Memorial on Maui

Six weeks after my uncle's passing, we arrived back in Maui to remember and celebrate his time with us on Earth. Moments after leaving the airport, we bee-lined for Baby Beach to meet Aunt Shanna and dip our feet in the ocean. The wind is relentless, but this beach is perfect for small children as a barrier reef creates a calm pool protected from the crashing waves. My cousins, Aaron and Katheryn, were raised on these shores.

Although well-known to locals, Baby Beach is typically uncrowded. And on the afternoon of our arrival, the beach was desolate except for a couple of beach combers and one small family wading in the pool. Lilly Star, being a social butterfly, suited up and immediately engaged the family. Within a few minutes, we realized that their daughter was a student at Sunnyside Environmental School in Portland last year under the same teacher as Lilly this year. The odds of this happenstance are unfathomable - a perfect community moment in time. As a rainbow revealed itself arcing over Lilly's impromptu play date, I was reminded of my uncle's advice, 'even if you are an introvert, be extroverted because you'll experience more life that way.'

In the days leading up to the memorial, we celebrated my uncle with our Maui family on their Upcountry farm and short excursions to the beach. The mornings were quiet and peaceful, the afternoons were buzzing with preparations, evenings were filled with stories over dinner, and at night, we'd fall asleep to the laughter of my cousins as they selected songs for the dance party.

On the morning of the memorial, a big rainbow stretched across the farm reminding me of Davey's bright and colorful spirit. After a short hike and dip into Twin Falls, the family convened on the farm for the final preparations as guests arrived. The memorial was sweet, endearing and sad all at the same time. Davey was remembered as a wonderful husband, father, brother, uncle, friend and angel in his community. We ended the night all smiles celebrating his favorite pastime - dancing!

After the celebration, we enjoyed a couple of long, calm beach days with Bunny's cousin Kate in Lahaina, and Aunt Shanna at Makena. Snorkeling in a protected marine reserve, Lilly and I swam with an array of rainbow fish and a sea turtle! On the seashore, River liked chomping on the rocks and sneaking handfuls of sand into his mouth.

On our last day, we said goodbye to family and shared one last moment on the beach remembering my dear Uncle Davey.

Dedication to Davey

In the few months since my last entry, I felt too drained to blog as my Uncle and two good friends were lost to cancer. Still, the world continues to spin moments of divine inspiration worthy of sharing.

When I started blogging synchronicity in January 2009, Uncle Davey's health was rapidly fading while Bunny and I were expecting our second child at any moment. With the arrival of baby River, blogging was a portal for sharing the enchantment of life with friends and family, especially my uncle who appreciated the serendipitous interconnections that weave through the fabric of community. In countless ways, he revealed how to see "the light" in life and find gratitude for our part in it.

My uncle passed on September 24, 2009, peacefully with his family in Maui. I heard the news the following morning, and on the next day, headed up to Larch Mountain in The Columbia Gorge near sunset. It's one of the old volcanic peaks with a grand view across the Cascades including Mt. St. Helens where Davey liked to visit whenever touring the Pacific Northwest.

Driving on the freeway out of town, a station wagon pulled in front of me with "KAMEHAMEHA" in bold white letters against a black-tinted window and no other identifying features - not even a license plate. I thought of this connection to Hawaii's last king as Davey's guiding spirit and followed this car reverently into the Gorge. Oddly, it pulled off the freeway at my same exit and started climbing up the hill toward Larch Mountain. I trailed behind - grieving and thinking of the many different ways that my uncle's spirit will continue to bring light into this world.

The car finally pulled into a parking lot at the Viewpoint Inn overlooking the Columbia as the sun dipped into the western sky. On my last visit to this historic inn, I was taking the Goob out for a Father's Day dinner and sunset in 2008 - shortly after getting the news of Davey's late-stage prostate cancer. It was the only time that I recall speaking with my Dad at depth about his brother's terminal condition. Since Davey was always committed to strengthening our relationship, I promptly called the Goob. It was a brief but sweet connection as my cell phone ran out of juice. Then I continued driving up the hill - imagining Davey as my passenger all along the way.

At the crest of Larch Mountain, I nestled into a perch and watched the setting sun fade into twilight - recalling many fond memories with Uncle Davey. A small cloud floated up to the mountain at eye level, swirled around for about a half hour and then drifted north toward St. Helens. Stars and the Milky Way slowly appeared in the night sky. I looked out patiently for shooting stars, but instead saw a strobe flash out of the corner of my eye just above the Eastern horizon. My focus was drawn eastward, and it flashed brightly once more. I have no explanation for this strange occurrence, but I like to believe it was a final connection to Davey's spirit before we meet again on the other side of the veil.

In the weeks following Davey's passing, my process for grieving turned toward a treehouse project that started with Lilly Star and the Goob on the aforementioned visit in 2008. Returning to Portland for Father's Day this year, Goob drew up the plans, and then I collected salvaged construction materials throughout the summer. I have little to no construction skills, but my Uncle was a carpenter by profession. With the support of Bunny, I found inspiration to build this project in memory of Davey and his dedication to fatherhood. With a wall of windows facing south, the treehouse is filled with warmth and light. And of course, it radiates with the laughter and joy of children!

Hippy Camp

Lilly attended an array of week-long summer performance camps for a solid month after kindergarten ended: musical theater, acrobat, acting, artcetera. Feeling envious by mid-July, we joined her on a traveling camp through Oregon's hippy roots.

To start, Bunny booked us into a teepee village retreat in the Santiam foothills outside of Eugene. An idyllic setting for a family getaway into nature topped off by two lovely semi-retired owners who whip up massive plates of paella and clay-oven pizzas on summer nights in their outdoor kitchen. Our first teepee experience was more akin to luxury than primitive camping.

The Chief Seattle teepee sits on the banks of a bubbling creek, and within minutes of arriving, Lilly discovered a rusted yet ornate old relic from the upstream mining ghost town of Wendling. After waking from a refreshing night in the teepee, we headed to the annual Oregon Country Fair on the opposite side of Eugene despite an uncommon morning thunderstorm and resulting downpour.

Established 40 years ago on the land of Merry Prankster Hall-of-Famer Ken Kesey, this family-friendly Fair much more resembles a Fairy world than the typical 4-H County aFFair. Vaudeville acts, circuses, musicians, estranged entertainers and hand-crafted artisans are tucked away into an enchanting oak forest where Lilly's been letting her imagination run wild for the past four years.

From Eugene, we headed up the storied McKenzie River to Breitenbush Hot Springs for a little R&R. While the Oregon Country Fair relives the summer of '69 for a single weekend every year, the folks at Breitenbush have been rocking it steady 24/7 since the '70s.

We typically visit these hot springs in Spring or Autumn, but Bunny had a hankering for a midsummer visit. The timing was perfect as a handful of families leaving the Country Fair had the same bright idea. Lilly befriended a few new pals including another Lilly (short for Lillian), and on our last steamy hot summer day, Lillian joined us for a hike up to the volcanic views atop Triangulation Peak. In concordance with their namesake, we passed no less than five species of blooming lillies along the way: Beargrass, Rhododendron, Trillium, Cascade and an intoxicating, fragrant patch of never-before-seen-by-our-eyes traditional lillies smack dab on top of the summit!

Later that night, I got lost in the Milky Way galaxy and healing waters of the Breitenbush Silence pool as the moon rose on the horizon. Maybe it was something in the water, but I think the stars aligned as revelations flowed from the midnight sky.

By the time we returned to Portland, Wubby had acquired three mini-dreadlocks, and we were all long overdue for a heavy duty shower. Cheers to a legacy of Peace & Love!

Let's Ride!

Last weekend, Pedalpalooza wrapped-up after three weeks of non-stop zany events throughout town celebrating the arrival of the summer bicycling season. With Wubby's wobbly head barely filling a little tyke helmet, we limited our participation in Pedalpalooza '09 to a handful of events - including The
Sprockettes' perennial mobile dance pArTaY and Hawt-Pink Hot-Damn B-B-Que.

For three years (and counting), Lilly has immersed herself right into Portland's all-girl-all-hot pink performance troupe. But this year was different as she learned to ride earlier in the week and left her training wheels at home. Also, she was accompanied by Holden,

her daredeevil two-wheeled wonderfriend from kindergarten. Check out the sidebar video of their post-BBQ bike ride at Peninsula Park.

Holden inspired us all - cranking out 4-miles of Sprockette parading and escapading with nary a complaint nor stop.

Holden & Lilly have a great natural chemistry together and feed off eachother's acrobatic routines. After a big dose of Sprockette empowerment, there was no shortage of new stunts choreographed on the playground AND on their long ride home...fortunately sans injury!

Goin' on Vacation

In Lilly's final kindergarten class, the kids picked fortunes for their future careers. Not surprisingly, her fortune predicted, "You will make a movie."

After class I took Lilly out for sushi where she found a fortune cookie. Her second fortune-of-the-day read, "Now is the right time to go to the coast." Sure enough, we packed up our family wagon the next day and bee-lined for the Mason County coastline.

At the far southern end of the Hood Canal we found a fishermen's cabin with oodles of charm and kitsch, The Changing Tides. Within minutes of arriving, we stepped onto the rickety deck and witnessed a bald eagle dive into the estuary before us and snag a fish from the sparkling water with its massive talons. Moments later, that poor sucker went to heaven and was reincarnated into pure EAGLE matter. As if our journey couldn't get any better, Lilly then found a surprise swimming pool to complement the hot summer day!

To say, this land is "spiritual" is certainly an understatement. The estuary is literally filled with wildlife as the tides push and pull through its brackish waters. The Skokomish Native American Reservation is only a few steps away, and reading through a handbook of old stories from the Hood Canal, we learned of a traditional ancient Skokomish burial site on the far side of the estuary in Potlatch. This revelation touched us deeply as the ashes of Roger, Bunny's father, were spread at Potlatch 14 years ago. Jolly Roger's atoms now ciruclate throughout this sacred land. We ended the night soaking up the sunset and entering our vacation reverently.

The next day was cloudy but perfect for an adventure into the Olympic rainforest. We hiked up Staircase, where Roger would take his family 30 years ago to experience the great outdoors of the Pacific Northwest.

The rest of the evening was filled with reflections on family set to the backdrop of the majestic Olympic Range.

On our next day of vacation, we hiked down into the Forest Theater where Bunny's family would watch plays in the 1980s. This outdoor theater, set in an ancient rhododendron and fir forest, has been operating continuously since the beginning of the last century. For their 2009 season, we caught 

Seussical The Musical - perfect timing since Lilly began reading and writing in kindergarten and recently picked up Dr. Seuss' rhyming tales. She wrote a letter to share with the cast, "Dr. Seuss, Thank You For Teaching Me How To Read. Love, Lilly Star."

Finally, on our last day, we bid farewell to the swarms of bald eagles and a way-cute but not-so-friendly little otter nestled beneath the deck.

And then stretched out the summer sun playing in Olympia, Bunny's hometown. How's that for a trip down the Mason Memory Lane!