click on photos to enlarge!"Morning After" -
All good here!
Shadow's da star!
"Where no one has walked before . . . " Oh never mind!
Another radiant banyan tree with some palm pals
"May the lights of Hanukkah usher in a better world for all humankind."
- Author Unknown
"To me every hour of the light and dark is a miracle, Every cubic inch of space is a miracle."
- Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass
"Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, people cannot live without a spiritual life." - Buddha
"Most Texans think Hanukkah is some sort of duck call."
- Richard Lewis
As you may have heard by now, we here on the island of O`ahu lost our electric power last (Friday) evening after rare tropic lightning struck the Kahi Power Plant on the rural leeward coast of the island. A festive Friday night turned into an adventure as folks walked the sidewalks and actually spoke to strangers from all over the world. Street artists on battery power like caricaturist Bill McQ in front of the International Marketplace were the only show in town other than acoustic guitarists, ukulele strummers and street walkers. Emergency generators kept elevators available and many local people enjoyed a respite from their frenetic holiday schedules just to be together. By the light of Hanukkah candles, sabbath candles, Christmas candles, emergency candles, and battery operated "torches" & flashlights, people rediscovered each other and themselves. Pets came indoors, sensing something unusual, and slept near at hand. . . Local guy Obama reportedly went to bed early, as usual, while government generators hummed efficiently nearby, maintaining communications and security infrastructure fit for a President-Elect. Just to be sure, Hawaiian Electric delivered additional generating equipment which was politely accepted at the Kailua compound and duly plugged in as 18th back-up. The press corps in Waikiki had the good fortune of being un-plugged from their Blackberrys and having the opportunity to stroll Waikiki Beach by torchlight. The Hilton launched their weekly fireworks right on time, and they were all the brighter for the dark skies and new moon above. This morning power has crept back on weekend cats feet - actually, Hawaiian Electric seems an exemplary outfit, their people quietly competent with modest esprit de corps befitting "local style." Hard hats off to them and to O`ahu motorists who waved each other through unattended intersections with true Aloha. The dawn rose bright. Ah, the light! . . vast schools of fish in the Ala Wai canal are massing, dancing and churning the waters with their seasonal celebration. . . A year is passing, but LIFE goes on.
A L O H A! Cloudia
