Wednesday, January 6, 2010

My Nocturnal Adventure

ALOHA
It's
Wednesday in Warm Waikiki


Click on photos for a brief visit to Hawaii

The iconic Ilikai Hotel seen all over the world in the opening sequence of TV's
Hawaii 50. See where the camera found Steve McGarret at top?



"Book `em, Danno!"
Steve McGarret, in EVERY episode.

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"Each of us has a natural right, from God,
to defend his person, his liberty, and his property."
Frederic Bastiat








The Ilikai overlooks the Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor, where I live.


"No sight is more provocative of awe than is the night sky."
Llewelyn Powys


"Night's black Mantle covers all alike."
Guillaume de Salluste Du Bartas








Tiffany's Window - where the REAL loot is!



"Among the natural rights of the colonists are these:
First a right to life, secondly to liberty, and thirdly to property; together with the right to defend them
in the best manner they can."
Samuel Adams, Revolutionary & Founding Father


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Take it from me.
You wake up quickly when you hear strange noises at 3:15am.
My eyes popped even wider when I looked outside to see
a guy clambering the fence that separates our little pier from the sidewalk.

For a moment I thought I was in the Detroit of poet Mark Durfee's volume STINK
but no, this is Waikiki on board our old boat in the Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor !

Now, ropes slapping masts are a usual noise, with wood and aluminium masts singing
each their native tone.
The billowing of canvas and plastic tarps take the chorus
as the subsistence recycler clinks the 5cent deposit bottles he finds in the dumpster
into bags, then peddles away on his old bicycle.

All usual noises-
but a clumsy "land person" knocking the air conditioner off of the hatch -
accompanied by the razz matazz of boat kitty's claws as she careens around the deck in panic-
these are not usual noises.

Surprisingly (to me now) I did not chase the guy (now walking nonchalantly away
up the row of boats) nor did I tackle him like an angry banshee
and scream at him while awaiting the police.
I'm rather proud of my hard-earned self control;
I merely followed him
through the deep and quiet night
at a plausible distance
with a very sharp and pointy folding knife
secreted in the waistband of my yoga pants.

"You following me?"
He asked at one point.

"You crazy,"
I plausibly replied
as I trajectory-ed away from him
as if there was something I needed to do.


Where are the cops?


The dude,
Him! The guy who was on my boat
slipped up the ramp into the Ilikai Hotel (top picture)
where I got a very tall security guard to become interested.

We waited for HPD (Honolulu Police Dept)
me, the guard, and the dude who I followed from my deck.

The dude acted all innocent and faux drunk.
Rather than berate him and blow off steam
I simply waited for my police report to be taken
complete with the interloper's Identity.

"He was on your boat? You want to press tresspassing charges?"

"No, if he doesn't have warrants or something of interest to you folks
I simply want a report made
and for him not to come back.

Another officer told me that my favourite husband
(who had called 911 and met the officers first)
was wondering where I was.

So I strolled home
under the magical & tropic sky
feeling very blessed, lucky, and fearless.

The story is starting to spread around the harbor.
(Thanks, Honey)

Just one or two questions remain:
Am I Bat Girl-
or Wonder Woman?

Baseball bat or stun gun?


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"Happy are those who dare courageously to defend what they love."
Ovid




"Whenever a man does a thoroughly stupid thing,
it is always from the noblest motives."
Oscar Wilde

ALOHA, cloudia

32 comments:

Anonymous said...

sheesh! never a dull moment, eh, Cloudia? You get 'em, girl. Hope you got some sleep after that encounter...

Bhavesh Chhatbar said...

Aloha!

Village Life

Anonymous said...

Glad you're okay! Hope Pirate Kitty learns to bark!? or growl? You're the modern version of the Hawaiian Hero, defending your floating island! The intruder probably didn't realize people live on your boats. Hopefully he'll stay away. DrumMajor

the walking man said...

Girl-or Wonder Woman?
Baseball bat or stun gun?

Neither...homeowner and .45 with two 6 round clips. A .45 is heavier and slightly harder to control the upkick than a Glock 9 but it has more stopping power.

Never take a knife to what may turn out to be a gunfight.

magiceye said...

wonder woman!

take care!

namaste /\
aloha!

Lisa said...

I love the picture of the harbor and I so love "ropes slapping masts are a usual noise, with wood and aluminium masts singing each their native tone.
The billowing of canvas and plastic tarps take the chorus..".

I didn't realise that the post was going to turn into a real mission impossible. You were brave.

Reader Wil said...

How brave you are, my friend! I am impressed! Aloha.

BALLET NEWS said...

Well, the emphasis is on the warm eh? We have inches of snow at the moment - what I wouldn't give for a bit of tropical warmth right now.... Aloha !

Dave King said...

Warm? Nah, there's something wrong there!

Anonymous said...

Happy New Year, dear Cloudia.
Gosh, would I love to be in Hawaii about now.
It is sooooooo cold here.
I'm going to steal your Oscar Wilde quote if I may.

Bubblewench said...

The Caped Cloudia! Super hero to the boats!

wenn said...

i believe in the quote by Ovid.

Fireblossom said...

Nice cape and boots!

roughterrain crane said...

You are a super woman.
Your bravery and wisdom will bring you happiness this year.

Anonymous said...

Brave or mad, I'm not sure which!

Akelamalu said...

Very commendable Cloudia.

I used to love watching Hawaii 50!

Sumandebray said...

Adventurous and brave is fine as long as you have the running shoes on to allow you to turn and run incase there is a hint of violence.
By the way was it real or the opening line of your new book!!

Daryl said...

I know I would have done the same thing ...

Couture Carrie said...

Aloha, darling!
Love those quotes!

xoxox,
CC

Lana Gramlich said...

One of my dear friends is named Dan, & we sometimes joked about Hawaii 5-0 in that vein. He once asked me, "What DID Danno do on that show?" My reply? "He booked 'em."

Hilary said...

Ack.. glad you're ok. You gusty lady. :)

Kay said...

Cloudia!!!! You did what???
Oh my goodness! Please, please be careful.

Then again, will you come live with me and be my security guard?

Jew Wishes said...

Lovely shots...from architecture to nature, all beauties.

Anonymous said...

My greatest respect upon your courage, however would like to join the canon of the please to take care of you.
A wonderful Thursday for you all.

Cloudia said...

Yes, friends, I used that "stupidity" quote at the end for a reason!

I appreciate your support, but it WAS stupid of me- at least without the arms that Walking Man so judiciously recommends. He is (after all) a Detroit resident and the pot behind "Stink."

No, not the first page of another Hawaii novel about a crazy lady! ;-)


THANKS!!!!!

Glennis said...

Your pretty brave, but lucky he was not a master criminal with murder and mayhem in mind.

gabrielle said...

Not stupid. Instinctual, primal, brave. I’m glad you are ok!
Hope tonight is quiet and restful.
soft sea breezes and gentle dreams.

Nancy said...

I am so glad he didn't turn around - although you don't sound like someone to mess with, Cloudia (smile.) I remember being in the harbor in downton Honolulu and walking around at night when a man said it was not safe for a young girl to be out by herself. (We were moored in the harbor.) Sometimes in the beautiful islands we forget that it isn't always plumeria and roses.

Elizabeth Bradley said...

Ooh, you said Tiffany.

Unknown said...

Oh, how I love the Katherine Mansfield quote. She is one of my favorite writers.

Peace to you in lovely Waikiki! Wish I was there!

Junosmom said...

Scary. He should have been made to stay up 24 hours without sleep for disturbing yours. So what did he want?

Country Girl said...

You are braver than I, Gunga Din!