Getting ready for our first.......

Little Bird Farm Christmas!

Our First Big Snow at Little Bird Farm

Within days of my return home from Hawaii and northern California to New Mexico, Little Bird Farm was fully festooned in winter snow!  I am exhilarated at this!  If there is any single thing that can put me in the mood for Christmas, it is falling snow.  This winter storm did not disappoint!  Snow fell all day long yesterday, a phenomenon I have never seen in my years living in New Mexico.  I saw this happen many times on winter days in northern Japan, but never in New Mexico!  It really was a lovely thing.  I had the pleasure of my brother's company in the afternoon and into the evening, as he installed a new door for us - a chore less well suited for such a cold, snowy day as it would have been for a sunny day!  Yet, he worked diligently and exactingly for many hours.  It was a difficult job, placing the new door in a wall of this old farm house.  And he had to go out and work in the cold many, many times, making the carefully measured cuts, planing and sanding!  He is a perfectionist!  I truly admire this quality, but I do not possess it.  He did a beautiful job and our new door looks beautiful and performs.....perfectly!   Thank you, Honorable Brother!      

North Hilo Coastal Area - breathtaking!

The Hawaiian Vanilla Orchid House

Seeing funny things!

We were sauntering down a little side road in Hilo yesterday; it's pretty much low season now and the pace of life for the folks here is pretty slow.  I was just sort of swingin' my little grocery bag (contents of bag: new Hello Kitty Pez with red Hibiscus hair deco, tiny kitchen tongs, and Island Santa cellophane bags to put homemade Christmas treats in for gifts - all essential items, you see) and Tim said, "oh, looky there!"  And this is what we saw!  These little fellas were so darling!!!  There is actually one more buddy hiding out - so a total of five little faces and tails in this truck cab!  Also, there were two big hounds sleeping in the bed of the truck!  Ha!  You just can't help but laugh at some of the things you see here!  Other things we are seeing? Rainbow Falls, The Boiling Pots (hot pools of water the locals dive and swim in), Lili'uokalani Gardens (Japanese inspired), many coffee plantations (the "vog" - fog and volcanic smoke - is really messing with the ripening of the coffee berries!! - Oh NO!), and breathtaking coastlines. It is all truly......lovely!

For today:  The Hawaiian Vanilla Company in Paauilo, 45 minutes north of Hilo (along the coast).  The vanilla bean comes from the planifolia orchid, which blooms only one day each year for four hours  We will also have a four-course lunch at this farm - "a vanilla experience luncheon".  Hmmmmm.

Volcano National Park, Hawaii

THIS was absolutely other-worldly!!  A little freaky!  

Day in Hilo & Kona

Flop-flops at the back door...to the hot and cold soak tubs!

We are in Hawaii!

Another great think about having good friends?  They invited us to be their guests in Hilo, Hawaii, as they take a break from their "real life" in England.  They rented an amazing home in the Hilo area - a take-your-breath-away spot - that we can hardly believe.  (The Falls at Reeds Island).  We were really looking forward to time with these friends we met when we all lived in Japan; we had no idea that the accommodations would be so fabulous!  I will post a few pix for now, and we are heading out to explore this TRUE paradise!  Aloha!