Manoa Valley

A L O H A !

Before we moved into the harbor

 (and lived there almost 20 years)

We lived in Manoa - the Valley of Rainbows-

Home to legends, Ali`i (Chiefs) & Royalty,

site of Hawaii's first sugar growing scheme.

Oh, and also the home

 of University of Hawaii @ Manoa,

the flagship campus of the State University;

That dome on the right
 is where sports occur.

I also received my degree inside.

Yesterday, I had to ride my scooter 

up into the valley to pick something up.

It was like a journey

into an earlier time

in my life.

Manoa is a nostalgic place
for many locals
reminding them of
college years.


The President's parents
met at UH.


As a youngster,
Barack lived in the valley
too.

There are some Mansions in the valley, 

but you still see these pretty, older

wood-frame, single-wall,

working class

hale (houses.)

Sweet, yeah? 
(The house the president lived in
is rather humble.)

View over Manoa shopping center-

The valley walls
 are always part of the view plane.

Back in the day, it was common

to see kimono 

in the streets of Honolulu.

( Note the Tabi socks
and Geta! )

Early 20th Century Honolulu

A Meibutsu Store

 Courtesy: Hawaii State Archive

" Japan's tradition of meibutsu, 

or famous regional products, is unique

 and unparalleled anywhere else in the world. "

Knowledge@Wharton

My charming co-shopper

told me she just came from

a tea ceremony.

I asked for permission

to take this shot;

She smiled 

and thanked me.

( Note the 'Oriental Snacks'

store aisle sign :-)

Click on this panorama!

Early flight over Manoa Valley

Courtesy of Hawaiian Airlines 

( Incorporated on January 30, 1929 

as  Inter-Island Airways Ltd. )


Look at this early aerial shot,


then back at Manoa today.




Is there a place


that takes YOU


back in time?


Please tell us in comments!


Thank YOU for visiting-


              Warmly, cloudia

Below
 is a short video of a Manoa rainbow
shot from the back of the valley.
You can see Waikiki and 
Diamond Head.

This one shows the lush foliage of the Manoa:



Here's a 'tour' of the valley

Hawaii Youth Rising

Ties-Downs and Trampolines

A L O H A !

" Do not trouble yourself much
 to get new things,
 whether clothes or friends.... 
Sell your clothes
 and keep your thoughts.  "


Henry David Thoreau

" Golden slumbers kiss your eyes, 
Smiles awake you when you rise. 
Sleep, pretty wantons, 
do not cry, 
 And I will sing a lullaby.”


 Thomas Dekker 

" And even if you were in some

 prison,

 the walls of which let none of the sounds

 of the world come to your senses - 

would you not then still have

 your childhood, 

that precious, kingly possession,

 that treasure-house 

of memories? "

  Rainer Maria Rilke

" Everything has been figured out, 
except how to live. "

" Evil is . . . the ability of humans
 to make abstract
 that which is concrete. "

Jean-Paul Sartre






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Life becomes SO much easier,

SO much more

pleasant

when you LIKE

Other People.

Yes,

there are homeless People,

and Families

who are on the street

through fate, bad luck,

bad breaks.

But for the most part,

homeless people
 have an inability
to get along with
Others.

Maybe they've been hurt,

strategically, deeply hurt.

Too many of us have been.

But what is different?

Why are we NOT

homeless and alone?

Perhaps it is as simple

as reaching out to another,

or allowing them

to reach us.

Once my world

was a harsh place,

people were annoying,

obstructive,

disappointing.

And life was exhausting.

But now, by some Grace,

I am among good people

every day.


Human nature
has not changed.

No;

The world has not changed

but my world certainly has.

A social worker I knew
told me the story
of his homeless time.


One day as he begged,
a woman walking by
stopped,
looked at him,
and said:
"You're a mess."


At that moment,
he realized
that he WAS
a mess.


He made the choice
to change it.


How is your world different
than it used to be?


Please join us in comments
(often the best part of this blog!)


Thank You
                         Warmly, cloudia

Honolulu's Golden-Age Movie Palaces

ALOHA, Goodbye. . . 

Friend Face

A   L   O   H   A  

        Friend !

  “What is that 

you express in your eyes? 

It seems to me more 

than all the print

 I have read in my life.”

    

 Walt Whitman

" If Mark Twain had Twitter 
he would have been great at it.  
But he probably wouldn't
 have gotten around to writing
Huckleberry  Finn. "


Andy Borowitz

" Every day is a journey,
 and the journey itself 
is home. "


Matsuo Basho

" Every moment 
is a golden one
 for him who has the vision
 to recognize it
 as such. "


Henry Miller








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Thank YOU
for looking in


Warmly, cloudia

President Sings with BB King!

Honey Cake Dream

A     L     O     H     A  !

" Judge nothing, you will be happy.

 Forgive everything, you will be happier.

 Love everything, 

you will be happiest.” 

Sri Chinmoy

" The price

of hating other human beings

is loving oneself

less. "

Eldridge Cleaver

" Fame is a vapor,

popularity an accident,

and riches take wings.

Only one thing endures,

and that is

Character. "

Horace Greeley

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He and I

had been together

for years.

What would

marriage 

add?

Just a piece of paper,

right?

And what about

those who cannot

be married?

Nonetheless

a new century

seemed the time.

We went to the judge

at his lunchtime.

One handful of friends

were there.

I figure we started our 

marriage

$30,000 ahead

that way.

Things sure felt

different afterward.


I felt different.


So did he.

I don't know why.

We both felt it.

The next morning

before awakening

I 'dreamed' of being

in an old fashioned room.

Women

whose faces I couldn't see

sat around the perimeter.

Light poured in through

windows,

but I could discern nothing

through them.

These women

were my ancestresses;

somehow I simply knew that;

Grandma, Auntie

 who I had known,

& further back

who I'd never 

met.

A hand,

an old woman's hand,

manicured,

gnarled, familiar-

handed me a small plate.

On that plate:

a slice of

Honey Cake.

Honey Cake!

Like grandma used to bring!

Hadn't thought of it

in years.

Hadn't SEEN it

longer.

Later that day

we were shopping

at the usual place.

And there on the shelf

a new item,

or simply never noticed before:

Honey Cake!

I remembered

the 'dream.'

I knew it was the welcome

of the women

in my line;

When I became

a married lady

somehow

I joined their 

ranks.

Honey Cake. . .

We'll sit together

 in that room,

drinking tea

and sharing

Honey Cake.

Not a bad way

to spend

some Heaven.

What will you 

do?  eat? share?

with YOUr ancestors

later?

Please share in comments.

And thanks so much for visiting!

                        Warmly, cloudia