The Rainy Season

The rainy season is upon us in Hanapepe. A week ago the rain began thundering on the corrugated roof I work under at Jacqueline's. The volume of rain drowned out the sounds of our voices and we had to shout to be heard. That night, the immense amount of rain flooded all the streets, creating rivers in the most surprising places. The most surprising of all was the birth of a pond inside Jacqueline's store. Wednesday morning began with sodden feet and frantic searching for a shop-vac to borrow. I spent a few hours using the shop-vac to suck water out of all the carpets and towels to sop up the deepest parts of the puddles. Everything was soaked, including bolts of fabric, baskets of scraps and every rug in the building. Jacqueline's attitude was positive throughout: “I know there's gotta be something good that will come of this, although all I can see right now are clean carpets!”

I left around noon to work at Storybook, but on my way home I stopped to check on the clean up process. It turns out a clogged drainage ditch was part of the reason why the store flooded. Since the water couldn't drain, it collected along the back wall of the building and eventually rose high enough to seep in under the doors and between the concrete and drywall. The ditch was cleaned out and dams were constructed out of cinder blocks and tar in front of each door. Tonight another storm is expected to blow in with 40 mile an hour winds, so we're all hoping the clean ditch will do its job.

At the art gallery, Amy has been training me quickly. When she leaves to go back to the mainland next week, Jeff and I will be running the gallery. (Arius is exploring Panama for the next three weeks.) He manages and sells, while I matte and pack shipments in the back. I love matting prints. I enjoy the attention to detail, the different tools, the time I spend choosing colors. It's fascinating to notice the subtle ways that the matte color will translate certain aspects of the print to the eye. I have a list of preselected matte colors for each print, but I've also been directed to be creative and have fun. Although I wasn't too excited to be working in 'retail' again, I never anticipated how funny it would be to listen to tourists debate over what image to buy. I also don't feel like it's the retail I'm familiar with, because I don't actually have to do the selling work. I get to do the fun stuff in the back! The best part of both this job and Jacqueline's is that I'm learning how to do things I love and plan to do in my own life. The work is relevant to who I am. How blessed am I!

As I'm writing, the windows are literally shaking in their frames. The lights flicker a little now and then. The wind has picked up, but I don't hear any rain yet. If I was closer to the back door, I'd be able to hear my grandfather's wind chimes ringing in the way that still reminds me of their farm in Paso Robles.

Monday at Storybook, I met a man named Forest with a pet rooster named Little Brother. He and Mark had worked together in the past. Mark actually interviewed Little Brother at a children's storytelling event. Storybook Theater began in 1979 as a traveling theater group It evolved into a television show with puppet Russell Da Rooster as the main character. The show is filmed in the studio behind the gift shop and Russell tours preschools often. In other words, the appearance of a tame rooster at the doors of the Theater yesterday seemed totally appropriate. Forest and Little Brother meandered upstairs to hang out with Mark after introducing themselves.

Yesterday, Mark showed me a picture book that he wrote 10 years ago about Hurricane 'Iniki. In 1995, he held a hurricane story contest for children on the island and gave out cash gifts from the Hurricane Relief Fund to winners. Then he combined ideas from their stories into one story and hired an illustrator to paint the pictures. The book has been packed away until now. He's asked me to find out how to publish the book, so I researched it on the internet for a couple hours. I love doing this kind of work, and I'm excited to go through the whole publishing process with him. I know I'll publish my own books someday, and this will be a perfect way to learn how it's done. Plus, his book is wonderful because it emphasizes the ideas of protection and the importance of being with your family in scary times. Not only children on the islands, but children anywhere in the world that hurricanes hit will be able to relate.

Tonight, I get to see The Derek Trucks Band in concert. I didn't think I'd get to see any live music on this rural island, and now one of my favorite bands is coming! I'm so excited. I saw them this summer when they performed with the Allman Brothers and Gov't Mule in Aspen, and that was a huge festival. I'm looking forward to the Kilohana Plantation venue because I'm sure it will be smaller.

I just can't get over the feeling that Hanapepe and Kauai have everything I want. I'm so glad I'm here!