Words That Inspire #5

 "The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in". Morrie Schwartz





When I think of these words, I see this manifested everyday here in Hawaii. One of those kindred spirits is Rose Acevedo who is a board member of the Sierra Club. Here's what she's up to feed our local food bank in Hawaii.

Pepsi Co. Refresh Project is offering a million dollars every month for great ideas that support local communities.



My idea, FRUITBUSTERS, to help feed the hungry in East Hawaii was approved by Pepsi on May 1st.  The goal of FRUITBUSTERS is to develop a small crew who will rescue all the ripe fruit from trees whose owners can’t do their own picking.  This abundance of fruit will then be donated to food banks and meal programs in our area.



We need your support, so please log on below to vote. Everyone who registers can vote EVERY DAY until May 31. 

hank you for your vote,

Rose Acevedo

Picking fruit, that would otherwise just fall to the ground and go uneaten, and donating to our local Foodbank  is a wonderful idea.  Please help us by voting for this project below.


http://www.refresheverything.com/fruitbusters








Okay you have the words, now let inspiration guide you and we look forward to seeing your interpretation Here's the link tool below to add your URL address and name/city

I will be on the mainland in June so Words That Inspire will be on hold.


To view other memorial inspirations go to http://tnchick.com/

Words That Inspire #4

"Instant gratification takes too long". Carrie Fisher


We live in a society that seems to demand everything and wants everything now. In America the material life seems to be an inherent part of who we are and how we live. You know I used to feel that way when I lived in the mainland, but things did change dramatically when I went to Hawaii and had to downsize alot of the material possesions and also downsize ideas about living with things and conveniences around me.

Now, I find that living simply in Hawaii is a better way to live and to enjoy things happening in their sweet time.

I love seeing flowers take the time to bud and surprise me with the blooms finally unfolding.

I love to get fresh herbs, fruits and vegetables from the garden and come up with creative dishes.

Taking the time to enjoy simple things like driving to the ocean and watching a sunrise is my way of connecting to nature and enjoying the moment.

Seeing a world of green instead of concrete and highways gives me peace of mind and spirit.

Our last quote  for May

May 28 - "The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in". Morrie Schwartz

I will be on the mainland in June so Words That Inspire will be on hold.

Okay you have the words, now let inspiration guide you and we look forward to seeing your interpretation Here's the link tool below to add your URL address and name/city

Using Local Ingredients, A Puna Cook Off.

Recently, I participated in A Taste of Puna Cook off - a cooking competition requiring you using only local ingredients from Puna a district in Hawaii. This fantastic competition focuses on using one's creativity to come up with beautiful food made with mostly local produce and ingredients found in Hawaii.

Come and see some of the wonderful dishes that were being shown at today's event. How would you like to start off with the Pupu's (appetizers) like this Taro Jitas. A take on Panajitas (Portuguese type baked appetizers)

This lovely lady is dishing out some amazing pumpkin creme brulee and it is just Ono! (delicious)..she had a huge amount of pumpkins that were just starting to ripen so this dish is very fresh!

Would you like to try Tita's Puna Tacos with local lettuce, avocadoes, tomatos and chicken in a simple soyu glaze...aaah very tasty and everything was locally grown including the eggs and chicken.

I really enjoyed this dish, its breakfast french toast with creme anglais and goat cheese and purple sweet potato hash and then a nice smoothie in the pumpkins. They won first place in the entree portion and after tasting everything, I can see why.

You are just going to love this guava cheesecake, sweet and tart at the same time and it just slides down the throat so easily....guavas grow wild everywhere in Hawaii, free for the taking.

How about banana upside down cake...lots of bananas growing here in Puna and harvested year round.

What did I present today you ask? How about a ravioli made with fresh bokchoy and papaya in a sweet and yet spicy papaya sauce...a fusion of flavors and easy to grow!

Here's a delicious looking meatloaf made with local ground beef and spices, topped with many layers of bacon...yum!

It was really fun participating and sharing stories and recipes with all the participants and more important to show that you can create amazing dishes using just local ingredients, hope you enjoyed the Puna Cook Off tasting.



To visit other worlds today go to http://showyourworld.blogspot.com/

Words That Inspire #3

"Nothing purchased can come close to the renewed sense of gratitude for having family and friends"
Courtland Milloy

Being separated 3,000 miles from most of my family in the mainland is difficult and sometimes I do miss having my old friends and family close by to visit and share some time with.

In Hawaii we have our own version of family we call our Ohana ( a non-familial extended family) these become our adopted family of friends who live on the island and we spend most of our time socializing with our Ohana family.

Most of our gatherings are always focused on food activities, in fact my ohana is part of the Big Island International Cooking group and we always put together amazing dinner parties.








There's always plenty of delicious dishes and something new to try. How would you like to join us for some of these meals?

Or how about something sweet like these?

I am blessed to see that I also do have a wonderful Ohana here in East Hawaii and life is very special here...thank you my ohana.

To view other beautiful interpretations of this quote, please visit some of the links below or join me to interpret your version of this quote.

 
 
 Next week's quote is:

May 21 - "Instant gratification takes too long". Carrie Fisher

The Black Sand Beach at Punaluu

The sky is the daily bread of the eyes.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

The morning over the black sand beach at Punaluu is so inviting....not too many people at the beach this morning and the turtles are enjoying most of the beach to themselves today.

Is a very hazy day today and the sun is just peeking out through the sunny haze. A situation called vog is created with the combination of volcanic ash and fumes that emit from Kilauea, the active volcano located at Volcano National Park.

I love to hang out at this pond which is adjacent to the beach, you can read my previous post about walking around this magical the pond here, http://noelmorata.blogspot.com/2010/05/quiet-pond-on-edge-of-punaluu.html

When you enter the park, you are greeted with this colorful placard with honu turtle images, this area is a green turtle sanctuary and they usually like to bask in the hot black sands along with the sun burnt tourists.

To view other watery wednesdays, go and visit http://waterywednesday.blogspot.com/

To My Mom a Special Thank You

Who ran to help me when I fell,  And would some pretty story tell,

Or kiss the place to make it well?  My mother.

~Ann Taylor

A mother is a mother still,  The holiest thing alive.

~Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Food is always a central part of our family gatherings and my mom is always the center of making and sharing food, one of our favorite pastimes in our gatherings.

My mom and dad love to spend quality time with the grand kids since they come only a few times to visit them in Alameda, California where I grew up.

Happy Mothers Day grandma...We Looooove you!!!!!  Thank you mom for everything...you are everything to me!


To see other mother's tributes visit http://tnchick.com/

Words that Inspire #2

"The grand show is eternal. It is always sunrise somewhere; the dew is never dried all at once; a shower is forever falling; vapor is ever rising. Eternal sunrise, eternal dawn and gloaming, on sea and continents and islands, each in its turn, as the round earth rolls.” John Muir

Do you love quotes, famous words or poetry in your posts? If so how about joining us for a new weekly challenge every friday. This word challenge can be interpreted through a photo, or words or a combination of both that you would like to share. I think just interpreting these quotes or poems in to your place and time is what we would love to see in your post.



That’s it, are you ready for the challenge?  Here are the quotes or words for all of next month

May 14 - "Nothing purchased can come close to the renewed sense of gratitude for having family and friends" Courtland Milloy

May 21 - "Instant gratification takes too long". Carrie Fisher

May 28 - "The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in". Morrie Schwartz


Oh yes... there’s only a few instructions if you would kindly follow to participate:


1) Please Include the quote or poem at the start of your post or on the title so we (your readers) can find it easily.
2) You can use any photos old or new, or written thoughts may work with this month’s theme.
3) Please kindly link back to this meme for others to enjoy different interpretations of the theme.
4) Use the linky tool to place your URL and name at the end of the weekly post
5) Be creative as you can!



Okay you have the words, now let inspiration guide you and we look forward to seeing your interpretation Here's the link tool below to add your URL address and name/city

Sunrise along the Puna Shoreline

"The grand show is eternal. It is always sunrise somewhere; the dew is never dried all at once; a shower is forever falling; vapor is ever rising. Eternal sunrise, eternal dawn and gloaming, on sea and continents and islands, each in its turn, as the round earth rolls.” John Muir

This is my sunrise interpretation of this beautiful quote.

To see some other beautiful interpretations go visit http://noelmorata.blogspot.com/

To see other skies this friday go visit http://skyley.blogspot.com/

 

A Quiet Pond on the Edge of Punaluu

At the edge of this palm fringed beach at Punaluu is a quiet pond…everyone is at the beach enjoying the hot black sand and looking for basking sea turtles.

But I am more drawn to this beautiful pond filled with purplewater lilly blossoms which are blooming profusely everywhere, I’m tempted to wade in and pluck one out.

Their flowers and leaves are floating effortlessly on the water and palm shadows fall into the water creating rippled abstracts of their blowing leaves…very hypnotic.







I walk around the pond and cross two small bridges connecting various parts and see different scenes unfold with pictures framed in many shades of green.

I love exploring areas that are obviously in slow decay and just waiting for someone to rediscover the beauty of its hidden charms, just like this little pond.

I’m glad a took a moment to explore this and enjoy her little flowered treasures, it was just what I was looking for at the beach….not quite what anyone expected.

To visit other posts for Thats My World go to http://showyourworld.blogspot.com/

May Day is Lei Day In Hawaii Island

Happy May Day and also Lei Day ....this beautiful annual celebration that happens throughout hawaii and was started in 1928 to celebrate the tradition of making and giving leis to friends and family.

Today we celebrate spring, colors, flowers and sharing our aloha with leis.

Celebrations happen throughout the islands and here in Hawaii there are many festivals arranged to cover this wonderful celebration including demonstrations, lei competitions, craft shows, hula and many other festivities.

One of my favorites is going to the Palace Theater in Hilo and a whole day celebration at Kalakaua Park in Hilo filled with many events celebrating this tradition.

Here is a calendar of events for Lei Day, http://www.leiday.net/