Carol, I am only 1 hour south of Joni. If you come to Joni's let me know maybe I can drive up there to meet you both or you both can come down here.
Joni's visit to Hawaii -
Wow- it was almost like a mini-vacation looking at the pics and reading the stories!
Joni, have you had a moment to sit since you got home or have you been planting cuttings?!?
Thanks for sharing!
Kelly
Thanks so much for sharing the photos and stories with us---just fascinating! I can't help but notice that as Carol is "winding down" her collection and her selling activities, you're "winding up" your business---it's almost like Carol is "passing the torch" to you (along with a lot of her knowledge, experience, and hoyas) and I think that's GREAT!
I have only one word for the DL order status: "YIPPEE!!!"
Shelley
Kelly,
Whoosh...it's been quite the busy week...a bit more crazy than normal.
The only real time 've had to gather my thoughts was yesterday when I forced myself to sit down and share the visit.
I hope I didn't condense it too much...alot was discussed and I don't think we sat around at all. Except the glorious massage we both had one day at the house. Kerri was wonderful!!!
Lin,
I will surely share my gardens decorated Hawaii-style...when they happen!
I would like to have you visit when Carol flies in...maybe a mini hoya convention?
Not sure who else is in the area but there are quite a few within two hours I think.
Yes...I would not have been so calm in the beach photo knowing a huge wave would cover that area within a minute after I was done posing :0)
Thanks everyone for viewing our mini documentary.
Joni
P.S. These guys were everywhere...here I was having breakfast @ Starbucks on Oahu.
Now, that's a Snail! My husband has some decent sized ones in the aquarium but I don't think I've ever seen one quite that large ... neat looking critter with a pretty shell.
Lin - those snails are kinda cool looking....but they devastate gardens and carry a disease called 'Rat Lung Worm' for which there is NO cure...you just have to suffer until the parasites leave your body. Takes a month to a year. I buy snail/slug poison by the bushel...none of the passive systems like beer work. Biological control actually brought in a cannibalistic snail years ago to kill them, but, naturally, they killed all the native and endemic snails too. We call them "Arghs" because that's what our grandson says in a pirate voice when he steps on them!
Living on a closed off island with people bringing in invasives can be interesting.
Ewwww!
I promise if I ever get the pleasure of visiting the Hawaiian Islands, I won't bring any creepy crawlies along! Maybe they need to start having passengers walk through a decontamination chamber as they get off the planes? And, all baggage and packages decontaminated/debugged too. But, I'm sure it still wouldn't eradicate all the non native critters.
In some areas of Florida (especially the southern part of the state around the Everglades) we have non-native's such as very large Pythons and very large Monitor Lizards as well as some other sort of big lizard, and very large Iguanas ... pretty scary, especially when some of them are carnivores! The Cuban tree frogs have migrated north even to this part of the state but I can deal with them. I'd have a heart attack if I saw a monitor lizard or especially a python!
They have found the Brown Tree Snake in the wheel well of airplanes (twice, I think) from Guam...our Ag. guys are good about snakes...not too good about small critters and annoying diseases.
Joni and Carol - looks like you guys had a wonderful visit!! DH and I were there on a quick layover before going to Maui about a year and a half ago. I loved Carol's side of the island - liked that area better than Maui, as a matter of fact! Would love to go back.....maybe someday!
Karen
'Our side'... It's a place where nearly everyone is involved with growing plants either professionally or privately. It isn't trying to be anything else like glamorous, coveted, have great food, great beaches. It just IS. Glad you liked it Karen...we are very much at home here.
The Brown Tree Snake, Boiga irregularis, is native to our area. But I understand Guam got them in cargo years ago and now have them in plague proportions.
Yep...and the Brown Tree Snake has eaten/killed all of the native birds. None on Guam. Can you see why we don't want it?
Lucky Australia...more birds than a person can count...perhaps that will help them!!!
Wow, looking at those pictures I wonder if the word "stress" exists in Hawaii. It just looks so peaceful and beautiful that it would be impossible to be angry for long there. Just wow.
I can't believe that is Ted Green. I have "almost" ordered hoyas from him about a dozen of times. I can't believe he's in his 80's. More accurately looks to be in his 50's. Looks like he's lived his life well.
It's nice to see Joni in person. No, I really can't understand why you don't like your picture taken; however, I admit I hate to have mine taken.
Thanks for sharing your pictures.
Stephanie / PlantMom