The past ten months blew by. As in one big blur. Somewhere in there were the holidays, massive storm flooding, and being 4 miles from the epicenter of an earthquake... still cleaning and repairing. We had damage from both the storm and the earthquake but blessed it was not as bad as others. I am grateful I was able to get out of the vog and go to Maui for the Fiber Arts Conference in June. I got to weave with the most excellent Kumu Pōhaku Kahoʻohanohano and long time fellow haumana Sharon and Judy. Made new friends and met a real calabash cousin from the Hāna/Hamoa side of the Okada family. Mahalo nui to Cousin Jan for the lunch, the Krispy Kreme (eaten warm & fresh - OMG I understand what the hype is about!), and all around kindness and hospitality. I didn't take many pictures, I was busy talking story and learning pāwehe, a new to me, pattern. The variations and possibilities are endless!
The pictures above were pretty much all the pics I remembered to take. Most of us were in the Hale Pāʻina but some of the other groups were in the other classrooms and workshops. Each day there was a different presentation and exhibit of the various kumu work. I did not take enough pics or do them all justice.
I got to eat and hang out with muʻumuʻu guru Agnes. We didn't really talk mu'umuʻu though. She is a wealth of knowledge of other things too. When I grow up I want to be like her. For real. She is very much growth mindset with big dose of courage, smarts, and empathy.
Fellow haumana Sean showed me where Native Intelligence was. I had been following them on social media for years and IRL it did not disappoint. The timing wasn't good as they were closing and we needed to clear out before the the First Friday event traffic got bad.
All-in-all it was a good trip. Learned a lot, not just ulana lauhala, but from the other fiber artists too. And a little homework to work on. There's always stuff to learn if one just pays attention.