You know how you can make one decision that takes on a life of its own & whirlpools you towards all kinds of future galaxies?
Well, that’s what’s happening at Kulana these days!

Between Cristina’s movie adventures, & 3+ year resident organic food grower Carl’s move to the mainland, & our newest long-term visitor to Kulana being a builder with skills she’s excited to share…we’ve decided to sell the 3 cabin/4 bedroom + main house on 3 acres with its meditation trails & organic food beds, etc. “retreat” that has been our special home & business for the past 10+ years!

We may be selling the property whole to someone dreaming of creating their own retreat/b&b/intentional community/creative sanctuary/yoga or healing oasis/etc. who finds value in having cabins of various sizes along with the main house/land…OR if the right new owner is only interested in the house and land, we may wind up taking our country-cabins with us!

In either case, this means: not only will we be relocating, but also that we have some version of this special property FOR SALE…in case you know anyone interested in purchasing Hawaiian property blessed-by-kahuna in the temperate-year-round tropics?

Though quiet & private, we’re located near national park hiking, Hilo employment, UH, art galleries, the free bus line, etc!

And as the ONLY retreat in our price range in this special neighborhood (or actually anywhere on the island!), we’d be delighted to hook the right buyer up with our realtor (and can provide partial owner financing for the sale of the complete retreat).

Though Cristina will be back & forth to L.A. & elsewhere from time to time, some version of creative community with her will most likely continue to exist. The shape, location, & perhaps how we operate will be different…but the spirit of special people coming together to co-create, with the intension of sharing our best selves & lives will remain.

Right now discussions are afoot with current, new, past, & returning Kulana-ites about what we’ve enjoyed most this past decade that we want to bring forward…along with our evolving goals for the future! Care to offer your 2 cents?

Meanwhile, we’re continuing to welcome visitors & potential new residents to the artist sanctuary as usual…

Huge thanks to recent planters of poha berries & deck stainers & singers & old-time volcano storytellers & massage therapists & inner sanctum healers & weedeatters & pond lilly transplanters & pig fence builders & filmmakers & gourd carvers.

It has been a total joy living creative community with you…& investing in your/our past/present/future as world visionaries.

And for those of you reading this…if you’re someone nostalgically fond of what Kulana has been, or if you are one of the people who perused our almost 11 years of guest books and said: “I wish I could have been part of the dream-storming inception of all this!” …now’s your chance to come be part of our transition & rebirth!

We hear from the latest travelers that Hawaiian
& some of the other airlines are having particularly good deals!

Image this:
sharing time & space
with a cozy collection of
ever-evolving “creative community”
at an artists retreat in Hawaii

Cristina Salat invites you to visit and stay at her home-for-the-creatively-&-spiritually-inclined on the Big Island Hawaii!

Cristina wanted to let everybody know, the Goddess cabin  at Kulana (with its private deck, private parking, two phone line hook-ups, etc.) will be opening up again after 2+ years of having the same wonderful resident in it…& thus will be available to welcome its next special occupant(s) soon!

Kulana’s  rates still holding steady at $15-40/night/visitor; $450/month/resident… & they’re always happy for personal referrals as well!

We’ve been doing a good deal of recharging on this end to keep in balance…swimming with sea turtles, making new friends, hiking lush valleys & mountains, painting, singing, sanctifying the meditation trails…along with putting energy into the continued manifestation of our dreams.

Would love to hear how things are going for you…?  Warm hugs from the Big Island till we meet/meet again– www.discoverkulana.com

Cristina & Kulana

“Let us get up early to the vineyards; let us see if the vine flourish, whether the tender grape appear, and the pomegranates bud forth.”

More information here

Cruisin’ the Castro

The New Harvey Milk Tour

In memory of the 30th anniversary of the death of Supervisor, Harvey Milk, the “Harvey Milk Tour”, begins with Harvey’s immense presence in the Castro community moving on to his political progress at City Hall by becoming the first openly gay politician in the state of California in November 1977. Tour explores both the Castro neighborhood and the beautiful City Hall, where Harvey served and met his untimely death on November 27, 1978.
Also included in the tour is the new and exciting Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual & Transgender Historical Society’s “Castro Exhibit”!
Tour is Wednesday’s ONLY 10am-1pm $55 Adults & $35 Child (5-12yrs)

It is 77deg, warm and mild with very little wind, the sea is like a millpond. Despite the warmth I have not seen one person in swimming – the locals just don’t think it is warm enough – kiwis would all be in – this is as hot as it gets for many of us!

We start each morning with a bike ride down the beach to a cafe where we have a simple breakfast.

We are not straying far from home as my nephew Aaron is quite sick at present. I am enjoying catching up with myself and my brother in law Paul sometimes drops in a small local adventure.

At Fort Desoto we watched the sun set over the bay, and I gave up counting how many dolphins swam past.

We walked around a wildlife reserve in search of an alligator. We did not see one, but saw lots of beautiful birds and enjoyed the dappled light on a hot day. There are pelicans galore, egrets, herons.

Yesterday I rode to Pass-a-Grill beach for the ritual at sunset of ringing the bell. Local Head Ding Dong Jim initiated the practice which has been going now for 10 years. He also provides a free beach wheelchair service at two places on the beach.

Florida Photos

My understanding of what defragging is on a PC, (or rebuilding the desktop with an Apple Mac) is that under normal working conditions we create a lot of ‘mess’ on a computer – files are disordered, temporary files are created, we jump from one thing to another, leaving a messy trail behind.

I am staying at St Pete’s Beach in Florida with my sister Diana and her family – the last stage of my four month sojourn, heading home, and reflecting on the time away and what it has meant for me.

Defragging is like a spring clean of your system and its files – putting them back in order, getting rid of unnecessary clutter.

That is what this journey has done for me. After my partner Ngaire died, I felt that my life was barely under control – I did not have coherent sense of myself or my direction, I felt fragmented.

An extended time away has (I hope) enabled me to find myself again as a separate entity and focus on a sense of purpose and direction. I feel less anxious more open to the future and, yes, less fragmented.

I am sure travel is not the only way of achieving this – it is what we are offered in meditation and contemplation, or in simply taking time for ourselves.

Though I am sure re-entry into life in Waipu, my home village, will bring fresh challenges, I feel I am ready for them and have some inner resources to respond.

I talked about this when I had lunch yesterday with Susan Collins, someone who had wwoofed (what is wwoofing?) with me at my Waihoihoi Women’s lodge in New Zealand. I met her when she was also taking ‘time out’ to consider what next in her life.

Read some of Susan’s blogs here

Another reflection that emerged in our conversation was that often we need to get outside of our comfort zone – a different context, a different language, a physical challenge – before we are challenged to reflect or change. When we are out of our comfort zone the only place we can go is into our own space and reality and that is where we can grow.

So here’s to regular and intentional personal defragging!

It was good to catch up with Washington friends Carol and Joe Scinto and with Mary and Dianne. Mary and Dianne run a programme called WATER – Women’s Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual in Washington, and we have been in touch with them over the years, though last time in person was 12 years ago. They are one of the feminist christian organisations which continue to operate – many have been forced to close down over the years. I think they keep going because of the passion and commitment of these two great women.

Back to Uni0n Station – at one stage it was largely derelict, but that is hard to imagine now – it glistens with grandeur and class. It is just two blocks away from the Capitol Buildings, so it is in good company I guess.

I am once again back in the USA and about to enjoy another overnight Amtrak journey – this time to Tampa in Florida to stay with my sister and her family. Nestled into my sleeper cabin, I had everything I needed for a great trip – a good book, a variety of clothes for the changes in temperature, a great big picture window, a comfortable chair and an attentive conductor in Ed.

Once again it would have been cheaper and quicker to fly, but I am sold on train journeys and I believe they are the future of travel.

Cold and clear blue skies and beautiful sunset have been followed by a magnificent full moon rising. I love that we are travelling past people and their homes – not flying over them. Sure there are the wrecks of cars occasionally, but its the Christmas season so there are also the lights in windows, and the decorations on houses. People going about their business in factories and shopping centres.

Somehow it feels more real than flying over a country. I go to sleep looking out a the ghosts of trees emptied of leaves and awake to another world of evergreens and palms growing wild.

I leave Washington where while it was not snowing, 5 layers of clothing were a must. Go south on Amtrak for 21 hours and there are people running in shorts and tshirts.

This is definitely the way to travel.

Rosemary’s other Amtrack stories

East Village B&B is a fantastic centrally located apartment with great air conditioning (I needed that – it was really HOT) I had booked and paid ahead, and was sent many pages of excellent information, so felt quite confident turning up.by taxi at 8.30pm. Only problem no one was there. I waited an hour, rang the number I had been given, and got no answer. I started to panic – it was Friday of a long weekend, what was my chances of finding something else easily?

Eventually two nice dutch guys came out and said they were staying there, and that someone else was looking after the place while manager Margaret was away. When I showed them my confirmation letter, they let me in, and I rang Polly, who appeared to have forgotten about me. She turned up about 10pm, and we sorted out a bed and keys and all was well with the world again. Phew!

The B&B is managed by Margaret, who I am sure is much more efficient and attentive, and I can highly recommend the apartment. It describes itself as a private residence B&B. It is part of a co-op, so there are a few simple rules, but it is spacious and decorated in a funky style. There are two rooms for guests, and two bathrooms. Breakfast is help yourself – its like flatting with tourists instead of flatmates. Very nice and to be recommended – as long as Margaret is around I suspect.

Typing the words my memory spins out Frank Sinatra’s melody. There is something about this city – that draws you – big, busy, brassy, confident and sexy. And my visit has lived up to the image. My Amtrak trip from Buffalo was uneventful and on time. I rode in the coach – there is heaps of room and it is very comfortable, another time I will try coach on overnight – heaps cheaper, and I think it will be just as easy to sleep – certainly easier than a plane.

It was my birthday while in New York, so walking past a small shop offering massage, I gave myself a birthday present of a lovely chinese back massage – no english, but touch is a universal language and it was wonderful.

I had arranged to meet with a friend – Dee Farrell of Rainbow Tourism and talk Women Travel as well as have a night on the town. We started at a lesbian watering hole – the Cubby Hole, a small bar on the corner of W12th Stand W4th.- it was very noisy and crowded, obviously a great local bar – it was fun and good for people watching. Just across the road was a scandanavian restaurant where we had a delicious meal.

Quintessential New York – sitting at on the sidewalk on a cobblestone street, at a small corner restaurant, under an awning and enjoying the warm evening. A fabulous birthday. We were going to try another women’s bar, but we were not sure where it was, and I am not a night owl, and Dee had a way to travel, so home seemed a better choice.

A trip to the Guggenheim Museum was one of the musts of this trip – especially after visiting Frank Lloyd Wright’s works in Chicago. Both the building and the fabulous exhibition of works by Louise Bourgeois – spanning her life. She is in her 90s and a retrospective at MOMA in her 70s simply inspired her to do more.

I found her scuptures particuarly engaging she plays with domestic life marriage and its traps and freedoms, the individual and the group – and fabulous sculptures of breast and penises.

I had noticed that I was in New York for a Sunday, so thought I would go to a service uptown at the Cathedral of St John the Divine. So ext dayn I sorted out a route, arrived early for the 11am service, so on the corner of Central Park, had a lovely coffee and relaxed read of the paper. I arrived in plenty of time (so I thought) only to find that in fact it was Monday, not Sunday, and the small service had just finished.

I panicked then when I thought that perhaps that I also had the date wrong for flying out. Luckily I was OK – but I was going for a while there.

Some New York highlights

• sitting on a park bench in Union Square watching the world go buy and eating a plump peach I had just bought at the farmers market there.
• The dog parks where there is a special fenced off area in parks for dogs and owners – so the dogs can mingle and play off lead
• visiting Ground Zero
• There seemed to be very few fat New Yorkers – I figure this is because they walk a lot and cliimb up lots of stairs.
• The subway and bus system is great once you get the hang of it – metro card and map in hand you can go anywhere. Forget the tourist buses, this is heaps cheaper.

For next time

• catch the free Staten Island Ferry at Sunset

• hire a bike and ride around the green edges of Manhattan and Central Park.

From Albany the train hugged the edge of the mighty Hudson river which was particularly beautiful – spanned occasionally by huge bridges. There were unconcerned blue herons, lazy boats and the occasional working barge, and sunset over the river was a picture. As we neared New York the occasional shack became large houses and estates.

New York here I come

Deciding to go Amtrak across America, I noticed that it stopped at Buffalo, and I thought I would grab the chance to visit Niagara Falls - they looked pretty close on a map!

Well, it is actually a $100US taxi fare and a border crossing to Niagara Falls Ontario. But I bit the bullet and thought “how many times in your life do you get a chance like this?”

The Amtrak trip from Chicago was great and mostly uneventful – the sleepers slightly different – with a minute handbasin and toilet in the room. Mostly uneventful? Well I was sitting at breakfast enjoying talking about the Democratic Convention and thinking I had an hour to go, when I was reminded that time jumped forward an hour while we slept and travelled east. Oops – I had to leave most of my breakfast and head back to the room to pack.

We arrived less than an hour late – I got a taxi and the driver Izzie was a student in nuclear medicine, so it was an interesting trip. I dropped my bags at The Lions Head (more on that later) and Izzie dropped me at the Falls for no extra charge. He assured me I had made the right decision to see Falls from the Canadian side.

Well the Falls took my breath away and brought tears to my eyes – like seeing the Great Wall of China last year, nothing prepares you for a moment like this – there is no other word than awesome. I walked back along the river, stopping every few yards to look at it from another angle. Thousands of other people too, but it did not matter.

I joined the Maid of the Mist trip – very well oiled tour – but still amazing. Supplied with raincoats, the boat took us right into the power of the falls – we got soaked and windblown and it was – there is that word again – awesome.

A walk back along the river to the Lions Head B&B This beautiful old home has a gorgeous deep verandah overlooking the river, with luxurious deep chairs inviting you to sit and enjoy. The Lions Head is rated as no 1 B&B in Ontario by Trip Advisor – and deserves the acclamation. Unfortunately I have an early start tomorrow, so will miss the 9am breakfast – but it looks good!

Was it worth the stop off to visit Ontario and see the Falls – Definately!