What the Moon Smells Like

A l o h a !

Come inside

(click on photos to enlarge)

Tropic Moon, why you look so small up there?"

"Everyone has talent. What is rare is the courage to follow the talent to the dark place where it leads."
Erica Jong

The Natives are . . .

Handsome!

"The covers of this book are too far apart."
Ambrose Bierce

Flapping in the breeze. My jaws?
NO!! Flags!

"Nothing can bring you peace but yourself."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

When astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins returned from their history-making journey to the moon, 40 years ago this Summer, they splashed into the Pacific about 800 miles southwest of Hawaii.

Thus my island home of Oahu was the first solid land under their feet. It was not their first isle visit, as the Big Island's Mauna Kea had hosted their pre-flight training among her other-worldly rocks in a place now known as Apollo Valley.

Once back upon US soil, the astronauts had fun complying with customs and immigration regulations. Official documents thus record that they arrived from "The Moon" aboard "Flight 11" arriving at "Honolulu Hawaii." In answer to the health question regarding "conditions on board that which may lead to the spread of disease" they answered honestly (gulp): "To be determined."

A customs declaration was also dutifully filed regarding the 47 pounds of Moon Rocks they had obtained. Aboard the gleaming, modified Airstream trailer, that served as their 21 day quarantine, the astronauts and flight surgeon William Carpentier (along with NASA technician John Hirasaki) were the first humans to observe the naked lunar minerals inside the Earth's atmosphere. Though they looked like "ordinary rocks" there was one interesting thing about these rocks. They smelled like burnt gun powder.

A L O H A, Earthlings!

Cloudia

Summer Wool Gathering

Aloha, friends!!

Click on photos to enlarge

"I never liked the middle ground - the most boring place in the world.

Louise Nevelson

"If you genuinely have something to say, there is someone
who genuinely needs to hear it."
Arnold Patent



"Life is getting up one more time than you have been knocked down"
John Wayne

Recently, fossilized bones that are thousands of years old, have been found here on Oahu. They tell of giant flightless geese (with 6 foot wingspans) who once lived on an island very different from the one we see today.

To the slow growing trees, we are just a blur. The ancient mountains have barely noticed our presence yet.

Some days I'm just a flightless bird

preening my useless wings. . . . .

A L O H A, Cloudia

Paddle Girl

Aloha!

Welcome to Waikiki!

Don't worry.

No one will be paddled in this post! -

Goodbye Wil, Heff, & Bama Trav;-)

We're talking about kayak paddling, silly!

That's my baby, right by the hatch (door to you) for a quick getaway when blogging gets too intense.

Join us out there!

See the reflection of me taking this picture?

Time To GO!

I hadn't used my kayak in over a year!

Now I go out almost every day.

It's peaceful on the water, and I get to see my home

from a different perspective than usual.

Out there,

I like to sing nonsense songs to myself,

or think about things I've read that day;

perhaps something I saw on YOUR blog.

On my first voyage after so long, I saw a sea turtle!

The head broke the water just in front of me,

and we met eye to eye.

"Where have you been all this time?!"

was the message I got.

And he was right!

What's more important than

this?

*+*

"Show up! Be enthusiastic!

Put some energy into the life you're living now!

How will anyone ever be impressed by your star-like quality if you're waiting to cultivate that quality until you become a star?"

Marianne Williamson

A L O H A! Cloudia

Klever Kate Spade

Aloha!!

Welcome to Sunday in. . .

Waikiki? Why, It's Klever Kate Spade's store

in the Royal Hawiian Shopping Center.

The left window says: "Waikiki," The right one: "New York."

Let's get a closer look, shall we?

Yellow Taxis!

Looks Like Broadway at rush hour!

But what will represent Waikiki?

Looks like . . .

Hula rush hour!

Kultural Kolonialism?

A l o h a ha ha ;-) Cloudia

My Little Friend

A L O H A!

Welcome to another amazing day in Waikiki

click on photos to enlarge

Palms Rejoicing in a Splendid Trade Wind

“Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein:

then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice. . .”
Bible

Who's this little fellow?

"It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations,

if you live near him."

J. R. R. Tolkien

Look! He's puffed out his throat for us to see!

"Always speak politely to an enraged Dragon."
Steven Brust

)=(

This land is animate

yours is too.

Great, TOO great

and small

exceedingly small,

the power's the same:

everpresent.

An abundance of presents.

(for you

and for me.)

So Dance

in gratitude;

Dance

and BE

your

land.

A L O H A! Cloudia

View Planes

A L O H A !

Glad to see YOU, Friend ;-)

click on photos to enlarge

See the tan hill, behind the white building with the red roof,

in the lower right corner? That is the Pu`u (hill) O' Kaimuki that we visited before: http://comfortspiral.blogspot.com/2009/02/climbing-puu-o-kaimuki.html

This is the view from Pu`u O Kaimuki looking

Mauka (mountainward) toward Wilhelmina Rise.

Here (from the top of the Pu`u) we look down

on the adjacent fire house tower.

On top of the Pu`u, we feel close to Diamond Head

that looms like a protective big brother-hill.

View from Wilhelmina rise makai (sea-ward) towards Diamond Head;

But where is the Pu`u? Where's the fire house tower capped with red?

Hint: The top photo is taken from the same perspective as this one.

Click on the photo to enlarge, then look at the lower-right area, and you will be at the top of this post!

Circular logic, eh?

)=(

From below, the mountains look just like toys don't they?

From the mountainside, the land below appears just as diminutive.

Things that appear so OBVIOUS to us, appear very different to those standing elsewhere.

Let's spend as much time trying to see through the eyes of the "other"

as we do trying to convince the "other" of our

correctness.

All a matter of Perspective!

A L O H A! Cloudia

A Little Bit Heroic

ALOHA!

Welcome to Dusk in Waikiki

The Reflective Time of Day

“I certainly don't regret my experiences because without them, I couldn't imagine who or where I would be today. Life is an amazing gift to those who have overcome great obstacles, and attitude is everything!”
Sasha Azevedo

“Imaginary obstacles are insurmountable.

Real ones aren't." Barbara Sher

A Poetess

"Sometimes it's worse to win a fight than to lose.

Billie Holliday

Flirting With The Wind

"If you seek to find faults in others, you will not be dissapointed. You are sure to find them. But, if you go out to discover the good in [those] about you, you will find what a host of heroes and saints live in your homes and shops and streets. Look for the best instead of the worst."

Paul Osumi

Did those moon-landing astronauts have anything in common with the pioneers who settled North America?

Of course they did. Something undefinable. There is some shared knowing, some shared yearning there.

In exactly the same way, our shared humanity with extraordinary people is not negligible.

I'm not exhorting you to be all you can be, or to aim for the stars.

Rather, I'm bringing attention to the ignored but undeniable heroism in you and in me.

We each address and wrestle with the same life enigmas, choices, and conundrums as the most celebrated characters of theatre, philosophy, literature, history.

So here's to the every day heroes.

Here's to US!

A L O H A ! Cloudia