SURFING IN HAWAII FOR 1700 YEARS, ink and watercolor

Surfing in Hawaii for 1700 Years, ink and watercolor in my journal.

I learned in a lecture during the Star Princess cruise to Hawaii, that surfing has been going on there since the year 300 A.D. They used to carve their own board, from a tree. Then, when the missionaries appeared, they banned surfing, hula dancing, playing the ukelele, and many other traditional customs from the islands.

The legend of the Aumakua: your ancestors come back to you through birds and other beings that identify themselves to you. Creatures in nature embody the spirit of our ancestors, they believe. As Pope Francis recently said: "Who am I to judge?"

Antonio String Quartet, ink and watercolor sketch

Antonio String Quartet, ink and watercolor sketch in my journal. This String Quartet played daily in different parts of the Star Princess ship, where we were cruising from Los Angeles to Hawaii in January. They were awesome!

According to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, when you write a goal you MUST have a deadline. A goal without a deadline is not a goal, he said, but just a wish.

STAR PRINCESS CRUISE Journal, ink and watercolor

Star Princess Cruise to Hawaii Journal,  ink and watercolor.

My own private journal (with a compass!) of daily activities, events, concerts,  lectures, books read, people I met, etc. during the 15 day cruise. I kept a written and painted journal. I will not publish every page, but some.

Day 1: we boarded the cruise ship early, so I had time to paint the bridge in the Port of San Pedro, viewed from the ship, before we left.

That afternoon we watched the movie: "Parental Guidance". My husband and I enjoyed it very much, as we could empathize with the grandparents in the movie.

MR. FANTASTIC! watercolor

Mr. Fantastic! watercolor, 11x7.5 in.

During the Star Princess cruise to Hawaii, every morning when entering the breakfast area we were met by Nic, a young Phillipino man, whose answer to any question was "Fantastic!" with a big smile. So much so, that a comedian in the evening was imitating him producing even more questions from the passengers the following morning. Needles to say, everybody around this young man was smiling.  I had to take his picture, and paint his portrait.

What seemed light and funny at the beginning, made me  think on the power of smiles and positive expressions. Maybe we need more Mr. and Mrs Fantastic! in our lives. Maybe we could BE the "Fantastic" influences on others in their lives...

SURFBOARDS IN HAWAII, watercolor

Surfboards in Hawaii, watercolor, 11x7.5 in. Painted aboard the Star Princess cruise ship, during our January cruise to Hawai'i.

On the 6th day of our cruise, we visited Hilo, in the big island : Hawai'i. We took a hop-on/hop-off bus. First stop: Rainbow Falls, 442 feet drop to a gorge below. In Hilo Bay we also visited the Lili'Hokalani Park, created in the Japanese Shinto style, and saw sea turtles! Early that morning we had seen whales as we were approaching the islands.

HAWAIIAN PARADISE, watercolor

Hawaiian Paradise, watercolor, 7.5x11 in.
Do you know that the Ohia Lahua tree is one of the main tree species in Hawaii? Its leaves can close if there is gas in the air! How cool is that? They bloom all year long. They develop flowers of different colors to attract different birds. I find that fascinating!

Hawaii has about 8,800 native species, most of them birds. There are only two mammals native to Hawaii: the monk seal and a tree bat. How about that? I learned this in the lectures of Dr. Sharon Faff,  the Star Princess cruise to Hawaii's lecturer. She was great! Thanks Dr. Faff!