Kailua Bay, Oahu
I'm Kaveri* Foster. Born in Honolulu, I lived 2 ½ blocks from Kailua Bay, on the southeast side of Oahu, with my family.
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Warm white sand, sparkling turquoise ocean, gentle breezes were truly heaven on earth.
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When I was 4, we moved to the Bay Area, eventually settling in Napa Valley, where I grew up, graduated high school and did a bit of college. Like many valley kids, I worked in the wine industry, for awhile, anyway.
Antsy to spread my wings and explore the world, I​ left the valley and headed to Hawaii to see my roots! ​​
​​​​​First stop? Kona, on Big Island! As I stepped off the plane and my foot hit the tarmac, I felt "home" for the first time ever, as if the island was filling me with mana (spiritual energy). What a stunning gift!
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​So what'd I do? After travelling around the island for a couple weeks, I was hooked. I hightailed it back to the mainland, sewed up my life there, and moved to Kona, of course!! The magnetic pull could not be denied.​
​My partner and I settled on a 13-acre parcel above Captain Cook, in coffee country, (Kona Coffee)!​
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Off-grid with no electricity, we had solar, 12-volt, propane, and wood for our power needs.
For drinking water, we collected rain from our roof that flowed into a 50,000 gallon redwood tank.
The afternoon summer rains were often monsoon-like in their intensity, so we had plenty.
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​Without EMFs from electricity, my senses became radically keen to the energies of the aina (land).
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​​Imagine iving on a volcanic island, in the middle of the ocean, in a remote area of a remote island!
Going down the road from our land at 2200' thru coffee farms.
An island with two volcanic mountains, Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, both over 13,000' elevation! And the Kohala range on the northern end of the island has a high point of 5,480'.
After 6 years off-grid, it was time to move down the hill​ (back to "civilization). Our 1-acre on-grid property was a botanical wonderland on the outskirts of Kainaliu. We were a 5 minute stroll to the famous Aloha Theater and Cafe.Yum!
Having electricity and piped-in water was wonderful!
Soon after settling in, I signed up for my first ever watercolor painting class with a local artist.​​ By end of that class, I had created a more than decent painting, such that the instructor said, “You have something here, you must keep going." And I did!​​
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​​Lucky me that a myriad of delicious subject matter lived right on our property!​
​​​The energies I felt living off-grid infused into my paintings, expressing my personal affinity and kinship with the Aina.​
Our lush front yard in Kainaliu
​We had rare Ornamental Banana and Torch Ginger groves, aromatic cedar, lychee, royal palm, banyan, wild orchid, monstera, many varities of ferns and palms., just to name a few.​ ​
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​For many years I thrived on living in a bubble. My life was right out of a storybook, yet, after 16 years, it was time to reintegrate back into my life in California, this time, on my terms. Big difference!​
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​​​People would ask, incredulously, why I would ever want to leave Hawaii.
Truth is, my aging parents needed me, and I longed for the cooler climate and intellectual stimulation of California.
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Sonoma Valley was my next adventure. I moved to a cottage in an oak grove on a hilltop with a view of vineyards and Sonoma Mountain, its own version of paradise.
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This was classic wine country, with rolling hills, a rustic, laid-back vibe, the finest wines, sparkling full moons and gourmet cuisine.​​​
My watercolor painting adventures continued. I dove right in and began painting my new favorite subject matter....roses!​​
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When asked if I miss Hawaii, I always respond, "Oh yes, I miss the healing waters of the ocean, *sigh* "and the pristine, clear skies, oh, and of course, the sunsets....and tree-ripened Haden mango!"
The glorious, pastoral Sonoma Valley
*Kaveri (pronounced "Kuh-'very"), is my yoga name. I'm named after a sacred river in southern India, the Kaveri River, where I was gifted the name. It means "bringer of nourishment" in Sanskrit
