Our weeks consist of working different jobs on the farm and it changes depending on weather and what's needed. So far, we have tilled and planted rows of crops (kale and pak choy last week), weeded beds, cared for chickens, and harvested vegetables for the farmer's market and other clients around the area. Today we weeded, then in the afternoon we each picked a garden area to have for ourselves for a weekly sort of personal time in our gardens. I picked half of the largest garden & the seedhouse, which are right outside of my hut. I weeded endless weeds and tidied up the pathways to my hut. I found a little garden right outside my hut that I hadn't even noticed because of all the weeds! Someone before me had planted aloe and some other decorative plants there. It was nice to uncover them and have more beauty around my home. Found some solar garden lights in the weeds too. The weeds grow that fast, you literally lose things in it. I also did chicken duty today, which we will have twice during our sessions. I had to clean out their watering bowls, feed them, take eggs, and make sure their nesting boxes are clean and full of hay. I'll do this all week and into the weekend, then get Monday off of work.
Over the weekend, we had some great beach time! My friend Erica took a few of us to the beach on Saturday, where we met up with another friend of hers and then went to a little pool party. It was fun, but it drizzled on us most of the day. Sunday was even better - one of the guys who manage the farm (Elan) took us on a very muddy and thorny hike up and down some little hills and through a cow pasture. We were very pleasantly surprised, after cutting up our shins and dodging cow pies, to look out over cliffs to the sea. We climbed down a steep and dangerous cliff side of rocks and vines, hanging onto stiff cables and stepping down crumbling wood steps held in the ground with rebar stakes that stuck out past the wood and could scrape your ankles. At the bottom was a rocky shore with tide pools. Huge lava rocks held the pools safe from big waves that crashed in and splashed us in the pools. The pools were full of life - corals, reef fish, crabs, and shellfish, all living in these tiny little environments and we got to swim around in it. I wished I'd brought my snorkel! Instead I crouched on rocks, staring into the water. It's cool to see fish in the wild that we had in our tanks at the shop. Such a beautiful place, and it was so off the beaten path, nobody else showed up and it would have surprised us if anyone had. Afterward, we went to a beach on the west side of the island, where it's actually really dry. We were on Launiupoko Beach Park, where you can watch the sunset over Lana'i. We played Farkle (most of the girls on the farm and our two farm managers, Jonathan and Elan, and some of their friends). Then another friend of theirs made us all an amazing curry dinner and I promptly passed out on the couch. What a great weekend!
Really hoping that we do get to camp this weekend, because we're talking about doing the crater hike in the middle of the island and everybody says it's unbelievably beautiful. Fingers crossed!
My hut and the jungle around it. At night, the tin roof facilitates a few happenings that wake me, like the rats running around or the rain hitting it. Also, there's a malabar chestnut tree nearby whose seeds open with a loud crack when ripe. Between that and the heebie jeebies I get from all the spiders and centipedes, my sleep hasn't been the greatest. I can't complain much though, waking up to this beauty.
Vice Chancellor Pomeroy, one of our farm cats that I like to feed and pet in the mornings while I make breakfast (sitting on the speaker, such a wonderful item to have around).
Mango, the rat killer kitty! There are way too many rats on this farm. They run laps and have bar fights on the roof of my hut.
A centipede I found in the sink drain. One of the only beings we should fear here, it's got a nasty bite.
A cane spider - huge gnarly beasts! Not aggressive, thankfully!
A guard frog. Just kidding - when we walk around at night with our headlamps, the frogs freeze in the light and you have to avoid stepping on them!
Turmeric flowers I salvaged from our harvest. We grow lots of this fantastic root.
Me and Erica, up in her loft.
One of my friends took this picture and Amber paired it with my favorite Disney princess, for the sake of silliness! This was as I was on a rock in front of a blow hole, where the waves crash up through a hole in the lava rocks with quite a bit of force. There are blowholes all over Hawaiian shores.
Elan (a farm manager), Dani, Jenny, me, and Lauren, on a beach day. We're just missing Alana and Erica, and the other manager, Jonathan.
To the beach!
Jonathan's dog, Butters, driving us to the beach.
Jenn, me, and Lauren riding in the back of the truck - beach time!
There's a sunset going on behind this mountain. I am in love with the clouds here, and the way you can drive around the island and see different weather happening in different places. Much of Maui is extremely wet, but also really sunny and even has a desert.
Elan and Jenny, enjoying some kava (tea) before a little potluck to welcome us to the farm.
Grant (who cooked us curry) and our beautiful star fruit.
My decorated mask for chicken coop cleaning.
Sunset over Lana'i
The cliff we had to climb down to get to the tide pools.
Elan leading us down to the tide pools, with Jenny and I in the background, very excited to get down there!
Tide pools
The waves crashed over the rocks in massive bursts of water, it was amazing there!
A view towards the waterfall, dripping over from the pastures above. It had rained a lot.
OMG, Heather this is amazing! Thanks for writing about your good times and taking pics! I love love love Hawaii, and it makes my heart swell to see you are living this dream there! I hope we can connect in person once you get over to this side of the globe! For now keep the stories and pics flowing! I love reading about it all, and you look beautiful as ever, of course:)
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