"We are where we should be ..." Front Porch `Aha I

"Regardless of the feeling that something is missing NOW, we are where we should be. Otherwise we’d be somewhere else. Let that sink in and bring comfort. The Moon trines Mars and glides over Chiron. We’re learning. We are becoming emotionally wise. Somewhere, maybe underneath the waves that obscure." Satori

Mahalo nui loa. Thank you so much. To the land, this island Whidbey Island in the Salish Sea, the ancestors behind us and in front of us, and to those friends who came to be with Pete and me at our first Front Porch `Aha we put this post together with our sincerest aloha. We are envisioning and doing the hard work of creating Art, an art-form of our real lives; we envision ourselves and our Vardo for Two moving across the Salish Sea and Na Kai Ewalu (the eight seas of Hawaii). To do this we begin by remembering: to appreciate, have gratitude for those who have nurtured and supported our lives here. The photos and sketches that follow are the unfolding journey. Hover over the photos and sketches to see whether there are hidden descriptions waiting for you to discover:)

We start by bringing the la`i green ti leaves out to be woven into protective braids on each of the four corners of our golden wagon home Vardo for Two. The la`i was gathered several years ago by Kaliko Amona, our 'ohana from Pupukea, O`ahu. We keep the leaves frozen and use them when an occasion arises. Saturday's `Aha, and moving Vardo for Two onto the road for the first time in 8 years was just such an occasion.

And then ... the people gathered, and the chicken dinners, corn bread and more fed us and our friends 

After lively and informing conversations and introductions at the picnic tables, we carried our chairs to the grass in front of the porch of Vardo for Two in time for moon rise.

After our friends were comfortably seated in chairs, and bundled against the breeze that was blowing in clouds, and the Elementals, I called on our ancestors chanting the `oli Na `Aumakua. Click here to listen to the 'oli which is also called Pule Ho'ulu'ulu.

Pete and I had time to tell the story of "How come Vardo for Two?" :why we built it, how we did it and seated in the circle our friends could see for themselves the beauty and strength of a heaven-shaped roofed golden wagon. Before it got dark we opened the door to her and invited our company to climb the porch and peek in. It was truly a first for vardo, and our friends. We had cleared our golden wagon energetically and physically to make room for visitors. A shift took place. 

With Mahealani fully present in the sky behind us, we asked our friends if they had questions of us. They did. They had thoughts, and ideas for how they could help, and who they know with answers to our questions. Over time, we will assemble the questions, and answers that came from this first Front Porch `Aha. Financial questions and answers arise. We will pursue the possibilities: Go Fund Me, other crowd sourcing platforms, other ways. Our first red envelope with $120.00 from Terri and Martin helps float our boat to launch our adventure, and affirm the value of our intentions.  Mahalo nui, Terri and Martin. Terri and I have known each other since we were young women raising young sons. Her son will return from Singapore very soon. My son lives in Hawaii, and is one of the main reasons for us knowing we need to launch this dream.

Logistics ... the how and when issues are being explored right now. Prescott knows someone who has an air filtration system in his home similar to the one we would like to build/use; Kathleen knows someone who has connections to the Longshoremen(we need to talk with longshoremen on both sides of the water before loading Vardo for Two into a boat/barge); Madir reminded me of someone we know who is resourceful about flying between Washington and Hawaii, she also reminded me that we have a mutual friend who is actively involved in a successful Go Fund Me project; Gary knows a friend of a friend who knows a longshoreman; Jude knows someone who has created a no fee crowd founding project. We have new people to talk with now, a circle of supports who ARE our `Aha (our trusted rope), and a future `Aha to organize with our family on the islands in Hawaii. It will be different than this one at The Tilth but without doubt inspired by all the goodness of the evening. Seeds have been planted, and others are already sprouting.

After our first night's sleep in a new place for the first time in eight years, we woke to a very bright sunrise and the disassembly of our movable life.

 "The Hinged Question" is a theme to follow, sniffing at the potential and opportunity while also cautious that sometimes the elements like a strong wind will blow that question like a sudden slap across the back of your head. Tether that camel, tether that question on a slip knot you can manage with humor and a keen eye:) Line drawings and the simple wooden prop with hinges help to play with the idea with hearts that are young, flexible and curious.  Hinging both Hawaiian and English in these `Front Porch `Aha gatherings make room for all the ancestors and all those who hear in languages that might be either, or both or a combination of other that is available but not yet seen. We make room for it/them.

These Front Porch `Aha are being imagined as fish nets, or spider webs meant to be tossed out to gather tasty morsels of possibilities; a sweet tasting fish, an unexpected connection to a relation who knows something we don't; or a young person with talents and experiences that bring new perceptions to our quandary. We are grateful kupuna, old people/elders glad to be present for the journey.