What’s the Bike Doing There?

Perched on top of the concrete awning roof of Champa Thai Restaurant in Kaimuki is something you don’t normally see on a walk around town – a bicycle on a roof.

It caught my eye while I was having lunch at Town Restaurant across the street, and you know me … my thoughts and fantasies ran rampant.

Perhaps some office worker rides his bike to work every day and has nowhere to park it while working, so he walks it up the stairs to the second floor and slips it out the window until the end of the day?

Perhaps it’s a college prank (the University of Hawaii is just a couple of miles down the road) and some fraternity guys put it there without telling the owner?

Perhaps it was stolen and the perpetrator got a severe case of guilt and left it there to alleviate himself (or perhaps “herself”) of the mental and emotional pressure?

They say the simplest answer is usually correct. And in this case, it is. The restaurant waitress told me it’s there because there’s a bicycle shop in the building.

I looked it up. She’s right. It’s The Kickstand, a bike shop and café. They offer bicycle sales and service, a Mechanic’s Club (for bicycle maintenance and repair), and sell coffee and treats.

Shucks … I was hoping it was something a little more exciting than that.

Old Acquaintances … Ne’er Forgot

It was a fortuitous decision the wife and I made last night, deciding to go out for dinner to Gyotaku Restaurant in McCully for some Japanese food.

Perhaps, I thought, my friend Thomas Jones , the restaurant owner, will be there and we can talk a little bit about how business is doing, what he’s involved in now, and how much I make him jealous that I’ve retired.

He was there, all right. I picked a good night.

Better yet, the first thing he did after we shook hands was to point me toward one of the tables and ask me if I knew who was sitting there. I looked. And y’know, the guy sitting there looked familiar, but I couldn’t place the face right away.

“Gene Kaneshiro!” he said.

“Oh my God, Gene Kaneshiro!” I replied, sounding like a parrot.

Craig and Gene

Tom and I hustled over to Gene’s table for a reunion. See, many, many years ago, I did the advertising and public relations for Gene when his family owned the Columbia Inn, one of Hawaii’s most famous family restaurants.

Eventually, the Columbia Inn was bought by Kyotaru Restaurants of Japan in the ‘80s. Thomas Jones was brought in from Japan to be manager of the new Waikiki Kyotaru Restaurant. The downtown and Kaimuki Columbia Inns retained their name; eventually the Waimalu restaurant changed to Kyotaru.

I have fond memories of Gene’s and my association; we spent many hours plotting advertising strategy and I even moved my office above the downtown Columbia Inn. Tom and I also became good friends over the years, especially when I became an independent consultant and called on him to join my business coalition.

Gene retired from being a restaurateur and ran the school lunch program for the State Dept. of Education. Several years ago, Kyotaru shut down in Hawaii and the Kyotaru Restaurants became Gyotaku, with Tom in charge.

Last night was the first time in perhaps a decade that I’ve run into Gene, and what a coincidence that Tom happened to be at the restaurant when the two of us independently strolled in for dinner … at nearly the same time.

It was a good day, yesterday.

Mysterious Ring of Rocks

Something quite curious jumped out at me the last time I went for a walk at Magic Island – a ring of rocks in the shallows of the protected swimming area at the end of the island.

It’s right there, plain as day, which leads me to wonder why I didn’t notice it before. Maybe it’s one of those things that are hidden in plain sight. You know, like that portrait of little squares that doesn’t make sense until you step ‘way back and can see that it's Abraham Lincoln’s head.

Things like this are fun to speculate over. It’s probably been arranged that way by a swimmer or a group of friends who decided to create a landmark … or seamark, as the case may be.

But what if a group of intelligent fish with articulated fins worked diligently through the night, giggling fish giggles as they put together a fish dance hall? Or what if some crabby crabs wanted a crab motel with adjoining crab accommodations on the sand?

Hmmmm … I wonder. Any ideas?

Let’s Go Surfing

~ Photo by non-surfer Craig

Everybody’s learning how … come on a safari with me!

It’s been beautiful at the waterfront lately. Summer in Honolulu is in full bloom and the waves are up near Point Panic at Kakaako Waterfront Park.

There’s not a lot that can beat walking in the blazing hot sun, cooled by the offshore winds that threaten to blow your hat into the water.

Every now and then, you can rest your hot little feet and massage your aching legs, and watch the masters of the surf exhibit their skills as they literally execute a controlled fall down an ever-moving wall of water.

I love a hot, sunny day at the waterfront.

Pork Fat Rules!

I don’t care that the saturated fat in lard is unhealthy for you. As far as I’m concerned, pork fat is one the most flavorful food ingredients on this planet.

Lardy Tees at San Francisco's Ferry Plaza

You make the best biscuits with lard. You can’t have bacon without lard. There would be no Italian pancetta or prosciutto without pork fat. Take the fat out of pork bellies and you can forget about Chinese kau yuk.

Fat equals flavor in cooking, and pork fat equals incredible flavor. It’s what makes the “other white meat” a culinary delight.

If you’re going to be serious about food, cut back elsewhere, but never skimp on the pork fat. You think vegetable shortening is a good substitute? Think again. Those buggers are partially hydrogenated and full of trans fat.

Pork fat rules!

Now leave me alone. I have to make some bacon lardons.

‘I Do” Again … and Again

Yesterday I told you about a wedding couple I noticed and photographed at Lanikai Beach recently, and mentioned I’d seen lots of couples like that at Kakaako Waterfront Park.

Well, no sooner had I posted that when I decided to go for a walk at Ala Moana Park’s Magic Island, just a stone’s throw from Waikiki.

And what do you think I saw there for the first time? Not one, but TWO wedding couples having their pictures taken. What … is there something weird going on between my mind and reality? Am I psychic or something?

No matter. It was nice to see them there, although it must have been hot for the guys because the sun was out – ‘way out – and the temperature, despite the cool ocean breeze, must have been hovering in the very high 80s.

And the brides’ arms? I don’t even want to think about it.

Keeping the Toesies Cool

Keeping Cool Under a Tree

Repeat after Me: 'I Do'

I’ve run pictures of newlyweds (or newlyweds to be) before, but those were taken at Kakaako Waterfront Park during the wife’s and my morning walks. Invariably the happy couple is from Japan. 

Click on picture to enlarge

Recently, I came across another Japanese couple all decked out in their wedding gear, this time at Lanikai Beach in Kailua on the windward side of Oahu.

It’s a fairly popular spot, as I’ve heard numerous conversations about the beach from others who’ve watched shoots in the brilliant white sand. In fact, my younger son and his bride drove over to Lanikai to have their pre-wedding pictures taken.

In addition to the couple, the photo party included three more people –a female “photo director” who was ordering the two male photographers around.

I was at the beach for 20 minutes shooting Pinchy pix. The couple was posing when I got there, and they were still posing when I left. And, you just KNOW they were going to move to another location on the beach.

It was a pretty sunny day, around noontime, the sunlight and heat were reflecting off the sand, and the cooling breeze was deceptive. I hope the bridegroom didn’t forget his antiperspirant after taking his morning shower. And, I sure hope that young lady had plenty of high-SPF sun block on, or her shoulders were going to be burned to a crisp by the time they left.

Red shoulders do not an attractive bride make at a wedding, no?

Beware the Birds

Yesterday I wrote about the peaceful and serene experience I had the other day at the Byodo-In Temple. Apparently, they want to keep it that way.

Situated conspicuously in a couple of places were these signs. The big one warned visitors not to go too near to peacocks. ‘Cause they’re wild. Parents are exhorted to watch over their children, because apparently (I wonder?) they are more susceptible to attack.

And it’s not just the peacocks either. Check out the smaller red sign below. They added the swans to the warning, reiterating that the birds are wild and are prone to do wild things (especially when they feel their territory is being intruded upon).

Hopefully, however, there are no women brandishing golf clubs at the temple … if you read the Honolulu newspaper or watch the local news, you know what I’m talking about.

"Dangerous" Black Swan?

Thank heavens for camera zoom features. I was able to photograph this beautiful black swan from a safe distance. Not that I’m afraid or anything … y’know.

A Day of Serenity

 

Several years ago … well, maybe I should say a few decades ago … the wife and I took a drive around the windward side of Oahu when we returned from a visit to Oahu’s North Shore.

One of the places we swung by was the Valley of the Temples in Kaneohe. We didn’t stop when we reached the Byodo-In Temple, choosing instead to simply gaze upon its beauty before driving home.

This past Monday, I finally drove over to Kaneohe and paid an extended visit to the Byodo-In Temple, a scaled replica of the actual 900+ year-old temple in Uji, Japan.

What struck me immediately was the utter serenity one experiences there. Except for the occasional deep resonating gong of the three-ton brass bell in the Bell House, all one could hear were birds, the rustle of leaves, the babbling of streams and occasional muted conversation of strolling visitors.

The main hall is known as the Phoenix Hall, with the legendary birds perched at either end of the roof. Removing my shoes before entering the temple, I paid my respects before the 18-foot-tall Buddha statue, thought to be the largest figure carved since ancient times (according to the information leaflet).

I offered incense and said a prayer for my father-in-law and my grandparents, who were Buddhists, and said hello to my father, who was raised in Buddhism before converting to Christianity during World War II.

There is such peace and serenity throughout the entire property, and as I wandered about, lost in my thoughts and reflecting on my life, I whispered in the wind, “If you listen carefully, you can hear peace singing in the quiet dawn. Reach out and draw it into your heart.”

With that, I share these pictures of serenity with you:

Limited Commercial Interruption?

At the start of Sunday night’s two-hour season premiere of the new TNT alien invasion drama, “Falling Skies,” the announcer used the now-familiar statement: “Presented with limited commercial interruption.

What a lot of crock. Every six minutes or so, it seemed, there was a commercial interruption. Granted, there may have been fewer commercials, I’m really not sure, but as far as “commercial interruptions” go, there were plenty.

Guess I could have gone back to the beginning and counted the commercial interruptions since I recorded it on DVR, but it wasn’t worth the effort.

Don’t you just hate it when they try to put one over on you?

Now … having said all that, I think “Falling Skies” is going to be an interesting series. Under the guidance of Stephen Spielberg, the two-hour pilot was pretty good.

Earth has been invaded by six-legged aliens from another planet. The human resistance group calls them “Skitters” because of the way they walk. Their bipedal metal robots are called “Mechs” by the resistance – the 2^nd Massachusetts.

Noah Wyle has the lead as Tom Mason, a former American history professor, alongside Will Patton as Capt. Weaver, leader of the 2^nd Massachusetts. Two strong actors.

The stage has been set. Now let’s see what the rest of Falling Skies’ season has to offer.

I know, I know … lots more commercial interruptions.

No Longer Included

As I slipped the wooden chopsticks out of their paper sleeve at the Father’s Day lunch yesterday, it occurred to me that something was missing – actually, something I hadn’t seen since my younger days growing up in Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii.

There was no toothpick included with chopsticks. Good Lord, I thought … now THAT sure ages me. If you remember the days when you’d find a free wooden toothpick in with the chopsticks, then you have got to be at least as old as I am.

It was nice to have a toothpick. When you finished your meal, you had something to clean your teeth with. Kind of like chewing gum, only a little more precise.

And speaking of chewing gum, I remember when you used to get a small little packet of Chicklets gum when you took a plane ride. Those were the days before pressurized cabins, and the gum helped equalize the pressure between your inner ear and the cabin.

It was either that, or swallow hard, or try to pop your ears manually by pinching your nose and blowing. And as we all know by now, that’s a no-no.

Chewing gum is disappearing at airports. It isn’t sold in the airport stores anymore (at least at the airports I’ve flown into). They don’t want them being disposed of onboard in the seat ashtrays. Seat ashtrays? They ain’t got THEM any more since smoking is banned on flights these days.

Guess one would have to wrap the chewed gum in napkins and give it to the flight attendant. They probably don’t want you to chew gum at all because lazy people would just stick ‘em into the seat pocket in front of them.

You can’t find bubble gum where you used to either. Remember baseball cards? Topps wax packs used to include a piece of gum the size of the trading card. Then the gum piece got smaller and smaller, and eventually disappeared altogether.

Chopstick toothpicks, airplane chewing gum, baseball card bubble gum … they’ve gone the way of the free doughnut you used to get when you bought a dozen at the bakery. Do they still honor the “baker’s dozen” tradition anymore?

And how ‘bout the hand car wash you used to get when you’d fill up your tank at a gas station? You’d drive up and a swarm of guys with white shirts and bowties would attack your car. Even in little rustic Hilo where I grew up.

They’d check your water, check your tires, check your oil, clean your windshield, wash and dry your car … all for the couple of dollars you spent with them to fill your gas tank. These days, it costs you $50+ to fill your tank, and you have to do everything yourself.

Ah me … and all I wanted was a toothpick with my chopsticks.

Classic Car Show

Red Antiques on Display

I really didn’t have any plans to boogie on over to Kahala Mall yesterday, but when the cable connection stopped working in our area, I couldn’t update my blogs, or watch my favorite shows on TV. I was restless and needed to do something.

What I did was read my Kindle … early. Which means I finished early. Which means I had some time to read a couple of stories more thoroughly in the morning paper. Which means I caught something I’d missed.

Kahala Mall was having a “Classic Car Show” that began last week and was going to end real soon. What I wanted to know was, would the classic cars still be on display Monday when I wanted to go. 

1965 Shelby Cobra

But there was no further information in the story. The cable was out and I couldn’t check on the Internet via my computer because I have a cable modem and … (Did I say this already?) the cable was out.

*LIGHT BULB ON!* Hey, I thought, I can check it on my Droid. I KNEW there was a good reason why I got one of them fancy dancy smart phones. So I checked. Bad news … the cars were going to burn rubber outta there before Monday. If I wanted to see them, I’d need to go right away.

Sunday was going to be out of the question because I had a Father’s Day lunch to go to.

You know me. I jumped in the car and went right away.

Only … I didn’t get there right away. 

Roadster Convertible "Up on the Rooooof"

The transportation people were working on the freeway and had closed two lanes while they drilled holes and filled them with cement. Cross my heart and hope to die, that’s what they were doing. The weird thing is, first they closed the left lane, then opened it and closed the center lane, then closed the shoulder, then closed the two center lanes.

Well, I got past that mess at a snail’s pace, finally hitting the clear about a half-mile from the Kahala Mall turnoff. Smack dab into a traffic jam.

Apparently, everybody and his father decided to go to Kahala Mall too. I drove around for a long time before I finally found a parking space as far away from the mall as one could possibly get without actually leaving the mall parking lot. I mean, it was tough. If a car hadn’t turned its reverse lights on as I was approaching it, I’d never have gotten a space. 

1969 Yenko

When I got inside the mall, I discovered why. There were about a half-dozen of the cars on display inside. The rest, I found out, were on the top floor of the parking garage – more than 100 of them. No wonder there wasn’t any parking to be had.

As it turns out, it was worth it. Holy moly, those cars were beautiful. And it was interesting to watch the people there. The men outnumbered the women 2 to 1, and the kids 3 to 1. The kids looked bored and ran around the place. The women walked around with their arms crossed, glancing to the left and right, nodding and generally exhibiting a “ho hum, here we go again” attitude.

Old Refurbished Cars Galore

The men, however, were gawking at the cars, taking pictures, peering under hoods, engaging the owners in deep conversations, sometimes gesticulating wildly with their hands. I even saw one spectator trying to buy one of the cars, but the owner just stood there, arms crossed, shaking his head.

We are all cowboys at heart, aren’t we? Us men. Only we don’t have horses any more. We have cars. And we like to show them off after we make them nice and smooth and shiny.

Ahhh, it was a good day after all.

Signs of Success

… or maybe not.

Witty wall signs are entertaining; they're like witty tee-shirts. They pretty much articulate our thoughts (or at least our fantasies).

The Scrambl’z Restaurant in San Jose has a bunch of them posted on the walls all over the place, and they serve as reading material while you’re waiting for the waitress or for your food to arrive.

Near our table the last time we were there were these three – all related in some way to somebody’s definition of success: Plenty of money, plenty of happiness, and plenty of position in life (Sort of like the board game "Life" ... Fame, Fortune and Happiness):

Witty Scrambl'z Signs

I’m a Kindle Reader

Several months ago, I bought myself a treat – a Kindle reader. Since then, I’ve become a manic reader, devouring as many as three books every couple of weeks.

Contrast that with my pre-Kindle days, when the only time I’d read a book was when I was on a long flight to the mainland or on a return flight home. Even then, it’s difficult to read on the airplane (I inevitably become sleepy and doze off). I was lucky to finish two books a year.

There’s something about the Kindle that turns you into a compulsive reader. Since ordering my Kindle in early September 2010, I’ve read 51 books. That averages out to around nine books a month. Yep, about a book every three-and-a-half days.

Of course, it helps if one is retired. Being retired allows me at least a couple of hours reading time each day, but there are some days that I don’t read at all, and some days that the story I’m on just grabs me by the collar and won’t let me go for three, maybe four hours.

Is that healthy?

Doesn’t matter. I figure if I’m reading, my brain is active and it gets my creative juices going … just like my blogs. If you read and think and blog, you exist in a larger world than most other people.

The Kindle truly DOES provide fuel for the mental furnace.

Planet Ice at Pearlridge

 

Every summer since I dunno when, Pearlridge Center puts on a free exhibit. This year, it’s “Planet Ice” (or “Ice Age,” depending on what publicity you see) with displays of prehistoric animals to delight the kiddies (and the “kiddies-at-heart” like me).

Most of the extinct beasts are full-scale animatronics models that move; a number are about half-size because … well, just because.

The wife and I took a wander around the two exhibits while visiting Pearlridge recently and had to negotiate around grandparents and their grandchildren who were there in droves. Y’know, I wish my grandson were here so I could take him to see the Ice Age mammals.

On display are a group of Smilodon (saber-toothed cats), a Megatherium (giant sloth) under attack by a Smilodon, a Mammuthus (woolly mammoth, an Australopithecus (earliest human) family, a Diatryma (aka “Terror Crane”), a Deodicurus (giant armadillo), a Baluchitherium (rhinoceros), a Platybelodon (shovel-nosed elephane), a Coelodonta (wooly rhino), and a herd of Hyracotherium (tiny six-inch long early horses).

A Tundra Train wove among the animals to give them a good look at each other (and perhaps to lick their chops?). The ride was proving popular – we were there at 10:30 a.m. and already they were selling tickets for the 12 noon ride. The 11 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. rides were sold out.

I would have bought tickets for the ride, except I am slightly taller than the 48-inch maximum height imposition.

Pictures? Yeah …

Australopithicus family group

Diatryma ("Terror Crane")

Smilodon (Saber-Toothed Cat) Attacking a Megatherium (Giant Sloth)

Herd of Hyracotherium (Mini-Horse Ancestor)

"Planet Ice" closes July 31. So you've got some time, even if the animals on display ran out of time themselves.

The Hitachi Tree

The Hitachi Tree

One of the most famous trees in the world is in Hawaii, standing proudly in Moanalua Gardens Park with the pink Tripler Army Hospital looking down upon it.

It’s “The Hitachi Tree,” so named because it has become the corporate symbol of the Hitachi Group of Japan. You may be familiar with the quality electronics produced by Hitachi, but they are also well-known in utility work, transportation, medical health care, biotechnology, the environment, power and industrial sectors.

In fact, Hitachi is the world’s third-largest technological company.

As a corporate symbol used in Hitachi’s advertising since 1973, the tree is a 130-year-old monkeypod (Samanea saman). The landowner – Damon Estate – contracted with Hitachi to use the tree’s image for promotional purposes, obtaining annual payments of $20,000. When the land was sold, Hitachi renegotiated its contract (to $400,000 annually) with the new owner – Kaimana Ventures – in 2006.

The tree has been designated an “Exceptional Tree” by the City and County of Honolulu and cannot be removed or destroyed without the Honolulu City Council’s approval.

When I visited the park yesterday, proof of the tree’s notoriety was quite evident when four tour buses full of Japanese tourists drove into the parking lot. The tourists, mostly young couples and children, raced to have their pictures taken at the tree.

Fortunately, I was at the end of my visit and didn’t have to contend with the crowds.

Ferry Plaza Farmers Market

Some of my best and favorite days in San Francisco have been when I visited the Ferry Plaza on the Embarcadero on days when the Farmers Market is underway – Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
 

If you get there around lunch time, the place is crowded as heck. It’s a natural magnet for downtown San Francisco office workers who want to grab a quick bite of street food to eat, and to get some fresh veggies for dinner.

I’ve seen the most beautifully colored tomatoes there (see a previous blog post for pictures), and on a recent foray amongst the food booths lining the sidewalk in front of the Ferry Building, I saw some impeccably beautiful citrus:

Lemony Lemons

Orangey Oranges

You don’t find stuff like this on a regular basis  in Hawaii, unfortunately. Ah well, that’s the way it goes.

Power of Pizza Suggestion

I do not want pizza. I will not make my own pizza. I will not go out to buy pizza. I will not call and order out pizza. I am strong. My mind is made up.

Sigh ... I think I'll go buy a pizza.

Aiea Orchid Show II

The Aiea Orchid Club’s 30^th annual Exhibit closes at 3 p.m. today, so if you were thinking of checking it out, you’d better hurry. You may already be too late to attend the last lecture of the weekend (11 a.m. on “Honohono Orchid” culture).

I gave you most of the details yesterday so I’ll simply step aside and show you some of the orchids that were on display (just in case you can’t get to the show):

Cattleya: Toshie Aoki "Pot. Burana Beauty"

Cattleya: Triumphal Coronation "Seto"

Cattleya: Motte Spot "Paradise"

Cymbidium: Kusada Shining "Palapala"

Doritaenopsis: City Girl "Madonna"

Aiea Orchid Show

Aiea Orchid Club Display (1 of 4 Participating Clubs)

If you’ve got an hour or so free this weekend and want to enrich your spirit with beauty, why not take in the Aiea Orchid Club’s 30^th Annual Orchid Show at Aiea Elementary School?

The wife and I go to these Oahu regional shows whenever we become aware of them. There’s nothing like walking around at these shows, viewing the fruits of dedicated orchid fanciers’ labors. Plus, it’s free (although donations are appreciated).

It’s simply amazing, the variety of orchids that have been created by these enthusiasts, many of which can be purchased by vendors who line the edges of the displays.

Orchids for Sale

More Orchids for Sale

Additionally, the sponsoring club is providing lectures and demonstrations every day. But you’d better hurry, the show lasts just one weekend, and today (Saturday, until 6 p.m.) is the second of three days. You have one more chance on Sunday (9 a.m. to 3 p.m.) to view the orchids, or attend the final 11 a.m. demonstration on "Honohono Orchid" culture.

Congratulations and thank you to the show committee, headed by co-chairs Faith Nakamura and Gary Yamada. I don’t know them, but I do appreciate their hard work.

I’ll post some individual flower pictures tomorrow.

Misteaks

My pencil was sharpened and I was all set to write about our Gov. Neil Abercrombie's stupid remarks, re the National Football League and its annual Pro Bowl game that's been held here in Honolulu for oh so many years.

He thinks the contracted $4-million payment to the league for the rights to host the all-star game is "egregious." Why should we pay a $9-billion corporation that kind of money anyway, he surmised. Never mind that the Pro Bowl brings in more than $28 million in visitor spending whenever the game rolls around.

Ah, but I digress. I WAS going to write about that, but something else caught my attention in this morning's Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

Proof-reading failures. Misspellings. To use our erstwhile governor's word, "egregious" errors.

This first article has a misspelling. I don't believe there's such a thing as a rearview "miror." The editor must have forgotten to roll his Rs when he pronounced the word.

Then, the first sentence is grammatically incorrect. It begins with "Who." It shouldn't begin with "Who." And it ends with "to." It shouldn't end with "to."

In fact, the sentence should read, "To whom is Robert's rabbit mascot waving?"

Plus, the sentence ends with a closing quotation mark ... but there is NO opening quotation mark.

This second one gives one a reason to pause and reflect. What in the world is a "relection"? I couldn't find the word in any online dictionary. Obviously the caption writer meant to say "reflection."

But you know what? I wouldn't have mentioned the reflection in the head of her driver at all, because you can't see the reflection, much less a relection.

And to think they pay people to proofread the stories before they run. Shame, shame.

Handweaving Exhibition

Thanks to an advertisement I happened upon in the morning Honolulu Star-Advertiser last week, the wife and I spent a fascinating hour or so yesterday wandering among some handwoven art at the Academy Art Center near downtown Honolulu.

We were coming back from Pearlridge Center and took the Kinau Street turnoff. See, I thought the exhibition was at the Honolulu Academy of Arts and if we could find parking on Kinau just past Ward, we would be at the backside of the Academy and would just have to walk around to the front.

Hallelujah! We did find parking on Kinau. And we did walk around to the front. And we did go in. But that’s where everything changed. The handweaving exhibition, it turned out, was a one-block walk across the street.

A little disgusted at myself for not confirming the location ahead of time, we had to trudge in the hot, muggy, Honolulu afternoon to the show.

It WAS worth it. Dubbed “Sublime, Sensible, Serendipitous,” the entries were juried by Emily DuBois, an internationally known textile artist who lives on the Big Island in the near-volcano area of Pahoa (where my grandmother’s cousin used to live … I drove her there many times).

Yes, I took pictures:



"Dyptich: Zero Lot Line/Island Homes" (Beverly Major) $400



"Serendipitous: Year of the Rabbit" (Beth Robinson) $250

"Honoring Our Kupuna" (Ruthdell Anderson)

"Try It Anyway" (Kathy Tosh) $323

"Untitled" (Ruthdell Anderson 1976-1977)

If you haven’t been to the exhibition, you really should go. It’s free, it's fascinating, and it’s air-conditioned. Just what you need on these sultry summer days in Hawaii.

Hawaii Handweavers’ Hui 28^th Biennial Exhibition: June 3-19, Academy Art Center at Linekona, 1111 Victoria, across from Thomas Square at the corner of Beretania and Victoria Streets.