Back from Kauai!

Last time I went on a trip I was roundly scolded by a couple of concerned friends for blogging the information about when I was leaving and returning on my trip to the Amazon. Fortunately, a gaggle of thieves didn't show up at my house to squabble over the contents whilst I was gone a-tripping. Whew!

But those scolders did have a point, so this time I didn't blog a word about the fact that I was going anywhere ~ and I just got back from eleven days on the lovely Garden Isle of Kauai, the northernmost island in the Hawaiian chain.

It was a business trip, of course, because I took my sketch journal and every day I was busy on one beach or another, diligently beachcombing to gather up interesting sketching subjects, then sitting in the shade of the casuarinas (prehistoric-looking sorts of trees with droopy long-jointed needles and sorta-pinecones) and beach almond trees at the top edge of the beach, drawing and painting the shells and washed-ashore seeds I had collected and the scenery around me. It was quite a journey, and I got some really good drawing done.

Daniel went with me this time, and spent nearly all of his time either lying supine on the sand, watching the waves, snorkeling along the reef, or just wafting up and down in the ocean's swells a few yards out from the edge of the surf. Since it's spring, the surf was kindly, not huge and threatening as it is in winter when all the surfers pop out of the dunes to slice through the curls of killer waves. He finally got rested from his long days of labor at his native plant nursery, Plant Oregon, and achieved a marvelous tan in the process.

I'm not much of a swimmer, having been raised in rural Idaho where we swam in the irrigation ditch with stern reminders to "keep your face out of the water!" I just can't get into the spirit of it, and actually had my first ever, full-blown panic attack when I tried to snorkel the reef. What an experience!!! The occasion was mitigated, however, by the appearance of sea turtles who arrived to munch away at seaweed in the surf mere feet away from where I stood hyperventilating in shock from my failed snorkeling experience.

Other than that, it was a wonderful trip, and I will be putting together another tutorial, telling about all the interesting things we did and saw (and didn't see). We experienced a Hawaiian celebration on Hanalei Bay with little worktables where I made a lovely aromatic lei (which I wore all day); made a fish-rubbing and watched children beating mulberry bark for tapa cloth; listened to Hawaiian drums and music; and ate poi dipped in condensed milk (a local delicacy ~ we loved it!).

We visited the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge where we watched Red-footed Boobies, White-tailed Tropicbirds and Frigatebirds, and watched Wedge-tailed Shearwaters billing and cooing in the open mouth of their den a mere four feet from the path.

Then we visited the Limahuli Botanical Gardens and walked around the stone walls of the taro paddies with taro poking up through the water (poi is made from taro corms/roots), and learned which of the plants were natives and which were introduced. We also identified plants we'd been wondering about ~ such as the house-plant Monstera, which grows wild here and twines up trees in a gorgeous solid cape.

We visited Manini-holo Dry Cave, where we walked back inside several hundred feet and looked out on the ocean, then bought a woven hat and decorated tapa-cloth lengths from a Hawaiian man sitting weaving hats inside the mouth of the cave. That's Daniel in his new hat at right.

We listened to house geckos smacking their lips over moth snacks during the nights, and were awakened each morning by a bird with a loud melodious cry of "I figured out ~ Weight Watchers, Weight Watchers EAT!" (shrieking "EAT" an octave higher than the rest).

And the Jungle Fowl! Kauai's unofficial signature bird ~ the distant crowing of the wild roosters in the mornings presented an unbroken wall of sound, rather like a crowd cheering a soccer game. Every beach parking area had its jungle fowl contingent, and it was quite entertaining to watch mother hens gather their chickies under them whenever a shower passed by. Did you ever see a hen with sixteen legs?

Well, you probably can tell by now that there wasn't a dull moment, and I was sketching and journaling a great deal of the time. So if you're interested in visiting Kauai with me, you can read all about it in the journal when I get the tutorial made, telling the story behind each page and how/why it was created that way.

An update on my store front, which I blogged last time: I've actually sold a few things, and met some great people in the process of setting it up and maintaining it. While it doesn't quite pay its own rent yet, I'm happy with its being there.

Alas, no original illustrations have sold yet (which is why I REALLY wanted it there) but I have been selling autographed books. I pre-sign them with "Happy Reading!" or, for the Explorer books, "Happy Exploring!" so they're good for any recipient. I've also been selling a few prints, so I'm pleased enough to continue with it.

If you haven't signed up for notices when I blog, there's a place to do it in the right column. That way you'll be notified when the Kauai journal becomes available for download.

Any one for a workshop in Costa Rica or Hawaii?

I'm toying with two ideas for my next journal/sketching workshop (similar to the one I just did), and I may go for one or both. Let's hear it for a workshop in Hawaii, on the Big Island, in Kona, Hilo, Volcano Village area, or at Kalana Retreat Center. Not sure where or when, but within the year.

OR

July at El Remanso, on the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica.

Do I hear anyone really interested in either/both? Let me know. It's not binding, of course ~ I'm just trolling for interest. If either of these appeals to you, either comment here or drop me a line. If you comment here, you'll encourage others to comment. If you write to me, it's private.

Hope to hear from you soon!

Irene

My Hawaii Nature Journal -- Day 1 -- 12/18/2007

Aloha! Here I am, back in Oregon, with the results of my Nature Journaling trip to The Big Island of Hawaii. I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out, and since the object of the trip was to produce interesting journal pages, I'm going to include the actual pages instead of typing in the journal entries and adding the sketches (as I did for last spring's Costa Rica journal -- see the first entries on this blog, May 2007).

Here I am, all my traveling gear attached, and ready for my Hawaiian adventure.

Some things to keep in mind as you follow along: 1. I was traveling alone so I could do anything and go anywhere the urge struck me. 2. I was determined to be adventuresome, try new things, learn all I could, meet people and ask lots of questions, and I did. 3. The object of this trip was to create an interesting journal -- not necessarily "beautiful," but one that would keep readers turning the pages to see what happened next, plus be fun for myself to go back to later on. 4. Days in the tropics are about twelve hours long, so there's not enough time in the day to do/see/do everything -- but evenings are perfect for journaling. 5. I didn't go to Hawaii to swim

That being said, Here We GO! [The front cover of the journal is in the last blog.] In that last blog, I showed the inside of the front cover, but before I left home I added a clear-plastic pocket to hold flat things I might pick up during the day. The plastic is stiff (you could use a square cut from some bubble-packaging) and taped down on left and bottom edges, so things just slip inside and stay nicely in place. I was keeping an eye out for things to glue onto the pages, and used this pocket every day.

The first leg of my journey was from Oregon to Honolulu, where I stayed overnight in a hotel on Waikiki Beach. Click on the image to bring up a large enough image to read. Nearly all of the sketches in the journal are done in ballpoint pen, which keeps me from obsessing to get everything perfect, as I would with a pencil and eraser.

For the first page, I sketched all my gear the night before, laid out on the carpet ready to go. That's my entire outfit, and although it weighed only 19¼ lbs, I'm pretty sure things secretly multiplied in the dark pockets, because it seemed MUCH heavier by the end of the trip.

The next morning on the plane, I tried out my gold calligraphy pen to letter the initial cap for the journal entry, and outlined it with the ballpoint. I glued on my ticket stub as we flew.

Airports are great places to work on sketches. It beats the boredom and people stop to watch and chat. I met some really nice people, which normally I wouldn't have. The second page talks about the third page, and also gave me a place to draw my plane out the waitingroom window.

If you want to draw people, you have to be reasonably discreet and try not to stare too much. But if they catch you, you have to fess up. I was really taken with this beautiful child and tender parent.

The trip to Hawaii was over ocean, nothing to look at, so I read in my paperback novel -- the only time I even took it out during the trip. Upon landing (no baggage to claim!) I went out and caught a generic airport shuttle to my hotel, arriving about dark. With the whole evening ahead of me, I went down on the boulevard which fronts the beach and just soaked in the ambience; then after sushi dinner in a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant (for $8.50) I picked up some fallen flowers, leaves and seedpods from the trees along the beach, and some coral from the surf to sketch in my room later.

Remember, I'm not here for the night life!

Prep For My Nature/Journaling Trip to Hawaii

Hello! I've been nose-to-the-grindstoning the last two months to get my new book The Southern Swamp Explorer ready for press. Every day, all day, no weekends off. Finally, yesterday, I sent off the last three proof copies to my proofreaders and turned off the computer for the day. Boy, does THAT feel weird!


While it was off, I started, finally, collecting together what I want to take to Hawai'i -- wait. . . .I don't think I've mentioned the trip I am taking for nine days over Christmas to scout out Hawai'i as a possible nature sketching/journaling workshop site! That's a NASA photo of of The Big Island at right. It's about 50 miles across.


One of my recent students has a house on The Big Island in Hawai'i, and I'll be staying there for part of the time. My idea is to take this trip using all of the tips and techniques I use in my Nature Sketching/Journaling class, taking in the wonders of each lovely spot and recording them in my sketchbook. Normally I travel with someone else, and that kind of dictates what you end up doing. I'll miss my traveling buddy Daniel, but by myself. . . well, I'll try new ideas out.

I am traveling l.i.g.h.t. I want to be able to carry everything in my backpack and fannypack -- on the plane, while I travel in my rental car, etc. So I've been paring down everything I can, and the process is amazing.

In this blog I am going to outline my travel kit, and when I get back I'll tell you how it worked. Here's the plan for right now.

All of my drawing supplies need to fit in my fanny pack, so I got a sketchpad that is 6x9, the Robert Bateman Cover Series with 100% recycled paper (which is marvelously heavyweight and smooth) -- I used one like this in Costa Rica last spring (see blog #1). To prepare the sketchbook, I scanned in a roadmap of The Big Island from Hawaii, The Big Island Revealed, by Andrew Doughty (looks excellent, comes highly recommended) which I will also take. With the map on the cover, I'll always have a convenient map handy. I also decorated it a bit with the Hawai'i banner across the end just to pretty it up. I haven't yet covered it with clear package tape, but that's the next step. I'm expecting it to get rained on, and the tape will repell rain for quite some time. It weighs 13 ounces.


Inside the cover I've fastened a light, clear ruler and two business cards in case I lose it.


Next comes my drawing kit. Here's a scan of it. The stuff all fits in my clear plastic "cosmetics" container, which I use as a bug jail for sketching bugs. Actually,all the sharp goodies are put first into a little snack baggie to keep them from scratching the "jail" -- I need it scratch-free so I can draw insects I put inside (only briefly, to draw; this ain't death row!).


Here's what I put inside: magnifying glass on a colorful string so I don't lose it, business cards to give away, mechanical pencil, extra leads, kneaded eraser (that blobby gray thing at top), paintbrush with water in the barrel (it's blue, LOVE it!) , blue wipe cloth. eraser in pink barrel, a pencil sharpener for colored pencils (at bottom), a couple of pencil smudgers (tortillons, at left), safety pin, paper clips and a rubber band. That weighs 5 ounces.

I was going to just take my watercolor pencils in their flat metal box, but then I realized that, weightwise, the box could be replaced with a whole slew of other pencils, so I added a lot of in-between colors from my workshop kit. I've tried several different brands, and they mostly work fine. These are Staedtler (which I haven't used before) and Van Gogh and Faber-Castell, both of which are great. All together, they still don't weigh as much as half the original pencils IN the metal box


I'm taking my gold calligraphy pen (in center) with which I can make lovely initial caps. They really dress up a page.

All these things go in the fanny pack. Also in there is my smallish flashlight (4 ounces). Hawaii is in the tropics, and the sun will be going down around 6pm, so I might get caught out. I'd like to see the lava eruptions at night (if there are any) and it could come in handy. A flashlight is also super for looking into crevices for insects. Next, I have a very thin 9"-12" foam pad which weighs less than an ounce, a 3"x5"x ½" little packet with an emergency poncho in it, and a couple of energy bars. There is a pouch to carry a water bottle which slips on the belt, and I'll get a bottle for it when I'm there.


The whole fannypack, without the water, weighs 3 pounds exactly, and I'll probably stuff some other things in it, too (chapstick, sunscreen, deet, etc.). And maybe my little binoculars, which still will probably total less than four pounds.


Then, in a separate camera bag slung over my shoulder, I'll carry my camera bag, which weighs in at just under a pound. The camera is an iffy thing. I've noticed that when I have the camera sometimes I'll take a picture and skip drawing. So I may have to ration camera use. I probably should clip my cell phone onto my belt, too, in case I fall off a cliff. Well, I may look like a burro with all that gear, but I'll have everything I need to have fun with.


Sometimes I wear a fishing vest instead of using the fanny pack. It distributes weight evenly over the shoulders and is more comfortable than the fanny pack. I'll have to think about it. I don't wear it when I'm with Daniel because he thinks it looks goofy, but hey, I don't care.

So there's the sketching end.

For the workshop end, I'm taking along my workbooks from both the nature sketching workshop and the nature journaling workshop. I can show these to anyone who is interested, because they really do outline what I teach in the workshops. As well, I can give away my business cards (see inside the sketchbook cover) which have this blog address and my workshop website address on them. (By the way, I got those business cards at vistaprint.com for free -- you just fill in what you want them to say, choose a design, and click. All you do is pay shipping and handling, $3-$4. Don't they look nice? And no, I didn't get paid to say that -- I just think they're a terrific deal!)


Now, as for the clothing, Hawai'i has ALL the climate zones except one, I understand, from sea level to the top of Moana Loa. I'm told that in addition to shorts and T-shirts I will need my fleece jacket and jogging pants. So, since it's December in Oregon, on the plane I will wear the jogging pants with my summer-weight safari pants over them. The safari pants have zip-off legs to make shorts, and lots of pockets, perfect to travel in. And I'll wear several layers of tops including my jacket. . . hey, maybe my change of clothes can consist of a swimsuit, a pair of sandals, a sun hat and some extra underwear! I'll have access to a washing machine if I need it. Cool!


So there it is. I think everything else (paperback, comb, first-aid kit, teeny travel towel, toothbrush, maps, addresses, sunglasses, bird book, cellphone charger, etc.) will fit in my pack which I can skooch under the seat in front of me on the plane.

Now I must clean the house for the house-sitter and make her a list of what to do in emergencies. (and hope Jesse doesn't pounce on her like he did the last house-sitter). Jesse says he will get along just fine without me, and he has already hung his stocking (in progress, at left). Well!


Merry Christmas and/or Happy Holidays, dear friend! I will blog again when I return, with results of my trip.