October Birthdays 2016

Posted on December 10, 2016 by Nanette Harter

This October 2016, Quentin turned 16, I turned another Big-Oh year, my mom turned another year younger, and a new great-nephew was born. That is four great-grandsons born to my mom and dad in the last year and a half. (Mom is still waiting for a new great-granddaughter for the little dress she is saving.)

Will Jackson Levy was born to Meghan Plumb and Will Levy IV (Melanie’s son) on October 5, 2016, in Maryland 3:52am at 7lbs 20.5 inches long. They plan to call him Jackson and he is a precious little bundle of joy.

Jesse Blue, born June 30, 2015 to Hailey McAllister (Warren’s daughter) and Blue Harrington, just turned 15 months old as October began. I have so far only gotten to see him grow through Facebook photos.

Madden James Shelton born September 9, 2015, to Madison (Melanie’s daughter) and Dennis Shelton turned 13 months old. I visited him at 1 month old in Maryland. On the same day that Jackson was born, Madden’s parents signed the papers to purchase their first house. I just found out they made the move to their new home the Saturday before Thanksgiving after major renovations. I am still waiting for photos!

And Patrick Hayden Schultz born January 9, 2016, to Ariann (Neil’s daughter) and Eric Schultz turned 9 months old. I wrote about Neil and my June visit in a previous post. Until our next visit, we love seeing him grow through videos and photos that Ari sends us.

Raven, a friend of Quentin’s, had a surprise beach party for him the Saturday before his birthday. We guests were hiding on the boardwalk to the beach when we saw him coming. I think he didn’t have any idea until he was walking up and saw all the food and coolers around, then everyone jumped out. Raven had invited several of his friends, ordered the cake, and got Quentin out of the house for a beach day early on a Saturday morning (impressive), but had a lot of help from Vajra and Nadia who organized food, games, and cake pickup! I also went up to the house on the night of his 16^th birthday for a family/friends dinner and birthday cake. Quentin enjoyed all the attention but inbetween was busy working on has advanced math homework. He did get all A’s on his first quarter report card so his work paid off.

Quentin requested a new computer for his birthday (and Christmas) asking if the family could help with some funding, Great grandparents, grandparents, and aunties came through with some solid funding, and Quentin has a job a few days a week for the rest. He waited till Cyber Monday and ordered a great machine to the specifications he wanted. He told me it just arrived last Tuesday and it is perfect! He will be busy over the winter school break setting it up the way he wants. He said his last computer lasted him 10 years (was running Vista and SLOWWWW) and he expects this one to last him as long. Yes, he is a gamer but he is good about checking his email now and communicating with Grandma Beamer and his dad!

My birthday was a wonderful but quiet day. My good friend Robin took me for a special lunch and had a beautiful lei ready for me at the restaurant. Morley and Jean came over and sang happy birthday and I had many calls and wishes from family and friends. We had a delicious dinner at home. Neil and I had plans to go out but to make a long story short, he had been cut off by a jeep while riding our scooter weeks before and was still recovering from deep road burns. The Friday after Thanksgiving we went out for our “birthday night” activity to Warren and Annabelle’s Magic show in Lahaina. I laughed and laughed and was thoroughly entertained by the two comedic illusionists. It is a small intimate theater and the illusionist were amazing; I can’t figure out how they did any of it.

Neil spent time looking for birthday gift ideas for me. Life is simple and I don’t need much. He was looking at a food processor that has the bread dough mixing option but I said my processor is still fine. I finally realized that what I wanted was to get my teeth worked on. Once that decision was made, within two weeks I was in Thailand. That’s a story for another post!

$Quentin\'s suprise party$

Quentin’s 15th Birthday

Posted on October 26, 2015 by Nanette Harter

Quentin turned 15 on October 18. He is a sophomore in high school and becoming a mature young man. (How would I define mature? Maybe that he is willing to have conversations with adults, ha) He has grown tall enough to look me in the eye! He used to hate to have his hair cut but 6 months ago when great-grandma and I took him for a hair cut, he requested a new short style. He moved to Hana last month with his mom Vajra and her fiancé Tane (pronounced Taa-nay).

Last Sunday, Neil and I drove over to Hana to celebrate Quentin’s birthday with him. He requested a beach day at Hamoa Beach but first we stopped to see their new home. They are living up a steep, steep driveway that needs a 4-wheel drive vehicle to get up to the house. We parked at the bottom and walked up! They also have to walk it themselves every day while Vajra is repairing her truck. They are all getting good exercise, especially on grocery day. They are cleaning up the house and doing repairs as part of their work/rent exchange. Quentin has his own room downstairs with his x-box and his keyboard. Only problem right now is no connectivity: no cell phone reception, no land line, no internet. They are working to get a wireless service which will provide a phone and internet but right now we leave messages on a cell phone that they can pick up when they go in to Hana town.

We were fortunate to have a gorgeous sunny day after they had 3 prior days of rain. We moved down the beach to a grassy area past groups of visitors and locals enjoying the sun and the surf. Tane headed to the waves with his surf board while Quentin went out on his boogie board. I got a couple of telephoto shots of him on the water waiting for a wave. We put candles in the chocolate cupcakes I made him and we sang him happy birthday. Quentin shared his birthday cupcakes with nearby people on the beach rather than have the ant population swarm them! Very thoughtful of him.

Once everyone had enough sun, we dropped them back at their driveway for their walk up the hill. Neil and I drove back the winding road known as “the road to Hana.” From our convertible we enjoyed the green hills and valleys and ocean views and eventually the sunset colors in the clouds as we made the 2 hour drive back home.

A vacation from our vacation

Posted on March 4, 2015 by Nanette Harter

We are taking a brief break in writing our trip report. We have written twelve posts so far about our summer trip and anticipate about 4-5 more in the coming weeks. Neil is working on co-authoring a paper with his daughter Mailea and hasn’t had time for photo processing. Me? I just needed a few days away from my computer 😉

I have been enjoying time with my mom Audrey before she returns to California a few months. We walk the beach 3 mornings a week. She is busy with various activities the other mornings! We enjoyed a delicious four course lunch last Wednesday at the Maui Culinary Arts School “Leis Family Class Act Restaurant.” The restaurant is run by the culinary students doing an intern program—open twice a week during the semester. Mom’s condo neighbor is completing the culinary program and she was one of the chefs. She came by our table to say hello. The students are the wait staff, baristas, maître d’, as well as the food preparation personnel through the semester in order to experience all the roles in restaurant environment. They do a great job!

We went on a whale watch boat a few weeks ago. It was the first time Neil and I as well as my mom had been on the water this season. From our lanai, we do get to watch whales breaching and tail slaps through binoculars a few miles off shore but we always enjoy getting a little closer view on the boat. It was whale soup as we call it–seeing whale spouts in all direction around the boat. We followed a few mom and calf pairs watching the little one come up often to get a breath. A couple of males swam up to challenge the primary (male) escort accompanying one mom and calf and we were “mugged” — the whales get so close to the boat, it can’t move till the whales choose to move farther away. We saw fluke up dives, pecks slaps, and the finale of four breaches on our way back to the harbor.

In sad news, Neil’s step-father Morley has been declining since November. He had been getting so weak and he fell a few times when his legs just gave out. Once on the floor (unhurt) he just doesn’t have the strength to get back up. He went to the hospital for pneumonia and fluid on the lungs in Nov. He never regained much strength and went to the hospital a second time in January with high fever in addition to not being able to get up. That time, they operated to scrape the accumulated jelly-like fluid from around the lungs. After nearly a month in the hospital, he was moved to a skilled nursing facility for rehab. He has just finished the month of rehab with minimal progress. He got pneumonia again and is continually exhausted and sleepy. Neil and I have been spending a good deal of time supporting Jean and traveling to visit Morley. We also write frequent updates to his daughters in Minnesota. Jean misses Morley but knows she is unable to be a caregiver with her own health issues. She is doing well living alone (with us next door for support.) She has come to grips with the fact that life will not return to the way it was, and she seems to be coping well with the stress of continuing uncertainties and the many decisions that need to be made.

On top of that it is the one year anniversary since the passing of Neil’s older brother Perry Wayne Rhoads in Massachusetts. Neil misses him, especially each time he reads a good joke. Perry loved to laugh and always had a joke ready. His passing was very sudden. He was surrounded by his beloved Paula, his children, family and friends when he died just over a week after he was admitted to the hospital. Neil was in touch with Paula during the week and wrote email updates to Perry’s friends who were unable to get to the hospital. Jean and Neil were in the process of booking flights when the news arrived of his passing. He is loved and missed by many.

On a happier note, I will be a great aunt again twice over this summer. My nieces Madison and Hailey are both expecting and we just found out both babies are boys! Quentin has been the only great-grandson for 14 years. My parents have three great-granddaughters, Quentin’s little sisters. We are thrilled for the new-to-be parents and grandparents!

We still enjoy breakfast tea on the lanai with our green gecko friends. They have to make do with frozen mango juice but they don’t complain. It will be several months before they get fresh mango. We do have a lot of blossoms on the mango trees so we’re hoping for a good crop. At the one year mark, our planter pot hedge just reached the top of the lanai rail. They still need to fill in thicker but we’re happy with the growth progress. The hearts and flowers ground cover greenery has draped down the edges of the planters making a beautiful display.

Mele Kalikimaka 2014

Posted on December 18, 2014 by Nanette Harter

Mele Kalikimaka and Hau’oli Makahiki Hou! [Merry Christmas and Happy New Year]
We wish you all a wonderful holiday season and a fantastic new year!

We pause in our summer trip report series to reflect on our past year and think about the things that bring us joy. We greatly enjoy our home on the beach. We enjoy sunny morning tea time interacting with our green gecko guests, watching the birds play in their bath, listening to their songs, and watching the ocean. We enjoy visits with our friends on our lanai overlooking the ocean (there are usually warm scones involved). We enjoy time with our parents in their island homes. We enjoy home cooked meals and preparing foods with locally grown fruits and vegetables as much as possible. We enjoy the garden surrounding our home and picking (and eating!) fresh mangoes, papayas, and coconuts. We have already written a couple of posts this year about our most recent gardening projects. This year, we only had a few mangoes from our favorite tree (the one over our house) but they were spread out so we harvested them as late as October! We also had the great fortune of discovering a new favorite mango tree (at an undisclosed location 🙂 ) and we stuffed the fridge, thus providing us uninterrupted fresh mango breakfasts until mid-December. Yum!

I also enjoy exercising my creativity by writing web sites like this one and ones I’ve done for clients. Our friend Roger Stephens asked me to create a nice web site for his business. It was a lot of work and fun and we’re all happy with how it turned out. Here’s a link to look at it if you’re interested: Picture It Framed, Maui. I also helped our friend Ginger Book create an appealing web presence to offer her ohana for vacation rental: Serenity Villa.

It was an eventful year with family graduations, a wedding and a college reunion on the mainland. My niece Madison graduated from Nursing College in May. My great-nephew Quentin graduated from eighth grade in May. My nephew Will graduated High School in June. Neil’s daughter Ariann married Eric Schultz in July. A group of my college friends had a reunion in August. I wanted to attend all but knew multiple trips weren’t going to work out. My mom Audrey, sister Pamela and her husband Chris represented the family at my niece and nephew’s graduations in Maryland. Neil and I traveled to Montana for Ari and Eric’s wedding and spent the rest of the month of July traveling. Neil flew home to Maui while I flew to Ohio to visit with my Dad and Jane and with the Kreischer side. Returning to California, I spent a fun-filled weekend with my college friends in San Luis Obispo area before returning to Maui.

Before the summer trip, we started “training”—hiking training! We realized we would be in the mountains of Montana with Ari and Eric where outdoor adventures abound and we wanted to be ready to keep up with them. We alternated our hiking days with steep climbs and other days doing longer level walks. Our endurance hike was the Lahaina Pali Trail. The trail begins and ends at sea level with a 1600 foot elevation climb and covers 5.5 miles. On the steep ascent, I felt like I was climbing an uneven rocky stairs the entire way up. I only made it 1/3 of the trail the first time and each time increased the distance. We eventually hiked the entire trail several times. 😉 What incredible views at the top! We were glad for our training on the several great hikes during our trip.

I had a wonderful October birthday month. This year was about pampering! Neil gave me a deluxe manicure/pedicure appointment on my birthday before taking me for a wonderful dinner. I spent my birthday money on massages and a spa day at the Grand Wailea Spa. It was perfect way to spend my birthday.

My Mom and Bill are living part time on Maui and part time in Ridgecrest. I am glad it is working for them and enjoy them when they are here. I often walk the beach with Mom in the mornings and we sometimes join them for sunsets on the rooftop patio of their six story building. They volunteer at the church food pantry on Fridays and twice a week Mom has water aerobics while Bill goes snorkeling. Neil’s mom Jean and husband Morley are right next door and we have been able to help out when needed. Morley was in the hospital with pneumonia over Thanksgiving but we are happy he is home now getting back to his routine. They enjoy a mid-day beach walk when the tide and wind cooperate. Dad and Jane continue in fairly good health in Ohio and Dad stays busy keeping up with his home acreage and being active with the Lion’s Club. I got to help with a few various projects when I was there: putting a new top on the chimney, and sweeping the soot out, sorting antiques from scrap metal, and cleaning the Lion’s Club sausage trailer. Muffin the cat likes to follow Dad up the ladder and inspect the projects. All Muffin needs to look official is a little hard hat and a clipboard.

Quentin turned 14 this October and is a freshman at King Kekaulike High School. And he has a girlfriend! I know, right! He does well in all his subjects but especially enjoys his electives of media (video) and drama. He plans to take these same elective classes all four years and has joined the drama club. He is teaching himself piano and really has an ear for it. He is quite good in just a short time. He enjoys running and was considering joining the track team except the coach expects them to be a practice 5 days a week even in the off season. That was too much commitment when he has other interests. I understand from Vajra that he is looking for a job. I don’t get to see him as much now that he is so busy. Vajra is balancing a few jobs giving herself a variety of work.She has a boyfriend too! She is finishing her last class for her Master’s in Public Administration.

Neil’s daughter Mailea left Maui in January for Ireland! She lived there for four months and returned to Maui for a month until Ari’s wedding. Fall semester she lived in Washington and continued work on her PhD project. Right now she is in Australia for Christmas! Ariann and Eric’s wedding was beautiful and is described in a previous post.

My siblings are spread between California and Maryland. Pamela works for the Lawndale Library and Chris continues in his 16^th year as co-pastor of Centinela Baptist Church. Their son Jason is in Oklahoma. Melanie and Will recently moved to a new home in Maryland. Melanie continues with MaryKay and as a personal trainer while Will continues with the Bureau of Engraving & Printing.Their daughter Madison recently started as a nurse for an Endocrinologist, her husband Dennis is a fireman, and Will IV works at an Italian restaurant while he decides his next steps after graduation. Warren is in Bakersfield and continues working as a plumber/handyman.

Wishing you a warm and happy holiday!

This post has a gallery with lots of other fun pictures which you can view by going to the website. (I can’t fit them all in the text.) Clicking on the first photo brings up a larger view with a description. Depending on your browser, you can use the arrow buttons or keys to move through the gallery photos.

$\'Alelele Falls$

Update to Gardening Project

Posted on November 6, 2014 by Nanette Harter

It’s the beginning of November and we have just gone through a hot and humid few months on Maui. We are always grateful for the ocean across the street and the cooling trade winds when they come. The crotons we potted in January are well rooted and growing steadily but still not as quickly as we had hoped. We decided to add some additional privacy screening by putting up some reed fence to the front of the lanai. We are happy how it turned out. We did put the bird feeder dried bush back against the lanai but we can’t see the birds enjoying their sunflower seeds as clearly now. The Hearts and Flowers greenery ground cover has had mixed success covering the outside of the pots. A few have had been fully covered with beautiful green plant while the one next to it is attacked by a fungus or insect that cause the plants to wilt up and die. I am constantly snipping from the healthy ones and replanting in the other pots and looking for natural sprays.

Our bee balm and ageratum plantings looked like some of them might succeed for a while and we had one reach full bloom. However, these starts grown from seeds were not able to survive the Kihei insects or at ground level. The pots with the greenery are enough for now. The side fence by the cottage continues to look good with our tropical foliage. And we do enjoy looking over toward the potted greenery we planted behind Jean and Morley’s house. It is very shaded and it doesn’t grow quickly.

On the lanai we have a few potted ferns and hanging herb baskets. We continue to enjoy morning tea with our gecko friends. They line up in the sun waiting for us to come out with their mango treat. They seemed fine with frozen mango juice after the fresh mango supply was finished. We started referring to the lanai table as ‘the playground’ because any new box or plant or temporary addition on the table has to be explored and climbed all over by our little green friends.Their antics are endlessly entertaining.

Now that the sun is moving south we can enjoy a little sun bath in the cool mornings.