Mundane Scenes of Youth

Aloha & Welcome to Waikiki!

Click on photos to enlarge "Genius is easier to take from three rows back."

Mrs. Al Jolson

Nice folks enjoying the Waikiki air.

"Any idiot can face a crisis;

it is this day-to-day living that wears you out." Chekhov

Catch of the day, Water toys!

"Upper classes are a nation's past; the middle class is its future."

Ayn Rand (!)

Growing up in my little town outside of Philadelphia, the township building/library was a dusty, great Victorian wedding cake of a building. I still remember the smell of hundred year old wood, and of books - lots of fascinating books. It was exciting to be rooted in local history - I could almost smell old rural times too. The road that George Washington traveled between Philadelphia and New York was the one that passed before my library.

Behind the township building was a big yellow field on which a working farmer had a barn, a house, and a life. His family had probably worked it for some time. Beyond that farm and some "wild fields" of tall grass was my elementary school. It was built six years after my birth and, come to think of it, I must have been one of the first kids to live the suburban dream in that school named for a local "Indian" tribe. There were no Native Americans back then; at least not in Pennsylvania. They were distant enough to be romantic, and to put their names harmlessly on a school. More history.

Eventually the farm became a shopping center.

Next the "wild field" of tall grasses sprouted apartments. That new shopping center featured prominently in the dramas of my childhood. It had a Food Fair super market, and a five & ten cent store. I don't remember much more except for the toys and pets and doo-dads that I bought at Woolworth's, and the taste of thin, greasy hamburgers & coca cola served at their lunch counter....

Recently I realized that I live near my childhood shopping center's "double," Market City Shopping Center here in Honolulu. It too is rooted in local history and hearkens back to days of boundless optimism and development. To quote from their website:

"Market City, Limited, was founded in 1946. The 3.5 acre site at the corner of Kapiolani Blvd. and Kaimuki Ave. was originally a vegetable/koa patch with a beautiful monkey pod tree. "

The center opened, boasting Hawaii's first supermarket, Food Land, in 1948. Little shops were dissapearing everywhere: Kosher butchers in Philadelphia, and Japanese Produce markets in Kaimuki; all closing as the "second generation," mostly WWII veterans, set their GI Bill-fueled sights higher.

Eventually the up and coming neighborhoods of Kaimuki, Kapahulu, and Kapiolani/Date (which all converge here) as well as nearby Manoa, Saint Louis, Palolo, and Waikiki made Market City a hub of activity. It is one of the local scenes in my Hawaii taxi cab novel: "Aloha Where You Like Go?" After all, many of my fares were going to or from the center. It's a big part of this area.

The calender year opens at Market City with a traditional Chinese New Year lion dance blessing, and ends up with a 4o foot Santa perched over FoodLand. Not to mention the scholarships awarded to local high school students.

Kaimuki High School is across the street from Market City. Those kids are doing like I used to do: hanging after school by the shops - hoping not to run into mother while observed by peers. Some verities are eternal, after all.

Today the great monkey pod tree remains, as does an up-dated FoodLand. When I decided to stop by for a quick lunch last week (it's right on the way) it was a very safe choice. Or rather a winnowing down of choices. Old standbys, including: Gina's Korean BarBQ, and Torito's Mexican, as well as a plate-lunch place, and a couple of little cafe`s all vie there for one's appetite. But I'd never noticed Cafe Kaila before.

Welcome to the dream project of former elementary school teacher, Chrissie Castillo. Kaila, her middle name, loves food, cooking and people. That must be what I felt walking past. It struck me through the window, as a cafe, NOT the branch of some corporation. Inside I found fresh, home- made food that was special, tasty and healthy all at the same time. The genuinely friendly servers told me they "do" Breakfast all day! Yup, waffles, hotcakes, and omelets liberated from the clock. Me like!

In the afterglow of a pleasant lunch I reflected on the pie I used to eat at my childhood Woolworth's. Then I thought about the generations of Honolulu kids who've bought "crack seed" penny candy at Market City, and realized: "There's a post here somehwere."

As You can see, I'm still looking for it.

But thanks for sharing a few moments of your day while we search for the "aha" together. Your visits & comments are like gifts left me by the Blog Fairy.

Remember I serve aloha all day here. So y'all come back now.

Hear?

Aloha! Cloudia

Kermit the Monk Seal

Aloha & Welcome to Waikiki!

Click on Photos to Enlarge Ah, Contentment!

“Contentment is a pearl of great price, and whoever procures it at the expense of ten thousand desires makes a wise and a happy purchase”
John Balguy

Even the Flowers are Dancing

“Everyone chases after happiness, not noticing that happiness is right at their heels.”
Bertolt Brecht

“We may pass violets looking for roses. We may pass contentment looking for victory.”

Anonymous

Today's "It" Girl Having a Laugh

“Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything.”
Plato

Kermit the Hawaiian Monk Seal is back lazing on his favorite piece of beach at the skirts of Diamond Head here in Waikiki.

And no one can laze like a Hawaiian Monk Seal!
(See the YouTube link below to see what I mean)

He had been spotted near Waimanalo with a great fishing hook piercing his mouth. The scientists and volunteers charged with looking after these endangered celebrities wondered if tattoos and additional piercings might sweep the seal community.

Bad for the image, you know.

So they sprang to action, tightly netted Kermit out in the open water, and expeditiously removed the offending barb.

And now, as we began, Kermit is again lounging unconcerned here in Waikiki.
Please observe the velvet, er, plastic ropes and keep a respectful distance as law and custom both enforce.

Take a lesson from Kermit:

Easy, Bruddah;
Cool Head Main T`ing!

A L O H A! Cloudia

Moon over an aMusing Monk Seal Here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hysYmoQ6ceo

MTM: Let's Go Beach

Aloha & Welcome!

Courtesy of Clark Little (c)

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
Mark Twain

"You should not live one way in private, another in public."

Publilius Syrus

"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom."

Anaïs Nin

Going to the Beach here in Hawaii

When you pull into a beach park among all the local folks who are spending their day off with their families do so humbly and with a good spirit. Easy does it. Remember: weekending families are not cultural exhibits or chamber of commerce employees

Regular folks work very hard simply to make it here, and they enjoy their weekend relaxation just as you do. Please understand that the closest beach is like the neighborhood’s living room, even though it’s “public.” Be laid back and you’ll probably meet some new people, or even be welcomed in inimitable Aloha style.

Offer to share your stuff first, like a juice to a child, or a slice of pizza to the guy sitting right next to you. I could recount many stories of visitors being invited to the baby luau, the wedding up the block at somebody’s house, given deeply personal tours, or even invited to stay over. Nice people do find each other, bad attitudes: just keep driving!

A L O H A! Cloudia

Musings of the Day

"It was one of those perfect English autumnal days which occur more frequently in memory than in life."

P. D. James

"Its better to know some of the questions, than all of the answers."

James Thurber

"The Earth is the Cradle of the Mind -- but one cannot eternally live in a cradle."

Konstantin E. Tsiolkovsky

The misty technicolor clouds are blowing over the mountains, blue heron, red sails in the sunset. . .

Ah, the simple joys of life;

Hot shower, cold beer, and warm welcome.

How can every evening be a routine, yet uniquely wonderful?

Guess they’re just like snowflakes. . . Remember snowflakes?

In Hawaii it’s OK to smile at others.

Everyone is beautiful here- but it’s from the inside.

In our tropical climate makeup runs, but true aloha just glows through your expression, your skin, and your face, like a light from within. . .

Happy Mother's Day, all of you beautiful mothers!


A L O H A! Cloudia

Uncle Diamond Head

Aloha & Welcome to Waikiki Olde and New

click on photos to enlarge Back in the day

“I love everything that's old, - old friends, old times, old manners, old books, old wine”
Oliver Goldsmith


Where did those hotels come from?

“I hate vacations. If you can build buildings, why sit on the beach?”
Philip Johnson


“Babies don't need a vacation but I still see them at the beach. I'll go over to them and say, 'What are you doing here, you've never worked a day in your life!'.”
Stephen Wright


Kalakaua Avenue is full of crazy drivers.
LOOK OUT TOONSIS!

Rocks have a lot of presence.

"Mana" (spiritual energy) resides within this small Pohaku

(rock) as well as in great Diamond Head.

D.H.'s REAL name is Leahi: "Brow of the Tuna."

British sailors discovered calcite crystals within the crater and believed them to be DIAMONDS! Hence the name, memorial to an illusion.

"And in fancy I am led

back to dear old Diamond Head

Honolulu I'll be comin` back again"

An old song.

To our visitors, DH is a famous visual emblem. But it’s so much more than that to us. For example, we use it to describe seasonal conditions: “Look! Diamond Head is so green!” (Lots of rain) or brown (lots of no rain).

To locals it’s not only about the visuals. Ole DH is like a beloved uncle that we playfully climb all over.

We enjoy walking, running, driving, gawking, biking, and unloading our surfboards on Diamond Head Road.

We hike the trails and enjoy the view FROM atop Diamond Head Lookout(his shoulders).

We sit on his lap: DH Park One and Park Two, green oceanfront enclaves made peaceful and private by their lack of parking. Brides are photographed here as limos hover.

At the foot of the cliffs, below Diamond Head Road, are intimate little beaches where naturists and meditators can be left in peace.

So you see, we locals don’t just SEE DH; we play with it, smell the flowers, hear the surf and enjoy the birds. At the right time of year it’s the perfect place for spotting whales as they spout and splash out to sea.

A lookout on Leahi watched for Kamehameha's fleet of war canoes and lit the warning signal fire. Today Diamond Head Lighthouse maintains her own stoic vigilance; As do the F.A.A. folks guiding air traffic from within the crater.

Even the tightly scheduled tour van groups that pull into the lookout seem to hush at the majesty of the vista, as their harried drivers relax for a smoke. It's the perfect spot to “watch the submarine races,” or simply to loose the grip of hours and minutes. . . Yes, Diamond head is powerfully evocative, a profile world-famous for almost two hundred years. Paws in the surf, a sphynx of protection for this healing beach. . . Waikiki.

A L O H A! Cloudia

Friday Fish Dance

Aloha & Welcome to Da Beach:

Waikiki!

click on photos to enlarge Ah! Another great beach day!

"The mellow sweetness of pumpkin pie off a prison spoon is something you will never forget."
Mitchell Burgess

What's that?

"The world is round; it has no point."
Adrienne E. Gusoff

Look, a group over there too!

"I was gratified to be able to answer promptly. I said I don't know."
Mark Twain

It must be. . .

“The Fish Dance”

It’s season again for the fish dance. Why just look at them!

Next time you are walking by the harbor, stop to check out the intricate maneuvers underway by dozens and dozens of fish.

The first time I noticed, I thought it was a flotilla of leaves on the water. Then I saw the do-si-do, the alaman left, the schools splitting into separating spirals.

Sometimes, fish are packed so close together that da guys in the middle are pushed partly up and out of the water. All together now!

What are they doing?
I don’t know.

But back when I was taken to see Nuryev dance at Lincoln Center I didn’t need a knowledge of ballet to be amazed by the way he hung in the air at the arc of an unbelievably high leap. Well these tilapia are just as absorbed and expert in their corps de ballet. Spawning? Eating? Hula competition judged by mantis shrimp? I just don’t know. Do you?

A L O H A! Cloudia

Life Aboards

ALOHA! WELCOME!

click on photos to enlarge Courtesy of Clark Little (c)

“You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment."
Henry David Thoreau

“The very pink of perfection."
Oliver Goldsmith



New Docks, where never a boat has tied up.
This is the first night that the lamps are lit,

like a field of newly hatched fireflies!


“What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset.”

Crowfoot (Native American) Proverb

My husband's friend said: "Why not buy this boat?"

"What will I do with it?" asked my guy.

"You could LIVE on it!"

"Oh yeah, Cloudia would love that!"

And here my troubles began.

As a person, perhaps an artist, who has constructed my life from improvised materials I had to concede the logic of it. Especially here on this island of high rents and upstairs neighbors who might well be recent arrivals from a Pacific culture where it is customary for extended families of several generations to live and SING together - or worse: college students!

We would have privacy and quiet. That was 17 years ago (this September), two cats, a college degree, multiple jobs & careers, novel publication, birth of a blog, and several harbor masters ago. Where did the time go?

You can read about some of the amusing aspects of life afloat here:

http://comfortspiral.blogspot.com/2009/03/water-week.html

and here: http://comfortspiral.blogspot.com/2009/01/boat-living.html

But all in all, with another harbor inspection eminent (which will determine our continued tenure here in the Ala Wai) I face both the past and the future with gratitude for this life we've created.

While I perform MANY functions specifically related to this life (indispensable ones ;-) it is my husband's Kuleana to orchestrate, prepare for, and perform, the dance of inspection. Pukui & Elbert's Hawaiian Dictionary (the bible!) has a large entry for the word "Kuleana" reflecting it's importance in Hawaiian Culture. Some of the English synonyms that I find appropriate to this situation are:

Responsibility, concern, right, privilege, jurisdiction, affair, reason, function, justification, a small piece of land.

He has prepared well. We should perform safely and well. But the sea is it's own jurisdiction and a capricious one. A wind may come up, a rogue wave might rear, an engine could sputter. My home and refuge could lie on pounding rocks - ALL extremely unlikely, but the sea, and government bureaucrats have ways we might not always understand.

Meanwhile, every day at the end of a line seems precious. There will (after all) be an end to everything at some point. My feeling is one of gratitude for this dear life afloat on the sea of living. "Savor the moment" is not inane - it is the sum of wisdom. Last night, preparing for sleep, I reflected on this familiar old boat and familiar, sweetly broken-in life and conceived this:

Big Old Boat

like a grandmother's house

rocking in the sea of night

as we

in her bosom

dream and sleep tight.

So thanks to the shipwright

and thanks to the twain

who cuddle dry

in a hole in the sea

misted by moon kissed

rain. A L O H A! Cloudia