Homespun Honolulu

Before zoning out and letting my mind wander off on Monday, I did manage to focus for just a bit so that I could check in on the grand opening of the Stop Rail Now office.

Some people seem to think that the rail will be a good addition to our landscape and that it will help alleviate the problems with transportation and traffic. I don’t think so.

I’m sorry but I am inclined to be more supportive of the research done by the staff at the University of Hawaii and I will go with those who are in the know rather than those looking to make a name for themselves. I will even go so far as to say that if you work downtown, or nearby, and if you’re a registered voter, go ahead and print out the petition, send me a message or leave a comment here so that I can contact you. I will collect them from you and deliver them to the Stop Rail Now office myself!

We have the right to vote on this project! Get your co-workers to sign it too! As long as this is what people want to do and as long as they’re registered to vote, then go for it!

This movement is not without its supporters, as you can see. If you have questions or need assistance, contact the office at (808) 536-4384.

We have to maintain the beauty of our island! Honolulu has just been rated as the “greenest city in the nation.” I think we should focus more on keeping it that way and focus on keeping our skyline free of rail tracks and other mechanical paraphernalia.

At the very least it is a decision that should be made by the citizens as a whole, not unilaterally by a hired official.

Stop Rail Now
627 South Street, Suite 4
Honolulu, HI 96813

On Memorial Day most normal people do normal things.  They visit the cemetery, they watch news reports about the National commemorations and celebrations, they go on picnics or to the beach, etc.  I, on the other hand, go running and exploring places I didn’t know were there.

As I meandered around, somewhat tuned out and in a mental zone I found what may have been a feral cat staring at me from the brush along side a rather steep ditch.  He may have just wandered away from home to explore like me, but he looked pretty odd there in that spot, just staring at me.  Oh, oh… not too far away, there might be lunch!

I spotted this bright fellow in the brush not too far away from the kitty in the brush.  I don’t think the cat saw Mr. Cardinal though.

Then I saw this — wow! So pretty, so serene, so…. (screeeeeeach)  There’s that sound of the phonograph needle scratching the record again!

Here’s what we have instead:

I’ve grown to hate the sight of this sign.  As soon as I see something pretty and inviting I always seem to be greeted by one of these warnings!

Oh well, at least someone is keeping us safe.  It’s still pretty to look at — even though it’s very close to the highway.  You would never think there was so much beauty that people speed by every day.  It’s a great place for contemplation.  A great place to think about something, or about nothing.  All this can be accomplished while trying not to get run over or annoy drivers.

The sky is looking pretty clear, at least for the time being. Our tradewinds returned yesterday afternoon and, while still very present, the vog started to dissipate.

This Sunday morning I can look out the window and comfortably say that it is not raining.  Recently, I have had to look down at the street to see if it was wet.  This morning, the sky is blue and the asphalt is dry!

These pictures show what it looked like at the end of the last week.

Even the afternoon traffic was looking like the beginning of the holiday season with everyone heading out for shopping or an evening football game. It’s the afternoon; headlights are not supposed to be so bright!

It looks like rain but it’s bone dry.  After walking for a while and waiting for droplets it suddenly dawned on me that I was standing in the middle of it.  I assume that the vog will all come back as soon as the trades stop blowing, but for now, we’ll enjoy the clear sky.

I don’t remember it ever being like this and I have heard even people in the media say the same.  While it does make for beautiful sunrises and sunsets, I think we’re done with the novelty of it all.  I’m sure those with breathing problems and the parents with asthmatic children are very done!   I just worry about how people on the island of Hawaii deal with it!  Maybe it all floats away from there and wafts over to linger over the rest of the islands.  How’s the air on Maui anyway?

The composition of our chain of islands has a perceived yet invisible strand that holds us together. Okay, I’m not much on the topography of the ocean floor. While there may be years of lava flows keeping us tight, the strand I’m referring to is the cultural and emotional strand shared by island residents — no matter which island they’re living on. For the most part, we love our environment, we love our weather and we love our ocean and its wealth of sea dwelling creatures.

A few weeks back, my mother and I took a little whale sighting cruise. We didn’t see any. We were given tickets for a return engagement because of it. With tax time and other responsibilities, we never made it to that free repeat cruise we were promised. So, I went looking for other options. I thought about the submarine ride they have somewhere near Waikiki but Mom is claustrophobic so that wouldn’t be good. There are other sea-going vessels but they’re not all wheelchair accessible. I’m still looking.

In the mean time, I want to share something they have on Maui that I’m wishing we had on Oahu. I will confess at this point that, while we were on that little cruise on Oahu, I couldn’t help but say things to myself like, “I wish we were on Maui; we would be seeing whales if we were on Maui!”

There is this business on Maui that has a variety of activities that it offers. A catamaran with “unobstructed, panoramic viewing” sounds good to me! The difference? They’ve taken it a few steps beyond. They’re not just into whale watching, they’re covering all of the ocean basics with a hands-on approach. They’re not just riding on the water, they’re going in the water. Pride of Maui sounds like a great idea if you want to snorkel Maui!

Pride of Maui includes Molokini crater in its list of activities.  I caught myself comparing Maui’s Molokini crater with Oahu’s Hanauma Bay — without the locked gates and restricted parking. I’m being a little tough on Hanauma Bay and I need to remind people that I’m here on Oahu, not over there on Maui. Who knows what’s going on back on Maui’s shore. Perhaps Maui residents can fill us in on this little tidbit.

In Oahu’s (Honolulu’s) defense, the City and County of Honolulu, as irritating as it is, aims only to protect Hanauma Bay from a variety of threats to its health and preservation. Those threats weren’t there thirty-five or forty years ago. We had free reign back then.

One of the things that caught my attention with this venue of Maui snorkeling was their inclusion of snorkeling at “Turtle Town” on their list of activities. I didn’t even know there was such a thing. No, Pride of Maui didn’t make it up — it’s an actual area on Maui, or rather, along the shoreline of Maui where the turtles hang out.

As paranoid as I am about preservation, I was happy to find that I didn’t have to look too far to be sure that Pride of Maui is paranoid about it too. The warning is right on their site:

“The Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles are a protected species. Close encounters are sometimes initiated by the turtles. We respect their space and have discovered that by swimming calmly and respectfully, they will often swim closer to get a look at you.”

“Touching, chasing, or riding the turtles is unlawful and strictly prohibited.”

Thank you for that, Pride of Maui. I appreciate it when the tourist/business industry takes these things seriously! Mahalo to National Geographic for that honu picture!

I was happy to hear on one of the news channels recently that the Hawaiian sea turtle, honu, has recovered, for the most part, quite nicely. The comment made was that, what they thought would take 100 years to restore, has taken only 30. They’re still protected but at least we can see that our preservation efforts are not in vain. Perhaps sometime in our lifetime we will hear the same about our humpback whales!

The beauty of our natural environment extends from the tropical rain forests to the deep, life-sustaining oceans. The islands share these things in common and are linked by these cultural and emotional threads. We’re all working on preserving the environment along with the language and culture that makes Hawaii who and what we are! Island businesses are contributing to our ability to learn and share these things with each other and with our visitors.

Technorati Tags: Island Business, Maui, Ocean Wildlife, Snorkeling

It’s deadline time again!  This is just a reminder to everyone to not forget to send your blog posts in for the upcoming edition of the Carnival of Aloha.  If you’re new to the Carnival, you can follow that link to get all of the guidelines.  If you’re a veteran, don’t forget to submit your post before the deadline!

The deadline for this issue of the Carnival of Aloha is this coming Wednesday, April 30th.  It’s coming up on us fast and furious so don’t forget!  Catch a wave and drop your post off your post as you surf on by. 

Technorati Tags: blog carnival, Carnival of Aloha, Honolulu

The Honolulu Academy of Arts did the “green” thing this past Sunday for its Family Sunday. Assuming this was in anticipation of yesterday’s Earth Day, I would say they did a great job.

For those who drive down Beretania Street and pass the Academy on a regular basis, like me, you’re familiar with the colorful banners in front of the Academy that are blowing in the wind as you drive by.

These banners, as festive and alluring as they are, have nothing to do with Earth Day. These are part of the motif that continues on the inside and is the current exhibit visiting the Academy.

The sacred arts of Bhutan are currently this featured display at the Academy of Arts. The full display of this attraction is on the second floor.

We did not venture up to see the display but it was definitely the topic of conversation while we were there. “The Dragon’s Gift,” as this exhibit is titled, is an attraction which focuses on the “Himalayan kingdom’s Buddhist art and culture.”

This exhibit represents an unusual opportunity to learn about a culture we don’t hear about very often. In addition to the educational aspect, it is definitely a visual feast of very colorful arts, sacred ritual dance, and rich textiles.

Those colorful banners we mentioned, the ones pictured above, are actually covered in writings that you would only see if you were standing next to them. While the writings are not in English, the quality and detail involved with such labor still makes quite an impact.

So, just what was going on for Earth Day? Well, there were a lot of things to make you think about protecting our environment and a lot of hands-on activities for the keiki (children).

Here we’ve got some terrariums being made to further educate the youngsters. I was surprised to see just how little parking was available and how many young children were there. The Academy is not usually a place where you find young children. Its focus is more on the arts of various World cultures. Bishop Museum is a more common place to see the kids.

It certainly made for some creativity and quality time for families. Happy Tamanaha, seen below, was showing people of varying ages the art of basket weaving from simple coconut leaves.

While the push has always been to plant more flora than concrete, the other, more-recent focus for our planet is to recycle products that may otherwise end up in the landfills.

Local sculptor, Mark Chai, has the right idea and shares those ideas with attendees. Pictured above, left, we see a conversational mood light created from a waste basket. In the center we have a decorative light made out of an x-ray film carton that would have otherwise been discarded. The item on the right is a wastebasket made from corrugated tin roof and, get this, old cafeteria trays.

This one is my favorite. The backing of this piece is actually the backing of a street lamp that Mr. Chai found at the dump. He has made a useful creation that, while maybe not suitable for your living room, would certainly make great shelf space on the lanai or in the garage. What’s the Aloha sign? Nothing more than thick cardboard. Imagine that — attractive, functional and Earth-friendly!

The Academy is not done with the green of the past Family Sunday. For their Art after Dark celebration on April 25th (held from 6 - 9:00 PM on the last Friday of the month) attendees will enjoy more live presentations for uses of recycled materials, some organic cuisine and drinks, a variety of entertainment, and a final chance to see The Dragon’s Gift exhibit.

Honolulu Academy of Arts
900 Beretania Street
Honolulu, Hawai’i 96814
Phone: (808) 532-8700

Technorati Tags: Earth Day, Honolulu Academy of Arts, Bhutan

Paradise Cruise, Ltd. has a lovely little cruise ship that changes its mission during the year and at different times of the day.

I couldn’t resist getting this “picture of a picture” since it was a nice capture of the whole boat. This photo looks like it was taken some time back but I’m really not sure. The picture looks old, but the boat itself actually looks a lot brighter than the picture portrays it to be.

We happened to be passing this boat the other day while we were at Aloha Tower looking for something good to eat. My mother was very attracted to the hula dancing that was going on as people were either getting on or off of the boat. I’m not sure which. Mom decided that she really wanted to go on this boat.

I checked in with their little business office and saw that they were in the middle of a season of whale watching cruises. Hmmm… that sounded like something I could get into! So, we signed up and a few weeks later, off we went to see whales! Of course I had to make them tell me all about how careful they are to avoid striking any of these giant mammals. I was satisfied with the description of their procedures that they shared.

The boat was comfortably full of people and the seating on the level where lunch was provided was actually very comfortable. I will say that the food, while alright, wasn’t the delicious spread I was hoping for based on the price we paid for this cruise. Even the kama’aina rates were still kind of steep, I thought.

This was kind of neat — being able to see Honolulu from a different angle. It was nice to see it from a vantage point that doesn’t happen very often.

Of course it’s always important to have drinks, alcoholic and otherwise, available to passengers. You had to pay extra for them though. A soda was $3 and a margarita was $6. The bar tender was young, cute and very professional. I asked her if she went to bar-tending school and she said that, yes, she had. I smiled and teasingly asked if she went to the one on Beretania Street. Uh, she said, “Yes, that’s the one.” I was kidding! But, sure enough.

Here’s a clue as to just how insular I am — at one point when we were far enough out and the view looked similar to the one above, I suddenly had a very strong feeling of melancholy. I had an unexpected pang of anxiety and longing for them to “take me home.” It didn’t last long but it was a little weird for that fleeting moment. As if Honolulu wouldn’t survive without me being on shore. Tsk!

That stupidity being said, the water out there was so blue and so inviting! I swear if I didn’t have to worry about my camera and my cell phone… and my mother’s nerves… I really wanted to be swimming in that water! I don’t think the staff of the Star of Honolulu would have appreciated it if I had decided to take a swim on their time.

I just had to get the above shot! Remember this story about my attitude problem with the guards near the Department of Homeland Security? The one where they wouldn’t let me get a picture of the Matson containers? I got a picture from the other side of that scene. So, I got my way, eventually.

At the end of the cruise, while passengers were waiting to disembark, the guitar player who has been serenading people had two of the servers start dancing hula. They were very good! Maybe not dressed appropriately for hula, but good nonetheless. It did explain why some of their name tags had the word “Performer” written on them. Nice touch guys!

All in all, the cruise was quite nice. The water was soft and it felt almost like a large hammock. An interesting thing to point out was that while out and away from the shore, it was actually very cool. It was almost cold enough to wear a sweater. One of the girls said it would feel very hot once we reached shore. She was right. Once we got off the boat, the weather was sticky and humid.

Many of the cruises offered on this ship are seasonal. The one we were on, the whale watching cruise, was just that. You might be wondering why there are no pictures of whales. Well, we didn’t see any. The agreement that the Star of Honolulu made with the passengers of this cruise was that the passengers would all go again for free if they didn’t see any whales.

We’ll take the journey once more before whale season is over. This time, we’ll eat before we board. It will be nice to ride the boat one more time and enjoy the sleepy sway of the ocean beneath. Maybe then I’ll have pictures of whales to share!

Star of Honolulu
Honolulu Harbor, Pier 8
Honolulu, HI 96813
Phone: (808) 983-7827

It’s morning, the sun is shining… and the moon is still hanging around for us to admire. Apparently our evening skylight has decided that being full last week wasn’t enough time in the limelight. I’ve always found it curious when the moon is so visible in the daylight.

Obviously the moon is always there, but it’s not always quite so obvious about it. I wonder what other anomalies accompany months when the moon shares the daylight with the sun. The surf was up, I know that. It still is. Well, on the North and West shores of Oahu it was.

When a Swim is a Shocking Experience

So, where am I going with this and what’s so shocking about daylight moon sightings and high surf?

The jellies! The box jellyfish will be here today or tomorrow. Like clockwork, they will make their appearance, float around, wash up on the beaches and wrap their loving tentacles around unsuspecting swimmers, divers and surfers. Some people say 8-10 days after the full moon while others say 10 to 13. I’m going with 10 just for the sake of simplicity.

Hawaii is one of the very few places, if not the only place, that has this peculiar behavior of mass jelly movement. But, they’ll be flocking into the beaches if they haven’t already. Perhaps we should say constellating since we’re tying it in with the full moon… or maybe we should say “schooling” since they’re more like a school of fish rather than a flock of birds. I like constellating because it’s more visually accurate — the beach will be dotted with them for sure.

Getting away from the pretty bubbles floating on the water is not enough… it’s what’s under the water that’s gonna get you! Although they are toxic and have been known to be deadly, Hawaii has never had a death from these not-so-charming characters. We’ve had illness, pain and maybe even infections, yes, but no deaths.

When I was lucky enough to feel that kind of trauma, it was one of Hawaii’s Portuguese man-of-war that caused the problem. At least with them you can see them coming… they’re the pretty blue bubbles that the unsuspecting swimmer can admire just before they feel the sudden shock of pain. The box jellyfish are clear and under water so you may not see them in time… but you’ll sure feel them if they’re there and you cross their path!

Mahalo to “Rob’s Aquatic Moment” at Explore Biodiversity for this wonderful graphic!

All is not lost, swimmers! The lifeguards will post warning signs and they will have remedies ready for tearful victims. Of course, you do need to heed their cautionary statements and the signs they post. If you’re feeling adventurous and in the mood to ignore the warning signs, or if you’re just going to a beach with no lifeguard on duty, be sure you have a bottle of vinegar on hand and a clear knowledge of the closest aid station (fire station or hospital) in case your reaction is more severe than just pain. They also say to use heat but some people say ice. Everyone is different, just see which one works. Personally, I think I would go for the ice.

Certain months bring more squishy visitors than others. Hmmm… with the moon being so cocky and the Northshore having a high surf advisory yesterday morning, maybe the jellies will be out in force! I’ll let you guys know what happens. I’ll listen to the news and we’ll make this our little scientific experiment! Shhhhhhh! We’ll list it as “Homespun Honolulu’s Studies in Biology.” Of course we’ll have to do this more than once to confirm our findings. Then someone will just come and beat us up about it. Oh well.

Beware of these little aggressors — they’re not just dumb, floating bubbles. If you’re more than familiar with these characters and are leaning towards shrugging it off, beware of anaphylactic shock. I’ve seen similar, unexpected reactions like this to things like Penicillin and aspirin. “But I wasn’t allergic to it before,” you say.  Well you are now! It can happen so just beware. Don’t let the surf be too shocking!

Oysters are the culinary pearls of the sea,
A prized ocean delicacy for you and me
Dining on raw oysters? Check your fork…
Think twice my friend — you’re eating sea pork!

Photo compliments of Jon Aslund on Flickr

I made that up. What would make me say something like that? Well, while reading about them I couldn’t help but remember the stories I’ve heard about people getting sick from eating raw oysters. I usually hear people say they got sick because they ate too many of them. Well, apparently it may be more than that.

Let’s see… they are found in brackish water (water that is salty but not as salty as the open ocean). Now, I can’t help but see that description as a definition of our own coastal waters — where the fresh-water streams meet the ocean. The oysters feed off of what they filter through their gills. Anything floating in the water might end up stuck in their flesh. Hmmm… warning signs for streams talk about how the water may be contaminated. Need I say more?

To be fair, the dangers of raw oyster consumption are primarily aimed more at the Gulf oysters because there are a lot of laws and restrictions about harvesting the oysters from that region. But, I’m paranoid about the handling of food products as it is and I say it couldn’t hurt to be safe about it around here too. This site goes to great lengths to share information about the the health issues raw oysters may cause.

If you love oysters and you’re feeling offended, relax, nobody’s trying to ruin your favorite food. These guys are obviously serious about protecting people from eating this stuff raw. To make oyster lovers happy, they have even provided some mouth-watering recipes. Those recipes sound so good I was actually trying to figure out which ingredients I already have and which ones I’m missing.

Cook them! That’s the message. Remember, you’re eating sea swine. Come on, someone has got to have come up with that analogy already!

I was out attempting to prepare myself for the pending Great Aloha Run and as I rounded a corner, paying attention only to the behavior of one of my leg muscles, a whole bunch of lizards sunbathing on a brick wall slithered quickly out of sight. I wondered what they were all doing there. Hmmm… those would be fun, silly pictures. Bloggable? Um, not really. Well… maybe.

Just as I turned to walk back towards that wall I caught a glimpse of men on the roof of the house behind that wall, a bunch of tarp on the ground and a truck in the driveway. Yes, you guessed it… pest control!

Do you really think they might have known what was going on? “Geckos Flee Reptile Masacre! Film at 11.” Kind of a silly notion but maybe we don’t give them enough credit.

This guy looks like the same type that scurried away quickly when I rounded the corner. These are the ones I prefer to label lizard rather than gecko because they look snake-ish, hence my use of the word slither. Their color and whippy tails creep me out. I think they are more of the outdoor variety. The word Gecko, for me, is more a term of endearment when talking about these guys.

There seemed to be all kinds of different breeds of reptile hanging around this fence. I know one of them had to be a chameleon — he just had that look. Judging from the color blend going on in the picture above, this may have just been one of them!

I couldn’t help but feel bad for them. Of course, if you think about it, they were already on the outside and they were soon to be free from a lot of their competition! They would be starting with a new slate… as long as they stayed away from the house for a day or so!

When I saw the rolled up tent and the pest control truck I thought of my friend, Skeet, over on the Leeward side of the island. Skeet is all too familiar with these house guests and she described them very humorously in this, one of my favorite posts. If you know geckos, you’ll love this one. You can go read all about the Gecko Gathering at her house! Skeet had no problem giving them loads of credit for their level of intelligence!