February-March 2009

F eb/ M ar c h ‘ 0 9

“The Life” A Magazine for those who Love the Kona-Kohala Coast

The Life in Spirit:

Hawaiian wisdom by Kumu Keala Ching

The Life of the People: • Brewing up liquid aloha

• Rev. Jiko Nakade, Hawaii’s only female Soto Zen minister

Pele’s Passion

Painting on silk by Kristi Kranz KE OLA 1

Subscribe at www. keolamagazine.com

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KE OLA

“The Life” A Magazine for those who Love the Kona-Kohala Coast

Feb /March ‘ 09

Kona Brew’s Mattson Davis — Serving liquid aloha.

The Life in Spirit: 11 Ko Honua Mauli Ola (The Earth’s Healing)

& a h o l A Welcome!

Harbor Gallery offers visitors and local friends a chance to browse the finest in local art. Since 1990.

With over 150 Big Island artists, a full presentation including paintings, photos, wood turned bowls, sculpture and koa wood furniture. Shown here are four new orchid paintings on silk and a hand-painted ukulele by Ke Ola featured cover artist Kristi Kranz, a hall table by Frank Chase, Kou Calabash bowls by Kelly Dunn, Koa Jewelry Box by Jarred Yates and other items by local artists.

by Kumu Keala Ching

The Life of the People: 12 Light of Compassion at the Temple of

Great Happiness — Rev. Jiko Nakade

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How Do You Make Liquid Aloha?

Kona Brewing Company Knows How

i Kranz

cover ar tist Krist

By Ke Ola featured

The Life as Art:

Dancing in the Light 20

Visions on Silk by Kristi Kranz

Columns: 8 The Advantage of Being Green

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by Michael Kramer Leo Papa — Voice of the Land,

by Nancy Redfeather Merry Mana — Musings of a spirit in search of paradise, by Marya Mann

Departments:

PUBLISHERS’ MANA‘O • 6 then & now • 9

THE LIFE IN BUSINESS • 23

COMMUNITY Calendar • 29

Ka Puana — the Refrain:

My Island, by Rocky Sherwood • 34

OPEN DAILY 11:30-8:30 ph: 808-882-1510 www.harborgallery.biz

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Located at Kawaihae Harbor Shopping Center next to Café Pesto.

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UA MAU KE EA O KA ‘AINA I KA PONO.

The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness.

[Its sustainability depends on doing what is right.]

Proclamation by Kona-born King Kamehameha III in 1843.

Later adopted as the state motto.

PUBLISHERS

EDITOR

MARKETING DIRECTOR

ART DIRECTION

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

PHOTOGRAPHY

PRODUCTION MANAGER

PRINTING

Barbara Garcia Bowman Karen Valentine Karen Valentine Barbara Garcia Bowman Karen Valentine Mars Cavers, South Kona mars@keolamagazine.com 808-929-8356 Bob Dean, North Kona bob@keolamagazine.com 808-937-9770 Barbara Garcia Bowman, Kohala barb@keolamagazine.com 808-345-2017 Michael Kramer Ann C. Peterson Keala Ching Fern Gavelek Nancy Redfeather Marya Mann Hadley Catalano Rocky Sherwood Fern Gavelek Hadley Catalano Richard Price Hagadone Printing Co. Printed on Recycled paper

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KE OLA is published by Hawai‘i Island Publishing, Inc. P.O. Box 1494, Kailua-Kona, HI 96745 www.keolamagazine.com Editorial inquiries & calendar submissions: editor@keolamagazine.com Subscriptions: www.keolamagazine.com or mail name, address and payment of $18 for one year to P.O. Box 1494, Kailua-Kona, HI 96745 808-345-2017 Fax: 808-882-1648 © 2009, Hawaii Island Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved

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From the Publishers

Ke Ola publishers Barbara Garcia (left) and Karen Valentine, with Kumu Keala Ching at our launch party and blessing in December.

hose of us who’ve lived in Hawai‘i awhile are well-acquainted with the custom of blessings. Not only do we bless our marriages and other life passages, but we take every opportunity to make sure the spirits smile on our many endeavors. We don’t open a session of the State Legislature, County Council, or festival without a blessing.

We don’t break ground for a road project, housing development or a new well without a blessing. We bless our children on their first birthdays, our new home and our new businesses. In December, Ke Ola magazine was blessed, not just by Kumu Keala Ching, who shares a Hawaiian mo‘olelo with our readers in each issue, but by the Ke Ola contributors, advertisers, friends and family who gathered with us to celebrate the launching of the new community magazine.

As Kumu Keala shared, the gathering and intent itself accomplished the blessing. He was there to focus our attention on that fact, as well as inviting the ancestors to join in the occasion. It was a beautiful moment. We are blessed.

Passion...

This issue is seething with it—from our almost-reverent cover image to the intriguing story of the artist, Kristi Kranz, to Marya Mann’s essay on self-love, Nancy Redfeather’s visible love for gardening and Rocky Sherwood’s “Toilet Bowl”. (You’ll have to read all the way to the end to see what we’re talking about.) Love is in the air this Valentine’s Day. Dear readers, this issue is our valentine to you.

Cover Art:

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“Pele’s Passion,” a vibrant painting on silk by vibrant and passionate Kohala artist Kristi Kranz. See story on page 20.

CORRECTION: The child in last issue’s cover photo by G.P. Merfeld was mistakenly identified as a “he,” where in fact, Kamalani is a “she.”

We regret the error.

Letters

We are blessed...

Ke Ola Exceeded Our Expectations!

Aloha Barb, I was hesitant to allocate more marketing dollars to print advertising when the opportunity to advertise in Ke Ola was presented to me. While I loved the idea of the magazine, I am also very aware of the current economic climate. However, my marketing experience has told me that continuing intelligent marketing campaigns during tough times is practically required for a company that is looking towards the future and Ke Ola seemed like a perfect fit for Imua.

I'm so thankful that I followed my instincts, as the first issue of your magazine has resulted in two qualified leads for our services. I believe that Ke Ola is a wonderful advertising medium for anyone who is serious about doing business on the Big Island because of your efforts to get the magazine in the hands of those who have already shown... that they love the Kona-Kohala Coast.

Ke Ola has exceeded our expectations! We are looking forward to seeing what will happen in the future!

– Kathryn J. Lambert, Director of Business Development, Imua by David VerBurg, AIA

Kudos from Paradise Post

Aloha Barb, WOW. It’s beautiful. Looks like it has success written all over it! I’m sure we will find opportunities in the future to help each other. Meanwhile, I send you a thousand blessings on your new magazine.

– David Bennett, Editor/Publisher, The Paradise Post

Welcome Edition

Aloha Barbara and Karen, I recently received Ke Ola in the mail and had the opportunity to read it last Sunday. Y'all have done a wonderful job; this is a welcome addition to my reading materials.

Wishing you the very best, – Jeff Sacher, Kawaihae

More Response

Aloha Barb, I have already received two calls from my ad in your new magazine and the first issue just came out!

Ke Ola is a beautiful publication, so much needed for our beautiful Kona-Kohala Coast. The articles give great insight on the many diverse people who live on our island and the ad copy is so attractive. So glad to see this beautiful, community publication, in color!

Keep up the good work!

– Rita Picone Troia, Of Land and Sea

Cleanse Energize Rejuvenate The Ultimate Act of Self Love Affordable Colonics Herbal Implants Belly Work • Self Care Help

TurboSonic™ Whole Body Vibration The Lifeline ™ Technique Specializing in: Polynesian symbols, design Interior Design

Mind-Body-Spirit Connection “The medicine…is Love.”

Now in Hilo & Honoka`a

The Portal Inc.

Updating home or office Color Consultation Staging Home Organization Consultation only $85 Ma’ata Tukuafu 808-756-2745 www.polynesiandesign.net maata@polynesiandesign.net

Nedra Goedert Call for an appointment:

Hilo 936-5122 Honoka’a 775-9822 Special Offers and Discounts at: www.ThePortalInc.com

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The Advantage of Being Green Despite what Kermit the Frog sang, more businesses are realizing it IS easy being g reen.

By Michael Kramer, AIF®

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ur fragile island lifeline is, thankfully, waking people up to how we can survive here beyond the longstanding traditions of tourism and export agriculture. As consciousness shifts towards how we feed, shelter, clothe, work, and play in harmony with our ecosystem and our neighbors, people are becoming more aware of the impact of their lifestyle choices. As such, not only are people examining their patterns of energy and water use and waste produced, but they are thinking before they buy.

Where we shop, bank, and invest matters. When we spend our hard-earned dollars out, we want to know if these businesses take proper care of their customers and employees, give back to the community, conserve resources, and demonstrate a commitment to transparency, accountability and responsiveness to our concerns.

Local businesses in all industries that demonstrate such social and environmental consciousness are now being recognized by the Kona-Kohala The next workshop— Chamber of Commerce’s Kuleana Green on Green Transportation Business Program. If they qualify, they can Options is February 4 from display a special logo to distinguish them4-6 pm at the NELHA selves, while a bimonthly educational proGateway Energy Center.

Please RSVP to the Cham- gram and annual conference helps people in ber at 329-1758.The cost West Hawai‘i to adopt responsible and wise is $10, and includes pupus practices. Some of West Hawaii’s members and beverages. are Captain Zodiac, Future Forests Nursery, Kona Brewing Company, RR Roofing, Hawai‘i Forest & Trail, Woodbury Inspection Group, Hualalai Academy, Hualalai Resort, and Pacifica Skin Wellness Institute.

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Buying local is generally a good idea, particularly if the products are derived from the island’s raw materials. Here in Hawai‘i, the Honu Guide (www.honuguide.com), based on Oahu, is the state’s first coupon book and resource guide for sustainable living. HawaiiGreenPages.com is a new web portal featuring many green products and services, while the Hawai‘i Island Visitors and Convention Bureau profiles its green business members and offers ecotourism suggestions (www.bigisland.org/ecotourism).

Evolution Sage is a Hawai‘i company that helps businesses calculate their carbon footprint and offset

emissions with investments in the state’s renewable energy infrastructure (www.evolutionsage.com).

Sustain Hawai‘i (www.sustainhawaii.org) has launched the Pacific Integrated Knowledge Ohana (piko.sustainhawaii.org), the first social networking site for Hawai‘i eco-enthusiasts.

Kanu Hawai‘i (www.kanuhawaii.org) asks people to make daily lifestyle commitments towards a more just and sustainable Hawai‘i.

It also organizes service projects at such places as organic community gardens and beaches, bringing people together to give to the community in positive ways.

The Hawai‘i 2050 Task Force Report (www.hawaii2050.org) has numerous policy and business practices that will point our state in a more regenerative direction, while the Kona Community Development Plan articulates specific sustainable development protocols for West Hawai‘i (www.hcrc.info/communityplanning/community-development-plans/kona/).

When shopping for national brands, great care must be taken to look at how a company produces its goods. Check out “The Better World Shopping Guide” (www.betterworldshopper.org); it grades corporations on social and environmental criteria.

You may want to know exactly why farmer’s markets and Cascadian Farms get an “A” while Del Monte gets a “D”.

A great resource for smaller green businesses is Green America (formerly Coop America), which for over 30 years has published the National Green Pages (www.greenpages.org). Hawai‘i Island’s members include green business coaches Andrea Dean LLC and Lynn VanLeeuwen & Associates, Volcano Island Honey Company, Higher Vision Publications, and Natural Investments LLC. Becoming a green business is easier than you might think. Through small commitments that care for employees and customers, give to the community, and steward the natural environment, more and more businesses are making money while making a difference in the lives of our people and the `aina. n

Kona’s Michael Kramer is an Accredited Investment Fiduciary® and Managing Partner of Natural Investments LLC, Hawaii’s only Investment Advisor exclusively managing portfolios of ethically screened and environmentally responsible investments. He can be reached at 331-0910 or michael@naturalinvesting.com.

Then & Now: M o k u ‘a i k a u a

By Ann C. Peterson

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hurch folks have gathered every Sunday for 185 years on the site where the stately Moku`aikaua Church now stands in Kailua Village. Their purpose has remained the same, but the structure sheltering their worship has changed many times over the years.

Historians disagree on the dates, but all agree that the first church in the Hawaiian Islands—a thatched structure—was built on this site between 1820 and 1823. A wooden church, to accommodate the growing congregation, replaced this church around 1826. When this second church burnt down in 1835 — an act that may have been the model for the dramatic scene in the James Michener book, Hawai`i— Governor John Adams Kuakini rallied Hawaiians from all over the district, and on January 1, 1836 began construction of the impressive edifice that stands on the site today.

Church A view of Moku‘aikaua Congregational Church today in Kailua-Kona, as seen from Alii Drive, framed by stone arch installed in 1910, dedicating the 90th anniversary of the landing of missionaries in Hawai‘i.

Kuakini, an early recycler, used the “hewn stones of Umi,” from the 15th century chief ’s nearby heiau as the corner stones, along with lava rock, and coral-lime mortar to build the unique exterior. While this sturdy base has remained pretty much the same for close to 173 years, the steeple has changed a number of times as seen in the pictures above and at lower right.

Left: A depiction of the first thatched church on this site and the first Christian church in the Hawaiian Islands. c. 1820.

–T. Dixon, Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum

Right:The Church moved its cemetery to make room for a modern day necessity – a parking lot. Some headstones still remain honoring legacies of those past. c. 1900. Kona Historical Society

[Author’s note:] Want to sit on one of Umi’s hewn stones? Head north to the banyan tree by the pier and take a break on another of these recycled treasures (that once served as a step into H. Hackfield & Co., a store near this site).

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75-5689 Alii Dr. Kailua Kona, Hi

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In Hawaiian spiritual mythology, the taro plant represents the first human incarnation.The Hawaiian people are connected with the taro plant, as they are with their own geneology.We are reminded to care for the plants and the Earth to sustain the people.

Silk painting by Kristi Kranz.

The Life in Spirit

Ko Honua Mauli Ola (The Earth’s Healing) ~ Na Kumu Keala Ching

‘O Wakea noho pu iā Papahanaumoku, he mauli ola Hānau ‘ia ‘o Ho’ohōkūkalani, he wahine mauli ola Hānau ‘ia ‘o Hāloalaukapalili, he kalo mauli ola Hānau ‘ia ‘o Hāloanaka, he kanaka mauli ola Hā mai ka hā mauli ola, he hā o ka wai i mua o ‘I

The earth’s healing is the body’s healing.

The earth lives, the body lives, The earth’s healing is found.

For the body is your foundation, Let the child live, the earth lives.

For the Earth is the foundation, Let the earth live, the child lives.

A healing breath is the breath of knowledge before Kānemauliola.

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Our healing comes deep within our genealogy. Know where you come from, who you are, what is your path—everything has a place. You must acknowledge the beginning to see the end. Healing comes from acknowledging life found in the breath of all peoples—Kānemauliola (Healing God - Kāne).

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Ko Honua Mauli Ola, ko ke Kino Mauli Ola Ho’ōla ‘ia ka Honua, Ho’ōla ‘ia ke Kino, Eia iho ka Honua Mauli Ola Na ke kino kou kahua mua, Ola ke kino, ola ka honua Na ka Honua ke kahua loa, Ola ka honua, ola ke kanaka Hā mai ka hā mauli ola, he hā o ka wai i mua o ‘I

A royal union of Wakea and Papahanuamoku, a healing union.

Born Ho’ohōkūkalani, a royal mother of healing.

Born a deformed child, a healing food, Taro.

Born a younger child, a healing child, YOU. A healing breath is the breath of knowledge before Kānemauliola.

Light of Compassion at the Temple of Great Happiness

Re v. Ji k o Na k a d e a t D a i f u k u j i S o t o Mi s s i o n

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The weekday commuter traffic creeps up Hwy. 11 in South Kona near the Y-intersection at Honalo, slowing down briefly to pause at the intersection before accelerating on to the next daily obligation. Drivers glance at the familiar sight of the red-andwhite Daifukuji Soto Mission building, stoic like a sentry over the hectic scene.

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he atmosphere in the Soto Zen temple circulates around a petite woman with uniformly cropped black hair and a welcoming and tranquil presence. Embodying the Buddhist philosophy in her very persona, Reverend Jiko Nakade has become the 12th— and first female—minister at the Daifukuji to invite Buddhist patrons and newcomers alike to share in, practice and live the Soto Zen lifestyle.

Soto Zen, which teaches the values of seated meditation, asks Buddhists to realize the universal nature of releasing personal goals, allowing the body and mind to let go of ideas, identities and possessions and focus entirely on the present moment. The practice follows 16 precepts that Buddhists ask to be attributed to daily living, including manifest truth, living with clarity, looking and listening deeply, actualizing compassion and respecting all life.

While in traditional Japanese customs it was typically males that were priests, over the years female ministers have become more and more popular and have made significant strides in increasing their numbers. Nakade is currently the only ordained female Soto Zen minister in Hawai‘i. She says she is very excited about the increasing number of women that are partaking in priesthood throughout all the Buddhist sects.

“There is change happening. In the zen centers on the mainland there are many female priests/teachers, there is more of a balance happening. I have never felt any discrimination for being female among my fellow male ministers. There really is a transition period now, in a good sense.”

Born Mary Beth Oshima, Nakade was raised at the Daifukuji temple under the late Bishop and former Reverend Gyokuei Matsuura. At the age of nine Nakade experienced a life-altering event that drew her closer to her belief. The death of her father increased her awareness and curiosity surrounding her beliefs.

“I was touched by the suddenness of his passing. I became aware of the impertinence of life and I wanted to understand life and death more deeply,” Nakade recalled. “ That’s what Buddhist teachings were about. The interdependence of life.”

After graduating from Konawaena High School and having an interest in her spiritual connection but feeling she was too young to pursue priesthood, she left the island to attend college in Seattle. There she studied a number of subjects but always found herself drawn to faith-based learning.

“I was always interested not just in Buddhism but world religions,” said Nakade.

“I really respect them and find that they enrich our community.”

During an American Literature course, Nakade recalled that her professor announced that a friend, a professor in Japan, needed an assistant for his English program at a Soto Zen school.

“After class my professor came up to me and said, ‘I really had you in mind for this program.’

So I took a year off of school and volunteered in Japan. This rekindled my interest in Zen. I looked into my heart and felt I really needed to understand my Buddhist tradition so I transferred to University of Hawai`i-Manoa, Department of Religion.”

Back on the islands, Nakade studied comparative religions with an emphasis on Japanese religions and language. While learning satisfied the academic thirst, Nakade desired to quench her need to fully immerse herself in the practice. When the availability to study and live as a layperson among 25 Buddhist nuns in Nagoya, Japan, presented itself, Nakade gladly accepted the invitation.

“The training gave me a full tasting of the Zen life, practice and my traditional roots. It was rigorous and very challenging,” remembered Nakade of the monastery experience, joking that she felt like her legs would fall off from all the sitting. “ I developed a deep appreciation for this particular tradition.”

Continued on page 14.

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Having served as minister since June, 2004, Nakade’s journey to her current position has mimicked the precepts of which she now shares.

Throughout her formative years, Nakade always maintained a dedication to the act of patience, knowing since she was young that one day she would want to be a minister.

Nakade is currently the only ordained female Soto Zen minister in Hawai‘i. She says she is very excited about the increasing number of women that are partaking in priesthood throughout all the Buddhist sects.

Seen from the steps of the Mission, the pace of life, even in Hawai`i, is symbolically represented by the hustle and bustle of the highway traffic. While inside the picturesque temple resides a noticeable calm.

A feeling of serenity and peace envelopes any visitor and invites the practice of silent reflection.

Continued from page 13.

Reverend Jiko Nakade

Following her two-month study, the young theologian took time to reflect and process her experience.

She felt that she had just begun to skim the surface of the intensity of Zen living. Upon completion of school at Manoa, the graduate soon found herself back in Japan, having received a scholarship to study at a Soto Zen university in Tokyo.

Finishing her academic study in her early 20s, Nakade still felt she was too young to become a priest.

“I needed more life experience (in order) to serve a community. I patiently waited to see when that time would come along. I didn’t want to rush into anything,” she said.

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The Life of the People

I feel so fortunate to serve the community that I grew up in and to give back to the community that raised me,” said the Sensei, explaining that during her ordainment ceremony she received her Buddhist name Jiko, meaning “light of compassion.”

Leaving academics behind, Nakade moved to Berkeley, California for five years, focusing on her family, which included her husband and two small children. After her husband received his master’s degree, the family returned to Kona and Nakade became the leader of La Leche League International, a breast-feeding mothers’ support group. For four years she promoted breastfeeding in the community before her mother took ill and she devoted the next six years to her care.

“That was also part of my training for my current position,” Nakade said of her mothering and care giving. “Just doing your ordinary tasks, that’s where you apply your training. Your meditation has to go into daily life or it’s of no use.”

During the time of her mother’s illness, Nakade reconnected with the current Daifukuji minister, Reverend Tamiya, who was aware of Nakade’s lifelong interest in priesthood.

“He asked me one day, ‘Does this feel like the right time?’” she recalled, noting that it is crucial that the timing is right for both teacher and student, for the relationship between both is paramount in Zen training.

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For the next five and half years Nakade became a disciple under Tamiya, training and caregiving for her mother simultaneously. She immersed herself in the study of the Dharma (Buddhist teachings), meditation practice, temple administration, pastoral care and counseling, and sangha care. In the past all priests had trained in monasteries in Japan, but to aid in serving the Buddhist community (sanghas) overseas, the Soto Zen temples developed a Hawai`i training program.

Near the end of her training, Rev. Tamiya returned to Japan and the temple board asked Nakade to stay.

“It was a smooth transition. I had been there for a number of years. I feel so fortunate to serve the community that I grew up in and to give back to the community that raised me,” said the Sensei, explaining that during her ordainment ceremony she received her Buddhist name Jiko, meaning “light of compassion.”

Currently Nakade is minister to the 200 Buddhist families of the landmark Soto Mission, founded in 1914 by Reverend Kaiseki Kodama. While in the past the temple served to unite the immigrant Japanese community, today the congregation is multi-ethnic, generational and cultural.

“Daifukuji (which means the Temple of Great Happiness) is a gathering place for individuals or groups to come and study the teachings and find a peaceful place in the community to sit, meditate and find good Dharma friends,” said Nakade who oversees 15 temple subgroups, along with her pastoral obligations and Zen services. “People find the temple as a place to work in harmony, with compassion and respect and support each other on their spiritual paths, with a great deal of acceptance and without judgment.” n For more information on the Daifukuji, Sunday services, Kannon (Kwan Yin) services, Zen meditation, memberships, registration or confirmation contact Jiko Nakade at 3223524, rev.jiko@daifukuji.org or visit www.daifukuji.org

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PHOTO: James Cohn

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KE OLA

Susan J. Moss

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How do you make liquid aloha?

By Fern Gavelek

In a 3,500-square-foot brew house, carefully measure barley malt and blend with hot Hawaiian water to form a “mash.” Heat mixture until grain converts into a fermenting sugar liquid called “wort.” Separate the “spent” grain from the wort for later use as cattle feed.

Kona Brewing Company expects to produce two million cases of its handcrafted liquid aloha in 2009. With brewing operations in Kona; Portland, Oregon; and Portsmouth, New Hampshire; a fourth goes on line in March in Woodinville, Washington. Based on 2007 sales figures, KBC is one of the nation’s top 25 breweries and its beer is distributed in approximately 22 U.S. states and Japan.

Next, bring the wort to a rolling boil and add the hops for flavor and aroma. Stir and reduce temperature to 68 degrees.

Add yeast and let set about a week (longer for lagers) while tasting daily for quality control. Chill beer to 36 degrees and store a few weeks until flavor matures. Enjoy responsibly!

“Simply speaking, making beer is taking the grain and steeping it like a tea bag,” says KBC President and CEO Mattson Davis. “The grain creates food for the yeast and the by-products are alcohol and CO2.”

Got that?

Brewing beer is all in a day’s work for Brewmaster Rich Tucciarone at Kona Brewing Company (KBC). He is in the business of concocting “liquid aloha”—the stable of handcrafted beers produced at KBC. Part chef and part chemist, he meanders among towering stainless steel vats full of brew at the company’s Kailua-Kona facility. He taps samples to analyze taste and uses a density-sensitive hydrometer to track the fermentation process.

“To ensure the beer’s alcoholic content we measure density, as alcohol is less dense than water,” explains Tucciarone, who came to KBC in 1999 after working at Breckenridge Brewery & Pub in Denver. The New York native learned the brewmaster trade while attending Chicago’s Siebel Institute of Technology and holds a degree in food science with a focus on fermentation and product development from Cornell University.

More Controls, Conditions & Idiosyncrasies Than Wine Making

Davis adds that beer making involves more controls, conditions and idiosyncrasies than wine making. “It’s about the precise combination of grain, water, hops and yeast.”

Kona Brewing Company gets grain—barley—from the upper U.S. or southern Canada with the help of four maltsters. A maltster works with farmers to secure barley and oversees its malting process. Malting involves the controlled germination of barley and the use of heat to stop this natural process.

According to Tucciarone, barley is “steeped, dried and roasted into different types of malts,” which give beer its flavorful body and color. This is done through a complex kilning process and to customer specification. “Barley gets roasted, dark or light, by controlling temperature, moisture and time,” he details.

Continued at right....

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Kona Brewing Company CEO and President Mattson Davis draws a draft from the lineup of barrel-aged specialty beers that are served exclusively at Kona Brewpub.

Brewmaster Rich Tucciarone pulls a sample of fermenting beer for quality assurance while bins of spent grain await shipment to Palani Ranch for cattle feed.

Different malts are used for creating different beers, such as KBC’s copper-colored Fire Rock Pale Ale or dark Black Sand Porter.

Hops, which are female flower cones of the hop plant, come to KBC from Washington; there are different varieties of hops and they are responsible for the bitterness and aroma of the finished beer.

Their characteristics are described as “floral”, “spicy” or “citrus.”

Yeast is the driver in beer brewing. The yeast used in beer is different from the kind used to make bread. Davis says KBC uses a “pure strain of yeast” sourced from a yeast lab. There are top-fermenting, ale yeasts and bottom-fermenting, lager yeasts. Along with the crop ingredients, yeast plays an important role in the type of beer created and its taste.

In addition to the main ingredients, KBC uses tropical products to create its assortment of a dozen styles of beer.

“Our limited-release program is tropical and unique,” says Davis, who came to KBC in 1997 from Portland with a background in restaurant operations and sales. The program got underway in 2005, had its first release in Continued on page 18.

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In addition to creating new beers at KBC, Tucciarone often must modify KBC’s original recipes for its three flagship brews: Fire Rock Pale Ale, Longboard Island Lager and Big Wave Golden Ale. The tweaks to the recipes adjust to the nuances of ingredients used. For example, weather may alter the quality or flavor of grain or hops, but KBC must still make a consistent-tasting beer every time.

“Rich is an expert at this,” notes Davis. “He understands how to manage grain intensity and the alpha acid content of the hops to produce the desired result.”

The brewmaster and his Kailua-Kona staff of nine also dabble in brewing oak-barrel-aged beer—a specialty item served periodically at KBC’s Kona Brewpub. Described as “a labor of love,” these small-batch beers are served in snifters for “fun experimentation and variety.”

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Above, a special recipe (not served at the restaurant).

Another treat, that is served at the restaurant: Black Sand Porter Fudge Sauce 4 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips 1 cup of Black Sand Porter Melt together and stir :)

Continued from page 17.

the fall of 2006, and in 2007 Pipeline Porter won a bronze medal at the Great American Beer Festival.

Pipeline Porter, available as a limited release in the fall and winter, showcases the flavor of 100-percent Kona coffee, mixing coffee beans right into the malt.

Heralding Kona’s most famous food product, it is released at the onset of the annual coffee harvest. It is marketed as “smooth and dark with a distinctive, roasty aroma and earthy complexity from its diverse blends of premiummalted barley. Freshly roasted, 100percent Kona coffee and a delicate blend of hops rounds out this palatepleasing brew.”

The limited-edition beers were specifically formulated for enjoyment during different seasons. Pipeline Porter is geared for the winter with its hardy, full-bodied flavor and heavy dark color.

Wailua Wheat, on the other hand, is light, refreshing and a thirst quencher.

It goes down easy and you can have two or three servings without feeling too full. Sold in the spring and summer, it is brewed with passionfruit for a fresh, citrusy aroma and crisp, tart finish.

Beer has a 110-day shelf life, so distribution goes into full swing after beer is deemed finished by the brew staff.

The freshest way to get KBC’s beer is in a growler, a halfgallon glass jug filled directly from KBC’s taps in Kona, or at KBC’s restaurants in Kona or at Koko Marina in Hawai‘i Kai on O‘ahu.

Minimizing Carbon Footprint

“We believe in delivering the freshest, high-quality beer to our consumers and so we are expanding to distribute close to them,” emphasizes Davis, who reports 70 percent of KBC’s market is the Mainland. “By doing so, we also minimize our carbon footprint.”

According to Davis, KBC’s strategy is to feed markets by working with partners who can deliver KBC beer most effectively. He says KBC leases Mainland brew houses to make its beer, including a hydro-powered brewery in Portland that is nine times bigger than the Kona brew house. “It saves a ton of money and resources.”

In 1998, KBC stopped packaging its Kona-brewed beer in bottles because it became too expensive. “We were shipping empty bottles to the Big Island so they could be filled and shipped back out again,” recalls Davis. “It was a carbon nightmare.”

Environmental, social and fiscal responsibility—the triple bottom line—has always been a KBC value under Davis’ leadership. He has instituted a sustainable business model that is big on “reduce, reuse and recycle.”

The company has a long list of green initiatives that include using biodegradable carry-out containers and napkins, as well as recycling 80 tons of plastic, metal, paper

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and glass annually. A major green improvement to the KBC Kona brew house is the addition of two large grain silos to eliminate having to dispose of 13,000 non-recyclable bags annually.

Through a host of energy-saving methods, KBC has cut its energy consumption by 10 percent—even though it produces a temperature-sensitive commodity. Rather than air condition the entire brew house, vats and tanks are individually refrigerated using insulated jackets containing a chilled, liquid gel.

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While KBC strives to lessen its environmental impact, it aims to make a noticeable difference in the local community. In 2008, the company donated nearly $20,000 in product and merchandise to benefit local schools, non-profit organizations and county agencies.

“We consciously practice ‘Business to Business’ in our community when seeking goods and services,” adds Davis. He says KBC is in the “low 80 percent” for the total amount of Hawai‘i-produced food products used in its restaurants. “My goal is to take it to the mid-90s. It all comes down to committing to farmers that you’re going to buy their products.”

Annual Kona Brewer ’s Festival

KBC’s annual Kona Brewer’s Festival, 2:30-6:30 p.m. March 14, promotes craft brewing and recycling.

The festival taps up on the grounds of King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel and has raised $313,000 for Big Isle beneficiaries. It is in its 14th year.

“We’re members of the Kona community and I want our community to be successful,” says Davis, who is married with two young sons. “We need to do what it takes to promote that success.”

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KE OLA 19

It’s no surprise that the next time you’re at a local fundraiser, you’ll be served a handcrafted beer from Kona Brewing Company.

After all, there’s nothing better than toasting good will with a fresh and cold glass of “liquid aloha.” n

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Dancing in the Light

Vi s i o n s o n Si l k b y K r i s t i K ra n z It’s been a journey of twists and turns that have led her to becoming the top-selling artist for one Kohala gallery.

Raised in Seattle, Washington, and California, Kristi excelled in both art and sports in high school. She practiced both skills in Aspen, Colorado, during the ‘70s, where she painted watercolor portraits of Aspen’s Victorian homes for a local mapmaker and supported her skiing habit singing in a rock-and-roll band.

Then she forgot all about art for over a decade, moving to the Big Island in 1985 to help manage a small hotel in Kamuela. Her days were spent working as a fine-dining waitress and bartender, paddling and canoe racing.

A period of time owning a small clothing business based in Indonesia, Two Sisters Imports, introduced Kranz to the mystique of silk, and helped inspire her return to art. Beginning again with watercolor, she soon took on the complexities of silk painting.

By Karen Valentine

The Life in Art

A

gossamer weave of silk, light as light itself, dances in the morning sun. Stretched between two sawhorses at the studio of artist Kristi Kranz, it awaits the perfection of a completed image, born of the visions that float in the artist’s imagination. Liquid color, poised on the tip of her brush, kisses the silk, spreading into a cloud as the fabric absorbs the dye and lets it go where it will. In other places, the color stays confined inside an outlined image that the artist has drawn onto the silk with a gummy substance, called gutta, to corral the colors.

Kristi Kranz’ paintings on silk are a luxurious marriage of fabric and color—the blend of colors and texture forming the image, while the translucent silk allows the light to express itself subtly as part of the finished painting.

The North Kohala artist’s brilliant silk paintings make you think of watercolors, the art form to which she was first attracted and studied at The Anderson Ranch Center for the Arts in Snowmass, Colorado. But, as her art has evolved, she now finds more challenge and more exclusivity in silk painting.

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Kristi clearly enjoys what she does.

“Silk is fabulous,” she said. “When I got my first bolt [of silk], I wrapped it around me. It’s sensual. The white silk is a blank page, but not like paper. It’s shimmery and translucent.”

Kranz’ first work on silk was, in fact, wearable art—handpainted clothing. After developing that craft into a high-end, hand-painted silk clothing line—Kranz Silks— sold in boutiques on the Big Island and Honolulu, including Neiman Marcus, she found that was entirely too demanding.

“I thought I was going to die,” she said, reflecting on her schedule of production painting for Neiman Marcus.

Although her handpainted silk clothing line may still be found in one Hawi boutique, original paintings now make up the bulk of Kranz’ work.

Customer demand, however, isn’t what directs her decisions of what to paint. “I won’t paint for the sale. I have to paint for me.”

Finding her inspirations in people and nature, she next painted silk panels in folding shoji screens, Obake Anthuriums which glow in the light.

Her silk wall hangings and shoji screens depict luminous visions of lush hideaways, waterfalls, ponds, flowers and dancers. ”I love to paint people and faces. That’s why I was attracted to hula dancers,” she says. Oriental themes inspired by old Chinese block prints—floral displays and the symmetry of swimming koi—also spring from her brush. The flavors of the Orient and Hawai‘i combine to give the silks their unique style.

“I’ve never lacked for inspiration,” she says. “I’ll see something and want to paint it. I’ll stand with my brush poised and wait to see what comes through me. I have this space where I’m not looking for anything, just painting, where stuff slips down from the universe, through me and onto my silk, and it brings me the

“I love to paint people and faces. That’s why I was attracted to hula dancers.”

Keiki Kiss

most joy I’ve ever felt.” Kristi’s passion for painting is easy to feel. “I often find inspiration while paddling out on the water or running. I see so much and take it in. You know, that’s what it’s like, being an artist. What’s normal for others is striking to us.”

Yet, making a living as an artist rather than a waitress isn’t easy. In fact, it sometimes takes a miracle—or good teamwork— to match up the beautiful art with the buyer willing to make the investment.

In 1995, serendipity put her in the same place with Gunner Mench, manager of Donatoni’s restaurant at the Hilton Waikoloa Village Resort, and he hired Kranz as a waitress. As fate would have it, he left there to buy Harbor Gallery in Kawaihae in 1997, and Kristi Kranz’ silk paintings and shoji screens soon had a place in the gallery.

“He promoted my work so well that I became his best-selling artist and was able to quit my $300-per-night job so that I could paint full time. Gunner’s ability to help people understand my art is the key. And it’s not only my art. He also helps support many other Big Island artists, as well,” she says.

The silk itself comes exclusively from China, says Kranz, and she uses different varieties—from charmeuse to chiffon or habotai.

Mostly self-taught, Kristi learned from local artist Phan Barker in a day class and also spent some time apprenticing with several other artists.

When the painting is completed, the dye must be set; so another tricky process ensues, wherein the silk is wrapped around a pole, protected with a layer of paper or Pellon. The pole is placed into a steamer with boiling water, hot enough to allow the dye to molecularly bond with the silk, yet being careful not to over-saturate the silk, resulting in water spotting or bleeding. So, even at this late stage in the process, heartbreak can occur. Finally, Continued on page 22.

Koi Dance

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“Painting on silk isn’t always predictable.

It teaches you,” Kranz says. “It does what it wants. If a mosquito bites you and you have a

She works on a horizontal surface, the silk pinned loosely at elbow height. “The process requires that it be free. Imagine a drop of wine spilled on a silk blouse on Thanksgiving Day.” It works like watercolor, yet the medium is a dye, not paint. Applied layer after layer, it builds up just the right amount of opacity and depth of color for the image. Kranz also uses the French serti technique, similar to batik, using a wax that blocks the spread of the color. Drawing an orchid, for example, with gutta, she outlines the design, and then fills it in with color. She uses Chinese bamboo brushes, which are versatile enough to make a fine line or a broad wash.

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Kranz puts a lot of herself into each silk painting, including some joy and a few tears, as the process is quite painstaking.

brush in your hand, the result may be good or not.”

Continued from page 21.

after the steam bath, the fabric is washed to remove excess dye.

This process results in a permanently-bonded painting that, in the case of clothing, is washable.

Kranz’ work can be found at a number of galleries around the islands, and she has private clientele, for whom she creates commissioned paintings, shoji screens and custom clothing.

Just this fall, she received a special request from Kahilu Theatre. As a fundraiser, the arts organization teamed up with Tiffany’s at the Kings’ Shops at Waikoloa to commission several local artists to create paintings on 20 ukuleles to be displayed and sold through the store in December and January. Kristi’s creation is a painting on silk, decoupaged onto the instrument.

Kristi Kranz at a gallery event (above) At left is a one-of-a-kind hand-painted ukulele, blending her love of music and art.

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She says she is pleased with the result, and given her continuing interest in music, she may be decorating more ukuleles and guitars. Or playing them in a local club. It’s just possible you may spot the artist as part of an all-girls-but-one-guy band Rock Canty, playing at Luke’s in Hawi or at a local party.

Contact Kristi Kranz at 808-889-6244 or email kranzsilks@ aol.com. n

Wholesale Florist Supplies and Design

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www.hawaiiflowers.org Permanent Botanicals • Tropical Accessories Tropical Trees • Plants • Flowers • Arrangements Custom Designs • Home Consultations

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The Life in Business...

Glimpses into the stories behind a few of our ads

Kilauea Lodge and Restaurant in Volcano Village

Owners Lorna and Albert Jeyte Floral design business owner Rita Troia with store greeter, Gessie

Of Land and Sea: Rita Picone Troia came to Hawai‘i in 1993 with many years experience in the floral industry and created her own niche for a unique, floral design and wholesale business. A graduate of Purdue University’s Floral Design Institute, she had also owned a full-service flower and gift shop, greenhouse and gardens for 10 years near Chicago. The designs she creates are “floral works of art,” using artificial trees, plants and flowers in place of live plants for the homes of part-time and full-time residents, plus businesses and hotels looking for a simple, easy-to-care-for but elegant style. “With my background as a Master Gardener,” Rita says, “designs are so true-to-life that many caretakers have watered them, thinking they were real!”

She will consult on your floral design or you can bring in your own container and purchase the elements for your own creations. Conveniently located near Home Depot at Hale Ku‘i Plaza, Of Land and Sea serves customers throughout Hawai‘i. The beautiful store is an indoor “jungle” and has a friendly greeter named Gessie, who likes dog biscuits. Shop hours are 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and Saturdays by appointment.

Kilauea Lodge and Restaurant: It’s a love story. Albert and Lorna Jeyte were looking for an opportunity to move from Honolulu to Hawai’i Island. On their honeymoon in 1986, they found the old Volcano Lodge for sale. The former YMCA (circa 1937) was a small restaurant and gift shop in the 1960s. The owners, Virginia and Bill Dicks were living in the main lodge after they closed their business. Lorna and Albert took one look and fell in love with the property.

In 1987, they completed the purchase, but it took almost a year to get all the necessary permits to open as a small inn and restaurant. “We were jokingly called the ‘Open-Soon’ Restaurant,” said Lorna. She had been a high school teacher on O’ahu and Albert was a an Emmy-award-winning make-up artist, so there was a certain learning curve to entering the hospitality industry as well. After 20 years, Kilauea Lodge Country Inn and Restaurant, surrounded by native forest and birds, remains a landmark in the Village of Volcano. Visitors and locals alike make it a special-occasion destination. The lodge atmosphere makes you feel like you’re in the mountains (which you are). Its big fireplace, soaring cedar ceilings, local art, and koa tables give it a warm, inviting ambience. And Albert’s European-local cuisine is offered for breakfast and dinner nightly. On the beautiful grounds there are 12 cheerful rooms and two vacation cottages nearby.

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Great Books…

Great Friends…

Great Fun…

Kona Stories Book Store

Open Mon –Sat Mango Court Kainaliu

www.konastories.com 324-0350

L e o Pa p a – Vo i ce o f t h e L a n d

By Nancy Redfeather

I

knew something was up the day my third grade teacher asked, “Who would like to help me plant a salad garden?” I found myself standing beside my desk with my arm raised and waving only to realize that I was the only taker of this seemingly generous offer. A few weeks later, she called me to her desk, apologizing for the fact that she had forgotten the watering can, and offered me a small paper cup with which to water the lettuce, carrot and radishes. I joyfully trekked back and forth from the water fountain to the garden plot in endless trips, gleefully thinking about the salad that I was growing. On the final day, when we all got to eat as much as we wanted, I knew for a fact that I had never tasted anything so delicious. The pact was set.

I was nine.

Sometimes, in order to move forward, we need to look back, and what a better time of year to reflect on our earthly connections and our resolve for the new year than winter, which will surely turn to the new beginnings of spring.

My first memory of “the garden” came at four, as I was serving tea to my bear, seated across the table from me in my playhouse, tucked into a corner of our yard. I gazed out the window, across a neatly formed compost pile of leaves and grass awaiting transformation, to my father working in his rose and flower garden. As I watched my father hoeing, his movements unhurried and the tool an extension of his arm, I wanted to imitate what I saw. All of

A happy young girl and the seedling sunflowers of Waimea Country School.

Photo courtesy of School Garden Network Project,The Kohala Center.

us can think back to an earlier time and remember when Nature was a part of our life, when just being in her presence somehow connected us to a deeper wisdom.

Later, as I sought to procure larger spaces in the yard to plant my seeds, I finally met the wall. My father had decided that my sister, who was five years older than I, should have “first choice” of all garden spaces. I was relegated to a small bed along one of the fences, where I grew sweet peas that towered over me and found their way to the evening dinner table, along with my mother’s praises. I spent my spare classroom time drawing imaginary gardens, complete with paths, rounded and interesting beds of vegetables, fruit trees, berries, flowers and herbs, benches and birdbaths. As adolescence approached, my interest waned.

But as you know, desires once repressed often resurface later with zeal! At age 23, the prohibited gardening

space was given free reign the first weekend after I bought my first house in 1973, when I rented a rototiller and tilled up the entire St. Augustine lawn behind the house. Little did I know that in this area of California the topsoil was alluvial, rockless and forty feet deep! You had to be careful where you dropped seed as they would all come up, even in paths. I was teaching elementary school at the time, and would leave daily with my students at 3 p.m., to catch a few hours of light to plant, weed, or harvest. I vowed to eat only grains, a small amount of cheese, and whatever I grew. I bought Diet for a Small Planet and plastered 3x5 cards on my kitchen cabinets, educating myself as to what constituted a complete protein. I planted rows of zucchini, broccoli, brussel sprouts, and peppers.

There was just too much food, I realized one evening, as I stood before my cutting board with a two-foot zucchini! I thought to myself, “Shall I stuff it, freeze it—

“It was a revelation to me that I could be helping to feed my neighbors, whom I didn’t even know, from a small backyard garden.” can I eat one more bite of zucchini?”

But necessity being the mother of invention, I began placing cardboard boxes out front in the late afternoon on the parkway with the words “Free Organic Food.” In the morning on the way to my car, I would pick them up almost always empty. It was a revelation to me that I could be helping to feed my neighbors, whom I didn’t even know, from a small backyard garden.

Shortly after that, in 1978, I moved to Kona and planted my first garden in the rocky fill of Kona Heights. It was then my real gardening education began, combining the realities of place spurred on by the magic of my first garden encounter. Since then, the Garden Divas have given me every possible situation to try my hand at growing food for my family. The a’a flows of Napo’opo’o, the rainforests of Honaunau, the pahoehoe flows of Middle Keei and Keauhou, the ash soil of Kainaliu and Kealakekua, all have led me here to Kawanui Farm, midway between Honalo and Kainaliu on the edge of the great makai lands.

Take a few moments sometime soon, to contemplate your connection to place, to food, to the living-growing world outside and all around you. Self-sufficiency is becoming a necessity, and aren’t we lucky we live Hawai’i, land of endless gardening possibilities. The joy of having a little piece of the Earth’s surface on which to cultivate flowers, herbs, fruits or vegetables in your leisure hours—if for no other reason than to discover that there is nothing so enjoyable and healthful as tasty, homegrown vegetables, ripened on your own fertile soil, moistened by the rains, swept by the winds and shone upon by the sun, cultivated and raised through your own efforts, cooked and eaten the very day they are picked— can reconnect us with our food, our life, and our future.

Bon appetite. n Nancy Redfeather and her husband Gerry Herbert live at Kawanui Farm, a 1.2 acre educational and experimental “minifarm” at the 1500 foot level in mauka Kona. In the next issue, she will talk story about how their farm came into existence, and about their home production work.

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                   •  •  •   •     •   •  •    •  •    

KE OLA

ALOHA BUSINESS SERVICES – JEFF TURNER, CPA Consulting for Small Business

KONA TAX SERVICES – WILLIAM GLOVER, CPA    

   

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Free initial consultation • Call for appointment • 329-9220

“Merry Mana”

You can have it all.

And your parents can too!

Musings of a spirit in search of paradise

By Marya Mann, PhD.

You don’t have to sacrifice your career or leisure time to care for your older relatives. While they socialize with their peers, you carry on with your day. At Ho‘oNani, they treat your loved ones like family—nurturing mind, body and spirit.

True Love Begins Within:

887-6440 Tender, loving adult day care

65-1267B Lindsey Rd., Waimea

The Power of Falling in L ove with Your Peri Courtney Enkin Higher Self

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“...thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”-- Leviticus 19:18

    

W

e’re sometimes so busy looking outward, to find ways, means and mana, we can forget to look inward.



    



   

    

 

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

     

 

 

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KE OLA

On Maiau St, just above Costco

A natural foods cafe serving Thai, Indian and Indonesian cuisines 10:30 am - 9 pm, Mon.-Sat. • Thai cooking classes every Sat. Call for info.

BRING THIS COUPON for DINNER SPECIAL: Buy one entrée, get second one half off, 5-9 pm Mon. - Sat. (Limit one offer per table.) — Expires March 31, 2009

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The Golden Rule says to love others as we love ourselves, but how do we love ourselves?

Of all the kinds of love that breed goodness in the world—the romantic tryst, Platonic affection, the child’s worship for life that begins with his first tiny grasp of a parent’s finger, or loving service to a higher cause—they all rest on the shoulders of how we love and care for ourselves.

Celebrated Kona author and energy therapist Peri Coeurtney Enkin is something of a prophet in the field of loving ourselves—our higher selves, actually.

The higher self, described by psychologist Carl Jung as the “central unifying archetype around which all other archetypes are grouped and ordered,” is also known as the soul, spirit, muse, aumakua, or daimon.

The higher self is the center point, the inner power that naturally motivates us to create and become the most ideal form, person, or psychic pattern we can imagine.

Like Dr. Jung, Ms. Enkin embarked on a personal quest to find her own higher self. Out of her quest came a book that may mightily lighten your heart: Love Letters from Your Higher Self; and a workbook, Dancing with the Universe.

“Sometimes the higher self speaks in poetry or metaphor,” she says, “or the eloquent expression of visions and pictures, but the tone is always kind and full of appreciation and acceptance.”

“Conditioned values are not always right,” she said.

“Instead, we take the inner journey of self-revelation and truth-telling to get to the core inside.”

One prevalent philosophy holds that we must first care for others to learn compassion, but Ms. Enkin feels that loving the self comes first, akin to being on an airplane when the steward says you need to put the oxygen mask over your own face before putting a mask on your child.

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“When we are not in love with ourselves,” she said, “we lose energy, we lose mana, we feel depleted and we’re going through life on halfsteam. We don’t have all our resources, the full fountain of well-being. When we generate self-love, we’re tapping into the universal source of mana. Self-love is the doorway to mana.”

“How do you love yourself?” I asked.

“First, by understanding the value of it. It’s not just for me, but for all my relationships. In loving myself, I’m gifting all the people in my life. When it’s for all my relations, it removes my need for people to be any particular way.”

“What’s your definition of love?” I asked.

I checked in with my muse, my higher self, and heard. “Yes, by loving ourselves, we naturally care for others around us. Now, take care of yourself. Go outside in the sunshine.”

“Nobody ever stops to think about it. Love is four letters, and one way to bring it alive is to look at each of the letters as meaning something: Living Our Visions and Values Expressed. Through a process of self-inquiry, we find there’s a core, a natural aliveness, an emotional experience, a resonance, a knowing of what matters to us and what doesn’t. What’s aligned and what’s not. The movement of love into action in our lives has an active, expressive quality.”

How could I resist? I took my muse for a stroll through Kona and decided to inquire what other West Hawaiians thought about falling in love with the higher self. Was it some kind of new-age, psycho-hocus-pocus, or deep wisdom that would connect me more deeply to my muse? As I ambled down Alii Drive, I thought perhaps other gods and goddesses could be trying to communicate with me, in the here and now, if I would only look closely enough, and listen.

We ought to have as many words for love, I thought, as the Hawaiian language has for water, or the Eskimos have for snow. One’s love for coconut milk curry or a new boogie board isn’t the same kind of love one has for yoga, your mother, or your higher self, is it?

I stopped at the Royal Kona Resort, where Matesh Banthia, yogi and owner/operator of The Lotus Center, agreed with Ms. Enkin: “If people would only take care of themselves, the world would be fine.”

“Every day is the most important time for love,” he said. “365 days a year.”

As I searched and asked people what loving their

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“When we fall in love with self, we’re content, we take care of own inner needs.

We can love and help better because we’re not coming from a needy place. There’s a natural rising of desire to contribute to a greater self for others.”

I asked if he was doing anything special for Valentine’s Day, the most important day of the year for love.

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Higher Selves meant, they referred to something unchangeable that connects us all.

Near a flowering poinsettia tree by the sea, I asked Barbara Moore what she was doing at Dragonfly Ranch for Valentine’s Day. She said they’re holding a “Be Your Own Valentine” contest for written vows to your Inner Self. As people write these vows, they can heal, she said. “We have to marry the immortal parts of ourselves, the part of us that lasts forever, after we die.” Written, possibly even sung or danced, these vows to love your Higher Self always, witnessed by a loving community, could uplift a person forever, I thought.

So Loving Your Self could bring not only peace and

health, but authenticity, poetic beauty, humor.

Higher Self Art! My spine tingled. Chicken skin spread down my arms as I felt an unconditional wisdom and comfort available to us when we slow down enough to listen.

I felt the warm sun on my face as I walked north to the Kona Inn Shopping Village, where Bosco, the One-ManBand, has played his eclectic music for two decades. He spoke with me in between Elton John and Beatles love songs.

“You run into your self everywhere you go,” he said.

“It’s all self-love, unconditional love for everything.”

A near-death experience led him to uncover acute, visceral knowledge about love.

Facing the danger of losing everything, a deeper love for life blossomed.

He is not alone. Ms. Enkin also uncovered many of her deepest truths about love after a near-death experience.

“It was a spiritual crisis where I actually left my body,” she said. “I met my higher self and had an experience of what it was like to be fully loved, so [the process of] living was changed.”

Don’t wait to die to know about this kind of love. The love we can share begins right now, with the thoughts we have, and what we choose to pay attention to. Thinking I love myself and others with joy and ease can bring a lot more traction to the consciousness

quest than thinking it’s hard to love myself.

“The shift to self-love is about becoming internally based rather than externally reactive,” said Ms. Enkin. In the grand adventure of life, she says, some days will be rainy and we’ll be tramping through the mud. Some days will be sunny and blissful. “It’s all about how I’m internally seeing my experience,” she said.

If you love who you really are, not what someone else has said you should love, this changeless, loving core of being will develop and grow.

Do it now. Getting to know your higher self may be the most significant step you can take to fully enjoy the rest of your life, and like higher consciousness, it’s certain to bring you higher love -- 365 days a year. n

Hawaii

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February/March Happenings

February

Saturday, Feb. 7 16th Annual Cherry Blossom Festival in Waimea This festival showcases the annual blooming of Waimea’s cherry trees along Church Row Park, and the Japanese tradition of viewing them, known as “hanami”. In conjunction with Paniolo Preservation Society’s Waiomina Centennial Celebration, the 2008 festival commemorates the Big Isle’s cowboys of Japanese descent. From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., a host of activities takes place from Parker Ranch Historic Homes on Mamalahoa Hwy. 190 to the Hawaiian Homestead Farmer’s Market on Hwy. 19. Pink banners around town identify cultural event sites. Demonstrations of bonsai, origami, tea ceremony, sumie, mochi pounding and calligraphy. Free shuttle transportation among venues.

Saturday, Feb. 7 5th Annual Paniolo Scramble Benefit Golf Tournament.

Sponsored by Rotary Club of North Hawai‘i. Proceeds provide scholarships and community grants.

Big Island Country Club – Registration and continental breakfast 7 a.m.

Shotgun start at 8 a.m. Donation of $125 per golfer includes lunch. Scoring: Peoria – No handicap required.

Hole-in-one, men’s and women’s long drive and closest-to-the-pin contests for valuable prizes. Tee and hole sponsorships are $95. Mulligans for $5 each. A fun awards luncheon at the Puuanahulu Stables next to BIIC for golfers and non-golfers. Lunch for non-golfers is $25. Special lunch prepared by Rotary’s master chef Doug Carr, prizes, Country Western band, goodie bag, cart, and more fun.

Sunday, Feb. 8 Bob Marley Day Concert & Ag Fair in Hilo The 1st Annual Bob Marley Day Concert & Agricultural Fair at Mo’oheau Park and Bandstand in Downtown Hilo, noon-5 p.m., features international reggae artist Tuff Lion (formerly of Bambu Station & Midnite), local reggae bands, artists, and special guests. Agricultural fair with vendor booths, presenters, storytelling, seed exchange, supervised art activities for youth and free farmers’ market. For more information, call 808-216-7372 or email bobmarleyday09@gmail.com Saturday, Feb. 14 Holualoa Town Valentine Dance Annual family event at Holualoa School’s Cafetorium with live dance music from 7-10 p.m. Great door prizes, refreshments and a silent auction. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Advance ticket sales at most Holualoa shops, $8; $10 at the door.

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Saturday, Feb. 14 7th Annual Hilo Chinese New Year Festival Lion Dancers begin at 9 a.m. at the Kress Building on Kamehameha Avenue, offering traditional blessings to downtown Hilo businesses. They lead followers to nearby Kalakaua Park to open the festival with thousands of firecrackers at 10 a.m. Until 3 p.m., Asian arts, crafts, product and international food purveyors celebrate the Year of the Ox. Performances, cooking and cultural demonstrations, and displays illustrate the Chinese influence on Hawaii’s people and culture.

Saturday, Feb. 14 Valentine’s Day Partner Yoga An innovative workshop, with Marya Mann, Ph. D., and Koakane Green, D. C., inspired by ancient wisdom and modern science, guides you to find your natural flow, align with partners and friends, and stay in tune. Featuring live music by Jas and Cheryl, who create divine harmonies. For more detail, call 345-0050 or visit www.maryamann.com. Time: 10 a.m. – noon.

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Saturday, Feb. 7 Na Mea Hawaiì Hula Kahiko at Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park The first 2009 Na Mea Hawai’i Hula Kahiko performance! See traditional hula and chant performed outdoors on the hula platform overlooking Kilauea Crater from 10:30 - 11:30 a.m., featuring Ka Pa Hula Na Wai Iwi Ola under the direction of Kumu Hula Keala Ching. Hawaiian crafts demonstrations at Volcano Art Center Gallery from

9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park. Free (Park entrance fees apply). Call (808) 967-8222 or visit www.volcanoartcenter.org.

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Feb. 14-15 Hawaiian Quilt Show in Waimea Beautiful quilts on display, how-tosessions, and items for sale including patterns, pillows, wall hangings and quilts. Time: 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Thelma Parker Gymnasium, Waimea.

Free to the public. For more information, call 808/775-0726 or email simplyunfold@earthlink.net Sunday, Feb. 15 “Q’uisine of Hearts,” American Culinary Federation Valentine Brunch This event, at the Hilton Waikoloa, annually benefits 2,000 Kona-Kohala keiki through ACF Chef and Child nutrition awareness programs. Enjoy an array of sumptuous food, wine and music. Bid for “sweetheart” floral arrangements, quality merchandise and fun, including private catered dinners by top Big Isle chefs, during the silent auction. Presented by the ACF Kona-Kohala Chapter Chef de Cuisine Association. 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Water’s Edge Ballroom at the Hilton Waikoloa Village. Tickets $45 adults and $20 children aged 5-10.

For more info, call 329-2522.

Thursdays, February 19 & March 19 Free Quantum Creativity Ensemble Experiences in Kona Discover your Quantum Creative potential at this FREE Arts Ensemble experience in Kona. You are invited to shift your energy into dynamic focus, enhance the quality of your work, relationships, and spiritual vitality, and exercise your imagination to bring insight and inspiration to everything you do. Led by Marya Mann at Loom of Love. For more detail, call 345-0050 or write marya@loomoflove.com.

Time: 7 – 9 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 21 Salsa Dance Lessons Third place winners of the ESPN World Salsa Championships, Charlene Rose and David Nieto, lead a two-hour salsa workshop at Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort and Spa, Kona, 1-3 p.m. $30 per person. This workshop preceeds the Salsa En Fuego Concert (below). Please contact tigerjonesproductions@yahoo.com to sign up for workshop. Limited space!

Saturday, Feb. 21 “Salsa En Fuego” with Son Caribe Salsa en Fuego is back with the Grammy-nominated group Son Caribe, featuring one of the hottest international Latin artists from NYC, Luisito Rosario at Sheraton Keauhou

Bay Resort and Spa in Kona, 7 p.m.midnight. Also featuring performances by salsa dance champions, Charlene Rose and David Nieto. Salsa dance lessons. Dress to impress! Cost: $40 in advance; $50 at the door. For more information, call 808/990-0737, email tigerjonesproductions@yahoo.com or visit www.djkonadance.com Saturday, Feb. 28, 2009 Grow Hawaiian Festival – Amy B.H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden, Captain Cook Weavers, hula dancers, kapa makers, storytellers and other practitioners of traditional Hawaiian culture meet with biologists, conservationists, and horticulturists to explore their common passion for the native and Polynesianintroduced plants of Hawai‘i. Visit and learn with some of the foremost practitioners of Hawaiian arts, and make cultural items to take home. A free event from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Amy B.H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden is 12 miles south of KailuaKona on Hwy. 11, just south of mile marker 110. Activities for all ages, and plate lunches for sale. Informal lei contest (everyone is encouraged to enter - call for category details). For more info, please call 323-3318.

March

Saturday, March 7 Great Waikoloa `Ukulele Festival Waikoloa Beach Resort Along with performances by big names, this event provides lessons in how the ‘ukulele is created, and Roy and Kathy Sakuma will offer free ‘ukulele lessons. Time: 2 to 7 p.m.

Music performances will be taking place at Queens’ MarketPlace, Kings’ Shops Center Stage and other locations on the Waikoloa Beach Resort grounds. Admission: Free. ‘Ukulele and ipu-making demonstrations have $15 fee. Call (808) 886-8822 or visit www.waikoloabeachresort.com for more info.

Thursday, March 12 Brewers’ Pa’ina – Beer and Food Pairing Dinner A special beer and food pairing dinner kicks off the Kona Brewers Festival weekend Thursday, March 12, from 6 to 9 p.m., hosted by the Keauhou Beach Resort. Each course of the outdoor feast is expertly paired with a different Kona Brewing Company beer, and many of the dishes will incorporate beer as an ingredient.

Tickets are $45. Check the festival website for updates on ticket purchas-

Brewfest Paina – Kicking off the multi-day celebration the Thursday prior to the Kona Brewers Festival is a beer and food pairing dinner, set oceanside.

Photo by: Pete Orelup

ing information, www.KonaBrewersFestival.com.

Friday, March 13 Kona Brewers Fest Golf Open At the Big Island Country Club, a fundraiser benefiting environmental, educational and cultural organizations of the Big Island, including the Hawai’i Montessori School at Kona. Time: 7:30 a.m. registration; 9 a.m. Shotgun start at Big Island Country Club. A portion of the proceeds to benefit Hawai’i Montessori School at Kona.

For cost and registration visit www.

KonaBrewersFestival.com.

Saturday, March 14 Kona Brewers Festival The 14th annual Kona Brewers Festival showcases more than 60 types of ales and lagers from 30 breweries from Hawai‘i and the mainland, served alongside island-style cuisine from 25 Hawai‘i chefs. The sell-out event features craft beer, tantalizing food, live music and entertainment outdoors on the luau grounds next to Kailua Bay at King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel in Kailua-Kona from 2:30 to 6:30 p.m. Hula and oli (chant) kick off the event, and live musical entertainment continues throughout the day. The annual Trash Fashion Show, designed to raise awareness of the importance of recycling, will show off whimsical attire made from recycled materials.

Tickets available in advance only.

Cost is $50 and includes a commemorative event mug, eight four-ounce brew tasting coupons, unlimited samplings of gourmet cuisine and an afternoon of entertainment. Tickets can be purchased online at www.

KonaBrewersFestival.com.

Friday, March 14 Pua Plantasia Party Benefit for Kona Outdoor Circle Keauhou Kona Outdoor Circle presents its annual Pua Plantasia, with a gala party, silent and live auctions. Auction items include events, dinners, activities, artwork from island artists, and excellent collectibles from generous supporters.

Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort and Spa. 5 p.m. No-host cocktails and the silent auction. Elegant dinner (around 6:30 p.m.) features island-fresh foods, and includes wine paired to the meal.

Proceeds support KOC’s beautification and planting efforts. For reservations, call 808-329-7286. For more info, visit www.konaoutdoorcircle.org or email koc@konaoutdoorcircle.org

         aaaa

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    

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Saturday, March 15 Pua Plantasia Plant Sale To support its planting, beautification, education, and public advocacy, started in 1985, the KOC will once again hold its annual benefit sale at the Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort and Spa, outside of the convention center. Free admission, but buyers will not be admitted until 8 a.m. sharp.

A huge selection of terrific plants to enhance your yard, garden, and home. Bamboo, bromeliads, herbs, succulents, lilies, fruits, waterplants the vendors will bring the best - and coqui frog free! The Kona LDS Boy Scout Troop members will be on hand Continued on page 32.

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Saturday, March 8 Run for the Hops 5K, Kick off to the 14th annual Kona Brewers Festival, Run for the Hops 5K run/ walk gets starts at 8 a.m.

Begins and ends at Kona Brewing Company. Entry fee of $25 includes commemorative T-shirt, refreshments, award ceremony and beer tasting. For registration go to www.KonaBrewersFestival.com.

Kona Brewers Festival Homebrew Competition Also planned in conjunction with the week of events is the Kona Brewers Festival Homebrew Competition, a local competition sanctioned by the American Homebrewers Association, recognizing the most outstanding homebrewed beer, mead and cider being produced by amateur brewers.

Judges come from all over the U.S. to evaluate the entries using the AHA National Style Guidelines for 28 different styles of beers, meads and ciders.

For more information visit http://konabrewcontest.googlepages.com or call 808-331-3033.

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Continued from page 31. to help you get your plants to the car.

Free classes at 9, 10, 11, and noon.

Food for sale too. 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

For more info, call 808/329-7286, visit online at www.konaoutdoorcircle.org, or email koc@konaoutdoorcircle.org Saturday, March 28 24th Annual Magic Spectacular Benefit Aloha Theater, Kainaliu You’ll see it, but you won’t believe it.

The annual Magic Spectacular brings world-famous magicians to Kona each year. This year’s headliner is Italian magician Aldo Colombini, who moved to the U.S. in 1993 and has taken the country by storm! He has performed in 52 countries for both children and adults. He is the winner of one of the most prestigious awards in the world of magic. Local performers include Barry (The Great Barusky) Gitelson, Alan Konno, Arnie (Arneleo the Great) Rabin, Al Gulick and Ken Broennimann. Music by Solar Wind (The Big Island Surf Band).

Two shows, at 2:30 and 7 p.m. at the Aloha Theatre, Kainaliu. To benefit Society for Kona’s Education and Art in Honaunau. $12 General / $10 for

seniors 65 years and up, or 12 & under. For more information, call 808-936-2046 or email alohamagic@aol.com.

Saturday, March 28 Annual “Happy Day at Huliheè” Spring Fundraiser Kailua-Kona On the grounds of historic Hulihe’e Palace, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., enjoy arts and crafts vendors, ono local food, a tempting bake sale featuring Aunty Nona’s popular peach cake, the everpopular Tutu’s Attic elephant sale, a chance to win a Hawaiian quilt, and non-stop entertainment. Interested vendors should contact Anita Okimoto at the palace office, 329-9555.

Saturday & Sunday, March 28-29 Quantum Leap Creativity Weekend Learn to create your positive fate by taking the Quantum Leap! An artistic, psychological and spiritual experience, designed to clarify, align, and energize your imagination and manifesting ability. Led by Marya Mann. Call 345-0050 or visit www. maryamann.com. Times: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. both days.

The Secret Is Out!

Upper Cervical Care Is Gaining National Recognition The best-kept secret in health care has finally been exposed. The good news for you and your family is that there is an Upper Cervical Health Centers of America office right here in Kailua-Kona! Regardless of your sickness or diagnosis, Upper Cervical Corrective Health Care gives your body the best opportunity to get well and most importantly, to stay well.

It’s a natural and effective way to live pain-free, without the use of drugs or surgery.

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Conditions Which Have Responded To Upper Cervical Care: • Allergies • Arthritis • Asthma • Digestive disorders • Ear infections • Epilepsy • Fibromyalgia

• High blood pressure • Hyperactivity (ADHD) • Meniere’s syndrome • Migraine headaches • Multiple Sclerosis • Trigeminal neuralgia • And Many Others

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Contact: Rebecca Keliihoomalu R(B)

MacArthur&Company Sotheby's International Realty

808-895-1156 www.alohaliving.com

Consultation, Exam & X-Rays

Located Directly Above Costco® 73-5618 Maiau St., Suite A203, Kailua-Kona (808) 327-1188 • www.uppercervicalkona.com

Dr. Joe Breuwet Upper Cervical Chiropractor

Zero carbon emissions. Zero environmental impact. Zero cost.

Discover a revolutionary new way to print responsibly. Only from Hagadone. learn more at www.hagadoneprinting.com or call 847-5310.

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CARBON OFFSET

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CARBON OFFSET

CO2BACK

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Ka Puana — the Refrain Rock Garden

By Wayne Stier

No one sane would ever venture to set foot in this roiling rocky hole of sharp stone and tenacious urchins. But when the tide is very low and the swells are small and slow, it becomes my personal thrill ride.

There is no fear or anger on my island; only peace. There is an acceptance of fate allowing a freedom that is quite different from anything I have experienced before.

MY ISLAND

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By Rocky Sherwood

I came to the Kona Coast in search of contentment. What I have learned is how to manifest it from the simple beauty of the earth.

Chameleons hang like jewelry in the trees. Doves coo a constant question, “Are you listening?

Do you hear?” Roosters crow at a distance and wild hens cluck softly to their chicks as they scratch under the hedge for bugs that skitter in the leaves. Moss grows without making a sound; creeping its green velvet over my shaded concrete path, and fern fronds unfold ever so slowly, reaching toward the light. If I look west from my sanctuary, I see the blue expanse of ocean that does not end until it washes up against China. Up east lies the long slope of green mountain that protects me from the wind and cradles the fire of volcanic magma which formed this entire island. I cannot imagine a more peaceful or more violent place to be.

There is a pool at my favorite beach that I call the “Toilet Bowl”, because the sea flushes in and out of it, with foaming violence.

The narrow inlet, between jagged lava spires, increases the water pressure like a natural valve.

The pool fills with an incoming wave and suctions nearly dry as the sea pulls back. No one sane would ever venture to set foot in this roiling rocky hole of sharp stone and tenacious urchins. But when the tide is very low and the swells are small and slow, it becomes my personal thrill ride.

A careful climb into the bowl finds a gentle sandy bottom about four feet down. When a filling swell approaches, I tuck my knees up to my chest and roll with the punch. I am tossed one way and sucked another; floating freely in the warm womb of my tropical ocean. I stretch full length on my back and sluice swiftly toward the outer wall of the basin and then tuck, once more, and roll back toward the ragged edge of land. The rough, volcanic fingers hold me safely within the pool and I shriek with pure delight as I am thrown and heaved about; unscathed and swirling in an endless whirlpool of play.

Despite the fact that this point of land requires a walk across sharp, uneven rubble of coral and stone, a tourist will occasionally wander by. I think I see a gleam of envy in their eyes when they spot me riding in this treacherous, churning hole. My discovery of the sand beneath the waves and my trusting of the current put me in my bliss. There is no fear or anger on my island; only peace. There is an acceptance of fate allowing a freedom that is quite different from anything I have experienced before.

This place seethes beneath the rocky soil; steaming and heaving with the heated passion that creates both life and death. New land is formed by lava flows and tropical forests often burn. The earth is constantly changing and reminding me to remain awake to every moment of my day. When I am sitting still in the garden or floating in the sea, I know that I have no control and I have evolved into acceptance. Have I found my ultimate contentment?

When I am awash with joy, I realize that I will never know, and that, too, is just fine.

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