Racing for Pinks

A   L   O   H   A  !

" A wise one who 

knows proverbs, 

reconciles difficulties.  "

                             Yoruba Proverb

 " Since love grows within

you, so beauty grows.  

For love is the beauty 

of the soul. "   

                                   Saint Augustine 

" There is a land of 

the living and a 

land of the dead and

 the bridge is 

love. . .  "

                  Thornton Wilder

Linking to
Saturday's Critters

(\__/)

(='.'=)

(")_(") 

Thank YOU!

           Warmly, cloudia

[small but colorful!]

" Racing for pinks. 

A race in which the winner 

claims permanent ownership 

of the loser's vehicle."

Link

Baby's World

A L O H A ! 

Click on the photos

New Life

is always compelling

 So many turnings

in a life !

 Reef Kamalei Mitchel

born April 25th 2012

missed meeting

his Great Grandfather

(My Dad)

Will never know

my grandmother

(His Great Great Grandmother)

or taste the family's connection

with the Old World,

or even the Continent

of America.

What will his world

be like?

Recently,

I found this video

that took me back

to the world

I was born into;

How much has changed!

Perhaps you too

remember it?

                        Warmly, cloudia

To Live & Die in Hawaii

A L O H A ! 

Every person wants & needs
the same basic things, 

though each of us
does them in our own way;

But in Hawaii especially
 we live - and die - 
in our own unique culture. . . 

Hi Ho Oxygen Tanks AWAY!

In hospice care. 

"Riding Home"

" And when the day arrives 

I'll become the sky

and I'll become the sea

and the sea will come to kiss me

for I am going home. 

Nothing can stop me now.  "

Trent Reznor

 

Hawaii 5-O Actor James MacArthur Dead

He originated the role of Danno

on the classic Hawaii 5-O

His Mom was the famous actress Helen Hayes

"Actors cannot choose the manner in which they are born.

 Consequently, it is the one gesture in their lives

 completely devoid of self-consciousness."

Helen Hayes 

"I got into the acting business very young."

James MacArthur 

"Beating the drums for Hawaii is not hard to do...

 the place just grows on you."

James MacArthur

<> 

"Age is not important unless you're a cheese."

Helen Hayes 

Scott Caan, today's Danno

"Childhood is a short season."

Helen Hayes

 "There are five stages in the life of an actor:

 Who's Mary Astor?

 Get me Mary Astor.

 Get me a Mary Astor Type.

 Get me a young Mary Astor.

 Who's Mary Astor?"

Mary Astor

 "When I see the road I've taken,

 I have to say that thanks to good luck,

 because without good luck one can do nothing,

 I've come out pretty well."

James MacArthur 

Aloha, James

Mahalo

Tucked Away

Aloha, Friend!

It's

Tuesday

here in

W A I K I K I

Do click on today's photos!

On a small island, strange combinations of OLD/NEW and BIG/Small

are commonplace. Here we see a Waikiki bungalow amidst high-rises

that have grown up around it.

"There's only one corner of the universe

you can be certain of improving,

and that's your own self."

Aldous Huxley

When a formerly rural area becomes "modernized" compromises must be made.

I love Windward Mall, in Oahu's Kaneohe Town, across the Ko`olau mountains from Waikiki/Honolulu (here on the Kona side of the island).

There is still a small-town feel to Kaneohe,

and the modest mall is in sharp contrast to Ala Moana Shopping Center

("Hawaii's Center") a 10 minute walk from my boat/home.

Ala Moana is a world bazaar

with people from all over Hawaii and the world rubbing shoulders.

In the photo above you can see

a little-known graveyard that is hidden away in the parking lot of Windward Mall

up against the ramp to the upper-parking! That is where I got these pictures from.

Mostly, the peaceful anachronism is hidden behind a big wooden fence.

If you didn't know it was there, you'd never notice it.

It seems to be well protected and well cared for by the mall authorities.

"The art of progress is to preserve order

amid change

and to preserve change amid order."

Alfred North Whitehead

These wild fowl, who live there, seem sleek and healthy!

"In times of change, learners inherit the Earth,

while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped

to deal with a world that no longer exists."

Eric Hoffer

Dear Sister Rufina was probably Portugese from the Azores, or perhaps Filipina.

She only had 23 years.

Thank you for building our Hawaii of today!

"It is not flesh and blood

but the heart

which makes us fathers and sons."

Johann Schiller

Margaret was born in 1900 and lived until 1943.

What amazing changes she must have seen!

Her descendants may shop at the mall.

Your Aloha and hard work are appreciated!

(Do click on this photo to see the porcelain image;

These were quite popular back in the day

and are seen an many of our

older graveyards.)

"Family faces are magic mirrors.

Looking at people who belong to us,

we see the past, present, and future."

Gail Lumet Buckley

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ALOHA, cloudia

Lingering Ghosts

ALOHA!

WELCOME TO MONDAY

In

HONOLULU

"What is—"Paradise"—
Who live there—
Are they "Farmers"—
Do they "hoe"—
Do they know that this is "Amherst"—
And that I—am coming—too—"

Emily Dickenson

Moe (Sleep)

Maluhia (peaceful)

Breadfruit

on

the

Hoof!

"Family ties in the after-world remain unbroken, and all Hawaiians believe in the power of spirits to return to the scenes they knew on earth in the form in which they appeared while the were alive. Especially is this true of the procession of gods and spirits who come on certain sacred nights to visit the sacred places, or to welcome a dying relative and conduct him to the `Aumakua (ancestral spirit) world."

- Martha Beckworth, "Hawaiian Mythology"

". . . I was allowed a glimpse of a world where the spirits were so ever-present, their manifestations so powerful, that the living and the dead knew no separation...The first direct assault on this [Hawaiian] world of spirit came from the materialism of Westerners who did not recognize the sacredness of all life, animate and inanimate. . . When the Hawaiian spiritual world was altered with the coming of merchants and missionaries, (Samuel M.) Kamakau wrote that much of the Mana left the islands, as new religions, economic systems and attitudes prevailed. In the ancient days, the `Aumakua, family spirits, were healers and 'havens of forgiveness.' They guided the living and even restored life to the dead.' "

- Glen Grant, Obake Files: Ghostly Encounters of Supernatural Hawaii, Mutual Publishing

"We must be skeptical about everything, even skepticism" - Cornell West

)=(

Spiritual energy seems almost tangible here in the Islands of Hawaii. The seas, skies, and mountain forests are rich with presence; perhaps it is the Mana, the spiritual "force" that animates every pebble, every boulder, every plant on these islands. In this magic land, this `Aina, it is very easy to believe in spirits. The soil itself seems alive.

<><

Watching the volcano fountaining one night years ago, my brother suddenly saw Madame Pele, the volcano goddess dancing hula and surfing on the molten lava. He immediately turned to his friend (who turned to him at the same second) and they both blurted out: "Do you see that?!!!!!" Stories of an old woman hitching rides at night, lighting proffered cigarettes with the tip of her finger, and then disappearing after lengthy conversations, are not uncommon, and the drivers SWEAR that it happened; in some cases thanking Pele for keeping them awake and away from the sea cliffs as they drove home drunk in the wee hours.

><>

I myself have experienced the mischievous spirits of our wilder places. One night they awakened me in my Kona coffee shack, way up on the mountainside. I thought it was a large group of partiers approaching. As I awoke completely, I still heard the voices and I saw darting lights about the shack, but I knew that these were not living visitors. After a few moments they disappeared into the silence of a moonlit night. And no, it wasn't a dream . . .

><>

. . . As Glen Grant wrote, the torches still burn right here in Waikiki too! One Christmas eve a few years ago my husband and I were walking along the bustling, crowded, festive sidewalk of Kalakaua Avenue when I looked beyond the beach and out to the dark ocean to see a procession of torches moving slowly along the shoreline. Never had I seen anything like this: not lights, but torches. No one else seemed to notice, and my husband gave only a perfunctory response when I pointed them out to him. He didn't seem to see what I was talking about. Only later did I learn that processions of Hawaiian spirits are thought to travel from Diamond Head to visit the downtown tombs of ancient of chiefs, kings and kahuna. . .

><>

. . .Diamond Head itself once had a Heiau, (temple) called: Papa-ena-ena which was known as a place of processions and occasional human sacrifice. Mark Twain wrote of visiting it's crumbling walls and of the human bones still interred there. In 1874 Queen Emma (brave lady!) used rocks from the site on her Waikiki property, where they remain today at the International Market Place. Maybe that's why it's so easy to get lost in that warren of shops, carts, and bargains? By 1920 all traces of the temple were erased, and a noted girls' school now thrives on that particular slope of Diamond Head. . .

><>

. . .Downtown Honolulu has always been rife with ghosts and their stories. The voices of crying children are heard in the night where the old orphanage was. A young wahine (woman) is seen at dusk on the grounds of Iolani Palace. Its grounds have long been considered a portal to the world of Po (darkness, night). Queen Liliuokalani herself is seen to patrol the precincts of her capitol (and ours!) keeping a watchful eye on the idiocy of our elected officials who bear her Kuleana (responsibilities) today. . .

><>

. . . Honolulu's most famous ghost story was even reported in the newspapers! When King Lunalilo died in 1874 he was buried at midnight (the custom) at the Royal Mausoleum in Nu`uanu Valley above town. His father, however, asked King Kalakaua to remove his sons royal remains to Kawaiaha`o Church where the first elected Hawaiian king could lie with his people. The King acceded to the families wishes deciding, however, that no cannons would sound the 21 gun salute for the procession and re-burial; it seemed inappropriate under the circumstances. So the Punchbowl cannons were ordered to remain silent. As the procession of torches and high Kahili (feathered staff, emblems of High Chiefs and Royalty) approached the city a slight rain (a blessing) baptized the mourners and coffin. Then they heard the first "boom!" Had the King changed his mind about the artillery salute? No! It was thunder from on high! 21 loud, distinct claps of thunder were heard over the town. The clouds parted to reveal a brilliant star-filled tropic sky only as the coffin was re interred. "Thus did the gods overrule the will of a mortal." reported a local paper of the day. I have been to Lunalilo's tomb in the historic churchyard. Locals say that in the depths of night a voice is sometimes heard calling from the tomb, calling for "paka" (tobacco) of which the the King was very fond.

Photos above are from the Kawaiahao churchyard, and the old King Street Cemetery at Ward Avenue. If you are a serious ghost fan, your library MUST contain at least one book by Glen Grant (RIP)! oh, and . . . . . . . .

BOO!!!!!!!!!!

A L O H A, CLOUDIA

Riding with Dad

Aloha & Welcome to Waikiki! The trade winds are back today.

Bliss!

Today I had to drive out to Mapunapuna and pick Dad up.

“Come Fairies, take me out of this dull world, for I would ride with you upon the wind and dance upon the mountains like a flame!”
William Butler Yeats

A "Funny" guy, he could be stressful to others. But I knew we'd have a lovely ride together.

“I think the thing to do is to enjoy the ride while you're on it.”
Johnny Depp

I loved to see him laugh, and I really enjoyed sharing my town, Honolulu, with this "city boy" from the streets of Philadelphia who had lived on the rural Big Island of Hawaii for years. Here he is with Mom enjoying the Lunar New Year's Lion Dance blessing.

“Love doesn't make the world go 'round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile.”
Franklin P. Jones

So I drove out the H-1 this morning and picked him up.

It was a quiet ride. I did most of the talking.

He didn't criticize my driving, or suggest a better route.

He wasn't preoccupied with a list of "things to be done" and "things to worry about."

We stopped at the drive-through at Wendy's, and parked under a tree while I had lunch. He didn't want anything.

I remembered that some of the best times we ever had were in cars, including those diminutive English Fords he used in his route. He drove through the various ethnic neighborhoods of Philly selling dresses, housewares, and small luxuries to housewives on the installment plan. They bought some, they paid some; Poor Italians, Poles, "Negroes" (as polite folks called them then). He knew every corner in our "city of neighborhoods."

And everybody knew my Dad, albeit under a variety of "street names." I remember:

"Johnny the Dress Man."

for one.

Sometimes, like over winter break from school, I'd ride beside him, piled in with all the "merchandise" and all the notebooks, tools, and empty soda bottles that made up his "office."

My schoolmates remained safely in suburban ignorance, but I knew the grit, cobblestones, trolley tracks, corner "tap rooms" (bars/pubs) factories, and older housing stock of the city." I also knew that everyone was not Caucasian.

At Christmas the housewives clucked over me, and fed me cookies from every culinary tradition in town! Not my favorite Chinatown, though, as that was still a mysterious and impenetrable enigma broached only for "Chinese" food (the nectar of urban life!).

When I saw this exact "salesman dad/ride-along-kid" vignette on-screen in the film "Avalon" I felt as though I was watching a home-movie! The time period, and Baltimore row houses were PERFECT!

Later, Dad got up before dawn to deliver fresh-baked Italian Rolls from the Amoroso factory. This was his transitional period. I remember riding in the big truck, and learning how HEAVY bread could be!

"I wake the birds up every morning," He said, and it was true!

A changing society saw America's cities burst into flaming Summer "race" riots.

It was a far cry from my "Martha & The Vandellas (female vandals?) 'Dancing in the Streets' growing-up years. I was SO proud that they sang "Philadelphia PA now" in the list of places where folks were "dancin` in the streets!"

Now, even we no longer felt safe in certain areas.

Yo, Philly!

I'm very glad I knew that vanishing, blue collar city of breweries and lunch buckets before the decay of the 70's, and subsequent gentrification, changed my grandparent's red brick city forever.

So today I ate "street food" in the car like we always did.

Dad didn't mind.

I thought of all these memories, and more.

There was even a tear shed.

Though the Hawaiian music station was playing on the radio, I seemed to hear DooWop being sung by some kids on a corner somewhere.

My Dad, the poor kid from the streets of West Philly (neighborhoods, corners, high schools are important)

awoke his most recent mornings in sparkling Waikiki.

"Not bad for two kids from the city!" He'd tell Mom.

Last Fall, we watched the Phillies (complete with Hawaii player Shane Victorino!) win the World Series from Mom & Dad's "beach apartment."

After the bread, he got into the janitorial business.

Many were the exhausted ultra-early morning, or ultra-late at night, rides we took through our sleeping city together, surrounded by our mops, and rags, and keys. I still have a proprietary love of buildings that Kona couldn't satisfy. Luckily, my Honolulu has a gracious crop of many storeys and vintages!

Often we'd stop somewhere to grab a bite to eat, as today. I thought of all those rides as I ate: rides to school, to hospital, "down the shore" and even college visits. There were tense rides, and fun rides.

Winter & Summer; youth and middle age.

Today I had my last ride with Dad;

Bringing his ashes home to Mom

and to Waikiki. . .

A L O H A! Cloudia