Homespun Honolulu

The Carnival of Cities is being hosted at Buenos Aires this week. It’s kind of nice to have this particular event every week. We all get to travel without the expense and we get to hear from real people who live there are have been there and have a story to tell or something to share.

Anyway, I get to re-introduce this concept of the Carnival of Cities all over again for all of those people who have not seen one before. That’s always a good thing! For the sake of consistency, we’ll go along in the same order as this week’s host.

Our first stop at the Carnival this week is Brazil! Tony Galvez shares very colorful pictures of the Tanabata Matsuri festival coloring up the streets of Sao Paulo. Tony shares with us that this is an event that happens every July and has been going on in this Brazilian city since 1979. We’re so used to this here in Honolulu but I guess it would be unusual in Brazil. Well, not anymore!

We move on to our host’s part of the world where Dalila tells us the 7 things to do when visiting Palermo Viejo. She also tells us not to get mixed up since most of the streets have Latin American names. The three main streets: El Salvador, Honduras and Costa Rica.  Yeah, I guess that could get confusing.

Next we get some advice from Steve Madsen on what to do in London, England. You can get some great travel tips from this blog too!

This is not the first time that we’ve visited the River Ribble in Preston, England. This one is a river worth saving and at Save the Ribble, the Riversider asks if the Preston Vision Board is Split Over the River Barrage.

Visiting Cyprus… that sounds so exotic doesn’t it? Described as an island nation in the Mediterranean Sea, Cyprus shares something similar to us. Okay, they have one large island and we have 8 small ones, but they’re surrounded by water too! Sue shares an evening at Larnaka Beach with us over at her cypruslife blog.

What’s a cyber trip around the world without a stop in Switzerland? Our blogger at This non-American Life tells us all about a Zuri Fascht festival there. It didn’t sound like Jul was altogether happy with the event but the post does indicate that most of the other people at the festival enjoyed themselves.

This is way cool! We are fortunate to hear from someone in the Middle East! We’ve got to send a little aloha from here to the city of Dubai where Grace tries very hard to assure us that all is safe.  I kind of have to agree with her! Thanks, Grace, for sharing this with us! It’s nice to know that there’s peace somewhere among the turbulence!

Jon Rochetti at the DC Traveler found Paris! Uh, he found it in Virginia. Jon tells us all about this little town and the charming Ashby Inn & Restaurant. You’ve gotta love a place that has no problem painting its walls some other color rather than boring old white! I love the warmth of those red walls! A picture says a thousand words. When in Paris (Virginia), make sure you stay at that Inn… the food sounds pretty darn good too. Nice job, Jon!

Surprise, surprise! Hawaii has got two posts in the Carnival this week! At An Island Life, Kailani tells us about her warm family weekend on The Valley Island of Maui. I like the name, Baby Bug! This is how Kailani refers to her youngest little one. Too cute! Close to the beach and still close to air conditioning — life is good! Sounds wonderful, Kailani!

Hopping over one island, Evelyn (me) at Homespun Honolulu shares a post for the biker enthusiasts as Local Pride of the Island puts on its first annual bike show. Lots of motorcycles, lots of vendors, and one very hot sun! Bikes were entered in different classes for judging — a post with the names of the winners to follow!

Then we get to hear from Cherie about the Tango Magic in Denver, Colorado as we journey back across the Pacific and relive an interesting afternoon at the “Tango Temple” with the Rocky Mountains as a backdrop. I think the name, tangocherie sounds like a cool drink. Hey, we just got to Denver after being in the hot Hawaiian sun! I just like that name.

Are you guys dizzy yet?

Well, we get to sit for just a bit for a softball tournament (of sorts) at The San Diego Beat. Carole gives all the in’s and out’s of how San Diego is Going Over-the-Line and then she tells us how to get there, where to be for what we want to do and she even provides videos showing just what it’s all about! I’m glad she included those YouTube videos!  Thanks, Carole!

Of course after watching all of that, you’re probably more tired now than dizzy!

Let’s move on to Jamestown! You guys do realize that we’re back in Virginia again, right? That’s okay because we’re looking at things from a historic perspective this time. Sheila from Family Travel, See the World with Your Kids, shares a nice little story about Who’s on First in Jamestown? The two things I liked about this post were Sheila’s shared fascination with the archeological excavations that continue to go on there, and her reference to the “real story” of Pocahontas, both with links if you want to dig for further information. Thank you, Sheila! I enjoyed this.

Wait, we’re not done with the west coast of America yet. Did you guys know that there is a memorial to fishermen in Seattle? Check out the Fishermen’s Terminal that Mary Jo from the Seattle Traveler chose to share with us this week. According to Mary Jo, the statue is made out of bronze and stone and commemorates the fisher-people (fishermen and fisherwomen) that have been lost at sea. There’s a picture, and a link! Check it out!

Don’t get too comfortable just yet. We’ve got one more long jump across the country to New York where we get to visit Meredith Matthew’s Lemonade Stand. We meet up with Meredith to Take a Virtual Walk in New York City this Afternoon!

Whew! That’s the Carnival for this week but there’s more to come next Monday. It should be interesting to see what the Carnival will bring and where it will take us next week!

It has been busy and so have I! But, we cannot let it go by without taking a peek at who and what’s in the ring!

Take another excursion around the world at Home Turf Media’s Carnival of Cities and see what kind of performers have stepped into the ring this week!

First of all, we go to the hidden part of New York, under the city (literally) to find “The Book.” I so wished for a picture of this scary yet fascinating journey to this mini, underground work of art. This one has got to be my pick of the week.

Next the carnival leads you back to Homespun Honolulu (which is where you are right now) for you to see the Extreme Makeover which was quite the circus!

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Somehow one of our local families was chosen to be the recipient of the generosity of the popular television series, Extreme Makeover Home Edition. Momi Akana and her family were surprised to find that they were the chosen ones for Extreme Makeover to rebuild their home.

Why was Momi chosen? Well, about ten years ago she was a single mother of six on welfare and trying to raise her children. While dealing with that, Momi managed somehow to establish Keiki O Ka ‘Aina Family Learning Centers, a non-profit organization that has grown from providing programs for 30 keiki at its founding in 1996 to nearly two thousand at this point — maybe more.

Momi and her family were moved off the island as the crew, made up mostly of volunteers (nearly 2000 of them), worked for a week non-stop and, in spite of tropical weather conditions that kept the ground soft and even muddy at times, they managed to complete their mission.

There were several sponsors from local companies as well as mainland firms. City Mill provided materials.

Even Hawaiian Telcom got involved with providing the “communications for the build.”

This was an exciting event to have happen here. I mean, this is the stuff you watch on television. It doesn’t happen here! Surprise! It just did.

As I mentioned the other day, officers from the Honolulu Police Department are always there! Here they were on hand to direct and control traffic while protecting the nosy and inquisitive pedestrians, like me, from getting in the way of tractors, buses and other construction vehicles.

On a narrow street like this, these vehicles appeared even larger than normal. There was only one way in and one way out so it was a challenge for builders and neighbors alike. The neighbors stuck together and seemed happy to deal with it.

Here it is and there they are! Volunteer workers continue working through the night. They started on Thursday, June 7th and wrapped it up today (Wednesday, June 13th), only a week later.

I like these sheets of grass carpeting that will soon make up the lawn!

The interesting part of this project is that Extreme Makeover was not only building a house for the Akana family, they were also building a community center for Keiki O Ka ‘Aina on the same property! Members of the Extreme Makeover crew said this was their biggest challenge so far — building two buildings instead of just one in their allotted time.

Keiki O Ka ‘Aina is an organization that works to involve parents more actively in the education of their children. Their mission statement says that they aim to “support parents as their children’s first teachers.” Well, Keiki O Ka ‘Aina now has a brand new place to work with even more families in the education and cultural enrichment of their children!

From what I understand the show featuring this build will be aired in September. Until then, KHON Channel 2 has a nice clip of the Akana family homecoming. To the crew of Extreme Makeover Home Edition, Honolulu thanks you — for your generosity and for the excitement!

Honolulu has joined in again this week with the Carnival of Cities. The carnival is being hosted this week by Argentina’s Travel Guide, Cesar Gonzalez. To be specific, Cesar had landed the virtual carnival in Argentina’s capital, Buenos Aires.

Mary Jo is the Seattle Traveler who tells us all about Dick’s hamburger place. What a traditional sign this place has! It looks like a scene from the old TV show, Happy Days! In fact, Mary Jo tells us that the drive-inn opened its doors at about the right time, in 1954! You’ve got to love a “mom and pop” restaurant that is still running after all these years! My husband would love this place, I just know it! I know where we’re going if we ever get to Seattle!

Shawn tells us about something they did in New York that I think is absolutely brilliant! You’ve got to go see Pinstripes in the Park Hosts Roger Clemens! It’s a dream come true for fans of the New York Yankees. I really think all States with teams that are well-loved by their resident fans should have something of this sort. Thanks for sharing this, Shawn!

Carole of The San Diego Beat explains all about the sweet housing deals available to San Diego’s law enforcement officers as she explains how San Diego says they are Housing Our Heroes. Hmmm… sounds very enticing for the men and women in the police force!

I don’t know anything about Chicago but hellojed from Ireland just got home from there and helps us out with Ten Things to do in Chicago, whether you’re a tourist or not.

I mentioned at the beginning of this post that Honolulu has joined in again this week and we did so with Birds of a Feather Nest Together.

Happy reading and enjoy the carnival either in Honolulu’s nest as you eat some of Dick’s burgers from Seattle while watching the New York Yankees! Then, when that’s all done, you can try one, two or all of the ten best things to do in Chicago! It’s a Carnival, so come on down and surf the cities with us!

I know I’ve missed the end of May with this post, but the topic of this article is too important when broaching the subject of the Hawaiian lei! The feather lei are perhaps the most historic and meaningful pieces of artistic culture that still lives in modern times. Na Lima Mili Hulu No’eau is a shop in Kapahulu, Honolulu that sells these lei, sells supplies to make them and provides instruction for anyone seriously interested in exploring this craft.

What’s in a name? A lot! Na Lima Mili Hulu No’eau means Skilled Hands Touch the Feathers. The curators of this little shop, Mary Louise Kaleonahenahe Kekuewa and daughter, Paulette Nohealani Kahalepuna have not only been using their skills to create these beauties but they have also written a book entitled Feather Lei as an Art. It is very easy to understand and gives an idea of just how much work is involved with this craft — the feathers are cleaned, cut to specifications and each feather is then hand stitched or hand tied, one at a time.

Different cuts on the feathers are used to make different styles of lei. Here Paulette is working on snipping feathers either in preparation for a new project or to bag the different cuts for students or buying customers.

The shop brings a little bit of business and a little bit of home together for these ladies. Mother and daughter spend 12-hour days in the shop together working on orders, supplies, and projects, and teaching their craft. The walls are papered with certificates, art and photos.

The walls are also surrounded and lined with birds, feathers and family photos. Theirs is a very close-knit family! At home there are four generations of women — Aunty Mary Lou, Paulette, Paulette’s daughter and her daughter’s daughter. Aunty Mary speaks lovingly and with fond memories of her deceased husband, Uncle Paul, who was also very much involved in the feather craft.

The above lei are those made with natural feathers. The bulk of the feathers used today are those from the goose, duck or chicken. The more exotic feathers are either price prohibitive or the birds are endangered… or both. Well, since the Mayor has designated the manu-o-Ku (white tern) as Honolulu’s official bird, I’m sure it is protected and from what I’ve seen I’d even call it rare.

We won’t be getting any feathers from the manu-o-ku anytime soon. Heck, I can’t even find one; I’ve tried! I wanted to find one so that I could take a picture of this pretty white bird with the black beak and black legs so that I could talk about it here. But, I haven’t found one yet! That doesn’t stop us from making a white lei with black kukui nuts and black ribbon at each end to match the color of this bird!

After I get these two ladies to help me make one, I promise to share it here with you guys!

Mahalo, Aunty Mary Lou and Paulette, for perpetuating this part of our culture and for taking the time to talk to me and to share your knowledge and artistic gifts!

I strongly encourage others to inquire about classes or about the beautiful completed lei hulu (feather lei) available for purchase.

What a great place! Stop by, check it out, hang your hat and talk story for a while with these wonderful people. They have a lot to share and you’ll be glad you did!

Aunty Mary Lou’s Na Lima Mili Hulu No’eau
762 Kapahulu Ave
Honolulu, Hawai’i
(808) 732-0865

Another week, another Carnival! Isn’t it great to not have to drive or look for parking when attending the Carnival of Cities?!?

Homespun Honolulu has joined in the fun once again and has very good company. Here is the list in the same order provided by our Carnival Host and DC Traveler, Jon. A blogger from the b5media family of blogs.

This non-American Life is a great title for a blog! Along with this great title, here’s a great tradition from Vienna — Vienna - Kaffee-und-Kuchen. It’s like the tradition of the Mexican siesta but this afternoon rest period comes with food!

A little historic journey through Honolulu’s past can be found at the Hawaii Maritime Center article. By the way, I’m reading that book about the Falls of Clyde. I’ll keep you guys posted!

For the next stop at this week’s Carnival, we move from as far West in America as you can get, to as far East in America as you can get! We move from Honolulu to New York! It sounds like there will be dancing in the streets of New York on May 19th! Visit this blog and you can find out all about the 2007 Dance Parade in New York.

Texas draws us back from the East. Jami’s neighbors live in gingerbread houses! Well, at least it looks like it, in the Monte Vista area of San Antonio. A real fairytale neighborhood!

Ruth, another b5media blogger, says to everyone, “Let’s Visit Asia” and in the process, she shares a post about the new Westin Hotel in China. Fancy!

For this Carnival of Cities we are really into history. I always like to make pit stops at Wicked Winter. Jaz (those are his initials, cool huh?) tells us all about the history and the Circle of the Montague Avenue area in North Charleston, South Carolina.

John at A DC Birding Blog has a really cool blog. What a tremendous amount of information about wild birds! I’m impressed! John is kind enough in this post to let everyone know where to go look as a carnival prize for travelers!

Eric, at What’s Up Arlington, writes about cool event, Artomatic, that has a variety of art to appeal to a wider audience, and, it’s open late! Here’s something to do in the evening besides the overdone dinner and a movie thing.

David at Brisbane is Home, tell us all about Brisbane’s 2007 Jazz Festival. Tons of links, photos and stories to share! David loves to share photos and his Home Turf has a personality all its own!

My impression of Kathryn over at San Fran Voice is that she is somewhat of a risk taker. I, of course, mean that in the most positive way! She has no problem stepping outside that societal box and I commend her for this! At this Carnival, she shares great information about, as our host puts it, Finding Love and More on Craigslist. You go girl! You gotta love San Francisco for being creative and brave… Kathryn is quite at home right where she is! Read her About page too!

Steve at Silicon Valley Real Estate Blog tells us about a taking a Walking Tour of Santana Row. You guys have got to see this cool place and the human-sized chess board! Aside from that, a chance to visit a place where the Internet gurus hang out is always an enticement for me! Ya think there’s any of their “stuff” available through osmosis?

We have another b5media blogger, Mary Jo, at The Seattle Traveler! Mary Jo writes about Chicks in the City. Look at those legs! Look at that chest! Man, these chicks look great, especially if you’re a raccoon! Okay, okay, so it’s about raising chickens for fresh eggs in Seattle, not sex in the city. But, what a looker! Mary Jo put up a great-looking photo!

At The Digerati Life by Silicon Valley Blogger asks, “Should you Quit School Because You’re Brilliant?” Good question. What if you only THINK you’re brilliant? How brave are you? Braver than I!

Carole at The San Diego Beat educates us on the true meaning of Cinco de Mayo and then shows us how San Diego doesn’t care when they celebrate it, as long as they do! Cinco de Mayo, San Diego Style shares a nice pictorial story with this week’s Carnival goers! In fact, now I know that Taco Bell is where I’m going for lunch!

Riversider at Save The Ribble says, “Dammit, no Dams!” We get to read about the banding together of citizens to protect the beauty and functionality of their environment in this post about a Barrage (dam) across the Rabble River in England.

At The Picket Line by David, has done a book review for us on the Underground Economy of the Poor in Chicago. Sounds like interesting reading! There is a link to Amazon where the book is available. Hmmm… one to get you thinking for sure. Chicago may not be the only one.

Last but certainly not least is the post from our Carnival Host! Jon, from The DC Traveler, tells us about this really cool artistic event about making a mini-film based on a single line of text or dialogue. This is to be done in just 48 hours as part of the 48-HourFilm Project in Washington, DC.

It’s another Carnival alright, and man what a Carnival it is! Behave yourselves and have fun! Well… why don’t you just have fun!

Talk about hidden treasure! I was out running one Saturday afternoon and caught site of this little place we must have passed a million times. I got closer to see just exactly what it was. A gift shop? It’s right next to Aloha Tower Marketplace so it must be. No, it’s not. It’s a museum! OMG, I love museums!

I made a date with my mother to go a week or so after Easter. So, we did. The Hawai’i Maritime Center is a must-see attraction that is certainly not advertised enough! The shows in Waikiki are great but here is a piece of Hawaii’s history put together so nicely with information that is invaluable! I kept thinking about how it should be a requirement that all Hawaiiana teachers go to this attraction. I think I’ll write a letter to the Department of Education. I don’t remember anyone teaching me this stuff! What made me walk into this place to begin with? This big fish! I thought it was strange that they would build such a large model… it’s not a model. It’s a REAL fish. Honest! Then I read signs that said, “World’s Largest Pacific Blue Marlin caught on Rod & Reel in Makaha, Oahu on June10, 1970.” No way! Back to the West side of the island again. Back to my old stomping ground. Well, sort of — I’m pretty sure this guy was out in a lot deeper water than I ever ventured into! I think I would have had a coronary if I suddenly figured out that I was swimming next to something as big as that without knowing it! For you fishermen out there, that is sixteen feet and 1,805 pounds of marlin! Caught with 130 lb test and an angling time of 45 minutes, Captain Cornelius Choy and his daughter, Gail, somehow brought this giant with a 97-inch girth to shore. He was made into a display by taxidermist, Jordon Lee. Anyway, we’re not even in the door yet and already fascinated.
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I’ve got a great word for our Hawaiian vocabulary word of the day: “pāka kāniwala” which means amusement park or carnival.

Why is this such a great word? Well, Homespun Honolulu is a participant this week in the Carnival of Cities so it seemed like an appropriate time to add Carnival to our list of vocabulary words.

This is a first for me and I’m happy to be part of something so neat like this. I wanted to share it with everyone and let you guys know how to get there and see all of it.

While most carnivals have a start and end, this carnival is an Internet carnival and goes on 24/7! The best part is you don’t have to leave the house, pay for tickets or stand in line — you just need to sit back, click the links and read.

Each week, there are cities that participate and I decided to share the Lighthouses for the 8th Edition of the Carnival of Cities which carries the title of Global Village.

All of you bloggers out there can do this too. Just blog about your city or something going on in your city and submit the story for consideration. You can go here for the instructions and other information.

Cities and their stories can be truly fascinating. This gives a fresh idea of what’s going on in the world beyond our own borders! Rest your mouse on the addresses of the cities listed below and you will see the names of their stories at the end of the web address in your status bar.

Here are the links to the stories included in this week’s Carnival of Cities:

American Cities

• Charleston, South Carolina
• San Diego, California (pretty butterflies!)
• Tampa, Florida
• Great Falls, Montana
• New York, New York
• Honolulu, Hawaii (this is me)
• Memphis, Tennessee

European Cities

• Preston, United Kingdom
• Dublin, Ireland
• Cambridge, United Kingdom

Asian Cities

• Mauritius, Indian Ocean
• Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (bloggers will like this one!)

Australian Cities

• Sydney, Australia
• Brisbane, Australia (this one has a multitude of photos that cracked me up!)

Enjoy this trip around the world and happy reading!

What is the fascination with lighthouses? Why do artists like Thomas Kinkade paint them all the time? Are they silent sentinels? Are they watchdogs that watch over the coastlines while we sleep? Are they lines of protection that keep passers by from crashing into our skylines? Are they places that harbor the romantic passion of lovers separated by distance or loss? Perhaps they are all of these things.

I have to say that I am going to take the stand that, for our purposes here, Pyramid Rock and Ka’ena Point lighthouses don’t make the cut to be included here or acknowledged for anything more than the light they give. I will only mention them in passing since they are either inaccessible, not worth seeing or both.

Pyramid Rock is a light fixed on top of a rock on a military base so it doesn’t count because not only is it nearly impossible to get to, there is no “house.”

Ka’ena Point has fallen due to coastline erosion and has been replaced by a light on top of a stick. Sorry, I have an attitude about Ka’ena Point because it is part of my old stomping ground as I was growing up. It is the part of the island that is, I feel, ignored and neglected by government officials.

Even the Coast Guard is now guilty of this same lack of interest in replacing/restoring one of its own lighthouses to its original glory.

Anyway, the Ka’ena Point lighthouse is no longer worth the trip unless you want to see the fallen over lighthouse now covered with graffiti; or, unless you want to see the light-on-a-stick which certainly interferes with any romantic sensibilities about lighthouses.

I will only deal here with places of interest that have significant meaning and/or give us something to talk about.

We’ll begin with Aloha Tower as it tops our pictorial story. I never even thought of Aloha Tower as being a lighthouse. I always considered it just a giant clock, and that’s only when I even paid any attention to it at all.

It used to stand as a solitary sentinel but now it has become the focal point for one of Honolulu’s newer, tourist-attracting shopping centers.

Some people will remember it as one of the fly-by photos during the opening sequence of the old TV show, “Hawaii 5-0.” Yes, it has been here that long… longer!

We’ll talk about Aloha Tower Marketplace in another post. I promise.

Did I say, “I promise?”

It seems to get me in trouble when I promise things.

Here we are back at Makapu’u Point so we can get up there and get pictures of the lighthouse.

Some time back I promised readers that I would get pictures of those abandoned bunkers left over from WW II.

Trying to be good to my word, I did indeed run up to the top to take pictures of these things that cannot be seen from the street below (including the lighthouse of course).

I need to note here that if you think you see anything in the waters surrounding this area, you probably do. This is a place people go to whale watch and there were whales in the water that day.

On this day that I went up to get these photos, a gentleman was standing calmly with his camera as he stood overlooking the lighthouse and the water below. He said he was watching a mother and baby humpback whale and he tried to point out a flipper emerging from the water, but I didn’t see it.

Back to my promise…

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