Happy Holidays 2017

Posted on December 11, 2017 by Nanette Harter

Happy Holidays to you!

That song was going through my head as I walked the beach this morning. It felt wonderful to have my feet in the sand and the waves lapping around them. Neil and I are grateful to still live in our little Maui cottage on the ocean. We are also grateful to have family nearby and to have visited our family farther away this year.

We were able to spend the month of August and September visiting on the mainland. I started my trip in Ohio visiting with Dad and Jane and getting to see all my Kreischer uncles, aunts, and cousins. I flew to Montana to join Neil visiting with Ariann, Eric, and our grandson Patrick. Patrick was 19 months in August and it was a precious time to spend with him. Ariann is fantastic about video calling on Duo weekly so we continue the connection with Patrick watching him grow into a little man. Hard to believe he will be 2 years old in January! We worked on several house projects as well as having adventures with Patrick. A highlight of the trip, beyond the family time, was experiencing the Solar Eclipse in totality at a State Park near Challis, Idaho. I stopped in Los Angeles over Labor Day spending time with my sister Pamela and husband Chris. My brother Warren, Mom and Bill came down for the weekend to save me driving to Ridgecrest. Mom and Bill decided to come to Maui for two weeks since they were already in Los Angeles. I like their kind of thinking!

Back on the home front, we continue to live next door to Neil’s mom Jean and Morley. They have the usual aches and pains of aging but are doing very well overall. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving together and we look forward to tree trimming and Christmas together.

Quentin is 17, has his driver’s license, and is applying to colleges. He is a senior in high school and it has really hit me that he will be leaving Maui within the year! He is doing very well academically, involved in several clubs and community service activities, plus works a part time job. He is applying to colleges in California, Oregon, and a few other states. Financial aid is going to play a major factor in his decision once he has his acceptances. I am very proud of the young man he has become.

We have a new car! The last new car I had was my Fiero when I was 24. We had been talking about an electric car but didn’t feel the need for a new car when we had 2 working (older) cars. Our 2000 convertible VW started having problems in October and we determined it was the transmission—not worth the repair on a car that was rusting and starting to leak. On my birthday, we spent the afternoon car shopping. That night, after some research, we had a possible list of plugin hybrids as well as electric cars. By the next afternoon, we decided on a Kia Optima Plugin Hybrid and signed the papers to lease it on Saturday morning! A three year lease is a great deal right now because of all the incentives for electric plugin cars. We can choose to buy it in 3 years or look for an alternate car at the time.

Speaking of birthdays, I had wanted to experience ziplining last year for my big 6-oh birthday, however, Neil was on the couch at that time with bad road burns. We made up for it this year and went on three different zipline courses in October—two while I was still 60 and one on my birthday itself! And it was so fun, I took Quentin and his girlfriend another day for them to experience it.

We started Neil’s January birthday celebration early this year by parasailing near Lahaina (parasailing is closed from Dec 15 to May 14 during whale season.) They have a zodiac that picked us up right on the beach and took us out to the larger boat that hoisted us up side by side on 1200 feed of line. We will horseback ride in a week when Mailea is visiting Maui and we plan an ATV adventure in January.

We have joined the ranks of Mauians who work multiple jobs. Neil started working full time at Hilo Hattie’s in the shipping and receiving department. He especially enjoys the couple of days a month when he drives the shuttle on Lahaina cruise ship days. He also got a call from a company to do event setup and strike which he brought me in on. It was hard work, often in the sun, setting tables and chairs, spreading linens, building temporary structures, and then breaking it all down (strike) late when the event is over. We noted that most the people our age were either the coordinators or banquet staff. Neil began working on the banquet staff at Maui Ocean Center’s occasional evening events while I worked them as a marine naturalist. I continued day shifts at the aquarium as a naturalist until this November when I switched to working only the evening events. My new job is working for Destination Management Companies (DMC) as a freelance Travel Director (TD). The DMCs are the organizations that coordinate the large company groups which visit the islands (usually the top performers.) The Travel Directors are the staff onsite for activities, airport, and hospitality desk. High season for the DMCs is January to May when TDs could work almost every day if they want. I have worked four events since September (two on the Big Island) and am loving it. I am also working in the office a few days a week for one company learning more about the Program Manger role. I am scheduled for six 7 to 10 day events through May so far. And I pulled Neil in to be an occasional TD. He will be coming to Kauai a few days in January while I am there 10 days.

A great big congratulations to Dr. Mailea Miller-Pierce who completed her PhD in Biology at Washington State University this summer. And a big congratulations to Dr. Miller-Pierce and Neil Rhoads for submitting their second scientific paper on Maui water quality for publication. It was over a year for the research, data analysis, and writing. There was a break in there while Mailea was completing her dissertation! Mailea is currently traveling. She visited Maui for a month and she is now in Australia. She will come to Maui for two days on her way back to have Christmas in Washington. I hear she is planning to go to Ireland for the New Year. Ariann continues as a Labor and Delivery Nurse and Eric is doing postdoctoral research at University of Montana (Missoula). Patrick is taking swimming lessons with mommy, likes his friends at daycare, and loves his doggy Lyra.

On a sad note, my nephew Jason, 37, passed away of a heart attack at the end of July. It was a shock to all of us. His parents, Pamela and Chris, are accepting but one can never fully comprehend losing a child. It was also difficult for Quentin and his sisters in Kansas, to experience losing a father. I know it is still hard for Neil losing his brother and Jean her eldest son a few years ago.

I am grateful that both my parents are in very good health. Pamela and Chris continue to live in Lawndale, California, and run the family LAX airport shuttle service (ha). (Thank you! Both of you!) Melanie and Will are still in Maryland near their daughter and son’s families enjoying their two grandsons. I hear they are looking to move from the area as Will explores his retirement options. Warren moved from California to Ohio and I hear Ohio is getting its first snow of the season. It will be an adjustment for him! He is very happy being near Dad and all the cousins.

The sun is sparkling on the ocean as the warm breeze blows in the front door. Sending you all blessings and love and some of the sunshine and prayers for true peace on this earth.

Photo gallery below:
If you are viewing this in a browser, clicking on any photo thumbnail brings up the full size photo with a description. To easily see them all, use the arrow buttons or keys to move through the full size gallery photos with descriptions. If you are receiving this in an email and don’t see a photo gallery below, please click into my webpage to view all the photos!

New Grandson

Posted on June 20, 2016 by Nanette Harter

Patrick Hayden Schultz was born January 9, 2016, at 4:58 am to Ariann (Neil’s youngest daughter) and Eric Schutz in Missoula, Montana. He was 8 lbs 0.9 ounces with a 14 inch head and 21 inches long. We enjoyed getting to watch him grow through lots of photos and finally got to meet the precious little guy in May and June of 2016 as he turned 5 months old. Neil flew in to Missoula the end of May and spent two weeks with Patrick, Ariann, and Eric in their new home. They had just moved into their new house and Neil was able to help with a few handyman projects in addition to spending quality time getting to know Patrick and being Granddad Neil. I flew in for the last 4 days of his stay to get to be Grandma Nan and love the special little man.

I started my trip in May landing in LA for 5 days visiting Pamela and Chris and then going up to Ridgecrest with Pamela to visit Mom and Bill. It was a relaxing low-key time. I flew to Missoula late Friday night and the following morning we spent at the downtown farmers market. The weather was beautiful and Patrick was happy in his stroller. We met up with our friends Sunni and Merrill for tea and walking about the downtown looking at some of Merrill’s incredible handmade wood projects installed in several business. Our days were spent working on yard projects and playing with Patrick. Evenings were spent with Eric using his smoker making wonderful meals and I enjoyed their deck hot tub! It ended much too soon and I headed off to Ohio.

I stayed with Dad and Jane in Ohio for 10 days. Dad and I spent time working on projects at the house and also many mornings cleaning the Lion’s Club sausage trailer after the Van Wert County Fair. My time there happened to overlap with Mom in Ohio visiting her family. We had some fun afternoon gatherings and I even showed Aunt Janet how I make my organic scones. Melanie drove up from Maryland in time for our Kreischer family gathering Sunday afternoon. It was great to see all my Uncles and Aunts, cousins and many of their children and grandchildren. Thanks Cindy and Clare for hosting us at your Special Occasions event center.

Time flew by and I was on a flight again to Austin for a reunion with Cal Poly college friends. There were 8 of us altogether. The next post will be about our adventures in Austin.

Four cities, five legs on five different airlines in three and a half weeks (I love google.com/flights for easy searching of one way fares including graphs and flexible date options). It was a great visit with family and friends and especially special to meet and spend time with our new grandson!

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.

$\'Alelele Falls$

Ari and Eric’s Wedding 2014

Posted on November 28, 2014 by Nanette Harter

Ariann and Eric Schultz

Ariann Miller-Rhoads married Eric Schultz on July 5, 2014, at Dunrovin Ranch, Lolo, Montana. Family and friends gathered in Missoula to celebrate their commitment to each other.

Ariann is currently working at Community Medical Center Hospital in Missoula as a Labor and Delivery nurse while Eric is doing research as a biochemistry post-doctorate at the University of Montana, Missoula. Lyra, their dog (and baby) of many years, stays at home, ever vigilant for couch squirrels.

The celebrations started Thursday night, July 3^rd, with a cocktail party at the home of Eric’s uncle and aunt, Mike and Pam. The gathering was the first time Neil and I had met Eric’s family and we really enjoyed getting to know them. Eric’s parents, Maggie and Alan, are from Bakersfield, California, and his extended family came in from California, Wisconsin (I do believe the Green Bay Packers were mentioned a few times), North Carolina, New York, and Arizona. Ari’s mom Jamie and step-dad Michael came in from Arroyo Grande, California, along with family and friends from California, Utah, Washington, Arizona, and us from Hawaii.

On Friday July 4, the festivities moved down to the horse ranch for the Independence Day picnic and fireworks and the Saturday wedding. Friday we played outdoor games, chowed down with a BBQ dinner, did the wedding rehearsal, and watched fireworks once it got dark after 10. There were some accommodations available at the ranch plus a tent camping area. Mailea and I slept in the studio that during the day served as the catering kitchen, the groomsmen dressing area, and the common shared bathroom. Neil would have stayed in the studio also but because of the linen laundry fragrance (again, sigh) Neil set up our tent and slept out near the pasture.

Saturday morning began with the decorating, food prep and reheating, and setting up for the reception. In the afternoon, the bride and bridesmaids disappeared to the upstairs suite to dress and after a few finishing touches on the decorations everyone else went to put on their finery.

The wedding was absolutely beautiful and touching. There was so much joy and love shared. While the photos were being taken, I saw a line forming at one particular cooler. Why were Eric’s relatives standing in line over there?? Perhaps it had something to do with Green Bay Packers?? Turns out it held 4 kegs of Eric’s homemade brew specially made for the wedding reception: a double IPA, a saison, a peach cider, and a chocolate porter. Eric is a great brewer and they couldn’t wait to start sampling. I tried a little of each and, sorry Eric, I still don’t like the taste of beer but that one with a hint of chocolate was the tastiest to me. I’m glad you made the cider too 🙂 Dinner, wedding cake and dancing filled the evening of celebration. Did you know that Packers fans like beer?

Sunday morning, everyone pitched in to clean up and restore the ranch to a working horse ranch as we found it. The extended families and friends gathered for brunch in Missoula to say farewell and a final toast to the couple. In the afternoon, the living room at Ari and Eric’s home filled with family viewing the wedding photo slideshow and watching the gift opening. A full and fun filled celebratory weekend!

I must complement Ari and Eric (and “moms”) on the incredible organization and preparation. The whole weekend flowed perfectly. We were glad we could help with the wedding set up and later clean up and spend so much time with family and friends.

Photo gallery below:
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. If you are receiving this in an email and don’t see a photo gallery below, please click into my webpage to view all the photos! Photo credits: Mailea Miller-Pierce and Neil Rhoads.

Ohio Family Time

Posted on July 12, 2012 by Nanette Harter

After the wonderful family time in Maryland, I drove to Ohio with Dad and Jane to spend more time with them and visit Ohio family. The days seemed to fill themselves very quickly. I got to see the great-aunts and cousins on dad’s side. Max and Janet hosted a Kreischer gathering and I got to see all my uncles, their wives, and many, many of my cousins and their kids.

Van Wert has a free summer concert in the park on Friday evenings. The week I visited was the first concert of the season and it was perfect weather to enjoy the outside venue.

I got to visit with both my Grandpa Harter’s remaining sisters: Great-Aunt Evelyn, 96, and Great-Aunt Ode, 102. They both still live alone in their homes but are visited each day by their kids. Dad tries to get by to see them a few times a month and I always visit when I go back. Dad usually meets his cousin Max and a group of other (semi) retired farmers for breakfast at 6 am on Saturday morning. I opted to skip the morning ritual and instead we visited Max and Ginny at their home one evening.We also had lunch with family friends Glenn and Kay LeMar in Lima one noon.

Dad puts out a bird bath and bird feeders in their yard. We could sit at the dining table and watch them drinking and bathing. The robins really seem to enjoy splashing around in it. Dad has to fill it about twice a day. The birds enjoy the feeders he puts up for them too and I tried to do a little photography of them. I especially liked the colorful Golden Finch.

Dad is active in Venedocia Lion’s Club which is very service oriented. One of their service projects is building handicap ramps for those in need. Dad got called to help with one while I was visiting. I went along to help and documented the process. It was interesting to watch the experienced hands build it up so quickly. I served as “gopher” (and photo-journalist).

My Mom is one of thirteen kids. Mom is the youngest of three girls in the family and once her sisters were married and her mom working swing shift at a factory, she felt she got stuck with lots of housework because the many brothers claimed that was woman’s work and wouldn’t help. I think the brothers have all been better educated by their wives since! I was very happy to get to see all my remaining Kreischer uncles and their wives, plus some of my other aunts, during my visit. I also appreciate my many cousins who worked in a visit with me between their vacation plans and their many children’s summer activities. It was definitely a packed week and I enjoyed seeing everyone.