oven

Finally I have an "After" to go with the before photos. We fired the oven up for the test run taking 3 hours to get to 500 degrees F. We put potatoes, and chicken in to bake, and closed the door with extra oven bricks. After one hour it was down to 175. I ended up finishing up the baking in my gas oven. Good thing we called it a "test" because we were not too discouraged. Our friend Jimmy put another layer of cement on the dome, and fixed the chimney. We are ready to test it again. This time PIZZA!!

Starfish Project

Sunny and Kealani selling Starfish Jewelery Thursday night, at the Elevate Church in Hilo

The Legend of the Starfish


A vacationing businessman was walking along a beach when he saw a young boy.
Along the shore were many starfish that had been washed up by the tide and were sure to die before the tide returned.
The boy walked slowly along the shore and occasionally reached down and tossed the beached starfish back into the ocean.
The businessman, hoping to teach the boy a little lesson in common sense, walked up to the boy and said, "I have been watching what you are doing, son.
You have a good heart, and I know you mean well, but do you realize how many beaches there are around here and how many starfish are dying on every beach every day. Surely such an industrious and kind hearted boy such as yourself could find something better to do with your time.
Do you really think that what you are doing is going to make a difference?"
The boy looked up at the man, and then he looked down at a starfish by his feet. He picked up the starfish, and as he gently tossed it back into the ocean, he said, "It makes a difference to that one”.



-Author Unknown

Check out Starfish Project's Valentine Sale! Buy a gift for your Valentine, and help stop human trafficking at the same time! 100% of proceeds go to provide a better life for the women of the Starfish Project. Let me know if you would like to sell Starfish jewelry too.