Japanese high school on a boat

A ship was tied up at the dock right beside our pau hana meeting place today. The sign said it was a Japanese High School vessel. As it prepared to leave, the young men aboard gathered topside. As they left the dock, they waved and shouted in unison "Alooooooo-HA"

Nooooo! The Ming dynasty boat sank! I was on it!

Only while it was safe in the harbor.  This is the BBC report on the sinking of the Ming dynasty replica junk "Princess Taiping". http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8020206.stm

I'm glad all the crew was rescued safely.  We went to a talk they gave on how the boat was designed and built.  This is the link to my blog entry when we toured it.  I am sad.http://aloha-adventure.blogspot.com/2009/01/chinese-mariners.html

Posted via email from scheopner's posterous

I Love Kailua Town Fair

It was a wonderful day for the I Love Kailua town fair. Craft booths in the explosion of color that is Hawaii.

Representations of the two little islands near our beach were everywhere.

Food booths from local vendors were tasty until I got a stomach ache. A flower sale featured .... orchids, of course!Formerly Famous Amos was at the cookie booth in front of his store, along with his cardboard likeness.
And hula on two stages constantly from 10:30 am to 4 pm.Hula is for everyone -- kids begin at 4 years old and both men and women of all ages continue to dance as long as they want to.
Kailua hula photos
With so many performers, there was a lot of waiting for your turn.Games for kids included bouncy tents, rides, and a climbing wall.The town fair is sponsored by a civic group that will use the proceeds to improve the main road into Kailua.

Shangri La in Hawaii -- perfect setting for talk on "Women in Islam"

This beautiful estate is in Honolulu, right on the Oahu shore near Diamond Head.  It houses Doris Duke's collection of Islamic art.  Yesterday, I went to a talk on "Women in Islam".  Beautiful setting, interesting topic.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from scheopner's posterous

picture perfect day

It was such a nice day at Honolulu harbor today that I wasn't the only one snapping a few pictures.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from scheopner's posterous

Ferns unfurl new leaves

These huge ferns grow in the open courtyard of Sakamaki, the philosophy building on the UH-Manoa campus.  New leaves unroll from the center.  They grow so closely that the leaves form a natural umbrella.
.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from scheopner's posterous

Hanging at the bus stop with Big Bird's cousin

These stilt birds roam all over Kailua because they live in the marsh across the street from my bus stop.  They aren't very afraid of humans, just annoyed when I get too close.  They stroll away on their long legs, flying reluctantly.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from scheopner's posterous

bye-bye big boat

Sitting on the dock of the Honolulu harbor, watching the boats sail away.
http://aloha-adventure.blogspot.com/

Posted via email from scheopner's posterous

Big boat so close!

A cruise ship pulls out into Honolulu harbor in the evenings. I don't know if it does every day, but the past two Wednesdays I've watched it from the bar lanai at Aloha Tower. This week, a young girl and her grandfather got a closer look.

Top 10 things to do without power

Top 10 things to do without power (for Earth Hour):

10:  Try to figure out what time it is on the mainland without using world clocks on my iPhone.
9:  Use words to describe things instead of just "hey look at this!" attached to digital photo.
8:  Step way from the seductive glow of the laptop screen & look out an actual window.
7:  Concoct libations without blender. Check. Martini shaker allowed. :)
6:  Concoct libations without ice. AK! :( Wait, where's the corkscrew?
5:  Ponder environmental impact of whale oil lamps. How far does the no-power regress go?
4:  Strike "clean bathroom" off to-do list because no light. Embrace power of procrastination.
3:  Wonder how to tell when hour is over. Sundial not functional in dark.
2:  Wonder if drinking warm wine in the dark without consulting Twitter counts as meditation.
1:  Oh come on, the hard thing was coming up the the other 9!

Posted via email from scheopner's posterous