One Week Into School

All mighty fine here. One week of classes under the belt. Very smooth beginning to the year and excellent kids. No surprise! This weekend I joined another teacher and took our boarding students down to the city (Kona) where we did some shopping (Costco, Wal-Mart, and Ross). Then today, we spent the afternoon at the beach. It was a lot of fun watching the kids have so much fun boogie boarding, throwing the football and just playing in the waves.
This morning during an amazing walk, I picked up a bagful of fallen macadamia nuts. I took off their skins and then cracked them with a hammer when I got home. Ate a few raw and threw the rest in the oven to roast. Woah! Yummy. Between picking avocados and cracking mac nuts, I ought to stay pretty busy. Maybe fatten up a bit too :)

The Elements

This past week has been rather eventful. First a 5+ on the Richter Scale earthquake (Earth). Followed by a hurricane/typhoon (Wind and Water). Then today, the following forced closures just 3 miles up the road (Fire). Hints of much larger catastrophes to come?


Updated at 7:53 p.m., Thursday, August 16, 2007
Evacuated residents from Big Isle brushfire return home

Kamuela View Estates residents forced to evacuate due to a Big Island brushfire in the South Kohala District today were cleared to return home about four hours later.

Troy Kindred, Big Island Civil Defense administrator, said residents in 40 houses on Mahua Street were evacuated at 3:40 p.m. due to the smoke hazard caused by what he described as a "runaway" brushfire on the ocean side of Kohala Mountain Road or Highway 250 near the 4-mile marker that started at 2:11 p.m.

Firefighters had cut fire breaks and smokey conditions had improved enough by 7:30 p.m. to allow residents to return home. A shelter had been set up at Waimea Community Center.

The fire had moved to within a quarter-mile of homes during the day but caused no property damage, said Kindred.

The Hawai'i County Fire Department suspects the brushfire may have been caused by down power lines.

By 5 p.m. today, the fire fueled by winds of 15-18 miles per hour moving northeast from Kohala Mountain Road toward Kawaihae Road, had burned about 160 acres, according to fire officials.

Seventeen county, eight military and eight volunteer firefighters were involved in the firefight today. Equipment being used included three helicopters and three bulldozers.

Interesting Times Here in Hawaii--In the World for that Matter!

Breaking news...the article below is secondary to the hurricane supposed to hit tomorrow. School canceled tomorrow and it's the second day back. Reminds me a bit of Ecuador and the volcanos.

Associated Press
Magnitude 5.3 Earthquake Shakes Hawaii
Associated Press 08.14.07, 2:55 AM ET HILO, Hawaii




An earthquake on Monday jolted the Big Island of Hawaii, which is already under a hurricane watch and a tropical storm warning.

The magnitude 5.3 temblor struck at 7:38 p.m. local time, about 25 miles south of Hilo, according to a preliminary report from the U.S. Geological Survey.

There were no reports of injuries, structural damage, or a tsunami, although the quake did cause a small landslide, according to Tom Brown, a spokesman for Hawaii County Civil Defense.

There were no immediate reports of injuries.

Earlier Monday, the weather service placed the Big Island under a hurricane watch and a tropical storm warning, as Hurricane Flossie approached. A flash flood watch was also issued for the island through Wednesday.

The Big Island is largely rural, with about 150,000 people, and most live in the west or northeast, not the southern portion expected to be hit hardest by the hurricane. Other islands are expected to get much less of the storm's wind and rain.

Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

Pololu, Turtles, and Star Gazing

I've been here for a little over a week and today marks the fourth consecutive day heading down the hill to the beach. I'm going to be a little less wordy and more informative. Yeah, right! This weekend, a friend took a few of us to a place called "Pololu." This means, "long spear," in Hawaiian. It is a valley, a series of erosional valleys, forming th eEast coast of the Kohala mountains on the island. Road dead ends and there is a phenemonal look out. We hiked down to the black sand beach and body surfed waves that had some serious force behind them. I can't imagine when the surf is up. Well maybe I can! I don't think I'll find myself toying around in such waves.
After this hike, (note: eating guava all the way), we drove a bit south. Here we took a hike and did some of the best snorkeling I've ever done. Visibility was hundreds of feet. Saw tons of fish. Closed up the excellent day with a little homemade Kona coffee ice cream.

Here's another view of "long spear."

Then Sunday, went back to a different beach and swam with the turtles. Surprisingly the numbers were high. Really rather fascinating to see them swim so effortlessly. Reminded me of a magic carpet.



Other noteworthy bits to mention include a special moment this weekend. The peek of the Perseid meteor shower is expected expected to display the greatest number of meteors Sunday morning (August 12), late Sunday night and Monday morning (August 13) before dawn. Below is a blurb I found which really makes it sound like something not to miss. I'm looking forward to it as the skies here are like none other I've seen. They say the Big Island has the clearest skies in the world. I've seen some stunning night skies before but out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean like this, and just a stones throw from the desolate summit of Mauna Kea (a 13,796 foot volcano), we're sure to see an amazing show this weekend. The air is extraordinarily thin, dry and clear, and there's little to no light pollution. Trivia: All the street lights on the island are dulled down to yellow, so as to protect the observatories.

A Perseid Meteor amidst the Northern Lights.

Okay, here's the info. about the event. Hope you'll enjoy the info. but moreover, the weekend staring into the Heavens.

The legendary Perseid meteor shower will peak in the next few days. The moon is new on Sunday, or between the Earth and sun. This new moon will leave the night sky dark all this weekend for the Perseid meteors. These meteors are named for the constellation Perseus the Hero. If you trace the paths of the meteors backwards, they seem to stream from this constellation. You don’t need to identify Perseus to enjoy the meteor shower. The Perseids are an especially rich and dependable meteor shower. They shoot all across the sky – often leaving persistent trains – and occasionally lighting things up with bright fireballs. To watch the show, find a dark, open sky. Get away from city lights, and give your eyes at least 20 minutes to adapt to the dark. The Perseid shower favors northern hemisphere skywatchers. Again, the best time to watch: Sunday morning, late Sunday night and Monday morning before dawn. At its peak, the Perseids typically produce 60 or more meteors per hour. (Yowzers!)

Here’s the razor-thin waning crescent moon, as it will appear in the east before dawn Friday morning. This waning moon is a welcome sight! It means the moon will be out of the way for this weekend’s peak of the 2007 Perseid meteor shower. While the best time will likely be on Sunday and Monday mornings, try Saturday and even Friday before dawn as well. At dawn, the radiant point for the Perseids – in tbe constellation Perseus – is high overhead. Thus the meteors will be raining down from the top of the sky, appearing on all sides of you. The best observing strategy is to find a dark location away from all lights but with a good view of the sky. Then lie on a cot or chaise lounge and look up! Between midnight and dawn typically is the best time to observe meteors because at that time the Earth has turned into the direction it is moving through space. There are many things you can see with binoculars – but if you plan to see meteors, put the binoculars away! They greatly restrict your view of the sky and thus cut down on the number of meteors you will notice streaking across the night sky.

Realistically, don’t expect a literal “shower.” A meteor every few minutes is good.

Hawaii Arrival

So, this is Waimea! I've been here a few days and absolutely am enthralled. During a bike ride this afternoon I was passing through the countryside with rolling hils and all the cows, having a conversation aloud with me, myself, and Matt. One bit was about how amazing it is, from Hungary to Hawaii. Inexplicable really! I am so thankful!

I think the words that are best suited, at least considering the beautiful surround, are "expansive" and "dramatic." We're situated here at 2,500 feet, in a sort of hamlet nestled against the hills/mountains. One mile east of town it's misty but still warm, so even though you get damp you are more refreshed than uncomfortable. Head less than a mile west of town and it's desert. High desert though, much like the paramo in the mountains of Ecuador, but also barren much like the dry altiplano of Peru and Bolivia. Wide open space. Looming large is the nearly 14,000' peak of Mauna Kea. Its grand presence also reminds me of Ecuador's majestic volcanoes and how they just jet out and up.

As for school...let's just say, I am impressed! The people I have met so far are exceptional. Obviously there is an easy going-ness but also people seem weathered in a positive way and both wise and professional. I've felt the exceptional "Aloha Welcome." I consider myself moved in already, and can honestly say this feels like "home."

For entertainment's sake and seeing that at this point I haven't passed along my blog address to anyone, so comments aren't possible (YET!), I want to paste a little blurb I received from good friends back in Georgia. Kristen and Rolando are rather keen on my following the Piercy way of "all or nothing" and jumping right in, rather than slowly testing the waters. I guess it could be the Jeff Piercy motto of, "if one works, but two is better, gimme' 30!" (ie. pancakes breakfasts, "Donut Time, donut time..." or even bolstering/securing decking with 200,000 nails or even better yet, screws!) Well, here's the email I received pointing at such humor.

"We heard from Adri last night that you arrived safely & did an “extreme Matt” by unpacking everything, going to the beach & getting a Costco membership all in one day. Don’t forget to buy two cases of toilet paper and 5 cases of bananas! We thought for sure that you would have gone directly off the highway for a fruit harvest – perhaps today!"

She did hear right, "extreme Matt" did have a pretty full first day. Alright, so in a wrap, that's it. All is mighty fine as I move tomorrow into what is officially our first "formal" day of orientation. It looks to be tough seeing that the afternoon is going to be spent at a beach BBQ. If someone's gotta do it, I volunteer!