View from the Waimea Falls Park & Botanical Gardens

I just got back from a vacation on Oahu with family. We spent the week on the beaches on  the North Shore, hiking up wild hills, eating from food trucks, playing games and decompressing. We even tried surfing for the first time.  It was a very mellow trip and great to reconnect with nature and spend some quality time with people that I love. Below, some snaps from our walks through the Waimea Falls Park & Botanical Gardens and a long hike we took.


I am a *very* slow hiker, and while I hike I enjoy making frequent stops to take pictures, and go “foraging” for colors, shapes and patterns that inspire my design work. (You can learn more about my ‘foraging’ practice in my ‘Jungalow: Decorate Wild’ book 🙂


On this hike, I collected some fallen foliage and things. When I got back to the hotel, I created a few collages that highlight the different colors, patterns, shapes and textures. The polka-dotted leaves are my favorite! They are spores on the leaves, which are reproductive structures (kind of like seeds).



Of course, I had to #facethefoliage while I was at it…

Me with my nieces, Noa and Stella

Ida and my nephew, Moses, as shrimp

The fam, including the littlest of the crew, my niece Betty

I hope these photos bring a bit of joy and inspiration to your day. With love,

JB