A Helpful Guide to the People of the Northwest may be a local advertising campaign, but it’s a very clever one. I’m a Blackberry Hunter (#73) and Patches Pal (#82) and used to work for Recumbent Bike Commuter (#15), while The Gimlet uses a supply of blue tarps (#60) to keep his scouts dry. How many neighbors do you recognize?
After a good night’s sleep and breakfast, Team Gimlet spent one day exploring Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, home to Mauna Loa and Kilauea volcanoes.
When Mark Twain visited Kilauea in 1866, he described the caldera as “a scene of wild beauty”:
“Through the glasses, the little fountains scattered about looked very beautiful. They boiled, and coughed, and spluttered, and discharged sprays of stringy red fire … We had circles and serpents and streaks of lightning all twined and wreathed and tied together … and it was with a feeling of placid exultation that we reflected that many years had elapsed since any visitor had seen such a splendid display …” (Roughing It In the Sandwich Islands, ch. 11)
The caldera hasn’t erupted since 1982, so these days one must be content with dodging the relentless flow of fellow tourists which erupts from the buses circling the park.
Our first stop was the park headquarters and visitor center, where we watched a short film about volcanic eruptions and safety. We remembered a story about the senior Gimlet-in-law’s uncle: (more…)
This January a modified Team Gimlet consisting of The Gimlet, your usual narrator, and your narrator’s parents (or Gimlets-in-law), spent nine days visiting the Big Island of Hawaii and Oahu. The Things stayed home with Grandma Gimlet, so they enjoyed being pampered after a fashion as well.
Our first destination was the town of Volcano Village about 30 miles southwest of Hilo on the windward (translation: rainy) side of the Big Island. Volcano Village is a picturesque community of about 2,000 residents, mostly artists, with several B&Bs and few scattered shops and restaurants nestled among tropical ferns and flowers. Aside from the historic but spartan Volcano House inside Volcanoes National Park, Volcano Village offers the closest lodgings to the park. We had stayed in Hilo on an earlier trip with Thing One and didn’t mind the drive, but this time we wanted to give the Gimlets-in-law as much sightseeing time as possible (and the convenience of a rest break if needed), and we hoped to improve our accommodations (translation: cockroach-free) from the last visit, too.
After a long day of travel, including a few moments where we weren’t sure we would make our flights, we arrived in Hilo at sunset. Thanks to our previous experience in Hilo it wasn’t too daunting to drive to Volcano Village in the dark, through the driving rain, uphill, both ways (we had to go back and forth a couple of times). We had made reservations at the Kilauea Lodge, a
former YMCA camp founded in 1938 and now a cozy lodge and restaurant.
Kilauea Lodge is full of special details: a “Fireplace of Friendship” decorated with stones and coins donated from other YMCA camps around the world; friendly smiles and service from the staff; blown glass vases and other artwork by local artists; and the resident cats all contribute to the unique character and hospitality of the lodge. The owner/chef provides an intriguing menu: a German-Pacific Island fusion of gourmet delights and homegrown tropical flavors. Feeling adventurous, The Gimlet ordered the ostrich schnitzel; contrary to expectations, ostrich doesn’t taste like chicken. Thing One and other cousins who are Asterix fans may like to know that The Gimlet also tried the boar stew, and enjoyed it! The catch of the day was great both nights (ono and ahi, respectively), and the fresh papaya served with breakfast was heavenly.
We chose to house our group at the Pi’i Mauna House, a few miles away from the main lodge, on the Volcano Country Club golf course. Pi’i Mauna House is a pair of one-bedroom, one-bath cedar cottages connected by a shared lanai and spa deck. Our cottage featured a small kitchen and gas fireplace; the other had wireless Internet access, board games/cards, and a television with a video library. (When the Gimlets-in-law discovered a Monk marathon in progress, there was some doubt whether they would be joining us the next day for any sightseeing.)
What a treat to snuggle down under a Hawaiian patterned quilt for the night, then awaken to the songs of birds (and wild turkeys!) and watch the sunrise from the front room, sipping hot cocoa (at 4,000 feet, it’s a little chilly in the mornings and evenings around Volcano). Kilauea Lodge was the perfect place to relax, set the aloha mood, and begin our exploration of the islands. We would definitely stay there again; in fact we wished we could have stayed an extra day to visit the Sunday Volcano Farmers’ Market, take another short hike in the national park, and just sit out on the lanai (or in the spa) at Pi’i Mauna House.
After all this sybaritic indulgence, rest assured we did leave the comforts of our little mountain cottage to see the volcano, but that will have to wait until the next post.
Further Reading:
Enjoy this lovely four-minute slideshow of nativity scenes, courtesy of BYU Magazine and photographer Bradley Slade. The slideshow is in QuickTime format. Merry Christmas!
The Gimlet’s JASNA AGM formal wear arrived recently, so he’s all set to go. But for now he’s settled into a comfy chair, waiting for me to get ready. My dress isn’t finished yet, but will be soon (I hope!). Note that The Gimlet is keeping his 21st-century dress slacks and shoes. If we decide to attend future AGMs (or if word gets out that he has the wardrobe for church history skits), we’ll look into completing the outfit.
Want to dress up your own Mr. Knightley or Colonel Brandon? (That Darcy fellow gets plenty of press already.) Jessamyn’s Regency Costume Companion reviews a variety of men’s clothing patterns and provides several helpful images and hints for creating the Regency look. The Regency Collection’s article on neckcloths and its accompanying 1818 illustration, Neckclothitania, is also very useful. And for my fellow non-sewing-types, here are the shops I used:
Editor’s note: My pictures didn’t turn out very well, so watch this post for (hopefully) many better photos, courtesy of Bestemor and expert photographer Aunt H.
We just finished a fun week-long visit with our Austin (not Austen, for once!) relatives. They liked the thought of visiting us to escape the Texas summer. We like hosting out-of-town visitors because they remind us of all the neat activities around town that we could be doing. Everybody wins! During their stay, they saw the Pike Place Market, the Space Needle, the Museum of Flight, and other tourist favorites. Some of the places we visited together include:
After dinner outdoors at Ivar’s Salmon House (where the boys waved to passing boats and fed their leftover french fries to the ducks), we drove a short distance around Lake Union to this popular park. A company picnic occupied the usual play area, so we led the boys up Kite Hill. The cousins may be from “hill country” but climbing a real hill was a new experience for them. They also liked playing on the sundial and watching the sea planes land while the adults enjoyed the view of downtown Seattle.
The Ballard Locks always have something interesting to watch. We arrived just in time to watch the steamship Virginia V make her passage from the city’s series of freshwater lakes and bays into Puget Sound; after the gates opened, the passengers waved to those of us on shore as she blew her whistle. (The three little boys thought the whistle was too noisy but Thing One liked it.) Plenty of salmon were leaping in the locks and filling the fish ladder’s underground viewing chamber. Above the fish ladder, the boys ran through the Salmon Waves public sculpture.
Attending the Puyallup Fair has been a family tradition since Your Humble Narrator was about Thing One’s age. We’ve gone almost every year since then; in fact, Bestemor wrote a little book for Thing One’s sixth birthday, illustrated with photos from his earlier trips to the fair. Thing One loves the rides, The Gimlet loves the chocolate milk and ice cream, Your Humble Narrator loves the baby animal barn and the artisan booths, and we all love the hot scones with raspberry jam. Our guests had a great time trying out all these activities and more. The weather was beautiful and the day would have been perfect except that poor Thing One wandered away from our group and was lost for about an hour. Thankfully he was only scared, not hurt, and those new grey hairs his parents are sporting were probably imminent anyway.
Besides all the sightseeing, the cousins had a wonderful time getting to know each other by playing together. The train set was a vital part of each day, but they also enjoyed running around outside. Cousin T, age 4, wanted to do homework with Thing One every afternoon, but soon became bored. (Thing One can empathize.) Cousin P is only two months younger than Thing Two, and these two invented games mostly comprised of running, falling down (on purpose), and giggling. Aunt H is a Master Gardener, and she helped us develop a landscaping plan for our yard. Curb appeal may finally be within our grasp! The downstairs guest quarters proved to be up to the challenge of doubling our family size, and all in all it was a great week.
Now that I have a new church job and no longer design the Sunday meeting bulletins, I’ve decided to expand the scope of the ivory bits category. I still plan to occasionally post art + quotation entries as before, but will also write about favorite finds of all types — food, books, and other small pleasures.
Valancourt Books. This independent press (named for the hero in Ann Radcliffe’s Mysteries of Udolpho) is a treasure trove of rare and previously out-of-print Gothic goodies, and their web site is well worth a look. I found out about Valancourt when they started publishing the “Northanger Novels”, a list of Gothic titles found in Northanger Abbey. Valancourt’s editions include interesting and useful editor’s notes. Earlier this year I reviewed their editions of Castle of Wolfenbach and The Veiled Picture for AustenBlog.
Vanilla rooibos. Caffeine-free and high in antioxidants, this red herbal tea tastes good and is good for you. I add a tiny splash of milk to make the vanilla flavor really pop. I have it on very good authority that lemon-vanilla rooibos makes an outstanding iced herbal tea and look forward to trying it.
Victoria magazine is coming back! I was a fan of this magazine since college, and I was sorry to see it end. The resubscription invitation assures that the new magazine (debut issue: November/December 2007) will be just as it used to be. Let’s hope they’re right.
Vintage-style jewelry and art by tartx. Necklaces crafted from antique dominoes and optical lens pendants, earrings, bracelets, pocket mirrors, and more. All kinds of literary and design themed collages from which to choose. (Wouldn’t Catherine Morland just love the Gothic Curiosities bracelet?)
Many of you already blog about your favorites, and feel free to share some in the comments!
With a ten-year gap between kids, it can be a challenge to think of something new to do that both can enjoy. Thing One needed to visit an art museum to finish up a scout merit badge, so earlier this week Bestemor suggested we make a trip to the Seattle Asian Art Museum (SAAM) in Volunteer Park.
Volunteer Park is an Olmsted-designed park, named for volunteers in the Spanish-American War and completed in 1912. The art museum, a striking Art Deco building, was built in 1933. It used to be the main SAM until the downtown museum was built. Now the Volunteer Park location displays collections from China, India, Japan, Korea, and other Asian countries.
Thing One studied Asia in last year’s social studies class, so he had some idea of what he was about to see. The museum’s small size and mid-week lack of crowds made it a good choice for Thing Two, since we were unsure how long he would put up with a place where he couldn’t run around and touch the pretty, shiny objects. We decided to confine Thing Two to his stroller; as long as he was moving, he wouldn’t complain and would be less inclined to grab. Our group split in two: Bestemor took Thing One around the exhibits and talked to him about the art, while I took Thing Two on a long, roundabout stroller ride through the museum, not stopping too long or looking too closely at any one display.
One gallery showcases a fascinating exhibit of intricate mulberry-paper stencils, should any locals care to check it out. If you can’t get to the museum (or if lingering is not an option, as was my situation), take a closer look at the stencils from the Bowdoin College Museum of Art exhibit.
The Volunteer Park outdoor sculptures are always a big hit with kids; almost every Seattle native of a certain age has memories of climbing on the giant stone Ming Dynasty camels who stand guard in front of the art museum. The original camels have been moved to the downtown museum and are now off-limits, but SAAM’s concrete replicas sport plaques encouraging children to play on them. The fountains on either end of the museum’s front also invite little hands to splash and cool off.
If the kids can tear themselves away from these attractions and turn around, across from the museum stands Black Sun by Isamu Noguchi. This black Brazilian granite sculpture, created in 1969, measures 108″ in diameter. We have always called it “the donut” for (hopefully) obvious reasons. From certain angles one can see the Space Needle through the center.
Thing Two loved riding the camels, playing in the fountains, and checking out the donut, but then it started to rain and he didn’t like being rushed off to the car. Nevertheless, we thought we’d try visiting the conservatory before going home. The Volunteer Park Conservatory was built in 1912 and was modeled on London’s Crystal Palace. The five houses showcase bromeliads, cacti, palms, ferns, and a seasonal display. The conservatory is also home to an Amorphophallus titanum (corpse flower). Thing Two was fascinated by the plants, flowers, and the pipes and valves which keep the conservatory watered. He stayed close to Mommy, keeping his hands to himself, for about five seconds. Again, Bestemor and Thing One had a very nice time together looking at all the plants,
and waved through the glass as we waited outside, Thing Two struggling to run either through the flower beds or out into traffic.
Even with a toddler meltdown at the end, it was a fun morning. Visit the new GimletGallery album to see all the photos. SAAM is a nice little choice for introducing older kids to art museums, and the outdoor attractions keep their toddler siblings busy and happy. The conservatory has been around for a long time, and will no doubt still be there when Thing Two is ready for it. And as always, grandmas have great ideas!
Download the current wallpaper: January
