Every year our cats get a tad fatter, a little happier and a lot lazier. When they’re not terrorizing us for midnight snacks, morning back rubs or water from the tap, they’re usually either snoozing or terrorizing some other nonthreatening creatures. Late in the afternoon they can be found keeping a watchful eye over their hunting grounds while most likely planning their next ill-fated crime.

Normally, midday on a Saturday is a popular time for surfers to enjoy the waves. This day was no different with most of the well known surf spots jam-packed with paddle boarders, body boarders, short and long boarders. Our recent summery weather has brought the crowds to the beach and we’re all happy to take advantage of the postponed rainy season. We were lucky enough to find a more secluded corner to ourselves with the added benefit of a photographer onshore that randomly decided to grab a few shots of our session together. Needless to say, we had a great day “somewhere in Hawaii”.

CLICK HERE for a look into one of the most impressive pieces of property in Aliomanu Estates on the Eastside of Kauai. Nestled beneath Mano Mountain’s breathtaking view of the King Kong profile, this lush four bedroom three bathroom plantation style home sits upon four acres of beautifully manicured landscape. The list of amenities includes gated entry, sweeping ocean views, wrap around lanais, exquisitly modern kitchen, separate guest quarters, large two car garage plus additional storage, upstairs master suite with upgraded bath, outdoor shower, and much more. This dream house was designed to enhance the natural beauty of Kauai’s surrounding paradise… move in ready!

It was a surprisingly warm winter vacation in Washington, filled with lots of Wagner family traditions, great meals together and fun walks in woods. Instead of roasting chestnuts on an open fire, we cracked homegrown Kauai coffee beans by hand and roasted them in an air popcorn popper. With lots of beginners luck and a little research, the coffee was a success and we also got our open fire in the yard thanks to Big Daddy Wags. We took advantage of a couple sunny days strolling around the harbor and venturing into Seattle. On the way to David, April and William’s house, we made a really fun stop at the Experience the Music Project Museum where Ben snapped the coolest picture of us pretending to be rockstars…

After getting our fill of vintage guitars and Seattle’s music history, the famous Dick’s Drive-In was next on the agenda. We had the best deluxe cheeseburgers ever made. Definitely on the top of our do-it-again list for next year. Before our trip was over, we enjoyed time with our nephew William, made a few extra shopping trips, tested our awesome GoPro Christmas present, cleaned numerous buffet plates of dungeness crab and tried to make our dollars last on the slot machines at Tulalip Resort Casino. Many mahalos to the Wagner family for making everyday together special. Happy New Year!

Kapaa Middle School students finished off the semester by turning in their ceramic masks. Now I just need to load the kiln, fire, and return 160 masks before we glaze them and fire again!

One observant student found a piece of plastic on the beach that distinctly resembles the African masks we studied in class. She brought it to share, and now it’s hanging on our classroom wall for inspiration. I haven’t even introduced them to readymade art… I think we have a Marcel Duchamp in the making!

I don’t believe in art. I believe in artists. -Marcel Duchamp

Check out Kapaa Middle School G.T. Media students’ final magazine cover project! Students learned graphic design skills including digital photography, page layout, and Adobe Photoshop editing. The final designs are as unique as the individuals who produced these creative and personal compositions!

Our Thanksgiving this year definitely stepped it up a notch. A big thanks to Jerome for hosting our feast at his beautiful beach-front home, and to Jill for coordinating everyone’s best pot-luck contribution. We signed up to bring Julia’s special cranberry salad and the turkey, which felt like way more pressure than our usual commitment of side dishes. Luckily after plenty of research, preparation, and the handy imu turkey cook-a-thon fundraiser, we can’t take full responsibility for how incredible it turned out.

The day was complete with speedminton, frisbee, and mixed drinks. Needless to say, it was a perfect sunny and beautiful celebration. We’re thankful for our families, friends, and of course the place we call home. This last picture is where we spent the day after recovering from our huge meal…

This is the time of year when Chris and I launch into a frenzy of homemade crafty projects in preparation for the holidays. In an attempt to avoid the commercialism that can often feel overwhelmingly expensive and sometimes wasteful, I decided to use recycled materials as inspiration instead.

Handmade jewelry made from beach treasure might be a nice gift for some of the ladies I know, but now what can we do for the guys?

Here’s a quick look into our day today… We woke up slowly with the rain, which cleared just in time for our morning exercise class. A quick coffee stop on the way home was followed by a little work around the house: feed the chickens, do laundry, work on holiday projects, putz around. In need of a break from our daunting to-do list, we stopped, dropped, and hopped on the bikes to go for a surf and meet up with friends at the beach. When we got home, four protein-packed omegas were waiting to be collected from our prized backyard egg-laying machines. To top it off, we’ve got one more day left in the weekend. Tough life, I know.

Julia’s classes are featured at the 02:05 and 05:05 timestamps.

Kapaa Middle School Art students recently finished a two-part project featuring skeleton drawings that were cut out and mounted on a watercolor background. As an introduction, we studied the Hispanic holiday of Los Dias De Los Muertos and looked at skeleton artwork by the famous Jose Guatelupe Posada.

Students began with a small printed image of a skeleton and instructions to not only draw the image, but to enlarge it by 4 times! This was accomplished by measuring a grid that enabled them to draw the complex figure in small sections while maintaining the correct proportions.

While the process of measuring, drawing, shading and cutting of the bones was painstaking and meticulous, the background allowed students to be more expressive and free-form. Students were introduced to 6 different watercolor painting techniques which they practiced in their sketchbooks. The only requirement for the final background was to incorporate all 6 techniques.

“An artist will sooner and with more certainty, establish the character of skeletons, than the most learned anatomist, whose eye has not been accustomed to seize on every peculiarity.”
- Rembrandt Peale (American Artist & Naturalist)

One day in class I decided to share a short film called One Beach, that features artist/environmentalists who collect plastic garbage from their local beaches and turn it into art. Although created from trash, the variety of artwork that is illustrated in this film is both beautiful and meaningful. As a beach-lover myself, I found this film to be relevant and inspiring. Some of my students did too!

Currently my Art classes are collecting bits of colorful plastic and trash from the beach. I encourage them to do a quick beach clean-up every time they go fishing, surfing, or “cruzing” with family or friends. Once we have a good amount, we will collaborate to make one artwork per class. Some students can’t wait for the group project and have already gotten innovative on their own (sample student artwork above)!

Scissors, spray paint, cardboard and old clothes were on the list of ingredients for our do-it-yourself costumes. They may have turned out a little shabbier than anticipated, but certainly made for a fun day of sporadic creativity. Julia and I had a great time showing off our getups with friends at a crazy costume party. This planetary moon wrangler even tried to blast off under the lights before getting drenched in his own intergalactic sweat…

CLICK HERE for a complete look at Kimberly and John’s romantic morning wedding photography from the end of Anini Beach Road, on Kauai’s breathtaking North Shore. Julia and I started with Kim and the ladies as John welcomed the arriving guests with his contagious sense of humor and warm smile. A light shower moved through the sunshine to bless the celebration and Kim and John quickly stole a moment together under an umbrella. Their ceremony naturally commenced with a casual gathering of close friends and family who were all invited to participate in a unique and personal ring warming tradition. The wedding rings were passed around the circle as funny stories, fond memories, and well-wishes were shared throughout. Following Kim and John’s hand-written exchange of vows, they sealed their bond with a kiss and concluded their beach wedding with a final romantic photo session. After putting the cameras down, we were honored to also share in their brunch reception. Mahalo nui loa for your generosity, congratulations to you both, and we hope you enjoy the photos!

Kapaa Middle School art students recently finished an oil pastel project after studying the artwork of famous Expressionist artists, including Vincent Van Gogh, Edvard Munch, Franz Marc, and Wassily Kandinsky.

The main requirement for this assignment was to try to express an emotion using Expressionist techniques such as vibrant and intense color, simplified forms, and swirling directional lines.

Middle school years can be an extremely emotional time in one’s life, and our students really connected with the strong emotion and “drama” that is characteristic of the Expressionist style of art!

“We want more than a mere photograph of nature. We do not want to paint pretty pictures to be hung on drawing-room walls. We want to create, or at least lay the foundations of, an art that gives something to humanity. An art that arrests and engages. An art created of one’s innermost heart.” -Edvard Munch