Friendship at it's purest form

You know, it's so cliche, but good people are hard to find, and great people almost impossible to find. I have conquered that impossibility though, I have found a lifelong confidant and best buddy in Calvin. We spent 10 days together in a beautiful place doing the same things we have been doing together for years, but it's really about the things I don't get to do with him enough that I so enjoyed. We discussed just about every issue facing mankind in our many nights of scholarly debating, and came up with..........nothing really noteworthy to the advanced intellectual.... except a concensus that humans have a conscience and animals dont. It was: the conversations about our past(s), the revealing of our thoughts, our attitudes, our beliefs, our life-experiences, our struggles, our failures, our triumphs, and our joys that have shaped each of us, it is these that I treasure. We always laugh and bring humor to each others day, and I just don't get tired of hanging out with the Bucduke. I am thankful for the opportunities that Calvin has shared with me, and I know that in the future we will share more together. He is my sensei, my mentor. An excercept of a conversation after he shows me some cool little building trick......(check out the name links, its kinda funny)
Johnny "How did you do that? "
Calvin "Don't know. First time. "
A gifted craftsman and an artist, I have respect for Calvin on so many levels, yet it is his upright character and generosity that are so endearing.
Anyway, just wanted to let everyone know how I feel about my friend, you know I would do anything for you and Julie bro. I am sure that the Kilauea House will be the envy of all who have built mundane and common dwellings around you.
I guess I should tell you all a little about what we did in Hawaii. When I arrived I was immediately put to work the next day and we go a lot done, Calvin wasted no time in employing his new found resource. Calvin introduced me to Guillome, a French traveler who was in Hawaii mainly to pursue a romance with a little hottie from Nor-Cal, Jessica. Guillome doubled as a laborer and teacher, he dug holes as well as explained topography and climate in his native region. I was tutored in the entire French history condensed into a 30 minute lecture by this guy, who I really liked by the way. He grew up in Western France near the border of Spain in the Pyrénées, he is a French Basque. A lot of really cool traditions and history in that area that I probably never would have learned about. Guillome is a really great guy, and he taught me all about Facebook which subsuquently have produced some long lost friends of mine.
Calvin and I finished framing the substructure supports and forms a few days after I arrived and then went to the beach to celebrate our success. His college buddy Rich came over to help us for awhile to help us tie off the upright steel that reinforces the vertical concrete. Rich was a high energy guy, and it was a good thing too, for he had a daunting task that lay ahead of him. He and his wife Holly had come over to get their rental in nearby Princeville re-roofed and as it turns out, they did a lot of the work themselves. I have to say, Holly is the hardest working woman I've ever been around. She was out there everyday in 90+ heat and rain woking her tail off and putting the men to shame. Way to go Holly!
We poured the concrete walls on a overcast morning and several places looked as if they were going to burst at any moment and bring our hopes of going to the beach early crashing down in a wall of wet concrete, permanently casting our French compatriate in the Hawaiin landscape. The walls held however, and Calvin and I could breathe again.
The last few days we helped Rich and Holly a little and took a quick tour up the coast to marvel at the natural surroundings, and not so natural or beautiful creatures that had invaded the place. As quickly as the time had come to go and hang out with my buddy, it had come to an end. Coming back to California was bittersweet... I knew I would miss hanging out with Calvin but I missed my family terribly and couldn't have been away from them much longer without a total breakdown of some sort. So that's the synopsis, there are lots of details I've left out, but for the sake of brevity I will end my story here. Calvin, thanks for more memories!
By the Way: To any adventurers who may go over to work on the house, please note that only professionals should handle power tools..........especially drills. 私達は兄弟をやがて話す

"There's no place like home"

Camp has been buttoned up and I've returned to the central coast. I'm home with my Woman. Oh Yeah! I'll rest for a while, go on vacation and get the next phase planned and product delivered to the site. Like every other aspect of this project, providing utilities to the jobsite has been challenging.

















Water was quite a distance from the house but as you might remember from earlier postings "Grasshopper" tackled that problem. Electricity is not as far away but the utility company wants to boost the power, bring it halfway to the house and then transform it back down to standard current. It will cost ME ..... Tens of Thousands of dollars $$$ for them to "be happy". Duh? Not a hard decision. We'll just go off the grid!!! Solar is the word, Ryan. Photovoltaic & Wind. It's cheaper. Plus, Obama tells me he'll help pay for it. Rock on!

Got my own 'Bat Mobile"

But I'm all alone. A one man band now. Not nearly as fun but the old man is getting it built. The first floor deck is complete. A monster of a job. It was built very "beefy" so it can carry a concrete floor. Totally different perspective from up there. I see the project evolving........ Boy and I are re-thinking the exterior layout. The backyard "Zen garden and Tai Chi area" needs to be out front. All the solar will be in the back. We'll also relocate the men's first tee back there so that hole is longer and we can swing away. It's also a good location for Mr. Greenjeans new garden......which I have been eating out of regularly .....thank-you very much.

Grasshopper #1 (a young John-boy back then) an old friend now, has arrived and we've been working hard to get it together for the "big pour" which took place today. Pouring concrete is high stress for me. Getting ready was difficult. Then there's inspection. Marvin, my inspector, is very cool. Likes my work. But he said there's no inspection needed for grouting walls......the term for pouring concrete into the forms. All that tightly wound fear of "inspection failure' was needless. If only I would follow my own advice and "breathe".....wave hands like clouds.

So, John boy, my college roomate Rich, Guiome (a young hitchhiker I picked up) and I nailed the pour. The forms "bulged" but never broke. We did it boys and girls. Phase one complete. Right on!

They're gone.

Boy and Grasshopper have moved on. Their next adventure calls. I hope they revisit and we live together on the land again. It is a wonderful and comfortable way to exist. I think they will take some of my teachings with them........hopefully, a few of them....... they will be able to apply in life.

Leaving was bittersweet. The adventure was a once in a lifetime affair. There was a plan in place to move on...but all of a sudden, we had to get home in a hurry. Our wonderful friend and father Karl went forth. Talented man. More so than I ever knew. Lot of laps left. So much more life and love to give. There is a spot here on the range for a tree. (Blake, come help me plant it) We'll hit around you, buddy. "You helped me raise my boy", Karl. You and Patty were more of an influence on him than you can ever imagine. I thank you. Your goodness is evident in both of them.

There's a lot to do here. Organization was somewhat "Casual" when the crew was around. We were living on the land, building on the land and having fun! Camp wasn't dialed in properly...no big deal, worked fine, but I've done some remodeling. I got rid of the tent in the living room. That area is smaller and now it's called the "Smokin' Room". Did some kitchen upgrades as well. I, also, returned to find my tent had been trashed. Taken to the dump. Either the newlyweds had a rockin' good time or Blake was tired of the leaks and the stress of worrying about it. I was about to dump it myself. Good call. So, I've moved into their area. Very sweet. Nice. Comphy. You're not getting it back.

I've got John-boy coming. A most recent Grasshopper graduate. He's going to help me. And I will council him once again. Live life my friends.

Been gone awhile-

My Woman.................and I went to Summer camp. I love Hawaii camp with my woman but I love Tai Chi camp as well. We just spent a week at Mt Holyoak college in Massachusetts with some great personalities. That's why we go. All of the classmates are enjoyable company. Thank you Chen !!!.......... YEAH!

Now, Dan........can't say enough. He is the man.......he has the essence and he taught it to me through 36 form.....CHEN! Didn't have it until the last day and I didn't nail the talent show.................as my son calls it. (Dude, were you there? No.) We were doin' 36 form and we were tight! Right on Chen!

Ok, I was leaning on Alan, the guy next to me in line. He got me through those brain farts I was having. Thank you my friend. Then there was Janet. Center stage. "ROCK ON"!! She was carrying us all the way through. And Megan in front of me, "You are the artistic light of our Troop." Monica on the corner....ausgezeichtnet! Tony, what form next year? To the rest of my Chen posse, the next time we all see each other let's be dancing 36 with attitude. Now, read on and visualize what I'm building here. Although it might seem like I'm just fooling around with my kids, we are building a house and an awesome Zen garden where we will practice and hopefully have visiting artists (like yourselves) come teach.

This dream will happen. Might take awhile because I am certainly enjoying the process. But it will be a beautiful place.

Is This a Lollipop Factory?

'Cause all y'all are suckas! That goes out to anyone that hasn't yet taken up Bucduke on the offer to work for him in Kaui. It is the greatest time you will ever have. I just got back from having lunch with the world famous Bucduke a few hours ago and that coupled with the fact that my dad had some weedwacking for me to do back at the house made me really miss The Range. Calvin and Julie's property is the most beautiful place on Earth. Did you wake up every morning for the last month to a scenic mountain scape, gorgeous weather and the opportunity to hang out in paradise with the coolest people you know? Blake and Lauren, don't answer that. I did. This was literally the greatest month of my life, and as anyone who has met me knows, I've led a pretty charmed life, so that is saying a lot. Rather than sit and contemplate how I've been so lucky, I'll just clue everybody in on some highlights.

1. We built a slip 'n slide. Not only was it a blast to go down, but when it wasn't your turn, you got to nail the participant in the face with a bucket of water or take pictures or video to taunt Skylar and his cankle with later that evening. Which brings me to number 2 coolest moment.

2. The Feltmans! Such an awesome family. It was a bummer that Jessica couldn't make it, but I think that just made Tres, Debra and Skylar want to have more fun, so that they could rub it in her face later. The first full day that they were in Kaui was probably the best. We hung at the beach, went to Queen's Bath, made killer tacos, watched b-ball and played a game of Trivial Pursuit that was likely purchased before a majority of the participants were born. I still want a rematch.

3. Margie. The most vivacious, wonderful woman in all of Cape Cod... or Shell Beach... or Princeville... or wherever she decides she wants to live next. Spending mother's day with the woman who birthed the Bucduke was glorious. We watched some killer jazz musicians and enjoyed yet another amazing dinner and sunset. The Bucdutchess is truly the bee's knees.

4. The First Night. First off, Bucduke brought me pizza and beer for when I arrived. Killer. Then by the time we got to The Range, Blake and Lauren had made friends while hitchhiking back from the Na' pali coast. Enter Brad and Heather. Two awesome people vacationing from Oregon. For their going away party we hung out at their camp site on Anini beach. Gorgeous. And Anini Stew is now a personal favorite. Anyone can make it. Just toss in what you got.

5. Matt and Christy's arrival. The newlyweds weren't newlyweds when they arrived at The Range, but it's not surprising that they felt the urge to tie the knot in such a beautiful place. I'm stoked for them, especially because hanging out with them, you know their marriage is going to last forever. Furthermore, they're both rad people, and I can't wait to spend more time with them in SLO. As far as Kaui, we went to Waimea Canyon, which was gorgeous, but we didn't spend a lot of time there because when you see so many beautiful sights in a month, you just kind of check it out, move on and head to the beach. So we went to the beach where Matt, Christy and I fell asleep. Matt awoke to the crash of a big wave and yelled, "Guys!" Christy and I knew exactly what that meant. We sprang up, grabbed our towels and various beach paraphernalia and ran up shore, narrowly escaping the approaching water. It was fun. Then we had shave ice.

6. Twilight Golf. Where the pitching wedge becomes the power wedge, and a 5 iron is way too much club. Killer sunsets, too.

7. Skimboarding. 'Nuff said.

8. Hanging out with Blake and Lauren. My favorite times on The Range were spent just talking to my buddies. Both Blake and Lauren are two of the nicest, most insightful and intelligent, caring and hilarious people I know. Getting a chance to get to know them better and in such an amazing setting was definitely the best part of the entire trip. We would chat about everything from life decisions to teenage acne, and I always have never laughed harder or walked away from a conversation feeling like I could take on the world more than every conversation that I had with them.

Oh yeah, we worked, too. We worked hard and played hard. Took it easy when that was required. And generally, had a blast. Thank you, Calvin and Julie.

Waldo Out! (aka Ryan Heath)

Have they been listening?

I have left 'the sanctuary' of camp for a month so Grasshopper and Boy can practice their new disciplines and show the old man they have been paying attention. I will return when they tell me our "New World" is almost complete.

Yeah right. Those two have no discipline. Sex, drugs and Rock & Roll. They know the way to the beach, where to buy beer and how to get to the airport to pick up their friends.

Hopefully, I haven't failed them completely. Over dinners and under the smoke, I have heard their life plan evolving. They must be listening. The plan was to work for a couple of months and make some money, then leave the Island, pursue their dreams and continue the excellent adventure. Sounds great! But life is kind of ugly out there right now. I hope they recognize that camp is safe. It's a job that pays. And being creative, in spite of the sweat and hard work, can be very fulfilling. But it takes time. We must be patient. Miyagi's posture has always been "Pace yourself". No hurry to get on with life until you're sure.

These last few months with the two of them has been awesome! We've made some excellent progress. We've significantly changed the house as well as our outlooks on life. But, this old man is tired and his new buddy ...."Pain".... needs a little relief. Years of physical abuse and maybe.... night Frisbee with the Feltmans last week..... convinces me it's time to take a break. Exactly what Boy and Grasshopper should do. Take a break. Get off the Island. Visit with family and friends then return to 'sanctuary' and help me finish our creation. I've decided they have no chance of inheritance unless they help finish.

By the way, what a great week we had with Tres, Debbie and Skyler. Besides Ryan, they were the only visitors to come play with us. Then again, Matt and Christy just arrived. Wish I could have spent more time with them. Hey, you two, no sex in my bed until you're married! Congratulations.

I'm on my way to summer camp with my woman. After a 2 day R&R in San Francisco with cousin Steven and Barbara, it's off to the East Coast for some Tai Chi and Mom's 80th.