Posted in Uncategorized on March 28, 2012| 5 Comments »
Hello Ya’lls,
Rather than bore you with travel descriptions today, I’ll just post some snapshots of my adventures around Kauai over the last few days…
Hope you enjoy!
Afternoon Clouds/Waimea Canyon
On the Road to Waimea Canyon
The Hyatt
Kapa'a Shoreline
The Marriott
Red & Green--Hawaii style
Waimea Canyon
Kilauea--the northernmost point of the Hawaiian Islands
Kilauea Coastline
Posted in Uncategorized on March 24, 2012| 4 Comments »
Posted in Uncategorized on March 22, 2012| 4 Comments »
So to continue with my theme this week: Here are a few more “postcards” showing the incredible plant and flower world where I’m staying now–the heavenly 3.5 acres surrounding my dear friends’ Wendy and Rich’s guest house on Kauai’s fabled North Shore And also a few more shots from my perch last evening on the deck as the rain came rolling in at the St. Regis Hotel in Princeville at Hanalei Bay…
Can you feel the Aloha love ? I know I do!
Also greetings to this friendly little fellow (my new friend) who thought he should just hop right up to the snack bowl and join the party…
“Hello!”
Posted in Uncategorized on March 20, 2012| 1 Comment »
Aloha from the North Shore of Kauai! Truly a tropical Garden of Eden.
I can’t really describe it–and photos will never do it justice. But at least they’re worth more than a thousand words, right?
So today, instead of rambling on, I’ll just share some photos from the last few days. Enjoy!
Posted in Uncategorized on March 17, 2012| 4 Comments »
Hey fellow celebrants of the patron saint of Ireland!
My sister Fithian, the family geneologist, told me just the other day of our Irish heritage, coming from our great-grandmother, Mary Eleanor Sullivan Cutrer. As I remember her story, (Mary’s), she was orphaned by her Irish immigrant parents when she was an infant–due to the Yellow Fever outbreak in the U.S.. Mary was sent to a Catholic orphanage in New Orleans, where she was raised by the sisters. At age 18, speaking French, she was dispatched to the country home in Mississippi of my great-grandfather, a French Huguenot, Isaac Wesley Cutrer, to become the nanny of his six or seven children. Their mother, America Cutrer, had died recently, and the much older Isaac soon married my young great-grandmother. Her youngest child–and the youngest of all 13 of Isaac’s children, was my grandfather, Emile Victor Cutrer–born when Isaac was 64.
So, now you have the Irish connection of your dedicated blogger on St. Pat’s Day 2012. And to prove that I’m reluctantly aware that St. Patrick’s Day ISN’T ALL ABOUT ME!!!–here’s a bit of history from the history.com website.
On this day in 461 A.D., Saint Patrick, Christian missionary, bishop and apostle of Ireland, dies at Saul, Downpatrick, Ireland.
Much of what is known about Patrick’s legendary life comes from theConfessio, a book he wrote during his last years. Born in Great Britain, probably in Scotland, to a well-to-do Christian family of Roman citizenship, Patrick was captured and enslaved at age 16 by Irish marauders. For the next six years, he worked as a herder in Ireland, turning to a deepening religious faith for comfort. Following the counsel of a voice he heard in a dream one night, he escaped and found passage on a ship to Britain, where he was eventually reunited with his family.
According to the Confessio, in Britain Patrick had another dream, in which an individual named Victoricus gave him a letter, entitled “The Voice of the Irish.” As he read it, Patrick seemed to hear the voices of Irishmen pleading him to return to their country and walk among them once more. After studying for the priesthood, Patrick was ordained a bishop. He arrived in Ireland in 433 and began preaching the Gospel, converting many thousands of Irish and building churches around the country. After 40 years of living in poverty, teaching, traveling and working tirelessly, Patrick died on March 17, 461 in Saul, where he had built his first church.
Since that time, countless legends have grown up around Patrick. Made the patron saint of Ireland, he is said to have baptized hundreds of people on a single day, and to have used a three-leaf clover–the famous shamrock–to describe the Holy Trinity. In art, he is often portrayed trampling on snakes, in accordance with the belief that he drove those reptiles out of Ireland. For thousands of years, the Irish have observed the day of Saint Patrick’s death as a religious holiday, attending church in the morning and celebrating with food and drink in the afternoon. The first St. Patrick’s Day parade, though, took place not in Ireland, but the United States, when Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched through New York City in 1762. As the years went on, the parades became a show of unity and strength for persecuted Irish-American immigrants, and then a popular celebration of Irish-American heritage. The party went global in 1995, when the Irish government began a large-scale campaign to market St. Patrick’s Day as a way of driving tourism and showcasing Ireland’s many charms to the rest of the world. Today, March 17 is a day of international celebration, as millions of people around the globe put on their best green clothing to drink beer, watch parades and toast the luck of the Irish.
Posted in Uncategorized on March 14, 2012| 7 Comments »
Greetings Earthlings!
This from comedy writer Damien Fahey’s twitter this morning:
“Vacations are a great way to spend thousands of dollars to stare at your phone in exotic locations.”
Ah–so true–and across all the generations. Several times I’ve caught all of us waiting for the check to arrive or some such, and everyone’s head is down, checking iPhones. Hilarious!
I’m very happy to say that my latest article for the Christian Science Monitor is online–and in the March 12 print edition–of the weekly magazine. I interviewed the most amazing and wonderful Kathy Eldon in Malibu over the Christmas holidays. What a remarkable person. I hope you enjoy the article (and my photo of her!).
I’ll be back with more updates soon on this fabulous Kauai paradise…
(here’s a shot of the view from my balcony)
Sending warm aloha love!
And here’s the link to the Monitor article:
Posted in Uncategorized on March 12, 2012| 3 Comments »
Oh boy–here I am on Kauai, Hawaii, to celebrate my sister Fithian’s birthday–and despite the almost constant rain, I have so loved seeing a side of the family I rarely get to see–not only my sister (and my other sister, Emilia, whom I came with), but my nieces and nephew who live here. This green, luscious, verdant, spectacular island feels other worldly, and it most definitely is another world altogether from my life in New England on the Atlantic Ocean.
So tonight, after today’s birthday celebration, my sisters and I have settled into our fabulous condo. Right now, I’m looking out our balcony to the Pacific–choppy and brown and windblown–but I don’t care if it rains every single day!
I’m just grateful–full stop!
Up dates and photos to follow!
In the meantime, here’s a little Island Aloha for you to enjoy….
Posted in Uncategorized on March 2, 2012| 1 Comment »
Today, I’d like to ask you to think about something very close to my heart. Because the longer I’ve practiced this one step to do my part to heal the world (the last four+ years continually–and more than 40 years sporadically), to help lessen pain and suffering, and to bring my own life into alignment with what I deeply believe, the more I’ve come to see the huge karmic price we’re all paying and will continue to pay, until humanity awakens to the realization that we must change. And while you might not imagine that it would be easy, or that you even want to make this change, believe me–you will celebrate the day you decide to take this step. You know what I’m talking about? It’s the same step these people–and millions more around the world–have taken to live in harmony with the rest of the planet. Can you guess what they have in common?
To find out, watch this short interview between CNN and Russell Simmons, co-founder of the legendary hip-hop record label Def Jam, author, business magnate, and a deeply spiritual man who’s making a difference in countless ways in this world . (You can follow him on twitter @UncleRUSH):
Posted in Uncategorized on March 1, 2012| 1 Comment »
HELLO EARTHLINGS!
Sorry for the long absence. Life keeps me distracted, wondering always about the meaning of things.Sometimes those musings cause me to reconsider writing a blog. But then, I run out of ways to express myself, and being a born writer, no question about it, I return to the page (ok, to the screen).
Life continues apace, doesn’t it? The Republican primaries are riotous. Who can keep up with the daily shenanigans? Cable news reports almost no other news stories. Except for the outliers, like Tom Hartmann on Real TV. He tackles so many other issues besides the horse race between the jolly foursome. And Amy Goodman reminds us that it’s a big world out there. Also, lately, I’ve become a big fan of “UP” with Chris Hayes on Saturday and Sunday mornings on MSNBC. I record both shows–they’re two hours each–and it takes me several days and evenings to catch up. But last Saturday he had a roundtable discussion on Iran that was just brilliant. His guests always cover the gamut, both sides of the debate always represented and respected. And the discussions are lively and intelligent. Thank you, wonderful host, Chris Hayes!
Well, whomever you’re planning on voting for in the primaries and/or in the general election, let’s all remember this beautiful message, which I picked up a few days ago from a tweet from my favorite hip-hop mogul and yogi, Russell Simmons:
“Kindness shown to the poor is an act of worship.” – Proverbs 14:31
That’s the bottom line, as far as I’m concerned. What’s your bottom line? Let me know! (Let’s discuss!)
In the meantime–on this stormy, snowy-raining, wind-blown day right here on the Atlantic shore line, I’m glad to say, I’m back!
Please enjoy THURSDAY’S “THINKING ABOUT OTHERS” video postcard (the piano is gorgeous!):
NOTREADYTOFOLD 