All Technique - No Content!

A L O H A!

We Made it Through Another Tsunami Threat. . .

It's MORNING once again in Waikiki

click on photos to see what I mean"If you are losing your leisure, look out;

you may be losing your soul."

Logan Pearsall Smith

"Autumn, the year's last loveliest smile."

William Cullen Bryant

"Red can get SO lucky - that it turns PURPLE!"

Chinese Wisdom

Being "good with words"

means that the words

are the least & servant part

of something greater.

The story demanding to be told,

Truth that will not be silent,

Compulsion that separates

And unites. . .

This "something greater"

is what makes them good;

And sometimes-

even Great.

Aloha, Friends! Cloudia

Dodged the Bullet

A L O H A!

Aren't YOU glad that YOU aren't in Waikiki Today?

click on photos for the full experienceThe folks at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center

are busily working the phones, computers & satellite feeds.

They are monitoring buoys scattered throughout the Pacific

looking for patterns and trends.

An 8.4 earthquake rumbled in Samoa today

creating waves that pushed some cars around, destroyed at least one village, and injured some people; though there

are no reports of fatalities.

Selfishly, the question for me is:

"Do I need to grab necessities

(including Kitty) and head for the hills?

We do after all live on a boat here in Waikiki.

Bless my gal pal Judy who called to warn me and re-activate our standing emergencies-invite to her lovely home WAY up

on the hillside.

(Thanks, Special!)

Imagine living in the days when a gentle, island day like this could suddenly,

without warning, erupt in a huge killer wave or hurricane!

Better to know, but still disruptive of my planned day.

"Why must there always be a problem!"

George Costanza / Larry David

Well, General Lee, of the Hawaii National Guard and the

Civil Defense honchos

inside their Diamond Head HQ, are letting their breath out as the experts at PTWC downgrade the threat to our Islands.

At 11:11 am Hawaiian Standard Time it appears that we will have some unusual tides, but no hugely dangerous tsunami, arriving sometime after 1pm.

Locals and visitors are advised not to swim in the ocean till 7:30 pm.

I will be standing by to ease up my lines, shift bumpers, & otherwise protect our floating

home.

Not the way I intended to spend my day but. . .

"Life is what happens, while you are busy making other plans."

John Lennon

And speaking of major impacts that can shatter all "normalcy"

yesterday, September 28th, was the 75th Birthday of "BB"

Brigitte Bardot

<>< . ><>

"In all her films, she likes animals."

De Beauvoir

<><

"Well my telephone rang it would not stop.

It's President Kennedy callin` me up.

He said 'My friend Bob, what do we need

to make the country grow?'

I said, 'My friend, Brigitte Bardot. . . .' "

Dylan

><>

Thanks SO much for looking in.

Let's meet here tomorrow for more

mundane sights,

Quirky Quotes,

and "Tall Tale" speculations!

Warm Aloha, Cloudia

Do the "Nothing!"

Aloha Greetings!

Wanna put your feet in da sand,

and do nothing with me for a while?

click on photos lazilyThe only thing wrong with growing and healing

is that it can look like

"nothing."

No tantrum, no impatience, no saddness,

no bottomless pain;

Especially to the drama-addicted and over stimulated.

Yup, being balanced & happy can look like

a whole lotta "nothing"

to some.

I guess it's kind like

the sound of one hand clapping!

Applause to

YOU

for joining us today.

Now go do

"Nothing!"

L O L

A L O H A HA HA :)
cloudia

Aloha Floral Parade

A L O H A

Welcome to Waikiki

click on photos to "love a parade." This lady is a Pa`u (Pah-ooo) rider.

The Pa`u is the garment she is wearing.

It covers her party clothes for the ride.

The horses, too, are garlanded

with lei. (lei is plural - not "leiS")

"Distaining the "side-saddle" position, Hawaiian women preferred long, full riding skirts (pa'u) which enabled them to straddle their horses. They would often spur their mounts to full gallop to make a dramatic arrival at a party."

http://hawaiiantrading.com/herb-kane/pages/pau-riders.html

"

Hula Baby in a Bathtub?

"You know, I think that if parents would spend less time worrying about what their kids watch on TV and more time worrying about what's going on in their kids' lives, this world would be a much better place."
Trey Parker and Matt Stone

Gracious hand gestures of Aloha

"The thing always happens that you really believe in

and the belief in a thing makes it happen."

Frank Lloyd Wright

"Howzit, Brah!"

("How is it, my Brother?")

"A true man never frets about his place in the world, but just slides into it by the gravitation of his nature, and swings there as easily as a star."
Edward Chapin

Kam Schools in da HOUSE!

"He who confers a favor should at once forget it, if he is not to show a sordid ungenerous spirit. To remind a man of a kindness conferred and to talk of it, is little different from reproach."
Demosthenes

A reflective moment: parade rest.

"This time, like all times, is a very good one,

if we but know what to do with it."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

A Hawaiian cowboy is called a "Paniola"

for the Spanish vanqueros who came to teach the

Hawaiians how to work the cattle that Captain Vancouver had

gifted to King Kamehameha. The Mexican/Spanish also brought the guitar, and (some say) the marijuana. Our cowboys won plenty of

rodeos on the mainland back in the golden age of rodeo too.

Don't let the flowers fool you, these guys are the real item!

"Anonymity is the truest expression of altruism."
Eric Gibson

Well dressed horse!

The Royal Court.

"I believe our longing for an innate harmony runs deeper

than our longing for righteousness."
Evelyn Rodriguez

You no need by young, or thin to be beautiful in Hawaii.











"Hey! How did SHE get to do THAT?!"




Thank you for stopping by, Friends!
Enjoy your day-




A L O H A! Cloudia

Battleship

A L O H A!

Happy Saturday, Come in and Relax-

click on photos - then saluteUSS Missouri Being Towed Past Diamond Head

“Ships at a distance have every man's wish on board”
Zora Neale Hurston

Her Great 16 inch Guns
(They fire shells the size of volkswagens 20+ miles)


"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies in the final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed."
Dwight David Eisenhower

Surrender Deck, Tokyo Bay

"Lord, bid war's trumpet cease;

Fold the whole earth in peace."
Oliver Wendell Holmes

"When eating bamboo sprouts,

remember the man who planted them."
Chinese Proverb

Where did Summer Go?

Suddenly the floats are gliding down Kalakaua Avenue for today's Aloha Week Floral Parade.

The season just past was EPIC for South Shore surfers, and forecasters are calling for perfect big waves (and soon!) for Oahu's legendary North Shore.

Looks to be 6 to 10 feet today!

Just now, Waikiki is a glistening jewel set in azure waters, perfect for revving your engines - or just relaxing in style. China's Shaolin Monks are here, showing off their amazing moves at the Blaisdell Arena, and Aerosmith will perform here this Fall too. So many choices! Why just the other day a friend asked me if I was going to the Cazimero Brothers' Christmas Show at the Hawaii Theater again this year. Of course! But there's so much to enjoy around here before December. Heck, we even have opera!

One thing you WON'T be able to do for a while is to visit the Battleship Missouri; The "Mighty Mo" will be freed from her moorings on October 14th for the first time since arriving in Hawaii 11 years ago. Beginning before sun-up on that day, all 887 feet, and 54,899 tons of the grey lady will be nudged by three or four tugboats the two miles from Pearl Harbor's Pier Foxtrot 5 to the famous shipyard's Dry-dock 4. Dignitaries are invited along for the 12 to 14 hour ride. But hundreds more of us average folks are expected to be watching from the sidelines. Some lucky people residing up on the hillsides will be able to see the drama unfolding from their homes. Engineers are custom building 310 wooden "keel blocks" (8,000 pounds EACH) on which the giant will rest. Once inside the dry-dock it should take 3 hours for the water to be drained out while divers ensure the correct placement of bulk on block. (The dignitaries will be stuck with each other's company until the ship is high and dry ;) One of Hawaii's top 10 visitor attractions, the Mighty Mo drew 48,111 guests and pilgrims in July. That's 12 percent of all visitors to this island, including numerous WWII veterans from EVERY side of the war.

And yes, those are the big 16 inch guns that Cher cavorted on for her

"If I could Turn Back Time video!"

Sadly, the Association that manages the ship is forbidden from firing them (or the ships engines) inside Pearl Harbor. Watching the grey ghost glide past Waikiki from the deck of my own boat on Fathers' Day of 1998 was a surreal experience! Once tours resume on January 29th you can also hold your function or soiree aboard the ship's fan tail. What a place for a birthday party! (I'm just saying. . . .) You will again be able to walk the "Surrender Deck" where the Japanese Empire and the United States signed the instrument that ended WWII. While you are there, just look over one ship's length to the Arizona Memorial, and you will be looking at the spot where war began, from the very spot where it ended. Only in Hawaii!

I'll take plenty of parade pictures to share with you.

Have a great day-

A L O H A Cloudia

All Happening at Honolulu ZOO

A L O H A!

Glad YOU could make it today. . . come, we go-

click on photos - but DO NOT feed the Animals Hello, Rusty!

"Don't think of retiring from the world until the world will be sorry that you retire. I hate a fellow whom pride or cowardice or laziness drives into a corner and who does nothing when he is there but sit and growl. Let him come out as I do, and bark!"

Samuel Johnson

What's Violet looking at?


"Our generosity towards others is key to our positive experience of the world. There's enough room
for everyone to be beautiful."
Marianne Williamson



Three Graces.



"He does it with a better grace,
but I do it more natural.”
William Shakespeare







Hippo Water Volleyball!


"Champions aren't made in the gyms.
Champions are made from something they have
deep inside them
-- a desire, a dream, a vision."
Muhammad Ali




You Handsome Devil!




“Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.”
Denis Waitley

One of the more interesting specimens!

"Love is to people what water is to plants."

Marianne Williamson





I AM a ZOO

my friends;

And it's not always pretty

behind the scenes.

Inside there's a gracious cat

purring

as the trade winds riffle

my ruff.

There is an ostrich

vain

and silly.

And also a

warthog

(I hope you won't glimpse it!)

Please notice the soul

and beauty

of my amber eyes

but ignore my

temper

and carrion breath.

I am a Zoo entire

my Love.

Except YOU are the grave & regal

elephant of the heart

therein.

You may be scratched,

and wreathed in roars,

or licked to a fare-thee-well,

but OH my love

you will enjoy

a deep and sturdy

Love.

*Bark * Hoot * Snort * Squeal*

Translation:

"Aloha to Each of YOU" cloudia

God's Country

A L O H A!

Glad you made it. You like go holoholo?

(In Hawaiian, "holoholo" means

"leisurely journey")

Jus` jump in da car fo` some island cruising.

We stay going to Waimanalo.

Dey call it: "God's Country."

Stay Come - We GO!

Oh funny eh?

Waimanalo is pure country.

Hawaiians live there on Homestead lots, rich haoles (Caucasians/foreigners) have most of da beach front.

But Waimanalo Beach Park is a favorite camping area for all.

Locals call it "Sherwood Forrest" or Sherwoods."

Bellows Air Force Station is a military beachfront-recreational

(and training) area. Sometimes the Marines "take the beach" in amphibious vehicles.

"Half the fun of the travel is the esthetic of lostness."

Ray Bradbury

Almost there!

The road here is right by the sea. Shallow "flats" run out to the reef creating an idyllic protected bay.
This is the sunrise side of Oahu.




"The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page." St. Augustine

Look, rabbit island!





"I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake.
The great affair is to move."
Robert Louis Stevenson

"I think that travel comes from some deep urge to see the world, like the urge that brings up a worm in an Irish bog

to see the moon when it is full."

Lord Dunsany

We made it to Our Friend's back yard in Wamanalo.

Know what folks do in da back yard?

We grind (eat) and we bring out da instruments fo` play some music

Kanikapila style!

Check out Bruddah (below) he going talk Hawaiian fo` minute,

den goof around for a bit, but DEN he going sing some ono (delicious) falsetto fo` you!

From e-Hawaii:

"kanikapila (kani ka pila)(kah knee kah pee la)
Definition: literally defined, kani means sound and pila means any string musical instrument or to play music. Informally, it simply means to gather together and play music.

Used In A Sentence: We go kanikapila dis weekend.

In English: Why don’t we get together this weekend and play some music with each other?"

http://www.e-hawaii.com/pidgin/pidgin-english-words-starting-with-k

Glad you could make it ;-]

"Wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the universe."

Anatole France

Aloha! Cloudia

Sunset Beach

A L O H A!

Glad to See Y O U Today

Lets Walk Along Waikiki Beach at Sunset, shall we?

click on photos for bigger AH!

Dramatic Clouds Attend Diamond Head

(see the romantic couple?)

"Sensual pleasures have the fleeting brilliance of a comet;

a happy marriage has the tranquillity of a lovely sunset."

Ann Landers

Parrot Guy Setting Up a Goofy Vacation Photo

"The true purpose of education is to teach a man to carry himself triumphant to the sunset."

Liberty Hyde Bailey

Everyone's looking at the sunset.
But I'm looking at THEM ;-]

"You can observe a lot just by watching."

Yogi Berra

Gotta get that perfect shot to take home to Tokyo!



"A vacation is like love - anticipated with pleasure,

experienced with discomfort, and remembered with nostalgia."

Unknown

This would make a good post card, eh?

"If I can put one touch of rosy sunset into the life of any man

or woman,

I shall feel that I have worked with God."

Gilbert K. Chesterton

"Hope this comes out, Honey"

They won't believe it in Boise!

"For me optimism is two lovers walking into the sunset arm in arm.

Or maybe into the sunrise - whatever appeals to you."

Krzysztof Kieslowski

"Let's just enjoy the moment, Dear."

"Cloud come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm,

but to add color to my sunset sky."

Rabindranath Tagore



So glad you could join us today-

A L O H A! Cloudia

What's Going On

A L O H A!

Thanks For Coming Today ;-]

click on photos for immersion

“I like to think that the moon is there

even if I am not looking at it.”
Albert Einstein

“Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.”
Buddha

Oli fo'nu oko kpa ma gbaluka ebe. (Igala)

"When a tree falls on a yam farm and kills the farm's owner, you don't waste time counting the numbers of yam hips ruined." (English)
Igala (Nigeria) Proverb





""Cogito ergo spud"[I think, therefore I yam]"
Herb Caen

"Progress might have been all right once,

but it's gone on too long."
Ogden Nash

"Is it progress if a cannibal uses knife and fork?"
Stanislaw Lee

" The major advances in civilization are processes which all but wreck the societies in which they occur."
- Alfred North Whitehead




So many self-appointed social commentators and religious types seem to start from the assumption/premise that our first instinct is to do bad.

In fact our entire economy is supposed to be powered by avarice,

though I see avarice mostly being hoarded by the

fortunate few,

like more and more of EVERYTHING seems to be.

I believe that society actually functions

(mostly without noticing it)

because of a timeless reservoir of human goodness

and fairness.

Unfortunately, this crucial (if unappreciated) ingredient

seems to be peaking like oil, and is just as much an

imperilled resource.

Our "mind your own business & care for your family while trusting the social contract" mentality has been shaken more deeply than our spending habits. Aren't the "good guys" who play by the rules supposed to be OK in the end?

Our leaders are followers of the worst elements,

and have become deluded

that what's comfortable and usual for them

serves us all - which it abundantly doesn't.

President Obama is calling for "rules of the road"

in the "winner takes all" demolition derby

that we call our economy.

This is being accomplished in many incremental ways

which is JUST what terrorizes those

benefiting so handsomely from the status quo.

So now they are riling up and scaring the citizenry.

Don't they know that they are playing with fire?

"But you and I, we've been through that

and that is not our fate.

So let us not talk falsely now

the hour is getting late."

A L O H A!