Looking Down, Looking Up

ALOHA, Sweetie!
It's
Satur-DAYYYY
in
W A I K I K I


Let's go on a morning stroll together. . .

please remember to click on photos!

Who's that lurking among the leaves?
What secrets small and big does she know?

"I'll tell you how the sun rose a ribbon at a time."
Emily Dickinson

Life is going about it's business all around. . .

"Sadness flies on the wings of the morning
and out of the heart of darkness comes the light."
Jean Giraudoux

Visitors awaken in paradise and are drawn to the lanai to take it all in. . .

"For what human ill does not dawn seem to be an alleviation?"
Thornton Wilder

Palms and their cousins wave: "HELLO!"

"They must often change
who would be constant in happiness or wisdom."
Confucius

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They've been trickling into town.
You see them running, running:
singles, pairs & teams
running in December's sun
it's Honolulu Marathon time once again!




Sunday morning sleepers
will be awakened by the sound of
fireworks
and the distinct roar
of all the pent up athletes.
By 10 am it will all be in the books
except for the human-interest stories
who limp to the line late in the day
but they finished
they did it
they ran a marathon.





Then it's time to party and drink
to lay by the pool
to luxuriate in accomplishment
still wearing your "Finisher" T-shirt
everywhere you go.





The Honolulu Marathon
is a holiday tradition in Waikiki.
Now we know that Christmas
is really here,
the giant menorah has been lit!
Aloha and l`Chaim!



Our blog friend Kay's husband Art is actually running the marathon.
You can find her blog here:
Kay's Musings



ALOHA, Saturday Friend! cloudia

Waikiki Embraces

I have walked past this tree millions of times.

But this time I saw the roots embracing the plants like loving arms.

This time I saw the heart shape.

Do you see it?

"Our task must be to free ourselves...

by widening our circle of compassion

to embrace all living creatures

and the whole of nature and its beauty."

Albert Einstein

Walking on, I noticed this embrace . . . of flotsam & garbage. . .

"You can clutch the past so tightly to your chest

that it leaves your arms too full to embrace the present,"

Jan Glidewell

I knew that I was onto the perfect theme for this post. . .

I was on the lookout for more embraces. This feather was a hint

leading me to my next picture. . .

"A discerning eye needs only a hint.

and understatement leaves the imagination free

to build its own elaboration."

Russell Page

The love-doves.

Coooo!

And there my little doves did sit With feathers softly brown And glittering eyes that showed their right To general "And there my little doves did sit

With feathers softly brown

And glittering eyes that showed their right

To general Nature's deep delight."
Elizabeth Barrett Browning.

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"Love...It surrounds every being

and extends slowly to embrace all that shall be."

Kahlil Gibran

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I have been walking for years:

Across the living room carpet,

down the street,

through the woods & fields of childhood.

My brother and I

once walked to a family friend's home in a neighboring town.

She looked past us at her door for my mother parking the car.

"You WALKED?!"

Mom had to come and pick us up that time.

Walking to school one day

I realized that one anonymous day of school

was not as worthy

as the amazing day I'd have

if I took public transportation

and walked around

"downtown"

(Thank you Petula Clark)

and I still do remember

that single magic day.

Remember that movie:

"Run Lola Run?"

I often felt as if I were in a movie

as I visited my numerous secret city places.

The streets, back alleys, and buildings

became my especial friends.

They never teased, or yelled at me.

My movie's locations have changed over the years:

New York City streets, New Hampshire's high meadows.

I traversed new realities

mediated by yearning, stress, and "enhancers."

I walked around Woodstock,

hitchhiked from Toronto to Montreal to Boston

(which involved a lot of walking).

Uptown, Downtown,

from adolescence

to "maturity."

My elderly grandmother was a great walker too.

Sometimes she is with me as I walk,

especially as I become

companionably older.

Now I'm walking Waikiki:

Low and High and out to sea,

'neith seas of skies

sailed by cumulus ships.

I walk along the sacred street;

Walking as usual

into the unknown.

Thank YOU

for walking with me!

ALOHA, cloudia

'Tis Da Season

Aloha, Friend
&
Welcome to Holiday Season in Hawaii!

All the kids are on their best behavior.
Of course, their best includes a bit of squirming.

Christmas in Hawaii is a lot like everywhere else,
just a little "different."

Check out the video below for an Island version
of an old favorite!

ALOHA! cloudia

"Eddie" Went

Aloha Beach Bums & Bunnies
Welcome to . . .
Oahu's North Shore, Waimea Bay,
and
The Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational Surf Meet.


Yesterday was the day.

For the first time in five years,
and only the eighth time since it's 1984 founding,
the contest was held.


Eddie's brother Clyde
competed at age 60.


Greg Long, 24 of San Clemente, Calif.,
took home the first place purse of $55,000
edging out his childhood idol Kelly Slater with a score of 323.
Slater, 37, placed second with 313.

"I'm humbled to be even in this event," Long told AP reporter Audrey McAvoy, adding that he had posters of today's competing athletes on his walls growing up. "To be recognized amongst them on the invitee list was a dream come true for me."

Kauai-born Sunny Garcia placed third.

The North Shore saw 30- to 40-foot waves,
with some sets approaching 50 feet on the outer reefs
as Hawaii remained under a high surf warning.
The high surf was caused by two large storms northwest of Hawaii.

ALOHA, & Thanks for YOUR visit today! cloudia

Vroom Vroom

ALOHA
Friend!

Welcome Back to Waikiki

click on this photo to smell the surf and the flowers

"Old age is like climbing a mountain.
The higher you get,
the more tired and breathless you become,
but your view
becomes much more expansive."

Ingmar Bergman




Of course, we don't spend EVERYday at da beach! Don't be silly. There are lots of other activities to spend our time on. Those of you who have read my little Hawaii novel Aloha Where You Like Go? (available on amazon - just click on the picture at the foot of this blog) know that I'm a bit fond of motorcycles and the folks who ride them.

When I was small, lying in bed at night, certain sounds tantalized and taunted me with intimations of a whole World Out There that I couldn't wait to discover:

Trains and their whistles, rustling in the bushes, singing winds accompanied by creaking tree limbs and choruses of dancing dried leaves. . . and the BRAPPP and roar of a Harley off in the distance. Sounds travel far at night, and those sounds accompany me still across decades, miles, oceans and ages. Those sounds still seduce me. . .

It has been a while since the women's motorcycle club that I helped to start drifted apart. I really wanna tell you all about that sometime. But today I'm gonna try and present you a video collage of yesterday's preparations for the annual Toys For Tots Run here in Waikiki.


For those of you who don't know, T4T is a program of the US Marines whereby they collect new toys to distribute to needy children. The bikers always come through with some great toys, after all, folks who love motorcycles well understand the importance of toys.


So without further ado (cross your fingers) let's go see us some bikers!

ALOHA, cloudia

See the parade itself here

Here Come da Canoes!

Pssst!


*Aloha*



Here's a little Easter egg of a video (just between you & me :-)
cloudia

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From Exported Videos

High Surf Warning

"Tell me who you love, and I'll tell you who you are."

Creole saying

"He who reforms himself

has done more towards reforming the public

than a crowd of noise, impotent patriots."

Johann Kaspar Lavate

Dedicated to my favorite gadfly,

Walking Man

"A man's face is his autobiography.

A woman's face is her work of fiction."

Oscar Wilde

"If I were two-faced would I be wearing this one?"

Abraham Lincoln

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We are expecting mammoth surf tomorrow on Oahu's North Shore. Steadily, these recent days, it has been growing. Over 20 feet on Saturday, 30 or 40 feet today; but the really big stuff is expected Monday, like up to 50 feet- Or 60! Cowabunga, Dudes! 40 years ago 1969 was a legedary year of 50 footers, washed out roads, waves in living rooms. and the best golden-age surfers putting it all on the line. An extremely strong storm north-northwest is aiming it's hurricane force winds directly at our isle from afar, driving the waves. A rare event. The Eddie Aikau Surf Meet only runs when surf tops 40 feet. Tuesday might be the day! Who was Eddie? Find out here: http://comfortspiral.blogspot.com/2008/12/eddie-would-go.html

Winter in Hawaii

by Cloudia

Fans on low

or off,

the porthole above my bed

closed while I'm asleep.

Bring out the blankets,

It went down to 68 last night!

Winter in Hawaii.

ALOHA to YOU,

Dudes, Dudettes, and Best Buds! cloudia