It’s been so sad to see the fire that destroyed not only the business district (Front Street) in Lahania but all the homes, and the loss of life. There are still hundreds that are missing. We really love Maui, and even though we don’t stay in Lahaina we always visit every time we are there. Here are a couple pictures of Front Street from this past January.
And a picture of me in front of the Banyan Tree in 2018. Fortunately, it’s been reported that it will survive.
In January we did our usual shopping at farmer’s markets and art fairs. While at one of the fairs I spent time talking to a local artist, Jessica Tepora. Usually I do talk with artists, but not for such a long time. I bought a couple ornaments from her for friends, and one for myself. Here is mine.
Since meeting her I receive “happy” mail from her every month. It’s a copy of her artwork and a handwritten note. When I was dealing with Mari’s impending death, her mail was like a breath of fresh air. It made me so happy during such a dark time. It is such a sweet gesture.
So before the fire occured I decided I’d make her a card and tell her how much I appreciated her mail. Here is the card I made for her.
But then the fire happened. I didn’t want to mail the card not knowing if it would get to her. I also wasn’t sure if she even lived in Lahaina. I emailed her but didn’t hear back. Then I finally found where she lived which is about 4 miles north of Front Street. I assumed she was safe, but she wasn’t posting on her website or her Facebook page so I wasn’t sure. Then the other day I got a letter from her. Not her artwork, but just a long note letting me know she was okay.
What a relief! I put the card in the mail the next day.
If you’d like to support her art, her website is https://www.jessteporaart.com/Â On her “Meet Me” page she lists the top 10 reasons she paints. You can also read all about her life journey at the bottom of the page. She’s had a really interesting life, and she’s such a creative soul.
If you would like to help out Lahaina residents, check out this website for a variety of agencies that are accepting donations.
I purchased some new irises and they arrived a week or so ago. It’s been way too hot to do anything, much less plant so I’ve waited until today to get a few of them in the ground. Dave also bought some so I planted all of his before lunch. The rest will be planted this week since it should be relatively cool.
A few of my upcoming projects include the fabric pieces that will hang in the newly renovated bathroom and sewing some curtains for a couple more windows. Thanks for dropping by.
I hope when the town rebuilds that they hold on to the original design and not go modern. I remember when they did a camera sweep before the fire go to to the town, there was an art gallery there. I hope they were able to remove some of the art. It is all so sad. Wonderful that you were able to connect with your artist friend.
Vivian, I sure hope so too. And it was great to reconnect with her. Here is a link to the video of the artwork lost in the fire. https://weather.com/news/weather/video/lahaina-artists-work-gallery-burned-up-by-fire
Thank you for writing this. I found your blog while doing a search for Jessica. Because she hadn’t updated her socials in awhile, I was a little worried. My family and I met her briefly in Kihei during our trip in February, had a really great conversation, and bought a journal. So relieved to see she’s okay.
Roman, I’m so glad you found my blog so you would know she was okay. She’s such a sweet person. Glad you had a good conversation with her. I just received another note from her this past week, so I’ve got a card and a surprise for her to go in the mail shortly.