My Piece of Paradise

Aloha! Hawaii has been my home since the late 70s, though I was originally raised in the MidWest mainland. On this page I hope to share with you a bit of our island life. We don't live in a fancy home, but we live rather simply and that's just the way we like it.

The plumerias shaping this heart were hand picked from an old plumeria tree in our backyard. Twice a year our backyard is filled with a shower of yellow and white plumeria blossoms. I love the tropical scent of the flowers.

Sharing the Bounty is Local Style

We use a ladder to harvest fresh papaya from the backyard. But I think that is still more convenient than a trip to the supermarket. If you're interested in facts about Hawaiian papayas, go here.

In our backyard, we also have several banana plants. My husband uses a machete to harvest huge hands of bananas. (Did you know that after harvesting the fruit, the plant is cut down and in its place new baby banana plants are already growing?) Local style is to share any backyard harvests as well as freshly caught seafood with neighbors, friends and family.

Our lanai is where we spend a great deal of time. It's a very important part of the lifestyle here in Hawaii, and especially so to us because our cottage is small. We like to eat our meals outside at the end of the day and we always begin the day with a great cup of Hawaiian coffee.

Since our kids were babies (decades ago) we've been going to a special beach on the north shore of the island. There at the edge of the beautiful Pacific Ocean we find tide pools with little sea creatures, beach glass to pick and a wonderful lagoon to swim in. Of course within walking distance of this tropical beach is my husband's favorite surfing spot.

This is the path we take to get to that beach. Where is this path? Sorry. You'll have to visit Hawaii to find this little piece of paradise, won't you? ;)

Taken from the designated safe distance of a minimum of 150 feet of these endangered Hawaiian monk seals, this picture shows a seal resting and relaxing on the sunny beach after a night of feeding.

This is the view looking up while lying on the sandy beach. :) There are many local folks who frequent this beach too, so just in case you're not lucky enough to grab the shade of a coconut tree you may want to get one of these:

I took the photo, but the sushi was prepared by SushiMan. We order a family size tray of sushi for every get together.

I ADORE hanging out in my hammock as you can see from my picture above. :) Seriously, it's a wonderful way to relax and wind down, whether you're in the tropics or not.

Don't try to pronounce it, just play it and enjoy! HAPA performs the style of Hawaiian music we play most often in our home. This song is a favorite of ours.

Our cottage is only 640 square feet, yet we manage to live quite large here in our little piece of paradise. Staying organized and utilizing storage space is key.

We've been sweethearts over 30 years. For better or for worse, right? :)