Stop and Smell the Roses

This weekend was a stop and regroup for us. For watertime, Marlon and I went on the dawn patrol on Friday (King Kamehameha the Great Day - State and Local Holiday so the commute in was as good as it ever gets; gotta make good use of those limited days). But not much else in the water category. Noe and I did do some succulent gardening - mainly rearranging and repotting. Along the way, there were details to be noticed and time to reflect on the changes in the plants we've collected. The way I see it, it's okay to pass up a few waves in life. Looking at other sources of stoke and stress relief can help you appreciate what you do have. This was one of those weeks (and aren't the plants cool????!!!!)

Checking Out More Farmer's Markets and KCC

We checked out the KCC (Kapiolani Community College) Farmer's Market this past Saturday. We were targeting "Pang's Nursery" but they were there the previous weekend (but we got to meet the Olomana Farmers owner Ken). This place must be on some Japanese Guide to Oahu, because 4 out of 5 people walking the pop up tents were tourists. Definitely good for the local vendors and great for new food creations to be experienced (but it was crowded). Marlon tried these Ahi Sliders - served on tempura kale chips. Ono yummy!!! There was a time where signs like this would fire up my "challenge" spirit. Now my "you'll be in pain and suffer for hours if you take that 'challenge'" sense kicks in. Cool sign nonetheless... Live Kona Abalone anyone??? These are grown locally on the Big Island with cold, deep seawater (I highly endorse!!! - check out my LinkedIn profile as to why). We also came on this day to check out the Cacti and Succulent Garden at KCC. Tons of plants they had made me think twice about some of the succulents that currently sit in pots at our house (given unfettered space and resources - some Euphorbias turn into giants). Noe saw some Aedium (Desert Roses) that had huge caudex (trunks). Lots of plants you normally wouldn't see (lots of things you don't see all the time) WHAT????!!!!!????

Walking Around Kailua and What Do I See???

More succulents that's what!!! I totally have succulents on the brain. My previous obsessions still perk my interest but succulents are literally everywhere you look. It is so much fun as they are way more prevalent than coral colonies, saltwater fish and energy transfer devices ever were - although all of those do have a sizable presence here in Hawaii, they are all still habitat or store driven. With succulents, just walk outside and BAM - there they are in your face. Then you can take mental notes on species, health, environmental conditions, and whether there are baby plants hanging around... You can even just take a step back and enjoy their unpretentious presence.

Other Acquisitions

For the record, Euphorbias are not Cacti. That said, I found an awesome Euphorbia lactae at Koolau Farmers. So as much as it looks like it - the E. lactea is not a cacti (convergent evolution). Our stop at Once Again Succulents was fun also. The kids picked up their own Portulaca molokinensis and I found a Monadenium ritchiei We're so glad to be able to 'plant roots' and work with plants - moving so frequently has given us experiences we will never forget, but for now we finally get to enjoy exercising our green thumbs.