Ok, I will be honest and say that I am writing this blog because I was asked to write a blog. This is a good thing though, to quote Martha, cause I might not have otherwise. I have said before that I needed inspiration first. I am not the type to just sit down and start writing. Well inspiration is now at hand, and feet actually. I will explain the ‘feet actually’ part, but as it is I sit here thinking now how many different directions that this subject could take me, so before I begin let me say forgive me if I digress extensively.
Back to the feet. I love my feet! I love walking, almost on level with a Forrest Gump type. I have taken walks of 8-12 hrs just to clear and sort my thoughts. My feet are a great source of inspiration for me. On my walks I let my mind wonder, taking in the sites of my surroundings. In the ‘old days’ back in the ‘default world’ I was often walking through neighborhoods. The sites that I saw were other people’s yards. I would absorb the arrangement of plants that others had put together, make alterations on mental graph paper and file them away.
In 2004 my partner Kimo led me to Kalani and my feet were immediately excited, 120 acres to walk around and call home. Actually, we came to play a game of volleyball and were so impressed that we decided to volunteer and we have been here ever since. I went into the Landscape dept. and was soon walking here and there, making great discoveries for a Midwest farm boy. On one of my walks I was up along the mauka border of Kalani when I came across the Kalani plant nursery. I remember being so excited to see all these exotic tropical plants. It was only a few tables but that was it I started dreaming of all the gardens I could create with these beauties. My feet once again brought me to a space ripe with inspiration and my mind began picking the fruit. I took up the care of the nursery, weeding it, organizing like plants together, and watering.
It was a great space, but shortly after I was asked to head up the department, I decided to move the nursery to a more central location on property. At that time I had only one volunteer helping but we were ho’omau, determined to make it even better in the new space. And boy did we. We started propagating from cuttings we collected in the existing gardens on Kalani and from some “found” on roadside walks. Thank you feet. We grew slowly, but we grew. It was the experience that was important not the speed with which we created.
It was also a learning experience. Ti and ginger do not grow like corn and tomatoes. Then along came Bud ‘the wiser’ who sat down beside us and said, here let me show you how it is done. The best way to do this is to blah, blah, blah. I told him that I always thought the best way to do it was to have the guy with the best way, do it. So I put him in charge of our propagation efforts and before we knew it the nursery had grown to about one acre.
All this time my feet were taking me all over Kalani. I have gone into areas that humans have not gone in decades if not centuries. On one of those walks I came across an area that was dominated by invasive non-native plants. These I knew would have to come down. So I began thinking of what to replace them with, when it came to me the idea of turning it into a nursery spot. It was on the mauka end of Kalani again, it was in line with our maintenance/solar building, and Bud was already saying that we needed more room if he was to continue producing more plants. So I put it before my crew who thought it was a big job, but also who new my favorite word was Ho’omau, determined.
Well it took us about 2 yrs but my feet now stand in our new mauka nursery. It is about four acres and includes an aquaponic vegetable and herb garden, composting site, and hundreds of exotic tropical plants. In our native/cultural plant collection alone we have 72 Kou, 30 Kukui, over 100 Pohinahina , and over 300 Ti plants just to mention a few. We also have palms, cycads, gingers, crotons, lilies, ferns, and orchids again just to mention a few. In short it is a GREAT SPACE that my feet lead me to. My feet take me here every morning now. I even come here with eight other feet on the weekend when I walk our two dogs. They like it too, lots to smell. Ahhhhhh, again I love my feet. They always keep taking me one step closer to my dreams. Mahalo no na kupuna.
I had a marvelous experience at Kalani attending the 2010 Retreat Centers gathering. It was not just the gathering itself, but also the place that encouraged all of us to embrace the spirit of Aloha and imbue the gathering with it, creating a very rich and rewarding experience both, on the personal level and on the professional one. You can breathe the spirit of Aloha at Kalani and, if you happen to find yourself there, just let yourself to be taken by it. 
I came for a visit to Kalani. To be a volunteer and do a three month stint. To take a chance and pull out of a life I was very comfortable with to one that seemed very foreign. A little risky for me from a past perspective. So I've been here for around five years now and after only two weeks here I knew inside that I was going to be here for a while. Why or how long? I wasn't quite sure at first.
Push through the first few days. Your body and mind are not used to the pace, peace and beauty of this place, or the kindness and love of your new ohana. (Your soul is, that is why you came. It felt a calling.)
Guests have the rare privilege of swimming in a non-chlorinated Olympic size pool with two outdoor hot tubs and a lovely sauna nearby, all nestled in a garden setting with palm trees, flowers, and both Ganesha and a reclining Buddha looking on. I loved heating up in the sauna, then diving into the cool swimming pool, sans bathing suit. Just walking on the property was really enjoyable; there seemed always to be a new flower or tree to discover, and the varying elevations of the land provided a good workout. I loved sitting on the big front verandah, listening to crashing waves below while eating delicious local ice cream. I also liked the cozy lounge next to the office, where one could check email, read, or just relax in a comforting environment. Dining al fresco on the lanai was a great pleasure, not only because of the healthy, delicious food but also because one could survey the broad lawn with its flowering trees and happy birds while eating. The salad bar was fantastic, and what could be better then fresh local fruits - papaya, pineapple, soursop, mamey, bananas - at breakfast? The desserts were delicious as were the entrees. And the company was marvellous. 
How wonderful it is to know that nature can heal and bless us! To find a place where this can and does happen is a great accomplishment in any lifetime.
Hey yo, your little sister will now decree
Zen. Sublimity. There are few words to conjure the world of Kalani Honua, a place of rhythms and life. Fortunate are the happy souls who come here, intermingle, and experience such contact with earth, air, volcanic fire, and water-- the ocean and the waterfalls, and the pools of clear healing water. People here connect to the land in a holistic way difficult to imagine on the mainland of the U.S. Everything flows in a harmony that resonates in those who live and work here.
Aquaponics is the buzzword around Kalani these days. When I moved to Kalani a year ago, I had never even heard of the word, and now, I seem to be the local expert. 
I researched ways people were doing Aquaponics locally and on the internet, primarily influenced by Friendly Aquaponics located here on the big island. It became apparent that the size system required to supply our kitchen’s demand for 900 pounds a month of greens would be a bit risky to jump right into. We decided on something much smaller to prove the concept and started construction in November. Due to the thorough training from Friendly Aquaponics as well as the simplicity of the design, things went very smoothly and we had our first harvest in early February. There is still much experimentation and learning to be done before we stop buying greens for the kitchen, but plans for a first stage of expansion are already underway.
