Today we were guests of Dorothy Levy on the Paul Gauguin. This was the first day of an 11 day cruise for the 250 tourists that included the Cook Islands, Bora Bora, Tahiti and Huahine. Dorothy was giving two talks on the life work of Bobby Holcomb and in particular his paintings (these reflect the mythology, ethos, and history of the island) as well as his legacy. Bobby was a musician and an artist and was a major force in the revival of Tahitian language study, culture, and design.

We are on the launch that will take us out to the Paul Gauguin. Dorothy gave me this head lei when we picked her up. The cruise ship is anchored in Maroe Bay. It is a rainy, windy day and not the best weather for the folks on board to explore much of Huahine.

Dorothy was my mentor when I taught the Museums program and I served as a docent at the Fare Potee under her wing.

Clearly, I adore her and am always very grateful to be in her orbit.

After her talk we were proceeding to the dining room to have luncheon with Dorothy and a few of the senior staff. We stopped in the boutique to look at jewelry and stepped into the hall. And who did we literally bump into?

Yes, K.V. and Karen all the way from Olympia. We have known them for decades but never guessed we would stumble across them in Huahine. Small world, eh?

K.V. and Karen (never to be discouraged by a little rain) had already been snorkling in the lagoon this morning.

There is nothing like listening to Dorothy talk about Bobby Holcomb or any other topic for that matter but here is a link to a website about Bobby’s work if you are interested.