Bird's View

Click on photos to enlarge! Koko Head crater, East Oahu

"Three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind; the second is to be kind; and the third is to be kind." Henry James

"There's never been a statue erected to a critic." Les Brown

Duke Kahanamoku, pure Hawaiian, Olympic champion, father of modern surfing, ambassador of aloha. When he died in 1968 a wailing went up for days across the islands as local people mourned.

"To be proud and inaccessible is to be timid and weak."

Jean Baptiste Massilon


"Debriefing the Bird"

Based on a true incident

"It was the worst day of my life.

I love my neighborhood, the wild patch behind the businesses on Kahu street. Me, I'm a human watcher. All their activities are fascinating to observe, and I love their pretty colors. Anyway, it was a beautiful dawn, lots of grubs. Then the cat came out of nowhere! Claw in my head, broken wing, a messed up leg. Funny how one second can change your whole life. But I don't believe in giving up - especially not to some cat! And damned if I didn't get away!

Just then, as I was hopping about in a rage, the early guy at the Harley shop came in; and the fool actually wanted to play! Eventually I hobbled under his truck where he couldn't reach me, so he got bored and went away.

Later his human friend came with a long branch and they put me into a nice, quiet square. Now I'm at the "Bird Hale" at someplace called the ASPCA. It's not that bad. This lady here speaks a little bird, and all the cats are safely locked up. (Throw away the key!) Some sparrow on the cell block told me that when I can fly and my leg mends that I can go home. So tell all the feathered folk over by Kahu Street to save some grubs for me.

And you know, I'd like to drop a blessing on that early guy at the Harley shop. Seems like he did me a good turn after all. I'll make sure to really thank him; not on his windshield, not on his hat, but right in his curly fur to let him know who grateful I am!

I love watching the humans. It's almost as if you can here them actually thinking!

A L O H A! Cloudia