Cynthia On The Move

I've moved - to a new site!

2012-02-02T23:08:00.002-10:00

Hi Everyone,
I've moved to a new site. Join me at: cynthiachristian.com

We've been celebrating the Year of the Dragon around here.

Big Wednesday

2012-01-07T12:06:00.009-10:00

Tuesday evening I received this text from Hawaii Dept. of Emergency Services:
"Hi Surf Warning Oahu, 10 am Tues. to 6am Thu. North 25'-35'. Take precaution against dangerous waves."

Wednesday morning we drove to North Shore to watch the waves. We stopped at every beach we could to take in the awe of Mother Nature. I don't think we saw any 25-30' waves, but the waves were intense. Lifeguards taped off certain beach areas and stood over the crowds to keep people off the beach. Waimea had the most surfers. Pupukea had a jet ski and a helicopter hovering over a group of surfers out in the distance. We never saw any of them take a wave. The weather was perfect. A slight breeze, sun, mid-70's. I'd say blue sky, but there was a persistent haze of vog from the Big Island.

When we arrived on Sunset Beach, the wind had picked up. Sand was kicking up along the dry areas. Waves churned with more white wash and spray. I couldn't help but picture three guy friends from high school. They were surfers and loved the movie Big Wednesday. They couldn't wait for its box office release. They quoted lines from the movie on a regular basis. They surfed when they could, mostly in Newport, San Onofre and Dana Point, but they also traveled to their secret surf/camp spot in Mexico. They were a lot like the guys in the movie. Thank goodness they are all still alive and didn't have a Vietnam war, like the movie characters.

Off in the distance I captured the last moment of a whale flipping his tail in the water. I looked out his direction and watched the explosive sprays from his blowhole shoot above the ocean along the horizon line. I may not be out there on a board floating as one with the ocean, but I sure appreciate the beauty and movement from Mother Nature's ocean world.

Here I was on January 4th standing on the beach where most of the movie was filmed. This was my Big Wednesday. I don't surf. Never have. But I was mesmerized by watching the waves roll in and crash on the rocks, reefs and beaches. This was the day I realized my life had changed. I live on Oahu now, not California. I left things behind, physical things, but also, a whole lifetime of memories in California. Life isn't the same. People have passed on, friends moved away and life is all new here. It was time for me to embrace the new. I turned to Mark who said, "We are so lucky. We live here." I agreed.

Christmas Service in Hawaii

2011-12-29T13:49:00.006-10:00

Christmas Day we went to church. Greenery and candles lined the pews and walls, along with native antherium, ti leaves and weaved palm fronds. We sat in a pew and faced the high altar, waiting for the service to begin. At 10:30, the bells in the chapel rang joyous tunes. Still facing the front, we waited for the choir to enter in front of us, but we heard another sound. A conch shell called parishioners to enter the church. A conch shell. Only in Hawaii. But wait....
during the Prayers Of The People, the priest from Tennessee, prayed for King Kamehameha IV and Queen Emma. And the choir sang the Queen's Prayer - in Hawaiian!

The Queen's Prayer translated to English:
(Lili'uokalani)
Your loving mercy is as high as heaven and your truth so perfect. I live imprisoned in sorrow; you are my light; your glory, my support. Behold not with malevolence the sins of humankind, but forgive and cleanse.
And so, O Lord, protect us beneath your wings and let peace be our portion now and forever more.

Honolulu City Lights

2011-12-09T17:27:00.014-10:00

Here are photos from Honolulu City Lights, put on by the City and County of Honolulu at Honolulu Hale. There is so much more than what I've posted here, but this gives you an idea of the color and lights that surround City Hall and adorn the interior.

The lobby was filled with rows of Christmas trees, each decorated by a different city/county department, such as Office of Emergency Services which had a "Be Prepared" tree, complete with a can of Spam hung as an ornament.

Mark, our friend "Jake", and I wandered the lobby and inhaled the smell of fresh pine trees. "It finally feels like Christmas," we remarked.

I may go back again before the season is over.

Christmas In Hawaii

2011-12-05T22:22:00.011-10:00

I wondered how Hawaiians would decorate for Christmas. Would Santa come in a canoe rather than down the chimney? (Yes, he does. In Waikiki, at least.)

Here are photos of Christmas decorations I've taken all around the island. Look closely, you'll see ukeleles in wreaths and Santa's workshop isn't run by elves. The Menehune help Santa with the toys on Oahu.

I was surprised to find the manger scene at the Kahala Mall.

The real Oahu decorations are at Honolulu City Lights. I haven't made it down there yet, but I will and I'll share photos when I do.

Black Friday and Peace On Earth

2011-11-27T16:16:00.003-10:00

Peace on Earth, can it be
Every child must be made aware
Every child must be made to care
Care enough for his fellow man
To give all the love that he can

Remember those lyrics? Peace On Earth.

The Christmas carol duet performed by Andy Williams and David Bowie rang out over the airwaves as I listened to the radio in my car on Black Friday.

Every child must be made aware
Every child must be made to care

I wondered, who is teaching the children to care about others?
It left the teaching curriculum a long time ago in California.

Churches?
Hardly anyone I know still goes to church or brings their children to church.

The state? Daycare? Babysitters?
Who?

Then I came home and turned on the TV news. Pepper spraying fellow humans to greedily take an Xbox, people trampling, grabbing, pushing and even shooting in order to get what they want.

I mused over the degradation of our society and over the loss of people giving of themselves to help others. My grandparents taught me to leave things behind so others may also have them.

I was reminded of a time in Tahoe when I went to Safeway at night right before a blizzard was due to come in. There were two bottles of windshield wiper fluid left- the kind that doesn’t freeze and is vital to driving in snow and slush. I could have used two bottles, but my grandpa’s voice came to me. “Take two and you’ve taken from someone who might desperately need that bottle. You only need one.”

I left the other bottle there for someone else. I mentioned to a friend that night there were only two bottles of fluid left and that I had left the other one there in case someone really needed it. He seemed pleasantly shocked that I had considered another person and that two bottles was more than I needed at that moment.

Thinking of others isn’t the norm anymore. I really wonder what happened to our society.

What has this world come to? How do we find our humanity again? Where are the grandparents?

Let's Help the Small Business During APEC

2011-11-10T11:07:00.004-10:00

Shoppers are staying away from Ala Moana Shopping Center. Restaurants near the APEC Conference are closing their doors for the rest of the week. Small businesses have laid off employees for 4-7 days.Shopkeepers at Ala Moana Shopping Center are telling their employees to take a break and buy a cup of coffee to support other retailers.

APEC is hurting commerce in the Honolulu area surrounding the conference locations.

So, Mark and I decided to have dinner tonight somewhere in town, near the conference, but not in the secured zone. We want to help the local businesses. Anyone have ideas of where we should eat?

Let us know if you want to join us.

Update: The Chart House restaurant in Honolulu had an "APEC Stimulus Package" last night. We ate there when we saw the special - 40% off food! When have you ever heard of 40% off a dinner? I don't think I ever have. My mahimahi fish dinner was $18. They took $36 off our final bill. That's a deal!

APEC Traffic Fears

2011-11-07T12:45:00.006-10:00

APEC's in town. (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation)

Streets are closed for security reasons. High-level delegates from 21 countries are here. Traffic warnings are posted everywhere. Beaches are shut down. Residents of Waikiki enter their own residences only with proper I.D.

Mark and I went to dinner in Waikiki on Saturday night, figuring it would be our last chance to visit for at least a week. We were shocked to find how empty the streets, hotels and restaurants were. Even Waikiki Beach was empty. Did everyone stay away, fearing massive traffic and hassle from APEC? The opening ceremony for APEC was on Sunday, yet Saturday was empty in Waikiki.

Maybe this is how we end traffic in Honolulu after all-just create traffic fears so bad that no one wants to enter the city.

I am heeding advice to stay away. Today I am home, hunkered down in our apartment. The streets may be empty, but I wouldn't know. I'm writing. And reading other people's writing. And that's a good thing.

Mainland Culture Shock

2011-10-22T08:49:00.004-10:00

I've been on the mainland for a week now. LAX was the first stop and, boy, did I have a shock. I've been living island-style and Los Angeles rudeness was appalling. I exited the plane and headed straight for the restroom, where the woman behind me was right up on my back. Personal space means nothing here. Women pushed in line, also something that never happens in Hawaii.

The hallway floor of LAX was covered in grime, gum, dust and litter. After more rushing and pushing at baggage claim, Mark and I rushed out to the shuttle to take us to our hotel. Where were the soothing tropical tones at the LAX Sheraton? Nowhere. "So, L.A." I remarked at check-in. The Sheraton is decorated in shades of gray, accented with black and bold geometric shapes. Trendy and hip, yes. Soothing and serene, no.

Our friend, picked us up and drove us to Barney's Beanery in Santa Monica to watch the USC-Cal football game. Good friends and food helped our shock, but, seriously, does everyone in Santa Monica drive a BMW?

Back to the Sheraton, where I couldn't wait for the next leg of the journey, to Georgia and the hospitable south.

Our flight to Atlanta didn't start well. Delta charged us a huge amount of money for our baggage fees. When we had boarded, Mark and I tried to tell the flight attendant how the baggage fees were over the top at Delta. She argued with us. The passenger next to us, who travels all the time, confirmed what we were saying. She argued with him. The man in the seat across the aisle also told of his baggage experience with extra fees and the flight attendant continued to argue with all of us! We all agreed, we never fly Delta unless we have no choice, and Atlanta airport is pretty much only Delta.

Atlanta airport is huge and crazy with lots of people, but it's clean and organized. People are aware of personal space and many offered to help me with my bag. Mark and I said our goodbyes for the rest of the week. I was staying in Georgia, while Mark was continuing on to another destination.

Off to the hotel for me at the Gateway Center, where I took a clean, efficient tram to my hotel directly off the airport terminal.

The following day was a drive to southern Georgia to watch my Godson play college football. I wanted to be full of rest and energy, so I went to bed at 9:30 PM Atlanta time. Uh, that made it 3:30 PM Hawaii time. I didn't fall asleep for a long while. The clock on the nightstand read 3:30 AM last I saw before I finally fell asleep.

Shopping on Base

2011-10-10T13:29:00.004-10:00

Oahu has a huge military presence. Each section of the island has some kind of military base/post/camp on it. When heading to the North Shore, we pass Schofield Barracks and Dillingham airfield. I've never been to Pearl Harbor for the tour. I need to do that soon. I have been on Hickam/Pearl Harbor and recently, the Marine Corps Base Hawaii.

A friend of mine is a Marine wife. I went with her to MCBH to help her with her baby and do some shopping at the Base Exchange. Not having much experience with the military, I noticed everything. With ID, we entered the base through the sentry gate. No one sped. No one was in a hurry, or they didn't show it at least. Single family homes on nicely paved subdivisions sat to the right of us in the car. Plenty of space on the roads for the number of cars and plenty of parking in the lot. We pulled into the lot and parked. When I got out of the car, I saw this sign... pregnant women get preferred parking! Look at the sign, it's in Marine Colors. Of course, as a Trojan, I thought of USC's Cardinal and Gold colors. I'm pretty sure there's no parking designated for pregnant women on USC's campus, though.

Inside the Base Exchange I was mesmerized by everything in one building. TV's on one side, Hallmark cards next to me, holiday decor in front of me, home items to the right and clothes for men, women and children/babies in the back. We wandered through the bath/home section. I love "one-stop" shopping and this building had it all. I could see every section from any other section. Shelves were clean and orderly. Leave it to the Marines to be organized and to make parking easier for pregnant women. Walmart on Keeaumoku Street, are you listening?

Colors of Paradise

2011-10-06T09:30:00.011-10:00

Grey skies and rain greeted me again this morning. Lest you all think Hawaii is always green and sunny with blue skies, here's a photo looking over H-1 freeway in Honolulu.
I've included photos from last week, just to cheer me up. We had spectacular sunsets all week long. Let's hope for more gorgeous weather again soon.

Follow The Tourist Bus

2011-10-04T18:07:00.009-10:00

We visited Punchbowl National Cemetery on Sunday. You'll recognize the statue of Lady Columbia from Hawaii Five-0's opening sequence. (Both the original and the new show.) She symbolizes all the grieving mothers.

Punchbowl is located in a dormant volcano crater. It's green and peaceful, even with the tourist bus driving around. The casualties from the attack on Pearl Harbor were the first people to be buried there, at least in modern times. I've been told it was a sacred place for Hawaiians in the past. I'm guessing they used it as a burial ground also. If anyone knows the story, please let me know.

It looks as if they are refurbishing/landscaping there. Wait a few weeks, then visit.

Tantalus Drive is at the entrance to Punchbowl, so we took it to where it joins up with Round Top Road. Our goal was to reach the lookout point in the park. I felt a little woozy driving up in altitude along the curvy lane. The lookout point is spectacular and worth the drive. Here are photos which show Diamond Head, University of Hawaii Manoa, Magic Island at Ala Moana and downtown office buildings.

The North Shore was our next stop, where we again saw a tourist bus. We visited our Honu (Sea Turtle) friends and learned they eat the seaweed found on this particular North Shore beach. After the Honu eat, they rest upon the sand and let the sun and water restore them.

Of course, we had to eat at some point as well. Off to Kua Aina Sandwich Shop in Haleiwa for dinner. Yum! Go there. You won't be disappointed.

Found on the Beach

2011-09-30T19:19:00.002-10:00

Look who we found on the beach. Isn't he gorgeous? We sat and watched him for at least a half an hour. Hawaiian Sea Turtles are endangered, so we kept our distance. He opened and closed his eyes a few times, just to see if we were still there.

A few days later, while at another beach, we saw the branch sticking out of the sand. Someone had lost his key and the person who found it in the sand took the time to find a branch and hang the key from it. Fast forward a few days later and the key and branch were still there.

Honest and courteous people on Oahu. If you lost your car key in the sand, it may still be there.

Musical Surprises

2011-09-24T20:05:00.009-10:00

Mark had to work today, so I took the car and ran errands all over the island. First stop was Blaisdell Center where I thought I'd buy concert tickets to Earth, Wind and Fire. Turns out the concert is already almost sold out; only a few tickets left and in not so good seats. We decided to put the money into an island hopping trip.

On my way back to the parking lot, I spotted Elvis. Yes, Elvis lives on the Blaisdell Center grounds. I stood in front of his flower-bedecked statue and remembered watching Elvis' Hawaii concert on TV when I was a kid. I was sitting on the floor of our family room in the Bay Area, with the boxy Zenith TV set upon the carpet. Elvis was sparkly and sweaty. I remember my father yelling to my mom who was washing dishes in the kitchen, "Come look how fat Elvis is." With dishtowel in hand, Mom entered the family room. "Must be drugs," was her answer. She shook her head and went back to the dishes.

I left the Elvis statue and continued on to other errands. Office Depot was very uneventful. The bank, however, is a story for another time.

Later that afternoon, while sitting in the car, I listened to KKOL 107.9, which plays mostly rock hits from the 60's,70's and 80's. I was on a two lane road, during a bright gorgeous Hawaii afternoon, the kind where the sky is really blue, the green trees and plants and hills are almost emerald in color and the flowers that grow on the tips of trees pop with orange, yellow and red. The DJ announced he was playing a set of songs from the only musical family to have a grandfather, son and grandson as superstars.

Surprisingly, the next minute I was singing out loud to Hank Williams Jr.'s, "Family Tradition." Country music guided me all through high school and college, especially Hank Williams Jr. I could feel better instantly singing one of his songs while driving to the then unspoiled ranch lands in Orange County. There was also a night in college spent at my sorority sister's cattle ranch, listening and dancing to country music under the oak trees and stars. Although it seemed weird to drive through a tropical landscape and hear a song from days I spent in California grasslands with farms and ranches nearby, I felt happy belting out the lyrics today. Thanks KKOL.

Music of all kinds can be found here. Earth, Wind and Fire, Elvis and Hank Jr. all in one day. Nice.

Where's Minnie Mouse in a Grass Skirt?

2011-09-18T21:30:00.011-10:00

I love Disneyland, but the thought of Disney opening a resort in Hawaii left me cringing. I thought it would be cheesy and a tacky rendition of the Tiki Room. (Yes, the Tiki Room is tacky, but it's make-believe and I thoroughly enjoy it.)

Disney Aulani Resort's Grand Opening is this week. We didn't know that as we drove up to their entrance in Ko'Olina. Apparently, media is already on site and the hotel is prepping in a big way. Colored search lights lit up the sky once it was dark. The beach has a stage set up with big lights; the type found on a film set. We stood above on the hotel grounds as hula dancers rehearsed under the watch of Disney choreographers. We were told Good Morning America is showcasing the grand opening later this week.

The property is nice, not cheesy at all. Disney really did their research. We ate dinner at Ama Ama restaurant, where Liane, our waitress, told us how Disney had a difficult time creating Aulani. This wasn't a made up Disney, Cinderella-type story. Disney had to exemplify a real story, the Hawaiian story. Other than Chip and Dale playing games with the kids and the rock formation around the pool, not much that looks like Disney is visible. Hawaiian images of kapa cloth patterns, Pele on a building, torches designed to look like kukui nuts were visible. I missed the small details at first and I wondered who would drive all the way out here for a Disney escape. Halfway through dinner, I told Mark, "I feel like we're on vacation." Disney had done it. They had transported me to vacation mode while only a few miles from home.

A side note, our dinner at Ama Ama was excellent. Great flavors blended together in everything we tried. I had a delicious Burrata and tomato salad with sweet white corn dressing and tender smooth beef filet.

Okay, enough from me. I'll be quiet now and let you enjoy the photos.

Aloha Festival

2011-09-17T20:56:00.005-10:00

After watching the USC football game at Jimmy Buffett's in Waikiki, we wandered onto Kalakaua Avenue for the start of Hoolaulea, part of Aloha Festival. Tented booths lined the mauka (mountain) side of Kalakaua Ave. Cars were blocked from the street and only walkers and strollers wandered down the avenue. It was so quiet without the cars, we could hear birds in the banyan tree near the Duke Kahanamoku statue. The first stand I saw was selling poi mochi. I swear, there's a way to put poi in everything.

The man at the lei stand started talking to me about the dancer with a sign asking for money for "Chronics of Narnia". (Whatever that is.) The lei man and I laughed about his drug induced dancing ability.

We watched tourists line Waikiki beach waiting for sunset.

Our return walk held the interesting discovery. Just before the Honolulu Police Department's Waikiki sub-station is a fenced off area with four large rocks. These rocks were placed in honor of four Tahitian healers who wandered the island with miraculous healing abilities during the 1500's. When it was time to return to their island of Raiatea, they asked that four large stones be placed near their residence. They gave their spirit power to the stones before their departure.

I've walked Waikiki along the beach many times and this is the first time I've seen this healing space. It's also the first time I've walked Kalakaua Ave without cars. The tradewinds were blowing slightly, just enough to keep the festival goers cool. Bandstand areas were preparing for tonight's music. The Brothers Cazimero were playing at a later time. It looked to be a perfect evening to enjoy a concert, good food and artist wares.

There's Silver in Them Thar Hills

2011-09-15T17:32:00.008-10:00

It was a dark and stormy….okay, I’m not Snoopy sitting on my doghouse with a typewriter trying to write the great American novel, but it was gloomy and gray today.

Low clouds hung over town as I watched the fuzzy bands of rain move across the windows of our apartment. I moped about the weather at first, thinking of the San Francisco days of fog for weeks on end and how the gloom could bring me down. Then I thought about the past few days and how great the weather has been, after all, we went to the beach late afternoon yesterday and watched the dogs sprint across the waves, happy to be on their evening walks. A couple, visiting from somewhere, took photos of themselves on the beach with the sea-blue ocean behind them. Then they kissed and hugged, obviously happy and in love.

Every time Mark and I go to the beach, I’m instantly in a better mood, and yesterday was no exception. The water temperature was 82 degrees. It was like stepping into a saltwater bathtub, but with kids, surfers and dogs sharing the big tub with me.

So this morning, I realized it can’t be perfect weather all the time and I resigned myself to today being a gloomy day, which will remind me to appreciate the nice days.
But I forgot, I’m in Hawaii.....(nature always has a surprise)

I had to drive around the island for a few meetings today. With windshield wipers on, I first gazed out at the cloudy grayness in front of my car. Then I looked up the mountains. The rain had created ribbons of silver, rustling streams of water, falling between the lush greenness of the mountain peaks. Waterfalls were everywhere!

(Sorry, no photo, since I was driving.)

After appreciating the scenic drive, I had to stop at Queen’s Hospital for a test. It’s like driving up to a hotel. Queen’s is the main hospital in Honolulu, yet it doesn’t seem very big. I guess I’m comparing it to San Francisco Hospitals and Stanford Hospital. The landscaping is kept up with native Hawaiian plants. The parking lot was full, so I had to go to valet parking at the entrance. People were crowded around the drop-off area and not one person honked or yelled. Everyone quietly sat and waited and appreciated the moment, even in a stressful place like a hospital.

I asked for directions and only one person knew where I needed to go. I asked for a certain wing, but apparently no one uses its name. There’s very little signage in Hawaii. Street signs are tough to find and addresses are almost non-existent. Once I told them what department I needed, everyone told me, "Go down the hall to the elevators and get off on the third floor."

As I wandered the hospital hallways, I was struck by how clean it was. There was no run down furniture, no gum on the floor or cigarette butt smashed into the pavement outside, maybe that’s because outside is not pavement. Nope, it’s stone.

A beautiful hospital, surrounded by tropical vegetation, with clean surroundings and calm, smiling people; is this why people live so long in Hawaii?

Even in Hawaii, We Won't Forget

2011-09-15T16:35:00.003-10:00

Sunday morning I opened the blinds to find a nice Hawaiian day greeting me. Then I saw the American flag flying off my neighbor’s lanai across the street and I remembered. 9/11. Ten years later.

I was asleep in my San Francisco apartment that day, when my sister called me at 6AM. “A plane flew into the World Trade Center.” In my sleepy head, I pictured a small plane with a student pilot who made a horrible error.

When I turned on the TV and saw the images, I couldn’t imagine it was really American soil where this was happening. But it was. Being on the West Coast, I felt so very far away from the people of New York and Washington.

Here, in Hawaii, ten years later, I feel even more removed from the East Coast. I watched the TV coverage sporadically throughout the day. At 2:00 I saw the two shining beams coming from Ground Zero and for a moment I thought they were showing coverage from last year. Why? Because it was dark in the images the TV was broadcasting and it was the middle of the day here. I never really comprehended how far away Hawaii is from the whole Mainland.

When Mark and I watch the end of the 11:00 news, we see CNN starting their morning shows. The anchors have their morning cup of coffee, and Ali Velshi talks about the stock market for the day. The upcoming day. The one they are just starting while we head off to sleep.

At least the woman across the street reminds me first thing in the morning that I am an American. And in case anyone on Oahu missed her flag, the Fire Stations won’t let Hawaiians forget. The sign is still hanging in front of the Fire Station, complete with dried lei from last Sunday.

Football, Five-0, and a North Shore Sunset

2011-09-13T17:46:00.002-10:00

Last Saturday Mark and I watched the USC game with the USC Alumni Club of Hawaii at Jimmy Buffett’s in Waikiki. I thought the plates were fun. Look at the shaker of salt! It was a crazy ending for a football game, with the NCAA, two hours after the game ended, granting USC a touchdown the refs had said didn't count. Oh, and I won the halftime raffle! I never won before because I was always the one hosting the raffle in the Bay Area Alumni group. I'll be writing soon with my new USC pen.

After the game, we had a few errands to do so we didn’t try to view the Hawaii Five-0 premiere on the beach. We'll wait until September 19th for the season opener on CBS. Last year we had a party and invited everyone over for dinner and viewings of the original show, before watching the series opening. This year, it will be just us. Our friends are back in the Bay Area.

Remember that friend of mine who grew up here? Well, her sister is an extra in this year's season. She's in the opening scene for the Governor's funeral held at Punchbowl. I guess it was a long day for the extras on that shoot.

We also visited the North Shore last week. Mark had asked a few people where to go and we found ourselves on a beautiful, open beach with only two people on it for miles and miles. We left the locals on their beach area and headed to Waialua and the old sugar mill to check out the local artisans and see their wares. It wasn’t much to see. Unless you are a surfer and want a specialty surfboard, most items can be found on other parts of the island. Don’t let the video on Hawaiian Airlines fool you. It looks larger in the video than in reality.

After Waialua, we headed to Haleiwa for dinner. Check out the sunset that night! We hoped to find Hawaiian turtles (honu) on our day trip. We didn’t see any. But standing on the beach, we saw the sunset in front of us, a rainbow behind us, and a group of little girls to grown women practicing the hula to a drum to our right.

We walked to our car saying, “We get to live here.”

USC Football Amnesia

2011-09-05T15:43:00.003-10:00

Football season started without me. I’m a USC alumna and for the past few years, I planned game watching parties for the USC Alumni Club in the North Bay Area. Each season, Mark and I would fly down to a game or two at the Coliseum in Los Angeles and, of course, attend the game when USC played Cal or Stanford. But this year, football season snuck up on me. The weather is in the high 80’s, there’s very little tradewind breeze blowing, there are no changing of the leaves to autumn colors….how am I supposed to know it’s football season?

Last Saturday, I had plans to meet a friend at 10:00. At 8:55 AM I was reading the morning news and drinking coffee. Mark turned on the TV to find the USC-Minnesota game. I had completely forgotten about the game. I checked in on Facebook and found post after post from USC friends. Many friends attached photos from the Coliseum, the tailgates, a photo of Traveler (the horse).

There was no planning for a game watching party here in our apartment. No wearing USC shirts and hats. No cardinal and gold pom-poms to be seen.

I watched the opening drive of the game, then left to meet my friend. When I reached home and checked my cell phone, there was a text from the gang at our North Bay game watching party, saying they missed us.

With tropical weather and geography outside our door, I forget about Mainland rituals and traditions. But USC is important to me. It’s a great school that does great things and I want to be with my Trojan Family during football season. It’s what binds us together. So, this Saturday I will be with the USC Alumni Club of Hawaii, watching the game at Jimmy Buffet’s in Waikiki. Join us. I’ll be the one in the USC shirt.

Fight On!

Update: Hawaii Five-0 has their Season 2 premiere on the beach in Waikiki this Saturday. I don't know the time yet. What do I do if they schedule it during the USC game? Such are the awesome choices when living on Oahu.

The Garden Isle

2011-09-01T09:59:00.009-10:00

It's a swampy day on Oahu. I raised the shades on our living room windows around 7:30 this morning and found water (or extreme condensation) on the inside of our window sills. Eighty-four percent humidity creates water puddles on the INSIDE of our apartment.

After turning on the air-conditioning, I sat down to a smooth, rich cup of Kauai coffee, purchased at the Kauai Coffee Company last weekend. Mark and I journeyed to the Garden Isle, where one of his friends, born and raised on Kauai, gave us a "local boy" tour.

Kauai lives up to its name. It's green, lush, open and relaxed. I'm not one to sleep easily unless I'm in a dark, quiet room with a comfortable bed. I fell asleep on a lounge chair at the Marriott pool late Saturday afternoon. But let me back up to the beginning.

Mark and I flew from HNL to Lihue on Friday, a 20 minute flight. We stayed at the Marriott. I highly recommend it. It's an easy shuttle ride down a back road through the Marriott golf course to the hotel.

Twenty minutes later we were having drinks and appetizers at Duke's, watching the NCL cruise ship leave the harbor, bound for Honolulu. We waved goodbye and made dinner reservations for the following night.

Saturday morning, Mark's friend picked us up and took us to breakfast at Kalaheo Cafe & Coffee Company in Kalaheo, his hometown. The Paniolo (cowboy) breakfast of eggs and bacon and hash browns filled me up for our sightseeing.

We drove to Poipu to see the Spouting Horn. Most tourists know the Spouting Horn is a blowhole where waves come through an opening in the lava and "spout" water high into the sky. But they don't know that the blowhole used to be much larger. Back in the days of sugar cane fields that reached from mountain to sea, the owner of the Poipu sugar plantation was upset that the blowhole spouted sea water 1/2 mile inland and covered his sugar crops. "So my uncle and the plantation foreman came here and cut the blowhole in half," said our "local boy".

Hanapepe is a small town where Lappert's ice cream started. No ice cream for us, we went straight to the swinging bridge over the Hanapepe River. Yes, river. Kauai is the only island in the state to have rivers.

The swinging bridge was used by sugar plantation children to cross the river and climb a trail up the adjacent hill to reach the schoolhouse. The bridge is still used although I'm sure there's another school somewhere. Near the bridge we saw two gravestones, one etched in Hawaiian from the year 1910.

Others might recognize Hanapepe as the setting for the mini-series, The Thorn Birds, although we didn't.

Much of Kauai is homesteaded; lands were passed down through families over generations. We saw areas which I won't write about because I want to preserve the old way of almost communal-style living. Families have goods from their lands that they won't sell, they will only give away to friends or trade for other goods.

I came away with a new appreciation of giving to the land and each other, in order for the land to give to us and as a way of helping our own communities. I wish we had more of that kind of living all over.

The weather was spectacular both Friday and Saturday, with noticeably less humidity than here on Oahu. We took advantage of the weather to attend the Kauai County Fair. We sat under the tent to watch the keiki talent show and eat a plate lunch. The garden section was my favorite. Tropical flowers filled the area with bright colors and fragrant air. It's a small fair, compared to most others I've been to, but with the standard exhibits; two or three rides, high school booster booths, and community and state organizations. We didn't make it to the livestock area.

I don't know if I could live on Kauai, it's a little too small for me, but it sure is a place to visit and relax. Every single person we met was friendly, nice, helpful and easy-going. I can't wait to nap on the pool lounge chair again.

Photos are of: Hanapepe bridge, Menehune Pond, Kauai Marriott, Lihue Sugar factory where sugar cane was loaded onto boats in Lihue harbor, view of valley on the way to Kalaheo.

Home

2011-08-25T12:03:00.005-10:00

On my way back to SFO, I stopped to visit Mark's parents and to see a furry friend who's getting on in years. I didn't have much time. I needed to return the rental car and get to the airport.

Later, I walked through SFO to my departure gate and came across this exhibit from the show, Beach Blanket Babylon. If you haven't seen it, go the next time you are in San Francisco. Big hats are an understatement in describing the show's props.

During my visit, people asked if I missed California. I had to say, "Yes". California is where my roots are. I'm a third generation Californian, it will always feel like home.
I told them, "Hawaii is beautiful, but I haven't been there long enough to say it feels like home."

I was in a state of limbo in regards to where home was. A five hour flight gave me time to realize "home" is a state of mind. My roots are in California, but home is where I feel welcome and safe. I landed in Honolulu where Mark greeted me with a lei, a hug and a kiss.

The following morning, the golden sunrise greeted me in the comfort of my home.

Tahoe Highlights

2011-08-25T11:38:00.004-10:00

A few other highlights from my three days with my Community of Writers friends, include dinner at Plumpjack cafe where Johnny Moseley, the Olympic Skier, sat at the table near us and again at lunch on the deck at Sunnyside Restaurant.

The lake is stunning this year. The epic snowfall from last winter has created a full, healthy, deep "Tahoe Blue" lake. The Truckee River dam was opened three days before I arrived. Full water in the lake and the river created a summer water spectacle all over the area.

After saying goodbye to my writer friends, I ventured over to the North Shore and said hello to friends I've known since I lived there. These wonderful people let me stay with them for another three days. When I lived in San Francisco, these friends had a key to my place and were welcome anytime. I, too, have a key to their place. It's like they are my Tahoe brother and sister.

I took a morning to have a cup of coffee by myself and enjoy the blue sky. A full schedule of visiting friends came after my coffee break. Nothing fills me up like spending time with friends, especially Tahoe friends. They are down-to-earth, friendly, "California casual" type of people.

The nights I stayed at my friends' house, the sunset washed the blue sky with shades of pink. The last night, the full moon rose over the mountains to the east and reflected like scattered diamonds on the lake. Beautiful.

The California Native Returns

2011-08-23T20:41:00.007-10:00

I made it to Lake Tahoe. Since I landed late at night into SFO, I checked into a hotel before attempting to drive up the mountain. From the airport cop, to the shuttle driver, to the woman who checked me in at the hotel, all of them spoke so quickly, I had to ask multiple times for them to repeat what they said. I couldn’t listen fast enough. All this “talking story” on Oahu the past few months made me an attentive and patient listener. Hawaiians take their time when speaking.

The next morning, I couldn’t wait to drive on Interstate 80 in four lanes and have the speedometer reach something higher than 50 MPH. After picking up my car at the rental center, I meditated while driving 65 on the freeway with other cars and watched open fields and sunflowers and almond trees whiz past me. I was reminded of when I was a kid.

California back then was mostly agricultural. We used to pick apricots in the lot next door to us. We’d drive as a family to a field nearby and pick cherries on land that is now Apple Computer headquarters. My great aunt and uncle lived next to Adobe Creek in Los Altos, where I grew up before we moved to Newport Beach. Many Sunday mornings my mom and dad would ride us on the back of their bicycles (without helmets) to the family house in Los Altos Hills. After riding down the long driveway and passing fruit trees along the way, we’d enter through the kitchen door at the back of the house where my great-aunt’s homemade hot cross buns sat on the counter waiting for us. My sister and I would sit at the table and pick up a bun to find it still warm. Then we’d walk into Adobe Creek and pick blackberries.

THAT is the California I remember.

So when I found myself on I-80 following this Chevy Truck, I really was transported to the California of the 70’s. It has the old black and gold license plate. I can’t believe this truck is still on the road. Hey, it’s for sale too!

Of course, I HAD to stop at Ikeda’s in Auburn. It’s a family owned restaurant/farm/fruit stand. I almost cried when I saw the half flat of organic, fresh picked strawberries for $8.29. A small clamshell of organic strawberries is sometimes $8.99 on Oahu and that’s after sitting on a ship for a week.

I picked up strawberries and peach muffins and continued to Squaw Valley where I was meeting members of the awesome group #9 from the 2007 Squaw Valley Community of Writers.

Lake Tahoe has a distinctive smell, it’s of pine, but nowhere else have I smelled the pine trees like I have in Tahoe. When I arrived in the parking lot and stepped out of the car, I inhaled a big lung-full of Tahoe air. Ahhh! I love Tahoe. Have I mentioned I lived there for a few years? It’s a magical place.

And speaking of magic, the people who run the Squaw Valley Community of Writers manage to create magic year after year. Four years after attending the conference, my friends and I found each other in our rented condo. Happy to be together, we laughed and screamed and hugged. We’d come from as far as Vermont and Hawaii to meet up once again. We’ve reunited a few times before and it’s always great, like we’ve never been apart.

This time we came to support two of our own - Sara J, Henry and Jessica O’Dwyer. Both of these ladies read from their published books to the 2011 participants, alumni and local folk who came to hear past participants read.

Sara’s book, LEARNING TO SWIM, came out in February. Sara was first of the alumni readers to address the group. She spoke to the audience about how her confidence was shattered the first time she attended the conference and how she went home and didn’t write for a year. The audience gasped. Sara then shared about her experience in 2007. When she said she’d found her writing family at the magical conference that year, I wasn’t the only one who, for one second, stopped breathing and felt tears in my eyes.

A few readers later and Jessica was reading from her memoir, MAMALITA. I’d heard Jessica share stories that aren't in the book at her book launch last November. Even though I’d heard one of the stories before, it touched me again about how much struggle a mother will go through to adopt the child she loves.

At the end of the alumni speakers event, I turned to another of our 2007 group alumna and said with pride, “Our girls were great.”

Honolulu Hale

2011-08-17T19:52:00.008-10:00

I came home from Lake Tahoe last night. I'll write about my week later, but for now, let me tell you where I went today. The Mayor of Honolulu's office. Yes, I met Mayor Carlisle. Not even five months here and I've been to a City Council meeting and I met the Mayor.

In order to protect the privacy of people involved, I'm not saying why I was able to attend City Hall today, other than it was for someone getting recognized.

The Mayor is a funny, easy-going man, who made a few jokes. His staff is excellent. They had every detail down. When we walked into the Mayor's outer office to wait for the Mayor, they said, "Relax, help yourself to some coffee. It's supposed to be fun here." (He has a Keurig coffee maker.)

Oh, and everyone wears a lei....the person getting honored, the family and support people for the honoree, the council members and the Mayor. In between items on the agenda, the Council takes a short break and three musicians play during the interludes! I think it's members of the Royal Hawaiian Band. It's so nice to sit and listen to the soft sounds of Hawaii while the Council readies itself for the next agenda item.

The City Council Chambers in Honolulu Hale have gorgeous old painted ceilings and light fixtures. I've uploaded a photo of the ceiling, a chandelier, and the view from the mayor's outer office.

Book Buying on Oahu

2011-08-02T12:14:00.003-10:00

I’m heading to Lake Tahoe next week for the Squaw Valley Writers Conference. I attended a few years ago and two of the writers in our group published books last year. They are readers at the conference this year. Our small group is having a reunion to catch up and to support the new authors.

I wanted books for the five hour airplane rides.

On Oahu, there’s really only Barnes and Noble left for book buying. There are few bookstores that carry Hawaiiana and Hawaiian history and many used book stores, but these particular books I wanted are recently published. The one independent bookstore on the island is so disorganized that when I asked for a particular book, the woman looked it up on the computer and said, “We have two copies here somewhere.” And after 20 minutes of looking, both on the shelves and in the back room, she couldn’t find either copy.

So off to Barnes and Noble’s at Ala Moana Mall I went. The “New Arrivals” table had books on it I saw a year ago in San Francisco. They aren’t “New”. I searched the stacks of books and the rows of shelves, but not one of the three books I was looking for was anywhere to be found. The shelves were filled with books I’d already either read, or didn’t want to read. Titles that came out four years ago filled the shelves. Hawaii was way behind. I asked Customer Service for help. The man looked on his computer. “We don’t have those books. I can order it for you. It’ll take seven to ten days.”

“No,” I said, “I need them sooner than that.”

The man didn’t look up from his computer. “They must be small books if we don’t carry them.”

One is a New York Times bestseller. All are with major publishers.

I walked out of the store to head to my car. My thought was to drive to another city and another bookstore to find my books. Then I realized, I’m in Hawaii. There IS no other place to drive to.

The internet, you say. Order them yourself.

I’ve ordered books through Amazon and had them sent here. One took eight weeks to arrive. The other two took three weeks with extra shipping charges for a Hawaii address.

Speaking of shipping to Hawaii, I tried to order more checks off my bank’s website (A VERY BIG BANK). When I added my Hawaii address for delivery, the screen had red letters at the top that said, “We cannot deliver to Puerto Rico or outside the United States. Please enter a new address."

I’m so far from San Francisco and a major City. I can’t drive long distances here. I miss the convenience of San Francisco. People know it’s part of the United States. Friends are there. The weather is hot and sticky here and……. I have Rock Fever.

I’d been warned about this.

It’s why I’m so excited to head to Lake Tahoe and see the beautiful lake. I think I’m going to take my rental car and drive…drive long distances with scenery that changes along the way. I miss California. And yet, I like it here. I do. I’m just not IN the community, yet. I have only a few friends and nothing is like it is on the Mainland. It’s major adjustment.

My cousins arrive tomorrow, and I think seeing family will help. Then, I’m off to see the Tahoe Blue lake with Tahoe bluebird skies. I’m packing now.

I must cure my Rock Fever.

Where is Jenny from San Francisco?

2011-07-18T19:40:00.005-10:00

Here's a Facebook entry from a friend in San Francisco. He's looking for a girl he met 7 or 8 years ago. The romantic in me hopes he finds her and all ends happily, but even if it doesn't, I hope he hears from her. Here it is:

Jennie, it's been about 7 or 8 years since we met in The Dubliner Bar on 24th Street in San Francisco. You had more than a passing resemblance to the actress Amy Brenneman. We hit it off, we had good laughs, good chemistry and calm moments at a time when we were both going through some stormy moments in our own personal lives--or, maybe that was just me. But circumstances then did prohibit us from... getting to know each other better.

And I always thought I'd run into you again, and obviously I haven't. Where are you, what are you doing? I'd love to say HELLO! one more time, even if only to say goodbye. Too much, perhaps, to offer to take you out on that date you asked me to ask you out on--and I couldn't then as I was involved in a disaster, but committed in my own way to doing what was right at the time.

But the fact is that you lingered enough in my heart and mind for me to try to find you. A pity I never asked your full name, it simply never crossed my mind, and there is an infinity of Jennies, Jennys, Jennifers, Gennys and other spellings on Facebook and elsewhere online, profile photos are tiny, some are of flowers or logos and I just can't see you-- so this is my attempt to be seen by you and let you know that I did like you: A lot!

...And perhaps you are just a pleasant little daydream in this dreamer's little world...

Whatever your status, single, married, in a relationship, whatever it is, hope you are happy and hope this makes its way somehow to your online network and perhaps you can say hi.

Derek from Ireland, still in San Francisco.

The Facebook page is titled, Jenny. (Or was it Jennie?) Where art thou?

So Far Away

2011-07-11T09:46:00.011-10:00

Last week I had three friends who suddenly had their worlds turned upside down. All involved being in the hospital with major health issues. Hawaii felt very far from friends and family. There wasn't much I could do from 2,500 miles away. I wish I could have at least sat with them and held their hands, but phone calls, e-mails and prayer had to suffice.

I had an amazing 4th of July. We watched a parade, we went to Hickam Air Force Base to see Plain White T's in concert and followed up with fireworks. The weather was perfect and I was feeling great.

Surprisingly, the 4th of July here was the most patriotic 4th I've seen since I lived in Washington D.C. in the early 90's. Women and children donned in red, white and blue, and stars and stripes, shouted greetings of "Happy 4th Of July". During the parade, people waved American flags. The color guards marched. The VFW, American Legion and Vets of the Korean War, Vietnam and one Pearl Harbor survivor all paraded. I haven't seen Americans stand up, clap and cheer for Veterans in a long, long time. It never happened in San Francisco. But, then, there's no Independence Day parade in San Francisco.

I felt American again, here in Hawaii. Then the phone calls and e-mails happened from my friends in California telling me about their, or their spouses injuries/illnesses. I imagined them stuck in industrial-looking hospital buildings, smelling those horrible hospital smells and watching machines and waiting for doctors, while I was looking out at steep green cliffs and rainbows, feeling warm tradewinds blow past me carrying the scent of tropical flowers.

So, here I sit in Hawaii, feeling like it's another country and realizing how important my friends are. These three friends span my lifetime; one from nursery school, one from high school and another from college. They represent different times in my life, different experiences I had while growing up. They are important.

I think of friends and loved ones back on the mainland. SFO airport used to carry me to them within a few hours, or I could drive to them on a moment's notice. Now I'm 2,500 miles away at closest.

But Hawaii has an airport. A big one, where American Airlines will fly me to Georgia this October so I can visit one of my best friends from high school and watch his sons play in their football games.
I'll make time to see the people who are important to me and I will find time to visit those three friends I've been thinking about all week.

See y'all in October.

Tsunami Damage

2011-07-04T13:56:00.007-10:00

Our last day in Kona, we stopped at the King Kamehameha Hotel which suffered extensive damage from the March 11th tsunami. Here are photos from the hotel lobby and the exterior.

Going Back In Time

2011-07-03T18:54:00.011-10:00

After touring The City of Refuge, we drove to our hotel to find dinner. If you're ever in Kona, stop at the Royal Kona Resort to be transported to the past. Here are photos from the bar and Don The Beachcomber restaurant. At times, I thought I was in Disneyland. You can feel how the place used to be the IN spot, probably in the 1950's and 1960's.

The next day we drove to Hilo, which reminded us of the city of Petaluma in Northern California. A small town feel, but not much to do there. Well, okay, we did go to Big Island Candies and the Mauna Loa macadamia nut factory. The weather driving out there was foggy, cold, and rainy. It was 63 degrees at one point near the town of Waimeia. We passed the Hamakua region, known for growing flowers, vegetables and, um, "other" famous Hawaiian crops. (We figured those crops were growing behind the fences that said, "Keep Out".)

Parker Ranch, a working cattle ranch, owns most of the land around Waimea. (Also known as Kamuela.) I thought the stop signs in the shopping center were a kick. "Whoa".

Our day ended at the Four Seasons Hotel, just to see what it's all about. With Balinese-style decor, it is stunningly gorgeous and the sunset was amazing. We wished we could sit on one of the lounge chairs on the beach, but they were for hotel guests only.

We left the Four Seasons and dined at the Kona Inn Restaurant, with its delicious mahi-mahi and super friendly staff. A walk along the bay, back to our hotel, ended our night.

City Of Refuge

2011-07-02T22:01:00.005-10:00

After visiting the coffee region of Kona, Mark and I drove to Puʻuhonua O Hōnaunau, also known as the City of Refuge.

A reconstructed temple called the Hale o Keawe Heiau sits on the edge of the bay. Back in the 1500-1600's if someone broke a law (kapu) they could seek refuge here. The photo with the carved statues is the reconstructed heiau.

Next to the heiau is the former palace grounds. Reconstructed huts, games made out of stone, and fishing ponds were built for posterity to get a sense of how royalty lived back then.

As we walked out of the grounds, feeling like we could sense Ali'i from centuries ago, paddlers entered the bay. Were they seeking a sort of refuge in the water?

Kona Coffee

2011-07-02T14:37:00.008-10:00

We took another three day trip to the Big Island. This time, we stayed in Kona and went sightseeing over the entire island.

Our first stop was to the Kona coffee region and Kona Joe's coffee. "Joe" is an orthopedic surgeon from California and friends with my podiatrist in San Francisco. Kona Joe's closes up early. After leaving the rental car place at Kona airport we arrived at Kona Joe's at 2:30. No more tour and they were out of free coffee samples.

I bought a few small bags of their Trellis grown reserve. Oh, my. Coffee never tasted so good.

Since we missed out on the tour, we drove on to Greenwell Farms. There is a reason for everything, because the tour at Greenwell Farms was fantastic. Everyone was friendly. The tour guide was local and shared with us his personal coffee experiences from growing up. I'm a coffee fan and I learned much.

Their farm dog came on the tour with us. She laid down when we stopped and walked alongside us when we toured.

After the tour, we sampled 10 different coffee types and two chocolate covered coffee beans. Oh, maybe that's why the tours end early, otherwise people will stay awake from all the caffeine.

Greenwell is the place to go for a Kona coffee tour.

Photos are of a coffee tree, an apple-banana tree, the farm cat and local coffee growers dropping off coffee beans.

Random Places

2011-06-26T22:23:00.006-10:00

I'm posting photos of a few places I've been this weekend.

Champion Malasada is apparently the original malasada, or so I've been told. Look at the breakfast! Who says Hawaii is expensive? I can get eggs and rice with Portuguese sausage for a deal!

The sunset is the view from Lanikai on Saturday night. We drove there before our dinner where the woman paid for everyone's meal.

A rainbow over Manoa, and the view from the industrial section near Honolulu Airport.

A Meal Like No Other

2011-06-24T21:41:00.002-10:00

No one really noticed the woman sitting at the corner table. I glanced at her as I was seated at the table in front of her tonight. She wore a gray t-shirt and had a glass of wine on her table. I thought she was waiting for someone to join her.

Mark and I sat at our table and laughed about something that happened earlier this evening. The table of three women next to us were celebrating a birthday. A party of four was being seated on the other side of the birthday women.

We ordered our food. The woman left the restaurant, leaving unnoticed.

Noel, our waiter, came over to our table.

"The woman behind you just paid for your meals."

We looked at him, stunned.

"She just paid for everyone's dinner in my station and left me the best tip I've ever had."

Neither Mark nor I have ever had something like that happen to us. Our waiter said it had never happened to him either. I asked him why she did it.

"She said she just lost someone important to her and wanted to put something positive out in the world."

My first thought was, the person she lost must have been a generous soul in order for her to think of others while grieving his or her loss.

As Noel spread the news to the table of women, they too, were stunned. They tried to attain her name and number in order to thank her. Noel said he had her information but she expressed her wished to remain anonymous and he was honoring her wish. He did tell them this woman "lived on Base." (Kaneohe Marine Corps Base is 5-10 minutes away from the restaurant.)

To the woman who paid for dinners at Zia's Cafe in Kailua Town tonight, we feel your loss and we will pay your generosity forward.

Kids Day in Honolulu

2011-06-24T08:55:00.006-10:00

The U.S. Army museum sits off Waikiki Beach, between a condo complex and Fort DeRussy, in a low-lying concrete building. The helicopter on the roof and the tank out front give clues to what's inside.

Mark's nephews spent the day with us yesterday. We walked along the beach to the Shorebird restaurant for lunch. We were told the waves along South Shore were supposed to be huge again yesterday like they were the day before. No such waves where we were. Instead of watching for surfers, we walked into the U.S. Army Museum.

The reinforced concrete building is so tough that when developers tried to knock it down, they were unable. They building remains and is a remarkable place to visit. We stepped inside and were greeted by veterans. One came to talk to the boys; a retired U.S. Special Forces Green Beret and recipient of six Purple Hearts. He served in Vietnam and ended his career after a tour in Afghanistan. He showed the boys where a bullet had been removed from his neck. (He still has five bullets remaining in his body.)

Mark made sure the boys shook his hand and thanked him for his service.

We entered the exhibit area next. I tend to get claustrophobic in small, dark places, but the low ceiling of this reinforced building made me feel safe. It was built to protect, and the cool air and thick walls inside instill that "safe" feeling. I couldn't help wonder what would happen to this building if a major tsunami arrived. I think I'd run for this building, and hunker inside until danger passed. It seems much safer than trying to navigate Waikiki's traffic jams.

The main hallway of the museum has displays lining the wall on the right and entrances on the left where displays of each era of Army artifacts are exhibited. I entered the first doorway. The history starts with the Hawaiian Army, not the U. S. Army. Each exhibit on the left winds around and ends up back at the main hallway, but further down from where I started.

The areas are segregated by time and conflict/war. The last doorway on the left shows Vietnam. Hawaii was a place for a quick escape for R&R for the soldiers in Vietnam. Families from the mainland could catch a flight to meet their loved one in Hawaii. I snapped a photo of a replica Tiki Bar from the era. The TV played videos from the original Hawaii Five-0 show. Photos of Elvis and other celebrities visiting Hawaii lined the walls of the Tiki Bar.

The boys knew most of the types of guns, rocket launchers, etc. and searched for the descriptions and names of those they didn't know. They told us later they knew the names from playing the video game, "Black Ops, Call of Duty."

From the Museum, we walked to Lappert's Ice Cream in the Hilton Hawaiian Village. I'm not an ice cream fan, but I love Lappert's.

Next we took the younger nephew to Punahou School. It was raining, but after we walked around campus for awhile, the rainbows broke out everywhere.
Mark's nephew exclaimed, "I want to go to school here!"

Who wouldn't want to go to a school with lush green vegetation, rolling lawns, large athletic pools, gyms, fields and rainbows covering the entire campus?

Kamehameha and My First Hawaiian Kiss

2011-06-17T21:09:00.015-10:00

Last Friday was Kamehameha Day, a state holiday commemorating King Kamehameha The Great’s birthday and celebrating the cultural traditions he defended.

We were warned of traffic gridlock in Waikiki due to parades, festivals, dances, concerts, etc, associated with Kamehameha Day. Recognizing we would miss a cultural event, Mark and I decided to stay away from the throngs of people and pass on the festivities.

Friday evening, we needed to show up somewhere on the outskirts of Waikiki. We consciously waited for the traffic to leave the area of Ali’iolani Hale, (the building behind the statue of Kamehameha) and for crowds to assemble further down in Waikiki for the next promoted event of the day. We figured we’d drive slowly past the statue to see the draped leis done earlier in the day, then continue to our destination.

The streets were nearly empty as we drove up to the statue. A few dozen people stood, some taking photos of their family, in front of the newly lei’d King. With plenty of parking spaces, we decided to stop. We saw Guy Hagi, the local weatherman, reporting from the scene. About thirty men and women dressed in Victorian era clothing stood in front of Ali’iolani Hale, the former seat of government for the Kingdom of Hawaii. We stood on the outskirts of the paved circle that surrounds the statue as Hawaiian men and women paraded on the circular pathway, chanting; a few carrying torches, one waving a smoking ti leaf and nodding to a few in the crowd.

The woman standing next to me touched her hand to her forehead and bowed when the ti leaf waved our direction. I assumed she was Hawaiian, although here everyone is such a mix of different races and nationalities, it's difficult to tell.

Mark and I stood quietly trying to remain out of the way of the ceremony, but no one seemed to mind if we watched.

I whispered to Mark that I wish I spoke Hawaiian so I could understand the meaning of this ritual.

Near the end of the ceremony, the group around the statue sang a haunting, but beautiful, melody.

I quietly asked the woman next to me if she knew the name of the song.

“Kamehameha,” she answered. I didn’t ask her any more. Her eyes were fixed on the group. She started to whisper in English as the group sang. “I’m translating,” she said. I wish I could remember word for word what she translated, but it was about having respect for the king who unified the islands and how they will always revere and remember him.

Each in the group touched their first fingers to their foreheads and then pointed the finger at the statue. The woman next to me did the same. When the ceremony concluded, the woman turned to me and said, “That, what you just witnessed, was the spirit of Aloha. We are a peaceful people and we wish to remember our King who unified us. “

I asked about the finger pointing. “We touch our finger to the area just above our eyes, in the center (I thought of the Third eye) and send our highest respects to our King.”

I asked who the people were who performed the ceremony.

“They are Ali’i.” (Hawaiian royalty)

Astonished that Ali’I still existed, she sensed I wanted to know more. The Sons of Kamehameha were the men holding the torches and wearing cardinal red and black capes over their suits.

I wished to know more, but I didn’t know what to ask and I didn’t want to take up this woman’s time.

Just then, she faced me, leaned towards me to touch her forehead to mine. She touched her nose to mine. Quietly, she said, “Breathe in the essence of the other person.” We both inhaled, then separated.

“That is a Hawaiian kiss.” She continued, “Have you noticed everyone is smiling here, even in Waikiki with the cars and the buildings and the tourists?”
We nodded.

“We are a gentle people, docile, and we keep getting taken advantage of, yet we continue to smile because we live in aloha.”

“Hawaiians,” she said, “are about aloha, appreciation and an attitude of gratitude.”

“Say ‘mahalo’ 10-12 times a day. We don’t just say it here, we mean it.”

She pointed to Mark, “Tell him 'mahalo' every day. Be grateful for him.”

“I am,” I said. “I’m here because he’s such a kind and caring person.” I hugged Mark and told him how grateful I was he brought me to Hawaii.

She told me of a queen, about May Day and the meaning of its celebration here, of the spirit of the Hawaiian people. I tried to remember it all and soon realized I'm not supposed to remember the facts, I'm supposed to live in Aloha, the way this woman was describing it to me.

Then, I turned to the woman, leaned in, touched my forehead and nose to hers, and breathed deep.

I stepped back, looked her in the eyes, nodded slightly to her and in sincerity said, “Aloha”.

With a light in her eyes, she smiled. “Yes, that’s it.”

I must have blinked taking in the moment, because after that, she disappeared.

Ua mau ke ea o ka 'aina i ka pono "The life of the land is preserved in righteousness."

Thunderstorm Witnesses

2011-06-09T12:26:00.004-10:00

My mom and step-dad came to visit. We drove them all over the island and stayed at the Outrigger Reef in Waikiki. It's a great hotel, with friendly staff and all the necessities for a beach vacation.

My parents stayed with us before we checked in to the Outrigger. They experienced the same kind of thunderstorm I wrote about a few weeks ago. This time the lights flickered, but we didn't lose power. The weather service said four inches of rain were coming down per hour. The clouds parked over our building for a solid hour and shot huge lightning flashes in front of our living room window. At one point, I jumped out of my chair.

This storm was more severe than the thunderstorms I witnessed when I lived in Washington, D.C.

Oh, and I took my mom to the Bishop Museum where I snapped a photo of the Fishing God statue.

Peace, War and Nature

2011-05-31T22:21:00.007-10:00

I’m not sure how to explain the past two days.

Monday evening we went to the Hawaiian Lantern Festival, a festival promoting peace and harmony and organized by the Shinnyo-en Buddhists, whereby lanterns are set to sea by people wishing to commemorate lost loved ones. The priest (a woman, but they called her a priest) spoke.

“Lights of the lanterns are lights of hope which extend our gratitude to our ancestors.”

She also spoke of the lanterns as a communication vessel “between souls seen and unseen”. She shared how the kindness of America in helping Japan after the tsunami and earthquake wouldn’t be forgotten.

I saw lanterns decorated with the Japanese flag bearing the words, “Remember Japan". Others said, "To Auntie” and "My Beloved Son". Many wrote to grandparents describing how the family thinks of them everyday, and one with, “PFC (first and last name), Persian Gulf War”. On the other side, his date of death and a photo of the soldier.

Forty thousand people stood on the edge of Ala Moana Beach Park. It was quiet enough to hear the conch shell being blown at the festival stand on the other end of the beach. We watched as over 3,000 lanterns bobbed in the gentle waves and floated to the edge of the bay. All those lanterns represented lost loved ones. It was reverent, solemn, peaceful.

At the end of the ceremony, everyone sang a song in Hawaiian. (I believe it was “Aloha Oe”, but I’m not sure). An elderly, petite Asian woman stood in the sand holding her cane in one hand and her daughter’s arm in the other. She sang as loud as she could in her frail condition and held a smile large enough to light up her face and expose the tears in her eyes.

Today, I found myself at Hickam Air Force Base staring at the walls of buildings riddled with bullet holes from the Japanese attack in 1941.

The Doomsday plane was parked on the field. I don’t know why it was here, but the thought of the plane being developed for use in case of nuclear attack left me somber.

After Hickam AFB, I stood on the grounds of Pearl Harbor Naval Base, peering through a chain link fence, across the bay, to the Arizona Memorial and the USS Missouri.

Reflecting back to the Lantern Festival last night and then to the images before me at Pearl Harbor and Hickam, I wondered about human nature.

As we drove out Pearl Harbor's gates onto the freeway, a rainbow appeared covering one end of the land to another, reminding me there is more at work than human nature.

Surfer Van

2011-05-30T15:29:00.003-10:00

Driving home from the beach, we stopped at a stop light. A VW van pulled up behind us with a young (20ish) surfer girl behind the wheel. I was telling Mark how nice it was to see the casual surfer still in existence in a van driving home from the beach, when a guy on a motorcycle pulled up next to the van and told the girl, "I don't want to scare you, but your car's on fire."

She jumped out of her van. I turned the car around the corner. We pulled over. Mark ran to the intersection to see if she was okay and then to direct traffic. I pulled out my phone and realized by the time I reached a local dispatcher on my (415) area code phone, the car could explode.

Instead, I started to run towards the intersection. Why? Because the Fire Station was RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET!!

A guy on a scooter had already driven up the grass to the front of the station. Fire fighters ran across the street, pulling on their gear.

Two lessons for me.
One: If I'm going to have a car fire, do it across the street from a fire station.
Two: Time to get a local phone number.

(In the photo, the van is around the corner to the left and the fire station is on the right.)

A Cat and Fish

2011-05-29T20:52:00.007-10:00

In Ireland, there’s a stone that sits just to the side of the geographic center of the island. It is believed the Goddess Eriu, Eire, or Erin, was buried under this stone. The Irish call it the Cat Stone, because it looks like a cat.

I was reminded of this stone while walking through the Bishop Museum here on Oahu. On the first floor of the main hall sits a stone with a face. I swear it was staring at me. Really. It has eyes and a mouth and leans forward slightly. Since I was in a museum, I didn't take photos. If you Google, "Kaneikokala" you'll find the stone.

Early in the 1900’s, a native Hawaiian continually had dreams of this stone whereby it was telling him he wanted out of the cold. This man followed his dream. Buried under dirt and grass and lying in water, was the stone, recognized as a fish god.

The Bishop Museum took charge of the stone and anchored the fish god into the floor with cement. When renovating the museum in 2006, they tried to remove the stone and place him outside in a more revered spot. After digging and digging through cement, the stone wouldn’t move. Finally, they left the fish god in the main exhibit hall, where he now stares at the entrance, safe and warm.

A Sacred Place

2011-05-23T21:53:00.006-10:00

Have you ever stepped into a space and knew it was sacred?

Our friends from San Francisco were here on vacation. We took them on a drive around the island to show them the sights outside of Waikiki. Our morning started with an unexpected place where friends gathered. At this gathering place, our San Francisco friends ran into old friends of theirs who used to live in the city by the bay. This group filled us with hope for the new day and sent us on our way.

We planned to drive straight to the North Shore so our SF friends could see the famous surfing beaches. We stopped along the way which detoured us from the main road we had been on.

I’ve known these friends for seven years. I don’t know everything about them and their beliefs, but I do know we believe in the same thing. Miracles. We believe in miracles because we’ve seen them.

Our detour took us to a section of the island I remembered from before. Sitting in the car, I said to Mark, “We’re near the temple aren’t we?”

When he affirmed, I asked our friends if they wanted to see the Valley of the Temples.

One of them had heard about it from someone and work. He remarked how he'd never get near the Valley because he had no car during his stay in Waikiki. We have mutual friends who tell us all the time, "there are no coincidences."

Excitedly, we turned into the valley.

We explained how each cemetery section was divided among all the religions of the island. The drive up the valley is serene, with rolling slopes of grass and flowers marking graves on each side. A cross on the left, a yin/yang symbol and a tiger on stained glass up ahead, a statue of the Virgin Mary on the right.

We passed a large family of at least three generations, sitting under a canopy eating and talking near their ancestor’s grave.

The road led us to the Shinto section with elaborate black headstones where we made the final turn to the parking area.

Halfway across the footbridge, my friend gasped. I took her arm as we crossed to the other side. “Oh, wow!” I heard them both exclaim when they saw the temple.

The Byodo-In is a non-denomination Buddhist temple which welcomes people of all faiths. Built without nails, it’s an impressive reddish-orange building which sits at the foot of the stunning cliffs of the Ko’olau mountains. The shadows kept changing the look of the entire setting as the sun shined, then disappeared, and reappeared to create new shadows minutes later.

I had been there before with a group of friends and many, many tourists. But Sunday, it was calm and quiet. We made a donation at the large bell and rang it for luck. Then we approached the main building where the large statue of Buddha rests. I slipped off my shoes and with the very first step into the structure, my breath calmed, my shoulders relaxed and all thoughts of things other than the golden Buddha sitting lotus-style in front of me disappeared.

Each of us lit incense and stood quietly. Mark took my hand and we bowed our heads in reverence to the calming influence sitting above us.

More reason to feel hope in a sacred place.

It's a Small, Small World

2011-05-19T19:03:00.006-10:00

Mark's aunt read my post about the Hawaii Book Festival and promptly e-mailed me afterward. She knows both Jodi Belknap (Belknap Publishing) and Jamie Ford (Author of Hotel on the Corner Of Bitter And Sweet)

Mark's family is from Oahu and his aunt has lived here her whole life.

I guess Jamie Ford lived here in his advertising days. He and his wife came to visit "Auntie and Uncle" on their last vacation to Oahu.

Mark's aunt knows Jodi and Buzz of Belknap Publishing through working together on some projects.

It's such a small world.

(Reminder - "Mark" is not his real name.)

Tuesday, we played tourist and went to Waikiki. We sat at the Mai Tai Bar at The Royal Hawaiian Hotel and watched the sun set. There's a doctor's convention in town so we had to scramble to get a table. It was worth it to see the water and the sunset and to have someone bring us dinner and drinks.

Hawaii Book Festival

2011-05-15T10:28:00.012-10:00

Desperate to find a writing partner and get back to a routine of writing, I attended the Hawaii Book and Music Festival at Honolulu Hale (City Hall) yesterday. A friend of mine from high school and college set up an e-introduction with his aunt of Belknap Publishing.

Set on the grass, under the trees that surround City Hall were the white booths of participants. I entered from a sidewalk path to find a Barnes and Noble booth. Sitting on the table at the corner of the booth were copies of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet . Since the author is a past participant of the Squaw Valley Community of Writers and a friend of a friend of mine from the year I attended, I took this as a good sign.

I walked past that booth to find the Hawaii Book Publishers table and met Jodi Belknap. She introduced me to everyone she knew who walked or stopped by her table. Mark had told me earlier that Hawaiians don't want to interfere in someone's life. In order to get help, I needed to ask for it. I actually said to one man, "I need help. I have to find writing partners and a writing group." This man gave me the name of a friend to contact.

It seems romance writers and poets abound in Hawaii, but not so with memoirists. I'm following up with everyone and am grateful Jodi is willing to help me get my writing life settled in Hawaii.

Jodi also introduced me to a friend from the Bishop Museum, who works in the collections department. I told them about the photo of my dad and uncle on Ala Wai Canal in 1938 and how my grandpa was working on the Lurline (a Matson cruise ship) during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Maybe I'm supposed to dig around the Bishop Museum for more 1930-40's artifacts. Are there Matson related photos and letters hidden there?

After visiting Belknap Publishing, I wandered the paths among the grass to the music stage and listened to happy Hawaiian sounds while cooling off under a tree. When I saw a stream of people walking into a dark tunnel, I wondered if I was missing a secret auditorium with guest speakers. No, it was the parking garage; underground and disguised as a green, grassy hill. You can see it in the photo. You'd never know cars were parked under the tranquil, grassy knoll where kids were playing.

Oahu has hidden collections in museums and underground parking garages. Now I need to find the underground memoir writers.

Later I'll write about the statue at Bishop Museum found through dreams.

Cats, Coffee and Cuisine

2011-05-13T19:42:00.004-10:00

I found my new coffee shop! It has a book exchange, a sitting area that's comfy, good coffee, Wi-Fi and a mellow vibe that reminds me of San Francisco.

Since we moved here, I haven't been working on my book. Back in the Bay Area, I had a writing partner with a regular place and time we'd meet. I had a writing group that met once a month. I was writing. I miss it and them.

Here, I haven't any sort of routine; therefore, no writing. I'm not telling where this coffee shop is, because I plan to go there with my laptop and write. And drink coffee. And think of my writing partner back in Marin County and hope she's writing too.

I also explored the Farmer's Market and the amount of food there could feed half of Oahu. Mark and I wandered the rows looking at fresh Manoa lettuce, Waimanalo greens, tomatoes, squash, onions, pineapple, papaya and avocados. The baked section had every kind of bread imaginable; squaw, rye, chocolate cherry, garlic butter sourdough, and Hawaiian sweet bread, among stacks of others.

There was hand-churned butter, hand-made preserves and soaps. It was endless.

In the cooked food aisles we found Puerto Rican, Asian, Soul, Mexican, Southern, fish, steak and Mediterranean food. All the smells blended together. It was heavenly!

A van of Japanese tourists unloaded in the parking lot. They wandered the rows of the Farmer's Market with professional looking video cameras and sound devices.
It put any Bay Area Farmer's Market to shame. (Well, except one in San Francisco.)
Anyway, we loaded up our bags and I've had three meals off the purchases I made.

Yumm!

Then this afternoon, I stopped by a deli on the other side of town. Guess what they had? Brussel Sprouts for $3.50 a pound, already cooked! Three dollars and forty-nine cents at the store and I prep, cook and clean, or $3.50 already done for me.
I'll be visiting them again soon, plus, they have a resident cat who lets you pet her.
Cat time and Brussel Sprouts - my kind of place.

Where Are The Brussel Sprouts?

2011-05-09T19:54:00.000-10:00

A trip to the grocery store is usually routine. We were eating out a lot due to not being settled in our place, but now we shop at our local Foodland; a great supermarket and walking distance to our place.

My first inclination I'd have to adjust was when I couldn't find decent potatoes anywhere. What would my Irish grandmother say to a meal without potatoes? I'd have to find something else instead. Not rice. I'm sick of rice. What do the Hawaiians use for their starch? Yes, you remember now, that gooey stuff they serve at luaus.

Poi.

I can have Poi English muffins. Sigh.

I'm a huge vegetable fan and I love brussel sprouts. I've gone to the fields in Half Moon Bay before to pick freshly cut brussel sprouts off the ground after a harvest or I'd buy them at the local market in San Francisco for .99 a pound. I found them at Foodland. Look at that price! $3.49. I may have to forgo a steak to eat brussel sprouts. (I can hear my vegan friends cheering now.) And what is that funny looking cucumber thing? I better learn to cook with it.

Then I saw the green onions. They're huge! I placed a green pepper on them for comparison. Pineapples are still locally grown and sold here.

Finally, I searched for guacamole and salsa. Let me just say that eggs are NOT an ingredient in guacamole and neither should it nor salsa be as runny as soup broth. Just before I left for the market a friend had e-mailed me information about her brother's long-time friends from Berkeley who started a tortilla business in Hawaii. I found Sinaloa Tortillas at Foodland, curiously, also for $3.49. I asked my friend if the tortilla people could find us a place for Mexican food. She asked. Her brother e-mailed me a phone number. The tortillas are delicious!

I'm calling them tomorrow.

We left Foodland and found the cart sign on the post in the parking lot. Mahalo!

Kabajang Monday

2011-05-03T22:26:00.000-10:00

The power went out yesterday at 4:30 PM. I was home alone. Mark was in town with the car. It was strange to watch out the windows as the sky grew darker and darker. Finally, the sky lit up with lightning. The thunder was so loud it shook our apartment building.

When I lived in Lake Tahoe my mom had given me a wind up radio. For some reason, that radio was one of the few things I shipped over to Hawaii. I wound up the radio and heard that most of Oahu was without power due to lightning hitting transformers. After informing us of the traffic problems, road closures, water spouts, power outages, and flooding, the DJ called it a "Kabajang Monday". Then he said, "For those of you new to the islands, kabajang is what we call "crazy".

Mark texted me a photo of two waterspouts off the coast from Honolulu Airport. They delayed all flights in and out of the airport. Locals say they've never seen a storm like this in Hawaii.

Lucky us?

Mark finally made it home through flooded Honolulu streets. We went to sleep after 1 AM. The lightning and wind and thunder were keeping us awake. We couldn't help but watch out the windows. The storm became so furious I said, "No wonder Hawaiians believed in angry Gods."

The pink in the sky in the photo is the lightning flashing behind the clouds on the other side of the mountains.

At this moment, the wind is howling and it's pouring rain. Better get this posted before we lose power again.

The North Shore and Newport Beach Memories

2011-05-02T23:12:00.000-10:00

We took a little drive to the North Shore yesterday. Our first stop was Kualoa Ranch, which used to be a sugar cane mill. There's also a tour which covers areas used in movies and TV shows. We'll save the tour for a time when friends or family are visiting.

We continued up to the town of Laie, where the Mormon-run Polynesian Cultural Center and BYU-Hawaii campus are. Since it was Sunday, everything was closed, even the public beach!

Off to Turtle Bay Resort in Kahuku, land of Kahuku corn. I'll tell you about the vegetables here another time.

I had been to Turtle Bay briefly once before. Turtle Bay was originally Del Webb's Kuilima resort. We ate lunch at their beachside restaurant where I discovered our waiter grew up in Laguna Beach. I went to high school in Newport Beach and back then the two towns were close. There was a stretch of Pacific Coast Highway that separated the two. At the edge of Newport Beach city limits and before entering Laguna Beach, there was only land with cars parked alongside the road where beach goers and surfers hiked down steep trails to secret coves and hidden beaches. Oh, and there was a shake shack that made awesome date shakes and on the other side, horses.

Now, that area is called Newport Coast, filled with mansions and set behind gates and the once-hidden Crystal Cove is a state park with a large parking lot and a shuttle to take you to the beach. As teenagers, we used to park alongside PCH; wearing flip-flops and carrying our beach chairs and towels, we'd run across the then two lane highway and find our way to the beach.

Our waiter went to Newport Elementary. I told him Newport Beach wasn't anything like it was back then. It's all about big houses and keeping up now. The California casual beach town is long gone.

We said goodbye to the waiter and wandered around the resort. We found ourselves in a hallway leading to the Sunset Room. A worker was cleaning and asked if we wanted to come in and look around. I asked if they had a wedding there earlier. He said it was a retirement party. When I mentioned the flower petals strewn across the floor, he said, "She worked here over 30 years. We like to send them off with a little blessing."

We left the aptly named Sunset Room and walked towards the ocean we could see from inside. Surfers hugged the rocky point off the room and sat waiting for waves to ride into the bay on the left. The point off Turtle Bay is the northernmost point on the island of Oahu. Nothing between that point and Alaska. I looked for Sarah Palin in her living room.

Mark and I laugh at how the weatherman here calls the North Shore "the country". Yet I missed a call on my cell phone from the poor reception. I felt my phone vibrate in my bag a few times. Finally, when we walked back to our car the phone rang again. It was my mom.

"Osama Bin Laden’s dead.”

She continued, "That’s all they’re saying. They don’t know any more."

I told her we were in the country and hadn't seen a TV in a few hours.
We continued driving around the north shore searching for radio reception of a news station. We picked up a Japanese language station and three baseball games. No word about Bin Laden and no cell phone reception either. We drove to the beach and saw a few military men just coming off the sand. I was tempted to ask them, but they didn’t seem to know the news.

In the meantime, we stopped at the beach towns of the North Shore. One in particular reminded me of Newport Beach in the 70's. A mellow town with bicycles and neighbors all walking on the road alongside the beach. The residents are fighting the development of a high-end hotel there and I can see why. Once they let one in, the whole mindset and way of living in the town changes. Before they know it, there's a Newport Coast and a Real Housewives series in the once-small town.

At the general market in Haleiwa, we heard people mention Bin Laden was dead, but we still didn't know the details. It wasn’t until we reached the Dole Plantation that my phone started to ring and buzz with voice messages finally coming through from friends calling. We drove past Schofield Barracks Army Base on the way home, unaware they were now on elevated status.

Sometimes, I feel like I’m in another country here. No one seems to know the news of the U.S. or the world. Everyone goes on with their day, doing what they normally do without regard to the rest of the world.

We drove home and turned on the TV news; glued to it for the rest of the night.

My friends in New York and Washington D.C. seem so far away. Mark is loving the fact we can be so removed from the real world. “We’re never leaving,” he exclaimed earlier in the car.

I’m really wondering how long I can live without the real world. I’ve been such a news junkie and always kept up with public affairs. I’ve lived in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C. and San Francisco. I’ve worked on Capitol Hill, in a barrio, attended literary events in San Francisco’s North Beach and belonged to groups that tried to change things for the better. Can I really drop all that to live on an island in the middle of the Pacific, away from a U.S. metropolis? Or do I remember how it was as a teenager, casually hanging out with friends in the harbor, on a boat, or at the beach and enjoy the simpler way?

An Easter of Peace

2011-04-29T11:14:00.000-10:00

I've been thinking about our Easter day on the beach. Next to us was a large group with a huge rectangular canopy. Under it were three grills, numerous coolers and boxes of food. The members of this party were families from all different ethnic backgrounds, including Hawaiian, one of whom wore a shirt with the sovereign Hawaiian movement emblem on it.

This group's teenaged sons dug a hole in the sand in front of where we sat with our three beach chairs, a small umbrella and one cooler of food and drinks.

From babies to teenagers, I watched the group of 14 kids playing in the sand and surf.
Two boys around six years old laughed with delight as the older boys took the shovels away from the hole and buried the younger boys' feet in the sand so they couldn't move.

The two boys, one Caucasian, the other, Asian, threw clumps of sand at each other. I was waiting for the inevitable fight to start, but it didn't. They weren't throwing sand at each other, they were trying to see who could throw sand the closest to the other one's feet without stepping out of their buried state. They congratulated each other when they threw a close clump of sand.

When the hole was dug about three feet deep, the older boys and girls ran into the water to body surf. The younger kids jumped into the hole and ran around inside it as if it was their own fort. They slid and climbed and imagined. I smiled watching them play in the sun.

A day at the beach in California usually involves loud music, coolers of beer, drunken fights over sometimes imagined insults, kelp washing up on the shore with cigarette butts and other small trash. The Latinos stay in one area, the Caucasians in another and the African-Americans and Asians (if even found at the beach) are in their own groups.

No music blared on this Hawaiian beach. No fights broke out. Every ethnic background, every age and every walk of life, co-existed on that beach, usually within the same group. The only exception I could see was the military families.

The music we listened to that day was from the ocean waves lapping on the shore, the wind blowing down from the mountains and rustling the fronds of the palm trees and of the keiki (children) laughter.

When the group next to us packed up, the boys filled the hole they had dug in order to leave the beach as they had found it.

On Easter Sunday, a beach full of people had a peaceful day enjoying each other's company and Mother Nature's gifts. If only the whole world could spend every day on a Hawaiian beach.

Easter In Hawaii

2011-04-25T11:54:00.000-10:00

Here are a few photos from Easter Day at the beach. We sat in the sand and faced the clear ocean, but when I turned around it looked stormy over the mountains.

A little sun, sand and warm ocean water helps a cold.

Humility In a Dehydrated State

2011-04-23T08:40:00.000-10:00

Home. Sick. Sniffles. Headache. Cough. Sore throat. But wait. What is that I see in the corner of the dining area? A water cooler! Yipee! Fresh purified water to feed my body. Oh happy day!

You've all heard about Honolulu water and Chromium-6 being found in high levels. If you haven't: Star Advertiser

After a ten year struggle with Lyme Disease, I am very careful about my health and what I put into my body. High levels of carcinogens and a weakened immune system don't go together. I don't care what the Dept. of Health says about the levels being safe. I'm still not drinking it.

And, so, I have a lovely water cooler from Aloha Water here to keep me hydrated while I recuperate. The cooler comes with 5-gallon bottles that are taken back, sanitized and reused. I feel much better about this way of drinking water than I do about buying small bottles and trying to recycle them.

I was dehydrated when I first got here. One night I had a headache and felt nauseous. My stomach turned over and over, while my body fatigued and my joints ached. Hawaiian weather can dehydrate. I drank lots of (bottled) water that night and felt better in the morning.

The next day, Mark and I went to meet a friend of a friend at Punahou School; the same Punahou School President Obama attended. And to answer those rumors of no one having remembered the President in Hawaii nor at school, a friend of mine was the ball girl for the Punahou basketball team and remembers "Barry" from school.

Ah, yes, back to Punahou and dehydration. We sat in this friend of a friend's office where she offered us water. I declined, trying to be polite. She insisted I take the water. "When I first moved here," she said, "I was dehydrated and didn't know it for a few days." I accepted the water and gladly drank it.

She then took us on a wonderful tour of this beautiful campus. In the golf cart, we meandered along small paths set between manicured lawns and native Hawaiian landscaping. Students walked in orderly fashion along the same paths. Not one student had baggy pants or baseball caps turned backwards. I saw no ear buds hanging in ears and attached to iPods. No school bells rang either. It was very peaceful.

The track and field area is huge! We remarked it was nicer than USC's track. We passed the swimming pool, the original stone buildings from when Punahou was a boys college and the music hall. We ate lunch in the cafeteria, where we sat outside on the balcony, smelling the plumeria trees below us.

We walked across the basketball court. We knew Punahou had won many athletic championships and awards, but the gym was absent of any banners or flags. Our friend informed us that Punahou emphasizes character building, and humility is one of the characteristics. "We definitely let our athletes know we are proud of them, but we don't need to brag."

Every elementary, middle and high school I could think of on the mainland definitely bragged about accomplishments, but then, they also needed funding. Achievement and funding go hand-in-hand. So how did Punahou get funding? I asked my basketball girl/Obama schoolmate friend. She said their yearly carnival makes over a million dollars for the school. From a carnival! Whatever they do, they're doing it right.

As a former public school teacher, I am a firm believer that every child in this country is entitled to a free public education. Education is the way out of poverty. Education is the path to making wise choices based on one's own situations in life.
What about the children of Hawaii who have potential but don't have the means to attend Punahou? They offer scholarships. Of course. With a million dollars from a carnival fundraiser, I guess they can offer many scholarships.

We then went to the Luke Center for Public Service. They were gearing up for a book drive for children in the neighborhood; a teaching in-service for all teachers in Honolulu, not just Punahou teachers, and they offered a writing center to help students with their writing....hold on.... a writing center? Sign me up!

My only question, how does a student whose parents either don't know, or don't care, get a chance at a Punahou scholarship?

My thoughts turned to volunteering at a public school instead. When I mentioned this to a few people, they discouraged me. "You don't know the students at public school here and how they are." I was told. "Be careful for your safety," another said.
Really? I taught in some tough neighborhoods in California. "Yes, but Hawaii culture is different," I was told.

I'll have to research this some more. If true, Punahou - want a former teacher to volunteer with students?

One last comment about the President's origin of birth. I sat in a Walgreens in Honolulu waiting for my prescription to be filled. A woman from the East Coast was talking to the pharmacist about getting a refill. She had two prescriptions. One from an urgent care doctor she had seen here, another from her primary care doctor. The pharmacist asked her about the prescription from her primary care doctor. The woman's response, "You mean my doctor back in the States?"

"Back in the States" - Maybe the birthers are on to something...I guess Hawaii isn't a state in the United States? I'll have to tell the people at Iolani Palace so they can change their tour information on the overthrow of the Hawaiian Monarchy and on the making of Hawaii statehood.

Sick in Hawaii

2011-04-22T10:25:00.001-10:00

That sore throat came back again yesterday morning. Seriously, how can one get sick in Hawaii? The weather is balmy all the time. The people are friendly. Life is slow.

I'm chalking it up to the letdown of moving. There's so much stress involved in coordinating a move across an ocean and I felt myself pushing my body to keep going. "I don't have time to get sick now." How many of us say that to ourselves on a weekly basis?

Mark and I had sore throats last week. His turned into laryngitis and a cold. I thought I had dodged it, but it was on slow simmer and came out yesterday. We had dinner at Zippy's (for my So Cal friends - think Hawaiian Coco's) two nights ago, where I first felt rundown and tired. I practically slept at the table. The waitress was nice enough to bring me tea. One can find green tea everywhere in Hawaii.

I slept yesterday. Mark leaned down, kissed me goodbye and left water by the bed. I didn't ask where he was going....Remember how I had Matzoh Ball soup from C.J.'s Deli at the Hilton Hawaiian Village when I was sick the first day we moved here? Well, Mark drove back to C.J.'s Deli in Honolulu, during rush hour to bring me more Matzoh Ball soup.

If I guy like that said to you, "Let's move to Hawaii," wouldn't you go with him?

Kama'aina Cookies

2011-04-20T14:39:00.000-10:00

I thought I'd share photos of a mural painted at the inter-island terminal at Honolulu Airport. The now defunct Aloha Airlines commemorated Hawaii of old with this painting. It was impossible to show the entire mural in one shot. I love how it shows the important places on each island using mostly images, not words - cities, fishing villages, volcanoes, ranches, flowers.

It's beautiful and I wish I could have seen Hawaii back then.

But I am in Hawaii of today.

Feeling settled in a new place takes time and certain turning points to establish the "I live here" moment. For me, it happened the day I left physical therapy on Kapi’olani Blvd., drove to the hairdressers to get my hair done and made an appointment to see the dentist. All things I do in a place where I live.

Hawaiians call it kama’aina; a person who lives in Hawaii.

Over on the Big Island, Mark, my sister and her family and I went to dinner at a large hotel on the water. Once we sat down, I handed a box of Honolulu Cookie Company cookies to each of my nieces. They make delicious shortbread cookies in different varieties; coffee, lilikoi, plain dipped in chocolate and coconut, some have fruit in the middle.

After dinner, our waiter, hands full of dishes he had just cleared, nodded to the cookies on the table. “Are those from Big Island Candies?”
I answered, “No, they’re from Honolulu Cookie Company. We live on Oahu and brought them with us.”
He looked at me, lowered his voice and said, “Do you have local ID?”
Mark reached for his wallet. “Why, yes, we do.” I said. “You give Kama’aina discounts?”

The waiter said, “You asked me, right?”
“Right.” I said. "I asked you."

He returned with our dinner bill and gave us a 12% discount. My brother-in-law loved the fact they gave discounts to locals. Everywhere we stopped after that he’d say loudly, in front of our servers, “You guys must really like living here.” Or to the waitperson, “They live here. Don’t they look like they live here?”

We never got a kama’aina rate after that.

Travel Mates - The U.S. Marines

2011-04-18T22:39:00.000-10:00

After spending three days on the beach, I actually have a slight tan. The Hawaiian sun reached me below an umbrella, a big hat and 45 SPF sunscreen. It's a good start and I didn't burn. I had joked about my San Francisco fog tan. Irish genetics gave me white skin which freckles.

We flew back to Oahu from the Big Island on a Hawaiian Airlines Boeing 717. It's not a small plane, but not really a large one either and we shared it with 50 sunburned and tired-looking United States Marines.

I joked about our flight not needing any Air Marshals.

We sat in front of the emergency exit row with Marines sitting behind us. I heard the flight attendant instructing them on emergency procedures.

Flight Attendant: "You guys okay with assessing the situation for danger, deciding to open the door and helping passengers out?"

My guess is they're perfectly trained for that scenario.

That's my little black bag on the conveyor belt at our baggage claim. My bag was easy to find. It looked like none of the others. How often does that happen?

Anyone else remember the Tom Lehrer song, "Send The Marines"?

Big Island Weekender

2011-04-18T22:18:00.001-10:00

We DID go to the beach. On the Big Island. For my niece's 16th birthday. We surprised my sister, her husband and my nieces, who were vacationing there during Spring Break. Here are some photos from the leeward side of Hawaii.

The Big Island is rural compared to Oahu. The weather was in the low 80's every day and with much less humidity than what we've experienced here.

When we first arrived, I took a photo of my niece on the beach and sent it to her. I sent another photo to my other niece. They found Mark and me enjoying a hamburger beachside at their hotel.

Now that I live a five hour flight away from my nieces, I'm taking every opportunity to see them. At sixteen, my older niece will be off to college in two years. Yep, taking every opportunity now.

The King's Music

2011-04-14T08:43:00.000-10:00

In my last post I forgot to mention how we had to leave the apartment for two hours after Reid sprayed.

We drove to Ala Moana Shopping Center to stop at the Apple Store. We heard music playing. Hawaiian music. The kind my parents and grandparents listened to on the "Hawaii Calls" radio show from the 60's and 70's.

We followed the sound to Centerstage at the shopping center where The Royal Hawaiian Band was playing. I reminisced about days playing with dolls on the floor of my grandparents house while they listened to Hawaii Calls and The Lawrence Welk show. I should mention they had radiant heat in their 1949 built house in the San Francisco Bay Area. Sitting on the floor was warm and comforting to a kid.

Here's their website. Royal Hawaiian Band Beautiful music to transport you to the old Hawaii you may or may not have known.

I won't be blogging for a few days. We're actually going to spend time at the beach! I'll take photos and post them later. Aloha

Beauty and the Crawling Beasts

2011-04-13T20:20:00.000-10:00

Anyone who knows me knows I am not an early riser. So, why I opened my eyes at 6:10 am this morning, I don't know. It could have been the sounds of the tropical birds chirping and cooing outside the bedroom window. It could have been the neighbors air conditioning unit that whirred on and off all night, starting up again. Or, it could be I was meant to get up to see this morning's sunrise.

The rest of the day wasn't so beautiful. It was "cockroach exterminator" day here at our complex. Reid came to our door in his socks and his bright orange shirt with the company logo on it. I cheered when I saw him in our kitchen. We've had cockroach problems since we moved in almost 2 weeks ago.

But today, my hero, Reid, wandered the hallway with me where I showed him the spots where I see roaches. Mark showed him a hole in the corner of the room where we think roaches enter.

Reid looked down and said, "Oh, you have a little puka there. I spray down it."

Puka? The only puka I ever heard of was the shell necklace we wore in the 70's. You know the ones. Small white shells with a hole in the middle....oh, a hole in the middle.

Spiritual Roots in a Lush Green Land

2011-04-10T18:43:00.000-10:00

In 1992 my mom and I took a tour of Ireland in search of my Grandma's roots. We saw the historical and spiritual places important to our family lineage. I learned Irish history, drank in Irish pubs and listened to old-timers tell stories about Irish fairies who weren't to be messed with.

I didn't believe much in spiritual stories of places and people from a thousand years ago, but I listened.

When my mom and I went to Ireland again on our own in 2000, I had a much different experience. The lush green land of my Irish ancestors sent me messages. It held miracles and mysteries for me and I followed each clue to unearth more stories and revelations there.

I found a curator in a small museum in Galway who told me how spirits traveled with people back to their Irish homeland. Dogs followed me everywhere on my walk around town. I had vivid dreams of places I should go while in the country. Ravens cawed at me while I walked, egging me on to the places I needed to explore. I followed them. I had a spiritual experience there that is very personal to me and will not describe here, but it changed my view of lands and people before my time.

Last night Mark told me about the Night Marchers who travel through the Pali, a steep cliffed area that runs through the Ko'olau mountains. The Night Marchers are said to be spirits of warriors marching to reclaim lost battles. They don't like Haoles, who are seen as foreigners. I was spooked enough to promise myself I would respect the land as much as I humanly could.

Today we drove to Target, in search of a bedspread and trash can. How mundane.

We stopped for gas and as Mark filled the tank, I saw the brilliant colors of a rainbow behind a tree and over the roof of a Zippy's restaurant. We took off in search of the rainbow.

The rainbow kept urging us closer and closer to the Pali. There may be Night Marchers there, but the beauty in the rainbows can't be beat. The photos don't come out nearly as bright as in real life. We stopped and took it all in. A double rainbow emerged then. A moment in awe of nature and the beauty of the Pali. We drove over it and enjoyed the colors, the beauty and the jagged, textured cliffs.

My Irish ancestors are guiding me in this lush spiritual land as well.

Manapua Delivered

2011-04-09T19:02:00.000-10:00

Mid-day Thursday we waited for some furniture to be delivered. When a hotel here remodels its rooms, a local company takes the furniture and resells it to the public for way less than buying new furniture. They were coming to deliver our desk, chair and ottoman between noon and 1:45.

When the delivery guy called to tell me he was on his way, the conversation sounded like this:

Delivery guy: "We come twel-fify. I go to manapua firs."
Me:(After thinking for second) "Twelve-fifty you'll be here. That's great."

I figured he was stopping at a place called Manapua for a delivery before he came to our place.

Delivery guy: "You want manapua? I bring you one."
Me: "What?"
Him: "Manapua"
Me: (yelling at Mark down the hall) "What's this guy saying?"
Delivery Man: "M-a-n-a-p-u-a"
Me: "I don't know what that is."
Delivery guy: "Lunch truck. You want me to bring from da lunch truck?"

Mark had to explain. Manapua is a local treat, most like the doughy Dim Sum dumplings found in San Francisco Chinatown restaurants. Hawaiian style, they are filled with pork or Portuguse Sausage and are often sold from lunch trucks.

The best photo I can find is from The Tasty Island food blog.

How nice are the people in Hawaii when the delivery guy not only brings you your furniture, but offers to bring you lunch as well?

Some days the Mainland seems so far away.

A Beautiful Stormy Day

2011-04-08T22:07:00.001-10:00

We've been so busy trying to get moved in and settled, we haven't been to the beach yet. We remedied that yesterday by purchasing beach chairs and getting in the ocean.

Even on a stormy day, Hawaii is beautiful.

If you look hard, there's the start of a rainbow out on the water.

Just Another Emergency Alert in Paradise

2011-04-07T15:06:00.001-10:00

Two nights ago we attended a community meeting regarding the tsunami evacuation plans for Honolulu County. Apparently with the last tsunami warning, there were problems. Six of our area sirens are out of commission. Some people were turned back at evacuation points. One person who is disabled couldn’t get out of her house to evacuate to a shelter.
Our legislators were there for the beginning, were introduced, then left.

Ed Teixeira, Vice Director for Civil Defense, was the one who most impressed me. Knowledgeable, responsible, personable. He’s what I’d like all my representatives to be. I wonder if he’s running for office? He’d be good in Washington.

Anyway, the scenario that would cause a high amount of devastation here on Oahu is an earthquake in Alaska that’s over a 9.0 magnitude.

It was a very informative meeting. I signed up for text message alerts from the Dept. of Emergency Management, just in case.

11:30 pm

I wish I could show you what the sky looks like here now. I’m sitting in my folding chair looking south outside my window. There’s a faint line where the tops of the mountains meet the night sky. Every minute or so the flash of lightning beacons over the mountain like a light bulb with crazy wires hanging down under it. It reminds me of my hair here in Hawaii. Where it had been smooth in San Francisco, it’s all crazy, curly frizzy here. I can smooth it out on top but it dangles all wonky below.

And guess what?
I just received a text message from the Dept. of Emergency Management.
There’s a flash flood warning here now until 1:45 am. We’re supposed to take action if we see flooding.

I’ve lived through snowstorms, earthquakes, heat waves…but what action do we take for flooding?

A Reminder to Be Grateful in the Midst of Moving

2011-04-04T11:43:00.000-10:00

Don Quijote is a superstore here in Hawaii. We call it "Asian Walmart." Our day began with breakfast at the Hilton, followed by a stop at the UPS store to pick up some of our shipped boxes, then a trip to Don Quijote.

At the entrance to the store, locals had made a banner and signed it for the people of Japan. People mostly wrote prayers and hopes. One boy wrote that he hopes his Japan Mom is okay. It was a reminder of how good we have it here. Every time I complain about a hotel room or the hassle of moving or how hot it is, Mark says, "We could be like the people in Japan, homeless and sleeping in the cold, worried about everything."
It was a good reminder to be grateful and to give back while we shopped. The Red Cross Japan Effort is getting more of my money soon.

With our list of items we needed in order to function in our new apartment, we checked out of Don Quijote with a few bags and drove to our apartment in an area outside of Honolulu.

We took inventory of what we still needed over lunch at a local cafe. My idea was to hit Bed, Bath and Beyond and Walmart for the rest of our items. Mark decided it was time to buy a new car. Yes, we have a rental car for a week. After that, we are without transportation. There's a bus that goes from our town to Honolulu and if needed, Mark can bus it to work, but we decided we still need a car.

Off to Honda Windward it was. Such a great experience. We spent four hours there and felt like we made new friends. Sitting and getting to know people is a big thing here. We "talked story" with the Finance Manager while our car was being readied and the paperwork was being completed. His son had recently moved to San Francisco and needed a good auto mechanic. I gave him the name and number of the best, most honest mechanics in San Francisco - Richardson Automotive (415) 929-1210.

I dropped off my new car in one of our two allotted parking spaces at our apartment complex. We then took the rental to Bed, Bath and Beyond at the Pearlridge Mall.
Don't follow the directions off iPhone maps. We drove around Aiea and Pearl City trying to find the mall. We turned off the phone and followed our instincts and landed in the parking lot at 6 pm.

TWO HOURS and two shopping carts later, we left Bed, Bath and Beyond. Dinner was at Ala Moana Mall Food Court, only because it was quick, there was parking and security to monitor our stuffed car.

We stopped at our trusted friend's place to pick up a few remaining items and drove back to our apartment.

At 11 pm, we were hot, cranky, tired and just wanted to unload the car and get to sleep. Forgetting about the conditions of the people of Japan, I was focusing on my returning sore throat and feeling run down. Mark drove into the parking garage and up to the top level to find his parking space. The painted numbers for each space had been faded by the sun and we couldn't read any of them. We drove around looking for any number we could read, but the spaces weren't numbered exactly in numerical order. I got out and crouched down to try to read the faded yellow numbers better. Mark and I hardly ever get irritated with each other, but this was pushing us. Finally, I stood in a space and yelled for Mark in the car on the other side of the rooftop. We found it!

Tired and cranky, we unloaded what we could and dragged ourselves to our place. We plopped on the bed and turned on the AC unit in the bedroom. It sounded like a sick jet plane ready for takeoff. There was no way to sleep with that on. Begrudgingly, we stripped the bed and brought the sheets and pillows into the guest bedroom. Good thing we got a two bedroom place!

The AC unit was quiet and soothing and we were fast asleep in no time.
I woke up a solid eight hours later to the sound of tropical birds chirping. Mark made coffee and we sat in our new fold-up chairs watching the morning sun over the green mountains of Oahu. Ah, this is why we moved here.

Our thoughts are still with the people of Japan and we hope they recover soon. I am grateful for the new place to live in a beautiful setting with only two beds, fold-up chairs and a small table. I am safe. My loved ones are safe and healthy. All is well.

Honolulu Here We Come!

2011-04-03T16:57:00.000-10:00

Location: Honolulu, Hawaii

After two nights at a hotel near SFO, we made it to Honolulu Airport with four suitcases and four carry-on bags.

I'm surprised at what my absolute necessary items are; my checkbook and extra checks, some cash (because I don't have a bank account in Hawaii yet), my journal, laptop, my back up hard drive, two bath towels and two coffee mugs. I had a change of clothes for four days.

We rented a car and drove to our new apartment. We needed to pick up our keys from our landlord. Happy, happy, we were in Hawaii and heading to our new place. Not happy, the place hadn't been painted after the previous tenant moved out.

The Hilton Hawaiian Village became our home for the next three days. We needed to let the paint smell leave the apartment and we had no furnishings.

We lugged our belongings with us, stopping to leave our most precious items with a trusted friend. The Hilton was so accommodating and it was nice to have a place to crash that had everything there.

For dinner that night, I did what every native Californian does - I found Mexican food.

Our new place is unfurnished, and since we sold/donated/gave away all our items, we had to go shopping. I went to bed anxious to purchase bedding and dishes.

Ah, my well-planned intentions were foiled. I woke up with a sore throat and stomach pains. I was sick.

I slept all day in the comfy Hilton bed and I thank God for the Jewish mother who came to Oahu and left her Matzoh Ball soup recipe with C.J.'s Deli in the Hilton Hawaiian Village. Mark made sure I ate my soup and went to sleep. The next day I was able to open a bank account and meet the delivery men for our new bed.

For our last night at the Hilton, we went to dinner on Waikiki Beach. The sunset welcomed us to Oahu.

Remind me to tell you about last night...and our 11 pm tour of the parking garage.

More Letting Go

2011-03-26T15:49:00.000-10:00

The movers come in two days. We've been packing and purging and giving away so much, I can't seem to remember what all I had. The items in my place right now are things I need in the next week or are of sentimental value and cannot be given away.
The rest was shipped to Hawaii yesterday or given away to Salvation Army or friends over the past week.

This morning, I donated my car to the local Humane Society. I've had that car for 13 years and we've created a lot of memories together. So far, this is the toughest item to part with.

The other tough part was saying goodbye to my aunt and uncle. They're really my mother's cousin and wife, but they were like second parents to us growing up.
Their home is the only one that's left from my childhood. I hugged my aunt goodbye, thinking I was so okay with this move, when I started to cry.
So, maybe leaving the Bay Area isn't so easy. I've had a lot of loss this year and letting go of everything really seemed impossible.
But I did it.
I have pared down to just the few belongings I will carry with me on the plane to Hawaii.
A friend of mine posted this on her Facebook status today:
You can clutch the past so tightly to your chest that it leaves your arms too full to embrace the present. ~Jan Glidewell

Letting Go of the Past

2011-03-22T10:29:00.000-10:00

Boxes, bubble wrap, tape....My mind runs through the checklist of packing items over and over. Moving across a large body of water is not like moving across land. When I left Washington, D.C. to come back to California, I called a moving company who came to my door, loaded up my boxes and met me two weeks later at my apartment in San Francisco.

Hello Matson Shipping Company. I can ship my car across the Pacific. I can also rent out a whole Matson container for a huge amount of money and ship my belongings across the Pacific and meet up with the container three weeks later in Honolulu. Then I find a way to get it all to our new place.

Oh, never mind, Matson.

I love being surrounded by boxes and boxes and piles of stuff. I find photos of places and people from long ago tucked away in the pages of a book. Ticket stubs from shows and concerts I've seen over the years. Cards friends have sent me for various occasions.

We've tried to organize the boxes into three categories; getting donated, going to storage, and shipping to Oahu.

The lowest price we can find to ship a box to Hawaii is for $60. One box doesn't even hold bedding for one queen bed. Never, ever have I been forced to purge myself of my possessions this drastically.

And guess what? IT FEELS GREAT! I've discovered I can let go of the past. Many of my talismans, books, notes, photos, etc. have held me to a place that belongs only in memories. I do not need to relive past events. They are in the past for a reason. Obviously, the past is not needed today.

Hawaii is a chance to start anew. Why would I want to drag the past with me 2,500 miles across the Pacific Ocean?

I don't.

Hawaiians talk about the 'aina, the land, and the spiritual fulfillment they get from it. The universe allows no vacuums. If I release the past, new experiences will come into my life today and tomorrow.

I must go now to organize a Salvation Army pick up, friends coming over for kitchen items, my car being donated, and to purge that which I no longer need.

The lightness feels good.

A Send Off Sky

2011-03-21T13:03:00.000-10:00

We signed a one-year lease on an apartment. It's official, we are moving to Oahu!

Our last night in town before we came home to pack, we saw rain and gray skies. I was disappointed in the weather that was sending us back to the mainland. No worries. I waited ten minutes and the sky was ablaze with color.
I think Hawaii will continue to amaze me.

Coffee Gets Us Five-0

2011-03-16T19:06:00.000-10:00

I had to get out of the city, so we took a little road trip to Kailua. Locals say Kailua is on the "other side" of the island. In actuality, it's a 20-25 minute drive from Honolulu. It's up over the Koolau Mountain range and the Pali and down into Kailua Bay. My coffee addiction led us to the General Market there. The cashier peered at me over the register and said, "Hawaii Five-0 is filming at the beach." My eyes grew big. The coffee trembled in my hand. I turned to Mark who looked just as excited as I. The cashier continued,"The eye candy is there, too." She looked directly at me, not at Mark.

We raced to the beach to find Alex O'Laughlin and Scott Caan and their stunt doubles on the beach. In one photo Alex O'Loughlin and his stunt double are running into the ocean at the end of filming. Scott Caan is reaching into a cooler to get water....for his dog!

The background extras were all hired actors, not like when Mark's grandpa was asked at the time of filming to be an extra in the original show.

Walmart and Whole Foods - Hawaiian Style

2011-03-13T12:05:00.000-10:00

With everyone safe from the tsunami on Oahu, it's now back to Cynthia's adventures.

A Whole Foods! A Whole Foods in the Kahala Mall! I was so excited to find my gluten-free and organic foods (Yeah, I know, the whole Monsanto thing, but still, local produce!)and it was familiar. I shopped Whole Foods back in the Bay Area.

I was dreaming of their Classic Roasted Chicken for dinner, with veggies and anything but rice.

While Mark grabbed a cart, I raced to the deli section to find my chicken.....Huli Huli chicken? What?...no classic roast with herbs and olive oil? Not here. Sugar, brown sugar to be exact, is the primary ingredient in Huli Huli chicken.

Disappointed, I searched for another type of chicken in the hot food case. I settled on stir fry vegetable mixed with grilled chicken. Mark and I planned to take a couple of pre-made dinners to the beach the following night. While the man behind the counter packed our boxes, I turned to the left to find, attached to the hot case, a plastic container filled with chopsticks. No forks. Just chopsticks. It's a good thing Mark taught me to use those skinny sticks, otherwise I'd go hungry or resort to the gauche finger-eating style of consuming food!

We stopped at Walmart for cleaning supplies before we met Mark's aunt at her downtown Honolulu office. Here's a hotline phone for a cab, covered in fake plumeria flowers. There was a pay phone next to it. I don't remember the last time a saw a pay phone in the Bay Area.

Oh, and Walmart prices in Honolulu are the same as on the mainland.

After meeting Mark's aunt and uncle, we cleaned the condo with our newly acquired cleaning supplies.

For dinner we ventured back to Kahala. We found Greek Food next to the Kahala mall, but they only accepted cash and we were conserving our cash. You see, banks in Hawaii are different than the rest of the U.S. There's no BofA or Wells Fargo. Bank of Hawaii (Bank Oh) and First Hawaiian are the ones seen everywhere.

We kept driving to St. Louis Heights and found a Greek restaurant. This is well out of the tourist zone. Everyone wore t-shirts, tanks, jeans, capris, flip-flops (slippahs) and running shoes.

We were the only ones wearing aloha shirts.

The food was delicious. The meat was grilled without a sugar or gravy coating on it and not a speck of rice was found on my plate!

While eating, I realized I needed to fit in if I was going to live here. Healthy eating I won't compromise on, but clothing I will change.

We went to Ala Moana for shopping the following day.

That night, while wearing my new lightweight shirt and capri pants, Mark and I ate Whole Foods dinners and watched the fireworks on the beach in front of the Hilton Hawaiian Village. It was a great show, but don't be late. It only lasts five minutes.

Next up, our road trip to Kailua!

Tsunami Warning

2011-03-10T21:47:00.000-10:00

I was starting to type about my experience with the 11:45 am Tsunami warning on the first of February, when I turned on the news and saw the 8.8 earthquake in Japan. Now Hawaii is under a tsunami warning. I'm currently back in the Bay Area packing up for our move.

I haven't written about our friend, I'll call Jake. Jake was transferred to Oahu by his company our second week on Oahu. He's a friend of a friend and she connected us by e-mail. Mark and I met Jake for dinner and we all got along great. We bonded over being San Franciscans in Hawaii. We took Jake for his first malasada and his first Lappert's Ice Cream. It was an experience we were doing together - moving to Oahu.

Now, Jake is in Honolulu without a car and without us. I feel like we abandoned him. We were having this experience together and now he's there and we're here. Jake messaged me about 20 minutes ago. He was on his way to the store for water.

Praying for Japan and all those under the tsunami warning.

Five-0 Night Hawaiian Style

2011-03-10T10:10:00.001-10:00

Monday night in Hawaii. Mark and I religiously watch the new Hawaii Five-0 show. We both remember the original as kids.

When my family took a trip to Hawaii in 1971, my father dressed fashionably for the day in ice blue leisure pants, a blue and white long-sleeved Hawaiian shirt with matching white shoes and belt and a big straw hat with Foster Grant sunglasses. He was twice mistaken for Jack Lord, the star of Hawaii Five-0.

Mark's grandpa was an extra in the original show. Look for Danno and Ben in Chinatown searching for the bad guy. The woman at the counter shakes her head as they show her the mug shot. The man in front chopping beef is Mark's grandpa.

We faced the TV at 8:59PM (TV shows start an hour earlier in Hawaii) and wondered if we'd see the new show filming around Waikiki. We'd keep an eye out for the crew.

Oh, if you watch the show in California, there's a Hawaiian Airlines commercial with a woman looking in the mirror and dancing the hula with a green grass skirt and her husband comes in holding two airline tickets. We waited for the commercial to air. Duh, they don't show that in Hawaii. Hawaiians are already in Hawaii. Instead we saw hamsters dressed in leather jackets, rapping a song for a new Kia.

Dolphins Bring Me Home

2011-03-09T09:00:00.000-10:00

After a week on Oahu, I was cranky. This really wasn't vacation. I hadn't been to the beach yet, nor even to a swimming pool. My foot wasn't strong enough to swim in the water. I couldn't walk in the sand yet. If I walked too far, it cramped up and hurt.

Mark and I spent the morning driving back to the Honolulu airport to exchange our rental car. On the way home, Mark told me to drive so I'd know my way around. Through the industrial section and on to the buildings of downtown, I saw Aloha tower-the iconic symbol from old Hawaii. I'd remembered it from the old Hawaii Five-0 show from my childhood.

I turned into the parking area, just to see what the building was like. Mark and I decided to check it out. We worked our way from the parking lot to the shopping area through a huge group of Japanese tourists. They looked like they were in high school; all wearing the same uniform-dark pants or skirt, white blouse and navy blue sweaters.

I headed straight for the water. At the end of the main walkway, was Don Ho's restaurant, a truly kitschy tourist trap of a place. But I was hungry and needed to sit near the water. I was tired of the condos, offices and traffic of Waikiki.
The manager took us to a table at the edge of the water and apologised. The tables near the water were also close to the dockworkers and their foul language. He also said they were out of chicken wings. I was okay with that. I'd had enough Korean chicken and chicken Katsu to last me a while.

He left us at the table and I scanned the water. To the left was the entry to Honolulu Harbor. Across the water was a Coast Guard station and to the right were the docks for large ships.

I laughed when I looked for utensils. The happy coconut face smiled back at me, taunting me to use chopsticks.

Our waitress apologised when she saw us. The Japanese group we'd seen outside had just left the restaurant and all 99 of them wanted Moco Loco - a Hawaiian concoction of rice, hamburger patty, two fried eggs and brown gravy. They were out of ground sirloin. No hamburger for us. No chicken wings either.

I sighed heavily, realizing I was in this "not vacation, we might live here" tourist locale for another three weeks.

I was homesick. I wanted my coffee shops from San Francisco and a cool breeze to stop the humidity so my hair wouldn't curl and frizz. I wanted my blue sky after the fog lifts over the City. I wanted to see the trees from Mt. Tamalpais.

Over the water, something caught my eye. A family of dolphins was swimming past us. They were soothing and graceful. They swam towards the dock area. My eyes followed them. Then they turned and left the harbor back out to sea. I asked Mark, "Is this the dock where the Matson ships would have come?"

Yes. It was. My grandfather had worked this area in the 30's, 40's and 50's.
I felt a little less homesick and wanted to know more about the magical Hawaiian Maritime history.

Hapa What?

2011-03-07T12:43:00.000-10:00

My aunt, from the Bay Area, spends much of her time on Oahu. She'd invited us to join her and her friends for the Pro Bowl at Aloha Stadium. I'd been to Aloha Stadium twice before for USC-UH football games. At the game last fall, Mark and I first talked about possibly moving to Hawaii.
In San Francisco we aren't any different from any other couple. The City is so diverse that there are mixed race people and mixed race couples everywhere. Oh, did I mention that Mark is Asian? Well, he is.

At the Pro Bowl tailgate, I searched the foods people brought with them. I realized Hawaiians sweeten their meats, yet the desserts aren't always sweet. (Unless there's chocolate, it's not a dessert in my opinion.) I ate Korean chicken yet again, with macaroni salad and rice.

When it started to rain, we headed into the stadium to our seats, which were under cover. Once we were sitting in the correct seats, the Asian man behind us said to the back of my head, "You must have beautiful kids. Hapa kids are always beautiful." He explained "Hapa" is what they call kids of mixed Asian/Caucasian descent. It's short for "Hapa Haole". Hapa means half.

When I told the man we weren't married and didn't have kids. He was shocked. "You're moving here with him, even though you aren't married? What does your family think?"

Huh, I thought being a mixed race couple might be a problem. I didn't know the not married part was.

1938 Ala Wai Canal Re-lived

2011-03-05T19:54:00.001-10:00

My fourth day in Hawaii and I was stuck on the lounge chair on the balcony, I mean, the lanai, with my foot elevated and iced. The condo's lanai looked out over Ala Wai Canal, a canal built from 1921-28 to channel the runoff and keep what is now Waikiki dry.

My sister happened to e-mail just then with this photo. It's of my father and his older brother fishing off Ala Wai Canal in 1938. My grandfather worked for Matson Cruise Lines on the San Francisco to Honolulu route and the family lived in Honolulu at that time.

I looked out to the canal and tried to imagine my dad as a little kid sitting on the edge of the very same canal I saw. 1938 to 2011.

Maybe coming to Hawaii is a homecoming of sorts for me?

New Doctor, New City

2011-03-04T01:40:00.000-10:00

I stepped out of bed to start my second day in paradise. Instead of landing on two steady feet, my right foot crumpled when it reached the floor. Swollen and red, it seemed twice the size of my left foot.

I had a Podiatrist in San Francisco and after treating my broken foot I asked if he knew someone in Hawaii. He didn't. How do I find a Podiatrist in a city I've been in for less than 24 hours? I searched online and found a doctor from California, who went to Stanford and USC and played Water Polo. Purely scientific research, I know. I chose familiarity.

Dr. Familiar (AKA Dr. Greg Morris) had an office with a view of the entire downtown Honolulu area and an ocean that spread from left to right for as far as I could see.

How could this be bad?

It wasn't. He was great. My foot would survive and I would start physical therapy the next week.

I hobbled out of his office to spend the afternoon at the Verizon Store, after my three month old replaced Droid phone broke.

Unexpected, and just like real life. Only in Hawaii.

SPAM, Rice and Malasadas

2011-03-02T10:50:00.001-10:00

Hawaii. Mark wants to start over and move to Hawaii. It's not totally out of the blue, he does have family there and he wants to get back into the tourism business. So, we spent February on Oahu, deciding whether to live there or not.

Landing at Honolulu Airport as a tourist, I usually rush to get out of the airport, to the hotel and the beach. This time, I knew we were staying for a month; this was not vacation. We were looking to settle on the island. We had a leisurely lunch at the HNL food court and watched the tourists dragging their bags to flights headed back to the mainland.

Mark and I rented a car and dropped our bags off at the condo before heading to buy groceries. We were greeted by a large cockroach, belly up and dead in the entryway. All the buildings in Honolulu spray for cockroaches. It's a problem in the warm, muggy tropical island paradise.

No worries. Mr. Roach was disposed of and we drove to Foodland, the neighborhood grocery store.

As I entered Foodland, the hot and cold cases greeted me with SPAM musubi, sushi, Korean chicken and various meats breaded, fried and covered in some kind of sauce or gravy. We picked up a tray of fried chicken for dinner with rice. I searched for plastic forks, but only found a holder containing chopsticks.

Down a few aisles for my food staples, I came across the SPAM section in the row where I anticipated finding my Bare Naked Granola. Yes, a SPAM section. In every flavor I never imagined.

Where’s the Wallaby organic yogurt, gluten-free section and organic produce? I certainly wasn't in the Bay Area anymore.

Instead of candy and gum and trashy magazines in the checkout area, we were tempted by bamboo plants and leis for sale.

I was contemplating returning to California early, when, after dinner, I saw the sun setting into the sky. We ran down to the harbor where I snapped this photo of the sunset.

I sighed and released all the tension from my back. I would stay.

We ended our first day on Oahu at Leonard’s, where I ate my first-ever malasada; a fried, doughy, donut-like ball sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, that melted in my mouth. Oh, so good. Mark's Grandma used to take him there as a kid. I was honored he shared with me a place from his childhood memories.

By 9pm (11pm California time) I was in bed trying to sleep with air-conditioning whirring in the corner of the room.

Starting Over

2011-02-02T14:30:00.000-10:00

Three months. That’s how long it took my foot to heal. I broke the second metatarsal on my right foot. Four to six weeks, the podiatrist said it would take to heal. When I saw him two months later and the bone was still fractured, he told me I was a slow healer. Ugh.

For three months, I alternated between hobbling on crutches and lying on my sofa with my foot elevated and iced.

Every setback in my life has given me new gifts. This time, almost everything has changed. I am revamping my blog to include my everyday thoughts, experiences, adventures, etc.

And so, I begin.

Since October, my grandmother’s house sold, good friends moved out of state, friends passed on, my boyfriend (whom I’ll call “Mark”) wants to move out of state, and I still can’t walk correctly after three months with an immobilized foot. How’s that for change?

My grandparents were more like parents to me, especially after my father ‘s ALS diagnosis. Selling the only house that was a constant home for me is bittersweet. It’s tough to let go, but I have wonderful memories I will always cherish. The same is true for everything else. Friends pass away, but I will carry the beautiful memories of them with me. I may leave San Francisco, but “The City” will remain in my heart.

I dread change. Yet, it is the only constant and after years of fighting change, I realize it also lets in new people, places and adventures. I must let go of the past so new can enter. My “home” is really inside of me. Wherever I go, there I am.

With change looming every day, I’ve been purging my belongings. My goal, with the help of a storage unit, is to pick up and go with only absolute necessities in possession - some clothes, an open attitude, and two working feet.

Just wait until you hear the change Mark has planned for us.

Guidelines To Success - Classroom Organization

2011-01-23T09:15:00.001-10:00

I broke my foot in September. For three months I was on the sofa with my foot elevated. I didn't do much of anything but rest. Forced rest usually happens right before a period of change and now it looks like I may move. So, I started purging and while cleaning out my files I found my Resource Book for Training Teachers, compiled by LA Unified Teachers and the University of Southern California in 1982.

Check out this page:

CLASSROOM ORGANIZATION

1. Plan your work carefully - There is no substitute for good planning.
2. Be prompt with clerical work - You expect students to meet their assignments; be careful about meeting your own.
3. Do NOT do clerical work in class - The class period belongs to students; they are your first responsibility.
4. Start slowly - A steady, well-organized pace is far better than a big explosion that fizzles out.
5. Establish routines - Whether it is a form for written work or a procedure for turning in papers, students need to know a way of doing things.
6. Set standards - Partial learnings, careless work, sloppy behavior and poor citizenship result from a teaching situation without standards and objectives.
7. Be firm but fair from the beginning - Control must be gained from the start. It is easier to relax control than it is to impose it after is has been lost.
8. Know your students - Knowledge of the student is important; study all the records and observe.
9. Be Patient - All children will not grasp your words of wisdom the first time.
10. Be calm - Fear, excitement, and frustration are contagious. A calm teacher is the key to a calm classroom.
11. Keep a sense of humor - It will save many a situation.
12. Observe other teachers - You can learn much from your fellow teachers and they are usually willing to share their experiences.
13. Accept and apply suggestions - Observation and suggestion are meant to help, not hinder.

Do they even teach this anymore in teacher training programs? There's even a section on diagramming sentences!

ALS Breeds A Teacher

2010-07-15T19:07:00.000-10:00

ALS left me with no parents. For those who don’t know, ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a motor-neuron disorder that is always terminal.

My father was diagnosed in 1971. I was seven. He had noticed weakness in his hands and trembling in his fingers. In spite of my parents’ valiant efforts to keep life normal for their two young daughters, ALS took over our family life. At eleven, my mom in the throes of taking care of a sick husband and my father debilitated by the disease and unable to care for himself, I took over caring for my younger sister and myself.

Fast forward to 1988. I grew up and became a teacher. A sixth grade teacher. A teacher of eleven year olds living in a chaotic, immigrant barrio, forced to grow up way too fast. I vowed to help them and make sure they had their childhoods left intact. A woman who’d grown up without parenting, deciding to parent her students? Yeah. I see it now. Did I know that was what I was doing back then? No. But lately thoughts of my father, his illness and how it changed my life, have swirled in my head. I realize I became a teacher to put some sense of “right” back into my world.

I truly believe teaching is a calling. It has always been my passion. But is a calling something we’re born with or something that develops from our life’s path? A fireman friend of mine years ago said, “Cynthia, We’re the lucky ones. We were born with a calling and we get to fulfill it everyday.”

Now I wonder - a calling or destiny? Or does it matter, as long as I’m feeding the passion?

If you are a daughter of a parent who has/had ALS, please join our new Facebook group:
Daughters of ALS

A Balboa Bar and A Distinguished School

2010-06-05T10:22:00.000-10:00

A few weeks ago I wrote about sending letters to my former students upon their High School graduation. One e-mailed me the other day. She's going to Yale! Wow. Yale. Ivy League. Great for her.

In other news, my former Principal and teacher friends from that school are in Orange County at the Disneyland Hotel, picking up Baywood's California Distinguished School award.
Congratulations Baywood Elementary!

Last I heard, the group left Anaheim, lost and wandering around Newport Beach. Hope they find a Balboa Bar!

Funnies

2010-05-25T18:08:00.001-10:00

A friend e-mailed these to me with the subject: "Why Teachers Drink"

A Cure For Teacher Complaining

2010-05-18T14:43:00.000-10:00

“It’s time for another weekend in the desert,” said Elizabeth. Friday afternoon our group of five teachers piled in the car and drove out the school parking lot to Rancho Mirage near Palm Springs.

As we drove the two hours, we talked and complained about school, students, administrators, school conditions, funding….you get the idea. We needed to vent to people who would understand, but after two hours of griping and complaining we were in a bad mood.

Warm, sunny Rancho Mirage greeted us. At the condo, we drank strawberry daiquiris and sat around the small patio table overlooking the golf course.

“No more talking about school,” Elizabeth declared. “Any time one of us says a word about school, she has to put a dollar in the middle of the table and the money goes to buy us drinks tonight.”

We continued this tradition for all our Palm Desert weekenders. No matter how much money ended up on the table, it cured our bad mood every time.

Here we are years ago (back in the 80’s) in Palm Desert, ready for a night of “Teachers on the Town”.

Teacher Dreams

2010-05-12T15:25:00.000-10:00

Last night I dreamt I was teaching again. I welcomed my students into the classroom, took attendance, saluted the flag and talked about an assembly that was happening that day. I could picture the colorful walls filled with student work, the desks and chairs, the backpacks in the cubbies and lunch bags tossed around the room.

I left teaching ten years ago, due to an illness, but teaching is still a part of me. When do these dreams stop? Ever?
Do others who have left teaching still dream of being in the classroom?

A Teacher Remembered

2010-05-05T12:10:00.000-10:00

Yesterday, Anita Painter passed away. Mrs. Painter was my Humanities teacher and one of my three favorite teachers, all from Corona Del Mar High School in Newport Beach.

It saddens me to think she’s gone. She was the perfect combination of a kind, yet tough teacher. I found out through Facebook where a classmate of mine wrote, “She enlightened thousands of students during her teaching career and she will be missed.” Yes, she will.

Mrs. Painter expanded my world through history, the arts, philosophy and geography. She expected much of her students and attained it through encouragement and compassion. The final exam in her class was no mere two hour pen and paper exam. No, no, that was the easy half. She expected us to bring to life all she had taught us. For my final, my friend Katrina and I researched and created a 16th century Florentine dinner. We created a menu based on foods of the day. We cooked the entire meal as authentically as possible in Katrina’s mom’s kitchen.

We invited our parents to the meal with Dr. and Mrs. Painter. Once seated our teacher directed conversation to her two students. We spoke only of present day issues in 16th c. Florence; Da Medici’s, Michelangelo, Raphael, irrigation, voting procedures. She graded us through our conversation.

Each summer Mrs. Painter took some of her students on an educational trip through Europe. She convinced me to go.

As we drove on the bus to our first stop, Dachau, the tour guide informed us the road on which we were traveling had been paved with ashes from the concentration camp. Tears fell down my face as we drove along the German countryside.

Then we went to Italy where I stood motionless in front of Raphael’s School of Athens, the painting I had studied and examined and learned to love through Mrs. Painter’s class. The Botticellis, lunch on the Seine, hiking a glacier in Switzerland, there’s so much more, but for now, I’m content to know that even in retirement, Mrs. Painter continued her love of Humanities through community service to the Arts, education foundations and staying in touch with her former students.

Enlightened. I can't think of a better word to describe her.

Students: Letters To Themselves

2010-05-03T09:13:00.000-10:00

May 17, 2000
Dear H***,
You have lots of friends like L**, E**, C**, K** and L** of corse.
You have a goal for when you grow up which is an artist and an actriss and of corse a person who helps wild animals. I hope that one day I will have three kids and an understandable husband. I just hope that I'll have a dog (golden retrever).
Also I hope to learn cursive soon. I've had many teachers but I think Miss Christian has tought me the most inportant lessons in my life.
Sincerely,
Myself

The letter above is from a second grader, typed exactly as she wrote it in May, 2000. She's in this year's group of students about to receive a letter from their younger selves.

At the end of each school year I had my students write a letter to their future selves. I saved the letters, then mailed them to my former students the year they graduated from High School along with a letter from me, talking about what I remember of them and what has happened in the past five to ten years.

I love sending these letters each year and reading about forgotten memories from the child's point of view. Most of this group wrote about becoming veterinarians and seeing dancers from all over the world perform at the local theater. There's also a note about coming home from a field trip and one of the parent's racing another back to school with students in the cars! I wish I'd read that back in the day. Wait, on second thought, maybe I don't.

The BEST part of this process is when I receive letters back from students telling me about their lives in the present.

Yes, I miss teaching.

They'll Always Be My Kids

2010-04-30T20:56:00.000-10:00

I read a story about a former 5th grade teacher from Newport Beach, Ca. Her former students from 1966 are throwing a party for her.
She states, "They'll always be my kids."

I'm in the process of finding my sixth grade students from 1989-90, when I taught in Anaheim, Ca. I reunited with one in person last year. For three hours she and I reminisced about our lives then and discussed our lives now. She's married with two children. We had a thoroughly adult conversation until the man next to us at the coffee shop asked how we knew each other.
"She's my sixth grade teacher." (Yes, I'm almost positive she used the present tense.)

Immediately I felt how much I've carried my students in my heart for 20 years. They're my kids. Still. I put a protective arm around her and gave her a hug before I asked the man to take our picture.

My friend Jeff used to make fun of me when I spoke of my students. I'd say, "Oh, my kids and I discussed that in class." Jeff would reply, "Your kids. You sound like Jerry Lewis with his kids." I'd insist, "But they ARE my kids". Now, I'm sure Jerry cares about his kids, but I knew more about my kids, by watching them grow for seven hours a day, five days a week for a school year.

So far I've found three of my students from that year. Only 29 more to go.
You can read the story here.

C-SPAN Helps Students Cram for AP U.S. Gov. Exam

2010-04-28T10:49:00.000-10:00

Help your students "Cram for the AP U.S. Government and Politics Exam" on C-SPAN this Saturday 5/1 from 9-10am ET.

Burning Questions from Teachers: Meet Our Realities, Mr. Duncan

2010-04-28T10:38:00.000-10:00

Burning Questions from Teachers: Meet Our Realities, Mr. Duncan

Here is a blog that offers questions to US Secretary of Education. These questions, I believe, are exactly what we should be asking. The focus is right where it should be.

A sample from the blog:
• How can we trust you if you support merit pay based on student achievement and charter schools that undermine public education? You said recently that a child who has a good teacher for three years has scores that show it. If a child has a bad teacher for three years, the scores show it. What about that child's home life? Do they go to bed hungry? Do they live in fear? Who are you to determine if a teacher is bad or good. You have never been a classroom teacher. You do not know the realities we face in the classroom every day.

•Research correlates economic status and nutrition to school achievement, much more so than teacher performance. How are we meeting the fundamental needs of our children first and foremost so that they are physically prepared to meet our academic standards. Teachers can teach children who are safe, well fed and rested. Teachers should not have to focus on these factors when they enter the classroom, but many go above and beyond to meet these needs of their learners since their professional performance is judged solely on test scores.

•If funding is linked to test scores, and high performing schools are rewarded, how can The Secretary of Education justify further neglect of the schools that need the most aid?

An interesting read.

Sushi & 6th Graders

2010-04-19T14:55:00.000-10:00

“Can we go to real lunch now?” My students asked.

It was spring and my sixth graders had studied Japanese history and culture. Trying to bring some authenticity to my classroom, I asked the owner of the nearby sushi restaurant to make samples for my students.

The next morning, just before lunch, my sixth graders sat in a circle on the classroom floor, their handmade tatami mats in front of them, shoes off, desks pushed against the wall and classmade scrolls with haiku lining the walls.

Our Vice Principal walked into the room carrying a platter she had just picked up from the sushi restaurant. “Lunch is here,” she announced.

Excitedly, the students looked up as we placed one sushi roll on each student’s plate. The boys picked up their pieces with their chopsticks, bit into their rolls and announced, “Blech”. The girls tentatively took small nibbles from their sushi rolls perched in between the chopsticks. Everyone downed cups of tea.

“Sure, go to lunch,” I said laughing.

Funny thing, I don’t like sushi either.

Free DVD from History Channel-America The Story of Us

2010-04-15T21:06:00.000-10:00

Here's the info. taken from their website:

http://classroom.history.com/america-dvd/event/form

America The Story of US — premiering on HISTORY™ April 25 at 9pm/8c — is a six week event that provides a fascinating look at the stories of the people, events, and innovations that forged our nation. It will provide you with an unprecedented opportunity to bring our nation’s history to life for your students. This 12-hour series will be supported by educational materials tied to curriculum standards and is copyright cleared for Fair Use in the classroom by instructors or pupils in the course of face-to-face teaching activities.
* HISTORY is offering America The Story of US on DVD to every school in the United States. School must be an accredited public, private or home school, grades K-12 and college. In order to receive your school's DVD, your school principal (grades K-12) or Dean of Students (college) should fill out the request form below. HISTORY strictly limits each school to one request. DVD requests must be made prior to July 1, 2010. DVDs will be mailed around August 2010, and free shipping is included in this offer.

C-SPAN Educator Conference

2010-04-12T16:41:00.000-10:00

My favorite non-profit is at it again!

C-SPAN Classroom’s 2010 Summer Educators’ Conference July 12-13 in Washington, DC.

Twenty-five lucky teachers (6-12 grades) will be at C-SPAN’s headquarters in the heart of Washington, DC.

Airfare to Washington, two nights’ hotel stay (July 11 and July 12) and meals during the conference will be provided by C-SPAN (and registration is free!).

For more information go to their website. The application link is here too.

http://www.c-spanclassroom.org/Educator-Conferences.aspx

Apply! Go! Say Hi to Joanne Wheeler for me!

3x5 Cards and Elizabeth Green

2010-04-12T14:29:00.000-10:00

In the recesses of my closets and my storage unit, I have my teaching boxes. I know you all have them; boxes of art supplies, books, math manipulatives, holiday/cultural exhibits, rock collections, etc. Well, I was searching through the boxes that held files, mostly files of former student work, but I came across a few 3x5 cards. I had 3x5 cards for every student where I wrote down dates and times of disruptive behavior.

Here are the highlights from 1992 from a student I'll call "Elizabeth".

Elizabeth Green
9/16 12:45 Fighting with Melissa in line
1:05 Drawing when told to put it away
2:15 Pulling arms into t-shirt and pulling t-shirt over her head
9/17 9:05 Running in the library
9:20 Running again after being told not to by librarian
9/21 10:05 Brought video game to school causing problems during Computer Lab
12:50 Gluing paper to her forehead
2:00 Walking around room with paint on a paper, dangling it in front of her and in other student's faces.
2:30 Putting torn up paper bits on Derrick's head.

Then another card for Elizabeth:

10/7 11:30 Kicking legs of desk
11:55 Stabbing George with a pencil and giving answers to assignment to Derrick
10/15 8:40 crumpling paper while I was giving directions
2:25 Drew with pen on Derrick's back
10/19 11:15 Calling Ricardo "Stupid"
1:15 Playing with ruler trying to hit Mark
1:40 Threw Crayon across the room

There are more, but at this point, I'm wondering whatever happened to Elizabeth Green?

Oh, wait, there's a letter I wrote to her parents also. Now I remember - they didn't believe their daughter could do anything wrong. I had to turn copies of these into my Principal.

PTA Goes Dancing

2010-03-14T14:42:00.000-10:00

I found the PTA on Saturday night at the Pioneer Saloon in Woodside, Ca.

My cousin's band (yes, shameless plug here) The Hummers, had a pre-St. Patrick's Day celebration. Marvelous Marvin, the lead singer, asked, "Who are all you beautiful dancers out there?"

"Woodside PTA," a few of them shouted. After an event at school, the PTA drove to the Pioneer to dance and sing to "Brick House," AC/DC, the Rolling Stones and "Mustang Sally."

I couldn't find any teachers, but the parents were dancin' and singin' and movin' to the groovin'...
Wonder what they do for Open House?

What We Really Want To Say

2010-03-13T16:13:00.000-10:00

I listened and pictured all the school secretaries I worked with over the years and the smile on their faces if they could record something like this on the school voice mail system.

I'm sure teachers are applauding.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pwghabw4N80

Monkey Year

2010-03-12T11:23:00.000-10:00

"How are your students this year?" I asked my friend about her kindergarten students.

"Monkeys." Was her answer. "They were born in the year of the monkey and they show it!"

3 Ways Educators Are Embracing Social Technology

2010-03-08T13:13:00.000-10:00

Interesting article I found on Mashable from Greg Ferenstein. Read the entire article here:
http://mashable.com/2010/01/10/educators-social-technology/#

The modern American school faces rough challenges. Budget cuts have caused ballooning class sizes, many teachers struggle with poorly motivated students, and in many schools a war is being waged on distracting technologies. In response, innovative educators are embracing social media to fight back against the onslaught of problems. Technologies such as Twitter and Skype offer ideal solutions as inexpensive tools of team-based education.

Pockets of experimentation are emerging all around the world, and I hope to inspire my fellow teachers with some stories of success. From cell phones to social media, below are three schools that have chosen to go with the flow of popular technology to turn the tide for education.

Skype and Language Learning

Why force students to yawn over a textbook when a real-life native speaker is only a Skype (Skype) call away? At Marquette University, Spanish students hone their foreign language skills with frequent webcam chats with their English-learning counterparts in South America.

“I absolutely fell in love with this program,” wrote one student. Professor Janet Banhidi, the brains behind the virtual language exchange, said Skype conversation gives students a surprisingly authentic experience. As a teacher (and fluent speaker), she can only give her students limited 1-on-1 attention. With Skype, every student has weekly access to a free personal tutor.

Perhaps the greatest benefit of using Skype is the radical increase in motivation. A whopping 85.3% of Janet’s students kept in touch with their digital pen-pals outside of the classroom through Facebook (Facebook). “In the end, the best part of this exchange was gaining a friend who I still today talk with on Facebook” said one student. Additionally, though some of her students enroll to simply fulfill a language requirement, many participants have gone on to major in Spanish from the experience. Students who go above and beyond mandatory assignments will be more likely to remember class material and apply it when they get out into the working world.

Mobile Phones

While many schools around the country have declared all-out war on mobile devices, Wiregrass High School took a decidedly different approach, integrating cell phones into the entire educational experience. Students exchange questions and answers with their teachers via SMS and browse classroom blogs for additional instruction. Moreover, as an efficient collaborative tool, students can quickly trade notes or take a snapshot of the blackboard for later studying.

Like with any tool, students do misuse the privilege, but according to the school’s principal the number of cell-phone related infractions is “minuscule.” Perhaps this is because the policy permits students to use cell phones socially between classes, giving them a much needed digital fix throughout the day. Wiregrass’s experience pairs nicely with similar workplace-related research which shows that giving employees periodic down-time with the Internet actually boosts productivity. In the end, fighting pervasive technologies may just sap the energy of everyone involved.

Another Day

2010-03-03T12:12:00.000-10:00

My friend's Facebook status this morning:

"Another day, another dollar. And I mean that literally.... I'm a teacher!"

Jane Owen, Newport Beach, Ca

Here's Jane follow-up comment:
"The Spanish speaking nannies here get more than I do!"

It's Parent Campout Time - a.k.a. Kinder Registration

2010-02-26T20:18:00.000-10:00

Baywood Elementary in San Mateo, CA: API scores in the 900's, a fantastic staff, highly involved parents, and too many students for the overcrowded neighborhood school.

Parents here line up outside the school office TWO DAYS before Kindergarden registration begins! But this is no ordinary campout. Besides sleeping bags and beach chairs, the super organized Baywood parents bring pitchers of martinis to share and a large screen to watch movies.

Once upon a time, I taught second grade at Baywood. I'm still friends with some of the staff there, but this year, my cousin's son is now one of the newly admitted students.

I can't wait to hear about the annual Baywood Campout from a parent's point of view!

Anyone work at a school similar to this?

Kids Are Quick

2010-02-15T16:28:00.000-10:00

I wish I knew where this originated. Enjoy!

TEACHER: Maria, go to the map and find North America.
MARIA: Here it is.
TEACHER: Correct. Now class, who discovered America?
CLASS: Maria.
_________________________________________________________________________

TEACHER: John, why are you doing your math multiplication on the floor?
JOHN: You told me to do it without using tables.
__________________________________________

TEACHER: Glenn, how do you spell 'crocodile?'
GLENN: K-R-O-K-O-D-I-A-L'
TEACHER: No, that's wrong
GLENN: Maybe it is wrong, but you asked me how I spell it.
____________________________________________

TEACHER: Donald, what is the chemical formula for water?
DONALD: H I J K L M N O.
TEACHER: What are you talking about?
DONALD: Yesterday you said it's H to O.
__________________________________
TEACHER: Winnie, name one important thing we have today that we didn't have ten years ago.
WINNIE: Me!
__________________________________________________________________________________

TEACHER: Glen, why do you always get so dirty?
GLEN: Well, I'm a lot closer to the ground than you are.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
TEACHER: Millie, give me a sentence starting with 'I.'
MILLIE: I is..
TEACHER: No, Millie..... Always say, 'I am.'
MILLIE: All right... 'I am the ninth letter of the alphabet.'
_________________________________
TEACHER: George Washington not only chopped down his father's cherry tree, but also admitted it. Now, Louie, do you know why his father didn't punish him?
LOUIS: Because George still had the axe in his hand.
________________________________________________________________________________________

TEACHER: Clyde , your composition on 'My Dog' is exactly the same as your brother's. Did you copy his?
CLYDE : No, sir. It's the same dog.
___________________________________
TEACHER: Harold, what do you call a person who keeps on talking when people are no longer interested?
HAROLD: A teacher

C-SPAN Helping Teachers

2010-01-21T13:35:00.000-10:00

If you've never checked out C-SPAN's website for teachers, you really should.

C-SPAN in the Classroom offers materials for Classroom Civics and Social Studies Teachers. With elections this fall it's a good idea to start collecting materials now.

No, I'm not being paid by C-SPAN, but I did work there for a year, a long time ago.

Great people. They'll help you find video you can use in your classroom too. Check it out.

http://www.c-spanclassroom.org/

No Governator Autograph

2010-01-10T19:19:00.000-10:00

"As of September 1, 2008, the Commission on Teacher Credentialing no longer prints or provides a paper copy as an official document.
The online official record of your document will be viewable to you and your potential employer directly through the Commission's website in approximately 48 hours."

So says my e-mail from the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. The last time I renewed my credential, I paid my money and received a nice certificate, signed by the current California governor.

I'm all for reducing paper and storing documents online, but is it wrong to want a certificate with my name on it signed by Arnold Schwarzenegger?

New Teachers Lack Skills Needed Today

2009-12-14T09:09:00.000-10:00

From the San Francisco Chronicle:
(can't get the link to work, sorry)

Study: New teachers lack skills needed today

Jill Tucker, Chronicle Staff Writer

Monday, December 14, 2009
Fewer college graduates are becoming teachers in California, and those who do often lack the increasingly demanding skills needed when they get to the classroom, according to the newest research out of the Center on the Future of Teaching and Learning.About 52,000 people were enrolled in teacher education programs in 2007, down by a third from 77,000 in 2001, according to the Status of the Teaching Profession 2009 report released today. Those who do become teachers are well versed in their subject matter, but often lack other critical skills to succeed, the researchers said.

"The job of the high school teacher has changed," said Margaret Gaston, president and executive director of the Santa Cruz-based Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning. "They're having to deliver instruction in a new way."

Yet teaching programs and teacher training haven't kept pace with those new demands on teachers, according to SRI International researchers who conducted the study.

To reduce the dropout rate and increase the number of students heading to college or the workforce, state reforms have pushed high schools to increase academic requirements, personalize and individualize the high school experience, and connect learning to the real world, according to the researchers.

For some high schools, that has meant adding career and technical academies or converting to small-school models with project-based learning - instruction requiring teachers to do more than stand in front of a class to explain the Industrial Revolution or Newton's laws of motion.

Almost 90 percent of the 247 public school principals surveyed for the study think most of their teachers know the content they need to teach - something that has greatly improved in the past several years, according to the study. But only half of those principals believe the teachers have the ability to incorporate real-world examples in those lessons - a number that drops to a third of principals in high-poverty schools.

In short, it's not enough for these teachers to simply know their stuff.

The report calls on the state to better align teacher education programs and support with the reality of a high school classroom in the 21st century. It also urges the state to invest in recruiting, retaining and training teachers to meet future workforce needs.

"In many high schools, teachers are expected to know and be able to communicate the real-world and career applications of their subject matter, either through direct industry experience or through some understanding of the industry area being emphasized," according to the report.

In other words: "It's about being able to reach the students," said Patricia Gray, former principal at San Francisco's Balboa High School and now the district's executive director of the Leadership and Equity Initiative.

The saying used to be: "Those who can't do, teach," Gray added. "It's not that way anymore."

For the full report, go to www.cftl.org/whatsnew.php.

E-mail Jill Tucker at jtucker@sfchronicle.com.

This article appeared on page C - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle

Teachers in High School know their subject matter but can't teach it to students in a in which they can relate.
Apparently, this is new? Good teachers have always been the ones who can motivate students to learn and then teach in a way students can understand. Teaching isn't just knowing your subject, it's getting the students to learn.
A skill. A talent. A passion. In my opinion.