Happy Travels

Sharing some not-so-mindless fun...

A friend of mine - you know who you are and I thank you - sent me the link to the Traveler's IQ quiz probably years ago, and every once in a blue moon I play. Always make it to Level 10. Dunno what it is about Level 10, or maybe it's the fact that I only play it for about fifteen minutes on a whim every six months or so, but I cannot get to Level 11. But s'okay, I'm happy with Level 10. I pegged Eritrea, so how bad can it be? :)

This Traveler IQ was calculated on Thursday, May 07, 2009 at 06:36AM GMT by comparing this person's geographical knowledge against the Web's Original Travel diary's 4,005,513 travelers who've taken the challenge.

Aloha and happy travels, whether in mind, body, or spirit...

Holding...

Calm down
Deep breaths
And get yourself dressed
Instead of running around
And pulling all your threads
And breaking yourself up

If it's a broken part, replace it
If it's a broken arm, then brace it
If it's a broken heart, then face it

And hold your own
Know your name
And go your own way

Hang on
Help is on the way
And stay strong
I'm doing everything

Hold your own
Know your name
Go your own way

Everything it will be fine
Everything in no time at all
Hearts will hold

~Jason Mraz, Details in the Fabric

Comfort and Passion

Sometimes these things make sense...

Scorpio Horoscopes
(Oct 23 - Nov 21)

Scorpio: You may seek a return to simplicity

Sunday, Apr 19th, 2009 -- While a current conversation might turn into a power struggle, your general intention now is to reduce the drama in your life and seek a return to simplicity. The Sun's entry into bucolic Taurus lures you into the belief that relationships can be placid. But the conflict returns when you remember that you're not interested in compromising your zest for life. Passion, with all its complexity, is still more important to you than comfort alone.

Shadowlands...

[Update: I'm fine...just got gobsmacked by an unexpectedly fabulous vacation and had to recover from the fact that it's over now >.< ...weebling back to center now.]

"The pain now is part of the happiness then. That's the deal."

Like A Seabird

Seabird

Sometimes at the evening tide
I miss your smile
And I wonder what it would have been like
if you'd came and stayed awhile
Laughing in the waters
of a clear mountain stream
And looking into your eyes
I thought I saw my dream
Makani until you blow
my love to my side
I'll be riding like a seabird on the tide...

-Jerry Santos, Olomana

Sunshine

Finally, after weeks and weeks of rain and wind and relatively cold temperatures, the sun decided to make an appearance on, appropriately, Sunday. It arrived with the sister of a friend on a boat. It was an absolutely gloriously gorgeous day.

We decided to head on over the Pali to Lanikai Beach, with a stop at the Pali Lookout since my companion for the day had only seen downtown Waikiki. There are some views I never get tired of. The panorama from the top of the Pali in the sunshine is one of them, so I'll share...




Lanikai Beach was as lovely as ever. No photos, though. We were too busy enjoying a refreshing dip in the crystal clear turquoise waters followed by a little sunbathing on the softest white sands on the island.

Aterwards, we stopped for Blue Hawai'is on the deck at Buzz's Steakhouse...yum! As some of you may know, I'm on a quest for the best Blue Hawai'i on the island. I've tried six so far and Buzz's is up there on my list; number two at the moment.

Later on, I felt inspired, so Kevin and I went back over the Pali for a special surf n turf dinner at Buzz's, just me and my boy; he showered and everthin'!! Something we haven't done in a long time, and it was a special ending to a lovely day!

Aloha pumehana...

Skittles The Cat Visits Aoki's

*from the fuzzyhaided folks at icanhascheezburger

Aloha

Ooo, ooo! Ya know when you have one of those synchronistic thunderclap moments when puzzle pieces fall into place and you close a circle of understanding that you didn't even realize was still left open? I had one of those moments in hula class this evening and, at the risk of boring you silly, I have to write this down.

In my previous post on the Tao, I sorted out that connection with the unfathomable - the wondrous divinity of natural beauty or true compassion - produces a peace and a radiance in people that shines from the inside out, and that phenomenon is a manifestation of love.

Tonight our kumu hula was explaining that the word "Aloha" means love, but its literal meaning adds great significance. "Alo" means 'face to face with' or 'in the presence of', and "ha" means 'breath, spiritual life force'. So literally, Aloha means "in the presence of the breath of the divine". Kumu pointed out that there is an implied reverence and wonder in the meaning of "Aloha" that often gets lost in modern usage.

My jaw almost hit the floor. That peace and radiance I feel and see in the presence of the ungraspable *is* love made manifest; it is the true meaning of...

... Aloha ...

It's the Tao, Dude!

Sunday evening, in a course I'm taking, we were discussing the Tao Te Ching of Lao-tzu (abt.551-479 BCE) and we were presented with this portion of his teaching:

21.
The Master keeps her mind
always at one with the Tao;
that is what gives her her radiance.

The Tao is ungraspable.
How can her mind be at one with it?
Because she doesn't cling to ideas.

The Tao is dark and unfathomable.
How can it make her radiant?
Because she lets it.

Since before time and space were,
the Tao is.
It is beyond is and is not.
How do I know this is true?
I look inside myself and see.

We were asked to reflect on this and come up with what we think it means, or what it means to us. Most in the group found it confusing and "ungraspable" in and of itself, but I must be odd, because this was so easy, so clear to me. This radiance in the presence of the ungraspable is exactly what I feel when I look at those I love, and when I go to my church...the beach. Here's a somewhat feeble attempt of mine to put this into words from this blog posted August 6, 2008:

"...And always, there's the island, the sea and the sky; constant yet ever-changing in the light. It's a haven of peace, truly. To be surrounded by such soul-opening beauty is wonderfully healing and inspires a sense of peace and contentment. There are normal stresses of life here, certainly, but I've never felt them melt away with quite the same evaporative ease as they do here. All it takes is a sunset, a rainbow, the scent of flowers on the air, a view from on high, a walk on the beach. And I can see the same reaction on other faces, too. Absorbing such natural loveliness visibly changes people; muscles relax, eyes blink slowly, soft smiles warm into being from the inside and light people up like tiki torches...."

Connection with natural wonder, the unfathomable, produces a radiance from within. To me, it's a manifestation of love; think how the face lights up when the heart sees someone it loves. It's not necessary to understand it in order to feel it, to be part of it. The very fact that it is ungraspable makes it all the more wondrous. To me, that's the Tao.

At which point another participant added that he'd once heard Lao-tzu referred to as "the original surfer dude". Makes sense to me. :)

Aloha pumehana...

Fun in the Sun

What a gorgeous day today! A little windy, but the sun was shining and beckoning us outdoors.

First, Kevin's swim training, followed by some basketball with his mom at the park in full view of the beautifully green Diamond Head. We had so much fun playing around, and I even made some free throws...whoosh!...not too bad for Kev's old mom. Afterwards, I needed a swim, so I called a friend for a beach run. Our normal haunts were crowded, so we decided to explore a bit, but still close to home.

Lo and behold, we found the prettiest little beach, one my friend had never found in twenty years of living on O'ahu. It's perfect. It has an access off the beaten path, a curved sandy cove protected by two outer breaks, perfect for swimming. The cove itself is surrounded by lots of reef perfect for snorkeling and fishing, and along the beach there are tide pools for exploring. For the more adventurous, Franko's O'ahu Surfing Map says it's also home to two "expert only" level surf breaks.

Heaven five minutes from home. We spent the rest of the afternoon there. Next time, I'm bringing our snorkel gear...oh, and a camera. :)

Aloha pumehana...

Small Miracles

"Oz never did give nothin' to the Tin Man, that he didn't—didn't already have."
~America

If there's one thing I've learned over my lifetime, it's that searching for your heart's desire is unnecessary; it's already there right under your nose if only you choose to see it. :)

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Menehune Hill

[Update 2/7/09 - We were eating lunch at Big City Diner today, and there was an historic photo of a little astronomical observatory right over Kevin's head. I recognized the location as the very spot this post is about. There was an explanation with the photo that said this little observatory was built on top of this hill with community funds in 1909, in anticipation of Halley's comet in 1910. I found some more info on it HERE. Pretty cool!
A little more research reveals the ti ovens were used by the menehune to distill ti mash into an 80 proof liquor called okolehao. Intewesting....]

There's a legend behind the name Kaimuki. The name of our neighborhood means hot ti ovens, Ka Imu Ki and refers to the great ovens used by the menehune, or Hawaiian mystical little people. So we live on the slopes of Menehune Hill, which, for anyone who knows me and my history with gnomes, fairies, leprechauns, etc., is kinda cool. :)

About three blocks away from us is a little park set up on top of this hill, which is fairly steep and high. For that reason, it's where the old electric lighted Kaimuki Christmas tree sits, since when it's lighted up, you can see it from everywhere. The little park is quite hidden up there, so often empty, but affords some lovely 360 views, particularly at sunset, and it's on one of my walking routes. Here are some photos I took last night. Not a spectacular sunset, but pretty, and hopefully you might get a feel of how it looks up there.

The photo above is looking toward downtown Honolulu with the sunset over the water.

This is a view of Kahala with Koko Head in the distance:


The Firehouse tower, and the Wilhelmina Rise:


Toward Waikiki:


Again toward Waikiki with Diamond Head outlined to the left:


So many pretty spots here just a wee walk away. I love where we live!

Aloha

Navel Gazing With Dorothy

[Update 2/8/09 - Headline this morning Mosaic Project Seen As Wasteful..lol..is it a sign?]

A Fairly Sad Tale

I think that I shall never know
Why I am thus, and I am so.
Around me, other girls inspire
In men the rush and roar of fire,
The sweet transparency of glass,
The tenderness of April grass,
The durability of granite;
But me- I don't know how to plan it.
The lads I've met in Cupid's deadlock
Were- shall we say?- born out of wedlock.
They broke my heart, they stilled my song,
And said they had to run along,
Explaining, so to sop my tears,
First came their parents or careers.
But ever does experience
Deny me wisdom, calm, and sense!
Though she's a fool who seeks to capture
The twenty-first fine, careless rapture,
I must go on, till ends my rope,
Who from my birth was cursed with hope.
A heart in half is chaste, archaic;
But mine resembles a mosaic-
The thing's become ridiculous!
Why am I so? Why am I thus?

~ Dorothy Parker

Pua Mae`ole

Enjoying some peace this morning before watching a local boy from Kahuku win the Superbowl :)

It's a beautiful morning here, so I walked down to Leonard's for some malasadas, and since I got home I've been listening to some music, including Pua Mae`ole, which is one of my very favorite songs. Searching on YouTube for a vid of Na Leo's version to share, I found this one instead. I have no idea who this is, but the simplicity of this gorgeous song on the ukulele just touched my heart....lovely...



Gonna go to church (read the beach) now for a dip before the game.

Aloha pumehana...

Feeling Fortunate

Despite the depressing state of the global economy that has us all concerned, here on our island, we decided to focus on some positives and had a remarkably interesting and relaxing weekend.

Saturday, I scooted over to the Makai Pier that sits on the coast in view of the Makapu'u Lighthouse.


From this pier, there is a direct view out to Manana Island (Rabbit Island), which is a wildlife sanctuary. A whole cast of Hawaiian monk seals congregate on its shores on a daily basis.


Best of all, perched on a lanai located on the pier, there is usually a wonderful man named DB Dunlap (aka The Seal Whisperer). He and his high-powered telescope keep track of all the local seals and their comings and goings on the island. He is so amazing that he can identify each seal by its markings and movements, even at that distance. He's also a veritable font of information with a great sense of humor. Watching all the seals and learning and laughing while talking to DB in that beautiful setting, was a wonderful way to spend a gorgeous morning.

As I was leaving, I couldn't resist the color of the water off the pier:


Sunday, in light of the Chinese New Year celebrations of the Year of the Ox, we decided to go visit the Princess TaiPing, which is docked at Ala Wai Harbor until early February.


This is a traditional 14th century Chinese warship built according to original instructions dating to the Ming Dynasty. So it has no nuts, bolts or screws, and is built and decorated, as much as possible, from the same materials used to build the ancient ships. It's been sailing all over the Pacific for the last several months on a goodwill voyage.


We met two of the crew members, Hsiu-Ying Chao, an energetic and interesting Taiwanese artist who lives in South Africa, and Hugh Morrow, an easy-going yet sharp and witty American from Iowa who lives in China. Both were obviously on the adventure of a lifetime and, happily for us, eager to share their experiences and lots of information about their beloved and beautiful ship.



Among other things we learned that TaiPing means "peace" or "peaceful", and the whole purpose of the voyage was to travel in peace to faraway places and share knowledge of the almost lost ancient art of Chinese shipbuilding and Chinese maritime history and culture. Another fascinating factoid, we learned that the original rope used on these ships was woven from hemp, as it is today, but with a core of woven human hair, for its natural proteins that gave it extraordinary strength and resiliency.

All twelve animals of the lunar calendar are incorporated into the parts of the ship, the snout of the pig, the ears of the rabbit, etc. And this little lion is a symbol of good fortune.


In the spirit of the Princess TaiPing, peace to you all and Gung Hay Fat Choy!

Waving At Whales

So I went walking up the Makapu'u Lighthouse trail, one of my favorite places for obvious reasons. As you can see from the summit photo above, it was an incredibly clear day, sunny and mild, and best of all, it's whale season!

There were numerous humpback whales making their annual migration through the channel, playing in the water and providing quite a show, with the green hills of Molokai clearly visible in the distance. At one point, one of these beautiful beasties was gliding along on its side, repeatedly lifting one flipper in the air and slapping it down on the water. It looked like it was waving at us.

Not only can you see whales galore, but if you listen you can *hear* them. That otherworldly and unmistakable whale's wail that carries over the channel and echoes off the cliffs. It's amazing!!...beyond beautiful.

I managed to snap the following photo of a humpback whale breaching in the channel. I don't have a telephoto lens, but I did a zoom and crop, so you can see the distance in the first photo, and a closer look in the second cropped view (as always, click the photo for a larger view):



Doesn't do the experience justice, but still pretty cool as a memento to share.

Aloha and Happy Dr. King Day!!

The Same Idea

Fellow shutter bugs at Sunset Beach last night...

Jack London's Beauty Ranch

As promised, here are some photos from my recent visit to Jack London State Historic Park. This park holds lots of lovely memories for me, as I spent a great deal of time here over the many years I lived in Sonoma Valley.


The park is only a portion of the original property that comprised what London called his "Beauty Ranch", but still quite large. It has two sides full of hiking trails. One side with trails leading to the House of Happy Walls which now houses a museum, the Wolf House ruins, and Jack and Charmian London's gravesite up on a little knoll in the woods. The other side has the stables, the Summer Cottage where London did most of his writing while there, the Pig Palace, and hiking trails all the way up Sonoma Mountain, with beautiful stops along the way, including the little man-made lake once used for swimming, and The Meadow, a gorgeous clearing up on the mountain.

Sadly, it was a very cold day during the holidays so the exhibits were closed, and I was short on time, so I took only a short sojourn up to the Summer Cottage...






But I love the Summer Cottage. Recently restored and open to the public only a few years ago, it has London's wonderful woody arts & crafts style office, and the enclosed porch which he and Charmian so loved. Its walls are also lined with photographs of Jack and Charmian London, but these are different than other photos of the era. Despite some of London's views and ideas that I don't agree with now, I love this little house and these people, not only for their abundant creative gifts, but simply because in every photograph, they're laughing. Goofing around, posing and smiling broadly; obviously two people with an unabashed love of life. At a time when showing it was generally considered bad form, they relished their smiles and laughter and shared them with the world. The fact that the large main stone house was named the House of Happy Walls, really sums up their outlook on life.

In any case, it's a lovely spot on the planet, and very special to me.
Hope you enjoy the photos...








A couple distant views of the Pig Palace, aptly named. It's an extensive little circular stone village of pig stables with its own silos...




More prettiness...






Aloha, and stay tuned for photos of the gorgeous sunset at Sunset Beach this evening. It was otherworldly wonderful, as usual.

Glen Ellen

Ah, Glen Ellen! Glen Ellen will always hold a special place in my heart. It was the first place I lived in Sonoma Valley when I first moved there at the tender age of just twenty. It's beautiful, up in the hills on the slopes of Sonoma Mountain, sprinkled with wineries, with a tiny little downtown of old historic buildings. Here are some photos of my recent visit:

The little bridge over the Sonoma Creek downtown...


Jack London Lodge, named for the novelist who called Glen Ellen home, with the Wolf House Restaurant, festooned for the holidays...

A view from the new Glen Ellen Village Market across the street to the little historic building where it used to be, the restored old historic Chauvet Hotel building to the left, and the winery directional signs pointing in almost every direction...


From there I ventured up London Ranch Rd to Benziger Winery, which is on the way to Jack London Park. I love to stop at Benziger, even just to walk the grounds. It's such a beautiful property, and the Benziger family are dedicated farmers and gardeners. They love what they do and it shows. Here's a photo or three...






As mentioned above, Glen Ellen is also where Jack London settled and lived and wrote and is buried on his Beauty Ranch, now Jack London State Historic Park. That's up next...

Aloha!

Under A Perigee Moon

Windward today in Kailua with a friend, we came out of Champa Thai after a yummy dinner and looked toward the sea and there it was, the brilliant perigee moon beckoning through the trees. So we went to Kailua Beach, inexplicably empty, and walked beside the water with its glimmering trail of light sent down by the huge glowing orb above us. Lovely!

All I had with me was Kevin's point and shoot camera. I managed to get some shots, but they came out phenomenally grainy and almost sepia-toned. So I decided to get artsy-fartsy and have some fun working with what I had. The results are Seurat-esque, kinda pointillist with a nod to Maxfield Parrish. They look more like paintings than photos, which is kinda cool. Standing under that gorgeous moon on a deserted island beach felt like a dream, surreal, so why not have the image reflect that feeling?

Here's another frame in several iterations, variations on a theme.






I'm a cornball, I know, but I love the thought that we're all under the same sky, the same moon; connected in our hearts and by our humanity no matter how far apart we are.

Aloha pumehana...