Mastering the Art of Living

A  L  O  H  A !

" If you see no reason
 for giving thanks, 
the fault lies 
in yourself. "
                   Native American Proverb, 
                                    Minquas, Susquehannock

"Beware of the half truth. 
You may have 
gotten hold of 
the wrong half." 
                        Unknown

" To live lightheartedly 
but not recklessly; 
to be gay 
without being boisterous; 
to be courageous 
without being bold; 
to show trust 
and cheerful resignation 
without fatalism -
- this is the art of living. "

                          Jean De La Fontaine

Linking to Skywatch
Here

]\[

Thank You
for Visiting!
Warmly, cloudia

A Little Side Street Fence in Waikiki

A L O H A !

 

"I like the silent church

 before the service begins,

 better than any preaching." 

          Ralph Waldo Emerson

Linking to Good Fences

Here

Thank You!

           Warmly, cloudia

Ahupua`a Honolulu Sign

A L O H A !

Ahupua`a are

 the traditional ancient 

divisions of 

our Hawaiian isles.

This sign represents the 

pile of stones marking the 

boundary. Sacrifice of pig

(Pua`a) were placed

atop the pile.

Each Ahupua`a district

was like a slice of pie:

Thin inland atop the mountain,

broadening out like a pie slice

to encompass a stretch of coast.

The people of each Ahupua`a

enjoyed the bounty of

Mountain, Plains, and the Beach

with it's fish and sea vegetables.

Information Link

Linking to Signs Signs Signs

Here

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                     Warmly, cloudia

The Most Important Trip

A  L  O  H  A !

"Give what you have. 

To someone, 

it may be better 

than you dare to think."

            Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

"Fancies are like shadows, 

you can't cage them, 

they're such wayward 

dancing things." 

           L.M. Montgomery

" The most important trip 

you may take in life

 is meeting people

 halfway."

                        Henry Boye

]\[

Thank You

for meeting us

here!

                           Warmly, cloudia

Finches and Egrets Oahu

A L O H A !

Java Finches 

Breakfast in Waikiki with Friends

[Doves and a spectacular red stranger]

EGRETS

Carroll Cox

Linking to

Wild Bird Wednesday

Here

[]

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          Cloudia

Tool Belt Gals

A  L  O  H  A !

A Warm Golden Blue Sky for You

" Life is too short 

to be little. "

                    Benjamin Disraeli

 " Happiness belongs 
to the self-sufficient "
                 Aristotle 

Plumeria / Frangipani

 “Oh, that's the beauty 

of the rose, 

that it blossoms 

and dies.” 

        Willa Cather

]|[

There was a time

when I was young

that I wanted to work

with my hands.

My teacher's husband

hired me

to do the scutwork

on his urban

renovation jobs.

I was 18 years old.

I pried hundred-year-old nails

from ancient wood

with a 

Stanley Wonder Bar.

I dismantled stairs,

spackled dry wall,

used a miter box

to cut cove molding

so it met perfectly

in corners.

The belt sander,

the drill driver,

and trusty hammer

were my daily companions.

One day

we build a 

free-standing wall!

A pony tail

on a construction job

was quite unusual.

But every day now

I see young women

in hard hats,

working along.

And some part of me

thinks:

"I helped do that!"

And who knows,

maybe I did.

What paths

have YOU cleared?

Thank YOU

for making a path

here with us!

            Fondly, Cloudia

Honoring Veterans Worldwide - Hawaii Chapter

Aloha SALUTE!

Originally posted: November 2, 2011

Today, proud, elderly, Japanese-American veterans

of World War II,

including 60 honorees from our Hawaii

finally
received
their Congressional Gold Medal.

  More than 400 Nisei veterans took part

  in Congressional Gold Medal events.

Today's ceremony took place

in Emancipation Hall

at  the U.S. Capitol.

The medal was awarded collectively

to the 100th Infantry Battalion,

click on the photos to be awed

the 442nd Regimental Combat Team

and the Military Intelligence Service.

They  served this country with much-noted heroism despite the fact that some had parents and siblings confined to internment camps at a time when Japanese Americans faced distrust unmatched by anything directed towards German Americans.

Jack Nakamura, 88,

who was wounded twice

told a reporter last week: 

"That's one reason why I joined, volunteered, too.

They were calling me 'Jap' and stuff like that.

My mother said, 'No, don't join up.'

But I joined up anyway," recalled Nakamura,

a 100th Infantry Battalion veteran.

"After all that we went through and all that,

and to be recognized for what we did 

and all that, I'm grateful to the government

for awarding us this medal,"

said Takashi Shirakata,

a 442nd Regimental Combat Team veteran.

When these veterans arrived in Washington, D.C. this past Monday morning they received a special honor at the airport as their plane was saluted with jets of water from airport firefighters. 

The medal itself will be archived at the 

Smithsonian Institution.

Each Hawaii veteran will receive their own as well.

Many of these aging heroes aren't able to attend the Washington events, so a celebration is being planned

for them here in Waikiki in December.

 I walk past this memorial on my way

to my Waikiki Post Office

If we 

would put country and family

ahead of self

as these men did,

many losing their lives,

their companions,

then America

would be

America

again.

Amen.

Thank You for sharing in this.

YOUR comment is valued.

                                                 warmly, cloudia