Homespun Honolulu

Welcome to the February 1st Chapter of the Carnival of Aloha! This Chapter we’ll just take a leisurely cruise down stream and visit these stories of interest!

As everyone knows, as we trickle downstream, we’ve got to have something to eat.  That’s usually my first stop and this time will be no exception as we welcome our newest Carnival participant!

Trailblazer Hawaii assures the Pineapple Princess, Maui still loves you posted at Trailblazer Hawaii.com asking that we follow their tracks to Kauai, Maui, Oahu and Hawaii the Big Island, saying, “Maui Gold, wishing you the best, way to go!”  They want to be sure our Carnival trip is a sweet one with the pineapple from Maui.  The sweetness of Maui’s pineapple is hard to beat!  Thanks, Trailblazer, for joining us and providing such sweet sustenance!

Andrew Cooper wrestles with Defining the Sacred posted over on A Darker View.   I was all warm and fuzzy reading his post and then it actually did become a bit of a “darker view” as he was accused at worst of misunderstood at best.  Read it and you’ll see what I mean.  I understand but, in this case, Andrew did not fit the crime.  Sorry Andrew and thank you for sharing information about a heiau that I never knew existed.  I like the “take only photographs and leave only footprints” motto, very much!

We’re all concerned with conservation efforts and, now that we’ve ruffled a few feathers, let’s put some of that energy to use.

Bobbie tells us about the Hawaii Marine Debris Action Plan: Much needed program is the first in the nation posted at The Right Blue, saying, “the Marine Debris Action Plan was a long time coming, and very much needed. (Beach goers/ocean users still need to be mindful about bringing home their trash and disposing of it properly.)”  Andrew’s motto fits here as well — take only photographs and leave only footprints, not your opala!

As we care for and love our islands, one of our Carnival regulars takes it a step further!

Sheila sends A Love Letter To Lanai and shares it with us over at Hawaii Vacation Blog - GoVisitHawaii.com, saying, “As Valentine’s Day is approaching, I thought I’d write a love letter to the island of Lana’i. Though it’s one of the least visited islands, it’s full of beauty and Aloha spirit.”

It’s not hard to see why the islands are loved so much, even our President loves his home.  We can investigate why the President is so comfortable.

Aloha Tony shows us Obama’s $10 million Hawaii vacation home over at Hawaii real estate, saying, “President Obama’s $10 million Hawaii vacation home.”  Wow, Tony, thanks for getting those pictures and sharing them with us so we can get an idea of the comfort we provide.

Of course, with those prices, it’s scary to watch and see where the real estate market will go!

Pua is talking about the Hawaii Real Estate Market 2010 over at Best Hawaii Vacation with Hawaii Vacation Blog, saying, “Hawaii real estate still enjoys a buyer’s market. But who knows for how long.  Not even our Hawaii realtors can predict for certain. Here is an a interesting article from an experienced Hawaii realtor. Will there be a return of the Hawaii seller’s market in 2010?”

What will the commercial real estate market do?  That too remains to be seen.  There are, believe it or not, commercial properties that have had a place in the hearts of many.

Most recently, Evelyn (me), expressed some concern that there will be No Cars or Hearts Racing Anytime Soon as we wait to see what will happen as the property that was once many people’s darling, Hawaii Raceway Park, goes up for foreclosure auction on Tuesday (that’s tomorrow).  Evelyn asks, “is anybody listening?!?”

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Carnival of Aloha using the carnival submission form. Past posts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags: carnival of aloha, blog carnival.

It’s baaaack!  Again the view of the mountains is blurred by the vog carried over from the Big Island of Hawaii.  Kauai is probably the only island that is free and clear of the air smog vog floating over the rest of the smaller islands.  The Big Island’s Kilauea volcano is obviously very busy!

Here’s hoping that the tradewinds will return soon and carry all of that bad air away, quickly.  In the mean time, I’m hoping that the Big Island and ALL the other islands will send in their posts for the upcoming Carnival of Aloha scheduled to go live on Monday, February 1, 2010!  Send in those posts about anything to do with the State of Hawaii.

Consider yourselves reminded!  The deadline for submissions is this coming Wednesday, January 27th.  Come join us!

Since we’re going to be doing quite a bit of traveling with this Carnival I thought it might be a good idea to find a nice comfortable tree with a lot of shade.  Pull up a folding chair or a beach mat and find a good spot under this beautiful, old tree and enjoy the ride!

Now we all know how much we need food to sustain us on our Carnival journey!

SVB talks about Cutting Food Costs: Consumers Switch To Spam posted at The Digerati Life.  While SVB chuckles at the Spam mania, Hormel is adding up their income; they have got to love us over here!  Anyone remember the crowd of campers waiting for Mililani WalMart to open with their sale of Spam at .99 cents a can?  Oh my!  Only in Hawai’i!

With a meal like that we do need our exercise.

Ryan Suenaga helps us with that when he talks all about the Great Aloha Run 2010 posted at his blog, The Athletic Diabetic.  He’ll get no arguments from me!  I can’t wait!

But, that’s in February.  We’re just a little anxious.  Let’s finish up with our New Year’s celebration!

Susan says Happy New Year! to us from the poop deck of the Falls of Clyde.  This is one of the Notes from the Wooden and Iron World.  I’m excited to have Susan join us, and from the poop deck of my boat no less!  I hope she joins us often!  We need more maritime “rides” for our little Carnival!  I know the Falls has already been labeled a Carnival “ride” but Susan has a little bit more of the inside scoops!  There is more wood and iron sailing around out there too!

We need to dry our feet a bit so we’re going further inland.

Kris takes us to the Big Island of Hawaii to visit the Hawaiian Tropical Botanical Garden posted over at Big Island on the Cheap.  It’s always good to find bargains that are breathtaking!

There’s the beautiful that Kris shared with us and then there’s the historical with its emotional impact.

Sheila tells us about Visiting the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor posted as part of the Hawaii Vacation Advice at GoVisitHawaii.com.  This is good advice too — many of us, self included, that have lived here all our lives are yet to visit this part of American History.  Sheila is doing way better than I! 

We’re getting our feet wet again so I think we need to get a little bit of elevation before our toes wrinkle up too much!

Andrew Cooper shares a schedule of Sky Events for 2010 posted at A Darker View.  I still like that name.  This schedule is something new to me.  I didn’t know events such as these could be predicted with such accuracy!  Cool stuff for those of us who are astronomically inclined.

Too much elevation?  Are you dizzy yet?  Too high?  How about a clean, clear glass of cool water?

Aloha Tony tells us how to get America’s top 10 best tap water - Honolulu is #6 posted at Hawaii real estate. I think Honolulu should be #1.  I’m not biased or anything you understand.  If you want to live with all of this beauty and clean water, Tony might be able to help you with that too!  Maybe he can find you an awesome place to live.

Concerned about the community and the neighborhoods?

Evelyn (that’s me) right here at Homespun Honolulu looks at not only the beauty of the island but at the concern and camaraderie of its community members while talking about the Magic of Community and the Majesty of Nu’uanu.

Now, while your feet may be really dry, we may have wet your appetite for a vacation in the sun.  If so, be sure to start thinking about planning your 2010 vacation very soon!

Pua blogs all about that at her Hawaii Vacation Blog.  Pua wants to know if you’re Planning a Hawaii Vacation in 2010 as she tells us about things on land and on the sea that can be part of your vacation’s agenda.

If you’re not here now, what are you waiting for?  Happy New Year everyone!

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NOTE: I got so excited about getting this published that I forgot to include information for everyone to join us for the Carnival of Aloha next month!   Submit your blog article for the next chapter using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.  It has been brought to my attention, more than once, that people have been having some difficulty with the submission form.  If this happens, feel free to send the link for your article directly to me via email.  Don’t worry, we’ll throw a lei around you and pull you in! 

So many times while headed uphill I have the uncontrollable urge to just take pictures of the mountain side — so green, so majestic.

Even with the vog it is still a beautiful sight! The foliage is always so green and the variety of trees makes it interesting.  Some of the trees are so old and regal that they add to the historic charm of this area.

Fallen Trees Can Be Fascinating

The trees, while charming, can also be very dangerous.  It is fortunate that nobody was around when this one cracked and fell!

One of those very old, and large, trees actually closed the street and made the news.  This one required some heavy equipment to move it all out of the way.

Ultimately, it required some cutting to clear it off the road.  I must admit that the pieces of this once lovely old tree held my attention and curiosity for quite some time.

What made it fall?  Wind, with what I believe was the assistance of termites.  I’m not sure what a termite-eaten tree looks like but maybe a termite expert can help us out with this.  I’ll see if I can connect with one of our friends at Terminix to fill us in with some of their knowledge.  Sounds like another post to me — I’ll keep you post-ed!

This was an interesting find while I was driving very early one morning.  A relatively smaller tree wrapped tightly by a very thick and leafy vine.  I moved what I could off the road just in time for the driver of a Mercedes to fly by on their way to work.  Whew!  I realized that I couldn’t do it by myself and called 911 (non-emergency, of course).  While I waited and watched for speeding cars, a father trying to get his kids to school came by and stopped to lend a hand.  We were able to move more of it off to the side.

It was interesting to see who would stop and help with something so small yet so obtrusive.  There is a sense of community here.  Another exercise enthusiast came by and we were able to clear away just a little bit more!

Officers finally arrived on the scene and between three or four people, we managed to drag and/or push the rest of it out of they way.  We did it!  No equipment needed.  Well, the City & County guys will have to clean the trash off the side of the road eventually I suppose.

What follows is another example of that sense of caring for the neighborhood.  I’ve been waiting for a way to share this and I think a door just opened!  This is the same street, just about a half mile down the road, different day, I walked past this gentleman standing on his car trying to clean graffiti off of a road sign.

I asked him if it was working and, yes, it was.  Passing by and thinking about it, I knew I had to turn around and get a picture!  Obviously there are others who feel the same way that I do about our little community.  Even a speed limit sign is not something we like to have defaced!  I have forgotten his name now and I can only hope that he sees this and leaves a comment to share his name with us. 

Happy New Year Everyone! 

Two Carnival Announcements:

Carnival of Aloha - If you’re still thinking about submitting your article and you’re worried about the deadline, I’ve changed the deadline to tomorrow (Sunday) at noon.  So, send your posts in you guys!

Carnival of Cities - The Carnival of Cities was the guide by which the Carnival of Aloha was set up.  When Homespun Honolulu began, the Carnival of Cities started at the same time by the same organization.  Every once in a while I think about the Carnival of Cities and send in an article that means a lot to me, which I just did recently.

Oh my!  I got nervous when I saw this!  Twenty-three (23) entries in this particular edition of the Carnival of Cities.  Kudos to the host of the Carnival this time!  Roaming Tales — I like that name!

While acknowledging that I have been just a bit out of the loop on a lot of things recently, I decided that my poor, neglected, little blog was in need of something festive!

So, I’m publishing a special Carnival of Aloha with the assistance of some of our previous Hawai’i visitors!

Some I begged and some I just “forced” to join us.  I didn’t really think they would mind. Besides, there isn’t a blogger or a writer that I know who doesn’t appreciate a little link love from time to time!

By invitation, or my begging, please join me and our Hawai’i visitors for a special carnival and help me bring everybody back into the loop for the next Carnival scheduled to go live on January 4th!  Come with me and let’s go visit them all!

Now, those who are familiar with our usual Carnival journey know we always have to have at least one contributor who feeds us.  Most people know how much we all love our food!  This time, we’re in very good shape!  In fact, we’ve got us a real live chef!

Chef Mark Tafoya over at the Culinary Media Network (I love that name) always makes sure his readers have sustenance!  Chef Mark said I could take my pick.  I tried but I couldn’t!  So, you have to choose your favorite!  There were a couple that stood out for me.  I love the products from Alii Kula Lavender so that one struck a chord.  The other one was about a place that, while thinking about it for a long time, I have been a little apprehensive to cover.  The Honolulu Fish Auction!  Thank you, Mark, for covering that while you were here!

Shira, one of the editor/contributors at Jaunted, was kind enough to also share her stories with us.  Of course I had to be partial to anything that says Honolulu Me Please!

I wanted to share this one too!  Shira also shares a video about how they went Dipping Into the Queen’s Bath on Kauai.

Still thinking about our visitors, I knew where I wanted to go!

I went to Sheila over at Go Visit Hawaii and asked for something to include.  I couldn’t forget mine and the Carnival of Aloha’s own Hawai’i-loving, travel darling!  Now that my brain seems back on track, I have to pay attention when Sheila says, Don’t Miss the Nuuanu Pali Lookout on Oahu.

Everything Sheila says is true and, depending on the weather, the wind up there can be very, very strong!

Jim Turner, who doesn’t know I’m doing this, needs to get some extra credit for his blog.   In case you’re still hungry, Jim shares his visit to Macadamia Nut Heave at the Mauna Loa Factory.

I’ve never seen this before and thought it was so cute!  Obviously their commercial is working because I started singing their jingle, “Maunaloa macadamias…”

I owe a huge apology to two bloggers who just missed the time cutoff for the last Carnival published here.  It’s amazing to me how these two posts remain timely even six months later!

Ryan over at Uncommon Cents asks his readers, “Fourteen Percent — Could You Cut Your Budget That Much?” as he shares the story of our State’s furloughs.  It remains timely as we still struggle with it and the battle continues between the Governor and the Hawaii State Teachers Association.

No wonder that our finances are in a mess!  Can any of us handle it?  Well, we can tell by other parts of the economy as we can see with our next blogger.

Pua over at Best Hawaii Vacation with Hawaii Vacation Blog asks, Will Hawaii foreclosures help your dream of living in Hawaii?  I’m not sure how many are willing to brave our economy right now but this is certainly indicative of how well a lot of us are doing.

It’s interesting to note that even with the financial crunch that so many of us are feeling right now, many individuals and companies, while nipping their holiday spending, have opted to give their funds to the Hawaii Food Bank, the Lokahi Giving Project, and other charities like these.  The joy of giving is still there and, finances be damned, we’re still sharing the Aloha!

Mahalo to all of the bloggers/writers in this special edition!  Heartfelt gratitude goes out to those who waited forever and to those who answered my plea to let me bring them back to the islands, virtually.  Please share with your fellow travelers and blogger buddies!  If you’re on Facebook, please come back here to leave comments so the other participants can see your reactions!

Merry Christmas everyone!  ALL bloggers, please be sure to join us for the first Carnival of Aloha of 2010 — it is scheduled to go live on January 4th!  The deadline for submissions is this coming Wednesday, December 30th.  Hope to see you all there!

This month, we’re flying high as visiting bloggers from across the country come riding in on the surf for a visit!  I got so excited when I saw this!

Ryan opens things for us this month by letting us know that The Bloggers are Coming posted over at his Hawaii Blog.  Ryan describes it as “an experiment by the Hawaii Tourism Authority and Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau to reach beyond the traditional media and professional travel agents to see if bloggers and vloggers can help spread the appeal of the Aloha State to a new audience.” If you’re on Twitter, search for the hashtag #hawaiihta to see what they’re up to and you can follow what they’ve been up to that way too!

Once we get through Ryan’s post we’re going to need some sustenance to keep our energy up.  As much as “I’m lovin’ it,” we’re going to drive right on passed McDonalds and follow one of our seasoned Hawaii visitors and Carnival bloggers to see what she’s got waiting for us.

Sheila takes care of our hunger this month with Liliha Bakery Coco Puffs: A Must Try On Your Oahu Vacation posted at Hawaii Vacation Blog - GoVisitHawaii.com, saying, “Mahalo Evelyn for putting Liliha Bakery’s coco puffs onto my radar. We did get to try them and they ‘broke da mouth’!”

Before you eat too many of those I have to say, first of all, that it’s not my fault, and then suggest that you follow the advice of our next blogger before you eat too many of those!  Did I tell you it’s not my fault?

Kris Nelson strongly suggests Having Vacation Portraits Taken – Creating Personalized Memories posted at Ka’anapali Dreamin’ Blog, saying, “Hoping this post helps encourage people to consider having vacation portraits taken while in paradise as we did earlier this year. I’ve been hard pressed to find a more special way to leave the islands with such a personalized memento of Hawaii, and one that will have people talking about (and missing) the islands every time they see those photos.”

That part — talking about and missing the islands — that is our fault!  :)  Memories, history, and traditions are important to us too. Read on and see!

Neenz rejoins us this month and shares a piece of that history  with a post written by a guest blogger called “Talking Story with Hawai’i’s Living Hisotry”: Helen Hiroko Hongo posted over at a blog that’s new to me called Hawaii Traditions.  I love that title!

I’ve missed Neenz recently but I’m left scratching my head as I’m wondering how and why we have felt such a very strong push to visit and embrace the history and culture of our home — simultaneously it seems.  Separate and apart from each other.

Evelyn (that’s me) has been concerned more and more with Preserving Hawaiian Language and Culture and has been talking about related topics here at Homespun Honolulu quite a bit recently.  I’m not complaining about this rekindling of the aloha for our history and culture, far from it!  :)  I’m just pleased and intrigued that I’m not alone in this.   

Are you still thinking about your next vacation?

Pua can give you 3 Reasons to Visit Hawaii this Summer.  She posted them over at Best Hawaii Vacation with Hawaii Vacation Blog and explains that “as the Economic Slowdown is challenging the Mainland and Hawaii, a trip to Hawaii has actually never been as affordable during the recent years as NOW. A vacation in Hawaii may help visitors to leave worries behind, to rejuvenate and replenish their energy.”

That’s it!  Whew!  A huge “Mahalo!” goes out to our visiting bloggers with hopes that they will join us for next month’s Carnival of Aloha with their favorite stories from their visit!   Submit your blog article for the next chapter using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags: carnival of aloha, blog carnival.

I think most of us tend to be curious about a place marked “National Historic Site,” especially when it has a gift shop too!  I was nosey and went in to see the little gift shop and man did I find some really cool stuff and some really cool staff willing to share their knowledge!

I discovered connections to things I had seen elsewhere, I saw books with names I recognized, and there were books about things that had already become a focus for my insatiable curiosity about the history of our home.  In future posts I’ll fill you all in as I get through the items I bought at the gift shop.

The setting of Queen Emma Summer Palace is so peaceful.  It is a piece of Hawai’i’s Royal history that sits for all to view.  All can hear that history as told by those who give guides through the summer home of one of Hawaii’s very special Queens.  Queen Emma is the queen who founded The Queen’s Medical Center which remains until today as a non-profit hospital and the trauma center of Honolulu.

While the Queen Emma Summer Palace is frequented by tour buses and visitors with inquiring minds, I just found it alluring  because of its quiet beauty and its little gift shop that held so much in store for the culturally hungry.

Another thing that was drawn to my attention by the ladies in the gift shop was something known as the Daughters of Hawai’i.  This organization “maintains and operates two palaces to promote the history and culture of Hawai’i.“  The only problem was that to officially become a “Daughter” I would have to be able to trace my family’s Hawaii residence back to years prior to 1880.   Well, I’m fairly sure about 1920 or slightly earlier but 1880 might just be a bit too far back.  But, I can still be a Calabash Cousin!

A “calabash” family member is one who has grown up around you and/or shared a close friendship with you.  Well, that fit!  So, I sent in the application and was pleasantly surprised to soon receive a welcome letter.   In the body of the letter was written,  “The “Calabash Cousins” was established in  1986 as a support group to the Daughters of Hawai’i whose mission is “to perpetuate the memory and spirit of old Hawai’i and of historic facts, and to preserve the nomenclature and correct pronunciation of the Hawaiian language.” 

Funny they should mention that!  Did I tell you guys about H2O and the recent decision by the University of Hawaii’s Board of Regents?   Such a coincidence!  See?  Now it’s my duty! 

If you have not visited the Queen Emma Summer Palace, you should add it to your to-do list.  You’ll find it an educational endeavor and one that was very worthy of your time!

Queen Emma Summer Palace
2913 Pali Hwy
Honolulu, HI 96817
Phone: (808) 595-6291

I know you must recognize this little guy.  If you don’t, enjoy the Carnival and get ready to sign up!

Welcome to the latest chapter of the Carnival of Aloha.  What’s the mode of transportation for the Carnival?  We’re going on the wings of this very bright, adorable, blue bird!

Don’t worry, this bird gets all around the world without any trouble at all!  He is a tiny little thing so we might need to have several of them.  Don’t worry about that either, I see them everywhere!

Pua is the one who ”flew” the blue bird to our Carnival by saying, Twitter about Hawaii Join Us that she posted over at Best Hawaii Vacation with Hawaii Vacation Blog.  Pua’s message said, “Let’s get our Hawaii blogging community even stronger! Our Hawaii mybloglog community and Evelyn’s monthly hosted Aloha Carnival - much mahalo Evelyn for doing this - are places which unite us Hawaii bloggers in our passion for blogging about Hawaii. How about ‘Twitter’ about Hawaii? I am ready. Are you?”  We all need to go leave a comment on Pua’s blog with our Twitter name — @Who?

As we gather all of our blue birds together, this is a rockin’ ride so we need to be ready for the trip!

Angie tells us how to Prepare for the unexpected over at True Aloha, saying, “Hope this helps some people with their travel plans! It gives us some peace of mind! Also, this carnival is a celebration, it me and the hubbs 13 year anniversary!”

We do need to hold on tight to those tiny wings so we need someone to tell us about fitness and staying strong!

Ryan Suenaga does a good job of this with the Ford Island Bridge 10K posted at The Athletic Diabetic.  I’m so jealous!  I really need to focus on getting signed up for that run!  I’ve never been out there.  Thanks for sharing this Ryan!  Hope you stay in top shape with no injuries!

While we’re up in the air with our little bird friend, let’s check out our celestial surroundings!

Sheila helps us out with a Stargazing Q&A With Hawaii Astronomy Expert posted at Hawaii Vacation Blog - GoVisitHawaii.com, saying, “Before I took my first trip to Hawaii, I didn’t realize what a special place Hawaii is for stargazing. It was on my trip when I noticed the amazing number of stars I could see compared to home. This article is meant to help the novice (like me) enjoy Hawaii’s night sky.”

Ahhh, the night sky.  Andrew at A Darker View usually takes care of the night sky for us.  Andrew?  Hey, where’s Andrew?  Oh!

Andrew Cooper is talking about Digital Hawaiian - A Darker View posted at A Darker View.  This is great!  Thank you, Andrew, for the markup needed for those letters!  It would have taken me forever to find any of those and I’m probably going to be needing them soon too!

While Andrew talks about trying to assimilate the culture and language, let’s go get knee-deep in one of our favorite cultural events.

Kris Bordessa takes us to the Merrie Monarch 2009 in Photos posted at Big Island on the Cheap, saying, “Leslie’s view from the sidelines of Merrie Monarch.” I love this and it is so appreciated by people like me when we can’t get there ourselves.  Thank you, Kris!

Preservation of culture is so important, as is the protection of our wildlife.

GrrlScientist tells us all about Saving the `Alalâ posted at Living the Scientific Life, saying, “One of the rarest forest birds in the world, the critically endangered `Alalâ, or Hawaiian Crow, Corvus hawaiiensis, was awarded $14.3 million in conservation funding over the next five years, according to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).” Wow, this is great! I don’t think we would have known this if you hadn’t shared it with us, my scientific friend. 

We need to be careful with our little blue bird too so we’re going to take him with us on board a submarine for our next stop — I don’t think Atlantis Submarines will mind having him aboard.

Kris Nelson takes us on a whale of a sub, sharing some News: Maui Sub Spies Whales from Below posted at Ka’anapali Dreamin’ Blog.  You’ve got to check out this unreal video!  Oh, and don’t worry about our bird, Atlantis Submarines already knows our twittering blue friend!

Let’s go back to the surface now and take a political stance!  No, not standing on the water – standing at the Hawaii State Capitol! 

Mel presents Hawaii Tax Day Tea Party - a set on Flickr posted at Content from Hawaii Tax Day Tea Party, saying, “The taxpayers are angry - the politicians are clueless - read our lips: NO NEW TAXES! I also blogged this at: After the Tea Party What?“  As always, Mel, your photos and video are perfect and so very illustrative.

Things were just a little heated over there so let’s go back in the water!

Liza Pierce floated in a little late here but then, so did I!  Liza shares a heart-felt post about Paddling Out, Scattering of Ashes, Honoring A Loved One Who Passed Away that she posted at A Maui Blog.  There’s something so peaceful about this and it truly is a wonderful way to say Aloha to a loved one!

Evelyn (that’s me) was waffling about which post to share but Liza answered that question for me.  While we’re on the topic of deceased loved ones, I wanted to share a little story about a personal error that I made and that I beat myself up about.  Emotional reconciliation is such a wonderful thing and I made more than one Discovery at Mauna ‘Ala!

That’s it for this chapter! Submit your blog articles to the next edition of the Carnival of Aloha using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags: carnival of aloha, blog carnival.

Here’s something different — I’ve noticed that when people are asked about their relationships they often say things like, “it’s complicated.”  Married, single, divorced?  Boy friend/girl friend?  “It’s complicated.”  If someone were to ask me about my “relationship” with my home and its people, I would have to say, “it’s complicated.” There is no question that I am very passionate about my home and there is no doubt that I love its people very deeply. But, just like we all do with members of our family, I get ticked off sometimes.  Whether it be with family or with others, we all have a tendency to fly off the handle about things before we know the full story.

Before sharing my internal grumblings with you guys, I will always try to be sure that I’m right or, as I am about to do now, I will tell you the whole story, all about how wrong I was, and how I corrected my internal strife.

Ho’oponopono is one of my favorite Hawaiian concepts. It is a way that families or groups get together to discuss their differences and resolve any issues they may be having between them. You could call it a healing process.  It’s a process that I’ve always admired and one that I took to heart many years ago.  More recently, I saw it labeled as, ”mental cleansing.”  That definition certainly works for me on this one!

So, with all of that in mind, let me share a little story. Don’t “go off” until you’ve read the whole thing!  I already did that.

Torn and Reconciled

On April 20th, I finally got to walk on the grounds of the Royal Mausoleum. I was excited and a little scared. I walked across the lawn looking at things and something suddenly made me stop and think – I couldn’t believe it. Shock and dismay left me questioning my ability to judge character.  “Why? How could they do that to them?!? How could they be so cruel?”

Let me explain.  We need to back up a little to understand this faulty thought process of mine.  It all started with a small bit of knowledge — knowledge that Kamehameha Schools removed the “Bishop” name from their own. They didn’t want a “haole name” in the name of the school. Fine. That’s your choice. Whatever. To be honest, with all of the bad publicity surrounding Bishop Estate, I would have preferred to disassociate from that as well. I shook my head and left it at that. Then I read somewhere about the love between Princess Bernice Pauahi and Charles Reed Bishop and I started to feel badly and very sad about the name thing.

Now let’s get back to the Mausoleum. Stay with me now, this is where I mix things all up in my head.

The gates are open at Mauna ‘Ala, the Royal Mausoleum, and I can go in! There’s the Queen’s burial site! There’s Queen Lili’uokalani’s resting place, the last sovereign of Hawaii. Wow, finally! Who’s next to her? John Dominis. (My mental wheels go screech!) “Huh?”

“Uh, excuse me, what’s more haole than that?”  Okay, there is Error #1.  This is also known as jumping to conclusions without thinking. Can we talk about a time line here? Hint: There is NO connection between these burials and the name of Kamehameha Schools! Moving on…

They put Charles Reed Bishop out on the lawn all by himself! Enter in my Error #2.

“Where’s his wife anyway? Probably down there with the Queen and everybody else and I just didn’t see her name,” grumble, grumble, grumble. As you can see from the picture above, this was Error #3. Bernice Pauahi’s name is with the rest of the Kamehameha family, right next to Charles out there on the lawn! (That’s the crypt that Charles built for them after she died, by the way.)

Yes there were errors but they accomplished something important — they sent me on a mission to understand what happened.  That mission has opened doors to so many things!

Elimination of the Errors

• Error #1: I had the Kamehameha School thing stuck in my brain and that was recent. Queen Lili’uokalani and Governor Dominis were interred many, many years before that! I get one slap for that one.

• Error #2: Charles Bishop was put there by his own design. One more slap for me! Kamehameha School might want to rethink the removal of the name of someone with so much caring, respect, and regard for the royal family!  Just a thought.

• Error #3: She’s right there! Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop is not only right next to Mr. Bishop’s memorial stone, his ashes were actually interred with her in the Kamehameha Crypt before it was permanently sealed! Three slaps for me!

I could not have been more wrong!  My internal dismay and whining changed into something like this:

“OMG! There she is! Charles was put where? OMG! See?!? They didn’t. They couldn’t. They wouldn’t. They could never be cruel! I knew that.”

Research, patience, and understanding leads to an internal drama successfully reconciled.  The fact that Charles’ urn  was placed on Bernice Pauahi’s casket by Prince Kuhio was just wonderful frosting on the cake for me! (Source: Mauna ‘Ala Hawai’i’s Royal Mausoleum, Last Remnant of a Lost Kingdom by Don Chapman with William Kaihe’ekai Mai’oho)  Their love was not overlooked, it was highly respected.  Ponopono = setting it straight; setting me straight!

I’m not saying that Charles was an angel.  I don’t know enough about it all, but I’ll keep digging and I’ll let you know!

SPECIAL NOTE about Kamehameha Schools: Don’t take any of this the wrong way! If I had a child, right now, with Hawaiian blood, I would do everything in my power to enroll that child in the Kamehameha Schools system. They produce fine students! I have only the highest respect for the quality of education that they provide! (It’s not their fault that I’m a mush bucket who jumps to conclusions.)

There’s so much to uncover, so much to tell — I don’t even know where to start.  The stories all link together, the history all links together, my discoveries all link together. I want so much to share — it’s so fascinating. There is so much we don’t know! Did our education system let us down. In this department I’m afraid they did. I’ll share what I find, I promise!

In the mean time, Mauna ‘Ala is a beautiful place to visit and to just sit down for a while and think.  It’s so peaceful and there is such a feeling of safety and sanctity there.  If you have not been there, you need to be sure you add it to your list of places to visit!

In Search of Restoration

As you step carefully down the narrow stairway, you well see a little plaque on your left next to the gate. You can see it in the picture to the right. On the plaque is written a short little blessing labeled the “Kawananakoa Gate Blessing.” (The Kawananakoa family is there with the Queen too!)

That little plaque reads as follows:

HARBINGERS OF ALOHA
THROUGH A BLACK LACE VEIL, SHIMMERING
UNLOCK OUR LOVE
LEST WE FORGET FROM WHENCE WE CAME

AND AS WE TOO SLIP THE SURLY BONDS OF EARTH
TO FLY WITH IWALANI
LET OUR CHILDREN JOIN HANDS HERE
TO TOUCH THE SOUL OF ALOHA

                                               August 29, 1986

It’s not all that old.  I don’t know who wrote it but it’s very beautiful, very touching, and very fitting. In a coming post, “In Search of Restoration,” I will tell you why I say it is so fitting.

For now, I just felt the need to share my little joyful moment of discovery with the World.  Readers know where my heart is. This is my home and this is our history.