Tag Archives: Hawaii

Fifth time’s the charm: another call to Child Welfare.

Posted on March 25, 2012 by toby

***ALL IDENTIFYING DETAILS CHANGED TO PROTECT CONFIDENTIALITY***** Some of you already know that in my “real life” I’m a school counselor and therapist. Today there’s a picture of a bruise on my phone. I took that picture hours earlier, holding … Read More

Posted in Parenting, Personal, Therapy | Tagged , , , | 32 Comments

Corrupted by beauty: #Kaua`i

Posted on March 17, 2012 by toby

When you grow up in a place like Kaua`i, it does something to you. The island’s enchantment  ruins everywhere else. I call it being corrupted by beauty. This can be difficult, because ever after you try to find a way … Read More

Posted in Hawaii, Life, Personal, Photography | Tagged , , , | 13 Comments

#Kaua`i: an island of extremes.

Posted on March 8, 2012 by toby

I grew up on Kaua`i. You probably don’t appreciate what a statement that is, but Kauai is a place of extremes. Extreme beauty. Extreme isolation. Extreme weather. Extreme attitudes. It’s a very small place–when I was a kid, stable population … Read More

Posted in Hawaii, Life, Local, The Writing Life | Tagged , , | 13 Comments

Christmas is rainbow season.

Posted on December 23, 2011 by toby

I’m a Christmas lover. And in Hawaii we like to do it up big, with all the trappings–even when they are a little ridiculous (okay a lot ridiculous) like plastic snowmen and spray snow on the windows. This year Christmas … Read More

Posted in Hawaii, Life | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

The nature of water.

Posted on October 24, 2011 by toby

I’ve always loved water. Perhaps it’s growing up in Hawaii–some of my earliest memories are the intense physical sensations of the ocean, the cold of a freshwater stream, the refreshment of an outdoor shower. Water is life. 70% of our … Read More

Posted in Hawaii, Life, Local | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

In praise of the Stay-cation.

Posted on July 25, 2011 by toby

Renaissance Man and I decided to grab a week of vacation before the summer ends, and after freaking out over the interisland fares (we miss you Aloha Airlines! You helped create some competition!) we decided to do a stay-cation and … Read More

Posted in Food, Hawaii, Life, Local | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Squeezing the juice of passion

Posted on June 30, 2011 by toby

Heh heh. I got you with that, didn’t I? Couldn’t resist. I told you I’d blog about what to do with lilikoi, but first I thought I’d share the arduous process of getting the juice. So…Yeah. Renaissance Man just came … Read More

Posted in Food, Hawaii, Life | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

The road ahead post-kids

Posted on June 20, 2011 by toby

Father’s Day 2011 was a big one for Renaissance Man and I, the first ever where we had no children on island to share it with. As of this month, both kids are independent and launched, and we are facing … Read More

Posted in Hawaii, Life, Personal | Tagged , , , , | 15 Comments

Expose on a working-class Hawaii neighborhood- cinderblock decorating

Posted on June 16, 2011 by toby

“I’ve never seen so much cinderblock in my life,” I said, looking at the barren red dirt of a former pineapple field, held in check by several tiered walls of untreated, unpainted, unpretty cinderblock, the setting of our “fixer-upper” house … Read More

Posted in Hawaii, Life, Local | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Expose on a Hawaii working-class neighborhood-mailboxes

Posted on June 14, 2011 by toby

You can tell a lot about a neighborhood by its mailboxes. Recently I decided to focus the blog a bit more, honing in on the unique, underappreciated, even unknown, aspects of life in Hawaii. I live in a working-class Hawaii … Read More

Posted in Blogging, Hawaii, Life | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments