A woven handbag is a useful fashion accessory in Tahiti. It is stylish, versatile, and can be paired with most island wear. To see how these handbags are made, you can visit the Marche Municipal in Papeete, Tahiti and watch the basket weavers create one from straw.
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| Basket weavers, Marche Municipal Papeete, Tahiti - 4/2026 |
While shopping for refreshing tropical fruits, we noticed a two-story mural of island scenery at the Marche Municipal in Papeete, Tahiti. The colors captured the surrounding foliage and the images reminded us of the fishermen and farmers that brought the produce to this market.
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| Mural @ Marche Municipal, Tahiti - 04/2026 |
The rooster keeping me company poolside while I enjoy my mojito.
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| Tahitian rooster, 04/2026 |
Order a Mai Tai, sit on your lounger, and watch the clouds drift by at Le Tahiti Pearl Beach Resort. Now that's a vacation...
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| Poolside at Le Tahiti Pearl Beach Resort, 4/2026 |
Visited Tahiti recently to attend a niece's wedding. While waiting for the sun to come over the mountains, it was nice to sketch the my view of the black sand beach from our balcony.
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| Sunrise at Le Tahiti Pearl Resorts, 4/2026 |
Here's a blast from the past, about 20 years ago:
The previous owners of the house left me a cabinet with sliding front doors, a useful storage unit but not very attractive. Since we decided to use it as our art cabinet, I wanted to be able to see inside the cabinet to find materials for our art projects. Also, to upcycle the cabinet, I added trim to the cabinet box to make it more like furniture instead of utilitarian storage. Here are some highlights:
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| Art cabinet, left from previous owners. I added a raised skirt base and crown molding. |
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| Fabricated front double doors from scrap pieces of wood. |
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| Art cabinet, painted and test placement in basement art workshop. It fits well and can hold lots of art materials. |
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| Door glazing is one piece of acrylic plexiglass screwed into the back of the doors. Art materials are kept in tidy storage containers that just fit into the shelves. The doors close with magnetic catches. |
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| The cabinet door pull is from Home Depot, a decorative piece to add flair. |
Following up from my last blog, here is the installation of the front gable vent. With both front and back gable vents, there is air flow through the garage interior, reducing condensation and minimizing temperature variation. Here are the highlights:
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| Garage front, pre-installation of gable vent |
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| Gable vent placement with hole template |
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| Test fit to check final placement and plumbness. The garage has settled on the left side and the horizontal shingle lines are not quite level. I cut the hole slightly larger to allow for adjustments in placement in case the vent appears tilted. Luckily, only minor adjustments were needed to make the vent appear plumb and level. |
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| Hole cut into plank sheathing. The front was easier because there was no stud blocking the opening. So, it was a simple cut with a jigsaw. |
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| Gable vent installed with construction adhesive, reinforced with screws, and screw holes filled with sealant. |
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| Gable vent with touchup paint, complete. |
