Blog

Volcano!

Quote of the day:  “If your heart is a volcano, how shall you expect flowers to bloom?” — Kahlil Gibran Sunday I visited Hawaii Volcanoes National Park with 3 other women staying at Akiko’s B&B. Two of them are longer term residents at Akiko’s. Linda is from British Columbia and moved to Hawaii a few years ago. She is doing a work-trade with Akiko and lives a very simple life with few possessions.  Sara is from Belgium and arrived at Akiko’s a day or two before I arrived. She is interested in learning about perma-culture and has begun a beautiful garden Read more…

By Marilyn, ago

Sunny Day Saturday

Quote of the day:  Here comes the sun Here comes the sun, and I say It’s all right Sun, sun, sun, here it comes Sun, sun, sun, here it comes… — George Harrison I woke to a light rain today, but before long the sun made its way through the clouds and there was a rainbow in the sky. The rest of the day has remained sunny and lovely with a light breeze and lots of blue sky. I drove up to see the Waipi’o Valley lookout point, about 45 miles north of Hilo. The drive along the coast was Read more…

By Marilyn, ago

Walking On Sacred Ground

Quote of the day:  ““There are no unsacred places; there are only sacred places and desecrated places.” ― Wendell Berry I am in Hawaii staying at Akiko’s Buddhist Bed and Breakfast 15 miles north of Hilo on the Big Island. It rains a lot on this side of the island and much of the land is covered with rain forest. This area receives, on average, 120 – 130 inches of rain a year. This week of mostly rain, with a few peeks of sunshine gave me a feeling of what the rainy season is like on this side of the island. Akiko’s Read more…

By Marilyn, ago

Listening to Rain on the Roof (Again!)

Quote of the day: ““Some people walk in the rain, others just get wet.” ― Roger Miller I can safely say that the drought in the Hilo area has ended. It started raining last Saturday afternoon. It has rained much of the days and nights since then (today is Friday, so almost a full week of rain). I awoke to a gray dawn, everything dripping outside. Soon another rain shower began and now I am sitting listening to rain on the roof. Sometimes (like now) it is gentle and soft. Other times it pours down fast and hard, like a torrent from Read more…

By Marilyn, ago

The Not So Simple Life

Quote of the day: “Happiness and sex are highly overrated!” — Akiko’s morning wisdom of the day, said with a huge laugh! One of the things that has surprised me about Hawaii is the number of small subsistence farms there are. Many are run by people who have come here to take advantage of Hawaii’s gentle climate and bountiful tropical fruits. And there are lots of folks here living in little sheds and shacks very cheaply and simply. The weather lets people live with very little. One can live very cheaply by bartering, trading work for food or living space, and the Read more…

By Marilyn, ago