Not Too Much To Say

Sunday June 26th.  I was feeling a bit discouraged because I didn't have much to say about this Sunday, but after sitting quietly for a moment I realized that being void of words is exactly perfect.  It's been a year since we decided to move to Hawaii.  For a year we've been planning our North Shore Sunday's.  We anticipated scenic drives that took us from the cluster of the city, bright sky's that blend into the ocean and give way to short, light rains, and melting shave ice with colors as vibrant as the valleys.  We anticipated a routine, a comfort.  I love that we don't have to make plans on Sunday, that without words we know what will happen.  I will wake up early and not so patiently wait until Joe wakes up and is ready to go.  We will drive out towards the North Shore with Jimmy Cliff wailing words of truth, and despite the amount of times that we've traveled the same route we will second guess ourselves and question if we are going the right direction.  We know the way, and even if we don't, the car does.  We will drive past thousands of pineapples on the left side of the highway and wonder how long it takes to harvest all of those pineapples by hand.  I will stare at the trees growing on the right side of the freeway that are shrouded by tall pine trees and momentarily decide that they are macadamia nut trees.  Inevitably we will be hungry when we reach Haleiwa.  It will be late by the time we actually get to the beach and we will vow to leave our house earlier next week, knowing full well that it wont happen.  After all, we will have stayed up too late on Saturday watching Special Agent Dale Cooper use Tibetan practices to put evil to rest in a small town.  We will stand in line to get shave ice or wait too long and get ice cream instead.  Intoxicated by the sun we will drive home with Garrison's voice on the radio and golden light on the tall grasses in the fields.  It's exactly how it's supposed to be, each week the same and each week different.

Watermelon, raspberry with lime and cherry, watermelon with orange

North Shore Sunday Kayaking

Sunday June 19th.  In light of today being Father's Day, I feel like I should share a story about my dad.  I would share a photo too, but the charger for my mac melted a couple of weeks ago and I haven't got around to buying a new one yet.  My dad is the youngest of four boys, just younger than my Uncle Roger.  In the late 1980's my Uncle Roger had a newly established chicken coop filled with young hens.  He patiently checked his coop every day for eggs. Months passed and he wasn't rewarded.  Uncle Roger was convinced that the chickens he had picked were the best available and they were mustering all that they could to lay perfect eggs one day.  Early one morning my dad bought a dozen eggs, all with double yolks.  He placed some in the nesting boxes.  Predictably, Uncle Roger checked for eggs and this time they were there.  When it came time to prepare breakfast he was thrilled to find that his prized hens were slow to lay eggs because they were in fact, endowed with the ability to exclusively lay double yolked eggs.  My dad did this for months, placing surrogates in the nests a few at a time every day.  It took my Uncle's four-year-old son to notice that the eggs were cold despite the summer heat and the warmth of a desperate chicken.  Win one for dad.  My dad used to take a rubber chicken with him into bars (conversation starter) so when it came to a half year long prank he still had chickens on the mind.
Today we dutifully called our fathers, then went kayaking and then to the beach.  I'll mention again that sea turtles are terrifying.  I'm afraid that we hit one with our kayak today.  He was barnacle laden so something tells me that he can take care of himself and that he will be alright.  We didn't get shave ice today because it was too late.  We did go to the North Shore on Wednesday though and we got birthday shave ice.  Weekday's off are one of the best things and it's even better when it's your birthday.  Summer solstice plans anybody?  I think that we might go stand up paddling in Waikiki until the sun sets.

Kayaking and the beach

Sunset strawberry and cookies and cream

Cherry, watermelon with raspberry and orange, green apple with strawberry

A Bird, A Pidgin, And My Butt

Monday June 13th.  I walked to work today, meaning that I left the house to go to work, which happens sometimes.  It isn't far, only 1.7 miles, I've done it many times but this time was different.  I was wearing new shoes and work clothes.  I stepped on a dead bird (by acciddent).  Thats a good way to break in new shoes.  About a mile into my walk down a busy street I heard a whistle and a man hanging halfway out of the window of his orange and primer grey sedan.  He yelled "mam!"  I turned to look.  "Your dress is up."  It took a minute to register, partly because I was annoyed that he called me mam.  I swung my hand around and felt my rear end, no skirt to cover it.  I took a deep breath reassuring myself that it was no big deal, I was wearing cute underwear, this is Hawaii and underwear aren't all that different than wearing a bathing suit.  I continued walking, a little faster now.  I noticed the shadow of a man from the corner of my eye.  "Are you a greaser or something?"  Thoughts flash though my head as he matched his pace to mine.  I wonderd about the last time that I washed my hair, no, that's not what he was asking me about.  It was the shoes and clothes.  I turn and look at him.  Tribal tattoos covered his whole face.  "No, I'm not a greaser, I'm just going to work," I replied.  Then I smiled and said hi, because I didn't want to seem like the sort of person who is shocked by facial tattoos.  I am that kind of person.  "Is it a greaser thing to walk around with your ass hanging out?" he asked with a smile.  I searched the depths of my mind thinking about any movie that that could have ever happened in.  "You noticed," I said, because really, what do you say to that?  By this time I was almost to work, two more streets to cross.  "Are you a dancer?" he asks, looking me over.  I shook my head no.  "What do you think of my style?"  Honestly, I hadn't noticed.  His facial tattoos were too distracting.  I looked him over, black converse, blue plaid shorts, red shirt...generic?  "Oh, so now you are checking me out?" he said.  This wasn't going anywhere.  "Nice meeting you" I smiled and inhailed, holding my breath.  I was finally close enough to work to pretend that I was there.

Poor little guy

   

Not Fair

Friday June 10th - Sunday June 12th.  I was looking forward to going to the state fair all week but was a little bit disappointed when we actually got there.  We were hoping to make another stop motion movie.  I realize that I live on an island which makes transportation of large exhibits difficult, but this was a state fair, so I expected it to be decent.  Not so much.  The food was sub-par, the size small, and it rained while we were on the farris wheel.  There was however, a makeshift circus and ostrich races; the highlights of the fair.  I've often wondered about the sort of people who are in circuses and what a strange life it would be.

50th State Fair

On Saturday we went to China Town.  It's a picturesque area in downtown Honolulu that has a whole lot of bars, restaurants and lei shops.  We had lunch at the Downbeat Diner and I think that Joe may have joined a band as a trumpet player.  I'm still not clear on that.  

China Town

Fruit Stand

Today we didn't go to the North Shore or to the beach, partly because it's been rainy and partly because we really need to know who killed Laura Palmer.  We were able to get out and have some shave ice.  

Peach, watermelon with pineapple and strawberry, lemon with peach

From two directions at the same time

Resort Sunday

Sunday June 5th.  Our intention was to go and get educated about pineapples but the world had different plans for us.  We traveled up the Likelike highway to the country.  It's the sort of drive that begs for a convertible with the top down and a beautiful silk scarf to tame the hair.  We stopped at a macadamia nut farm where we saw a whole lot of skittish chickens.

Chickens like macadamia nuts

This rooster is a ham

You might say I know a thing or two about chickens.  I've tended a few coops in my day.  Some of my very earliest memories are of going down to the coop with my cousin and finding fresh warm eggs.  We would hold them up to the sun to see if they had chicks and if they didn't we would take our pocket knives out and poke two holes in the shell so that we could suck the insides out.  Four year olds with pocket knives was a very normal thing to our parents, eating horse treats and catching trap door spiders barefoot was very normal to us.  Rocky, our rooster, once attacked me and my dad shot it three times with a rifle before it died.  

Anyhow, the farm didn't have a whole lot to see so we kept going and ended up at Turtle Bay Resort.  

Snacks

Lounging

Quality time in a beach side hammock

I found a bird nest

After a snack on the beach and a rest in a hammock we continued west.  Waimea Bay looked beautiful and inviting so we stopped to watch the sunset and sit in the warm sand.  

Bridge over Waimea

Strawberry cheesecake and chocolate chip cookie

It was pretty late.  Matsumoto's was closed and Aoki's was getting there so we bypassed shave ice to have ice cream.  Joe bonded with the scooper and then we enjoyed our frozen treats on the way home.  We did have shave ice with Joey on Wednesday.  We took him to our favorite and I think he may have enjoyed it.

Vanilla, cherry coke with chocolate and vanilla ice cream on the bottom, raspberry, watermelon with peach and orange, watermelon with mango

I Love This

Saturday June 4th.  I made muffins, Joe made photos, it became a stop motion video.


Muffins! from Joe Gonzalez on Vimeo.

This Week In Photos

Monday May 30th - Wednesday June 1st.  

Memorial Day at the National Cemetery of the Pacific

Not much has changed

Little fireworks growing on trees

Pele's hair