Honolulu Mural

A  L  O  H  A !

Linking to

Monday Murals

Whales Are Here!

Whale Mom & Calf Video

Our whale friends

are in Hawaiian waters

again!

Their numbers

are increasing,

but they still need

our protection.

What are they

telling / teaching

us?

>< } } (°>

whales are NOT fish

Thank You

for swimming by-

              Fondly, cloudia

Mural Whales

A L O H A !

Above Ding Kingdom*
whales cavort
inside a tall building
as we peer through the wall
on this side street
in Honolulu. . .

Linking to Mural Monday

Thank You, Friend!

                             cloudia

* Ding

Surfboard damage

Special Visitors

A L O H A !

It is the season 

to see humpback whales

in our Hawaiian waters. 

They migrate here from Alaska

between September and May 

to calve, feed, and relax. 

Some claim that they 

like the local acoustics

for singing !

We expect to see them

breaching offshore, 

so yesterday

was a little wild.

Chris Kojima was working

at Pier 30 in Honolulu Harbor 

(Thursday morning) 

aboard the Young Brothers tug

Manuokekai

when two humpback whales

suddenly surfaced right 

alongside!

 I got blasted a couple times 

by the spray coming of their nostrils,"

he told HawaiiNewsNow

William Winn,

the captain of the fishing boat,

Ocean Pearl,

told KITV that the whales 

followed his boat

into the harbor this morning

all the way to Pier 38.

"Yeah, for some reason they liked the boat.

They just hung with us for like, seven days.

They never left our side,"

said Winn.

"It was neat to have some company out there.

We've been out for almost 20 days,

so it was nice to have something to look at

other than my crew,"

said Winn with a laugh.

The mother & adorable calf 

were seen in the harbor

in the company of two or four

adult humpbacks.

shortly after 7 a.m.

"- whales aren't typically in harbors.

The reason why they're there is unknown,"

said Eric Roberts,

U.S. Coast Guard Marine Mammal 

Response Coordinator,

in typically colorless

science/military-speak.

State Department of Transportation’s

Harbors Division spokesman

Dan Meisenzahl 

recalled seeing whales in the harbor

around 1996.

 "Out of 21 years I've been here,

this is the first time I've seen whales

in this far,"

said Kaipo Pomaikai,

Sause Brothers (tug boats) 

assistant port captain.

The Coast Guard 

which received the report

around 7:45 a.m

dispatched a 45-foot response boat

to establish a 100-yard 

safety zone around the animals

 The rare visitors

completed their celebrity appearance

and left the harbor on their own by 1:45 p.m.

Presumably after saying "Aloha"

to their friend Captain Winn.

Further ashore, it was just another day

" Don't forget to show hospitality

to strangers,

for some who have done this

have entertained angels

without realizing it! "

Hebrews 13:2

 New Living Translation (©2007)

 " What's a whale? "

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Your visits here

mean a lot to me,

so I really try to share 

images and ideas

that are worthy

of your time.

Like many of us,

I'm on a post-holiday

mental "blank - out"

So I'm especially appreciative

of these visiting cetations

for giving me a

whale of a story!

Please visit "Comments Cove"

                                                         Warmly, cloudia

Hump Week

A L O H A

to YOU.

&

W E L C O M E

click on photos for greater enjoyment

"The key to communication

is the attitude that lies behind

what we say."

Marianne Williamson

"Nobody holds a good opinion

of a man who has

a low opinion of himself."

Anthony Trollope

"To talk to a child, to fascinate him,

is much more difficult than to win an electoral victory.

But it is also more rewarding."

Colette

<><

As many as ten thousand of them may be expected.

They show up every year.

The Kolea (golden plover)

has already arrived from Alaska.

But these honored guests have waited

to make their entrance.

Till now!

This week

off Maui:

The humpback whales have returned once more!

To calve, to nurse, to enjoy our island waters.

Aloha Welcome

our longtime friends!

In your faithfulness

you remind us of ancient cycles.

And

we celebrate you

with awe.

All guests - that's YOU dear reader -

bring a blessing.

Thank You Most Warmly, Cloudia

You might enjoy these previous posts about whales:

http://comfortspiral.blogspot.com/2008/12/whales-return.html

http://comfortspiral.blogspot.com/2008/12/click-on-photos-to-enlarge-ted-trimmer.html

http://comfortspiral.blogspot.com/2009/04/seasonable-neighbors.html

Found: Bush's One Good Thing

Aloha! Come on in.

(click on pictures to enlarge ;-) My house has good lines, eh?

“Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home.”

Matsuo Basho

This is Diamond Head Road. See the road sign?

It goes all around the crater and is a favorite "cruising" place to see and be seen. Pop star Rhianna has been seen bicycling here recently. Hope she's feeling better!

Never saw these before!


“Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.”
Marcel Proust

the FRESH AIR Fund is a truly worthy effort!

Why not click on the banner?

Tee Hee!

A woman after my own heart;

two words: "Sun Protection."

“They remember me as this shy girl sitting under the table. But they obviously didn't know what was going on in my head.”
Izabella Scorupco

In the final days of his administration, Bush the Younger did something surprising. He declared the pristine Northwestern Hawaiian Islands a Marine National Monument.



This paradise at the far side of our archipelago is called:

Papahanaumokuakea.



Recently NOAA reported that 15 different species of whales, more than expected, frequent the large, watery "park."



80 types of coral, almost half of them found only in Hawaiian waters, also homestead these waters.



Here in Waikiki, with the near shore waters full of cavorting humans, and party boats jostling for sunset views just beyond the reef ,

I like to think of the whales and their buddies

lounging in their own V.I.P. enclave.



Perhaps some day I'll untie from the dock

and sail out to visit them. After all,

I too am found only in Hawaiian waters. . .

Note: My modem self-destructed late Thursday requiring a "swap-out," hence: no Friday post.

Sorry. It's just a tale of two modems, I guess. . . But I'm BACK, Baby!

A L O H A ! Cloudia

Seasonable Neighbors

Click on Photos to Enlarge!Anuenue (Ah-Neway-Neway) The Rainbow

“The soul would have no rainbow had the eyes no tears.”
John Vance Cheney

Ka Iwi Coastline - A Stark & Spiritual Place

“An enchanted life has many moments when the heart is overwhelmed with beauty and the imagination is electrified by some haunting quality in the world or by a spirit or voice speaking from deep within a thing, a place, or a person. Enchantment may be”
Henry Louis Mencken

Gargantuan Child Circumnavigates Oahu Map

“There is a garden in every childhood, an enchanted place where colors are brighter, the air softer, and the morning more fragrant than ever again.”
Elizabeth Lawrence

Even here in the middle of Earth's widest ocean, we have neighbors who are seasonal residents. Soon the humpback whales, the kolea (golden plover), and the dear Canadians (Neighboris Northis) will be returning to their winter grounds.

The Whales continued their long economic contribution to Hawaii as stars of film, TV, and tourism - which they undoubtedly enjoy more than the old days of whale hunting. The gentle Canadians too, contribute much to the economy and ecology of Waikiki. These affable creatures often return to the same nest (condo) year after year, building warm relationships with us year-rounders. Then you wake up one morning and they've taken wing!

The Kolea arrive from Alaska as skinny as homeless men, spend the winter foraging, and leave fat and happy in the Spring. Thanks for nothing, freeloaders! In Hawaiian Olelo (Sayings, Proverbs & Aphorisms) the Kolea is representative of an interloper who takes & takes without contributing to the common welfare - you know, like Wall Street bankers. . .

This Winter's theme? Whales gone wild! Our visiting cetaceans flipped, flapped and slapped the waters rather close to shore this season. Visitors to the Diamond Head Lookout, or the Lanai Lookout beside the Blow Hole by Sandy’s Beach (Ka Iwi, above) have been treated to some extra exuberant displays this winter. Glad the visitors AND the humpbacks enjoyed their Hawaii winter sojourns! The little girl in the picture above was too busy running around Oahu to notice. . .

The Canadians seemed to have a lovely time this year as well. The Kolea? Who cares? They keep to themselves. Hope you won't! Please stop by here often. E Komo Mai - You Are Most Welcome.

A L O H A! Cloudia

Strolling Along

Click on photos to enlarge!

"Do you really think it is weakness that yields to temptation? I tell you that there are terrible temptations which it requires strength, strength and courage to yield to."

Oscar Wilde

"Unprovided with original learning, unformed in the habits of thinking, unskilled in the arts of composition, I resolved to write a book."
Edward Gibbon

"The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug."
Mark Twain

The face of comfort.

Every teaching of spirituality is a heroic attempt to share the inexplicable in words.

Traditions and teachings can only point us in the right direction - but unless scripture awakens an answering resonance from within, it will remain only mental.

The mind contorts and con volutes to make itself grand. But wisdom looks on with the quiet pleasure of comprehension. . .

Light, color, bird song are all vibrations. A bed of flowers is a massed choir: harmonies and soloists respirating each in their own voice. . . Stop and listen!

Whales sport off Maui. In neighbor island uplands, fireplaces warm and scent the crispy nights. On the Big Island, lava is flowing into an indignant sea. Typical Hawaii February weather: high clouds, brief showers. . .

What will happen next?

None of us knows.

So keep your eyes half open, like kitty does (above) even as you lay your 20th Century burdens down.

Inventing a better future is fearsome work. So why do we whistle as we stroll through the wreckage?

A L O H A! Cloudia

The Merry Year

"The merry year is born
Like the bright berry from the naked thorn."
- Hartley Coleridge

Each age has deemed the new-born year
The fittest time for festal cheer.
- Walter Scott

"We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives... not looking for flaws, but for potential."

- Ellen Goodman

“The Fish Dance”

It’s season again for the fish dance. Next time you are walking the Ala Moana Blvd. Bridge over the Ala Wai Canal, pause on the mauka (mountain) side to check out the intricate maneuvers underway by dozens and dozens of fish. The first time I noticed, I thought it was a flotilla of leaves on the water. Then I saw the do-si-do, the alaman left, the schools splitting into separating spirals. Fish are packed so close together that some in the middle are pushed partly up and out of the water. All together now! What are they doing? I don’t know. But back when I was taken to see Nureyev dance at Lincoln Center I didn’t need a knowledge of ballet to be amazed by the way he hung in the air at the arc of an unbelievably high leap. Well these tilapia are just as absorbed and expert in their corps de ballet. Spawning? Eating? Hula competition judged by mantis shrimp? I just don’t know. Do you? There are great new parking improvements at Makapu for those hiking around the slope to the lighthouse. Stop at Costco’s snack bar in Hawaii Kai for hot dogs, pizza, chicken salad, drinks on your way, and then you can park safely away from traffic and walk a paved path around the slope to the amazing view. Tip: full moon night hikes here are memorable and special! If you are inside Costco, or Star Market, or any food store with a fish department, try buying what you see the locals buy; even squid or seaweed won’t kill you. And if you see opihi you’re in for a special treat! It’s expensive for a reason. Like the song says: “Opihi man in the sun, opihi man grab your bag and RUN! Opihi man another swell is coming your way.” People do drown harvesting these delicious morsels from the tidal zones of sea cliffs; in fact I’ve heard this innocent little Hawaiian mussel called “fish of death.” Worth a taste? Continuing up the Saturday road through Waimanalo, with its miles and miles of white sand and turquoise shallows just yards from your car, I saw that the beach park was humming with activity. When you pull into a beach park among all the local folks who are spending their day off with their families do so humbly and with a good spirit. Easy does it. Remember: weekending families are not cultural exhibits or chamber of commerce employees. Regular folks work very hard simply to make it here, and they enjoy their weekend relaxation just as you do. Please understand that the closest beach is like the neighborhood’s living room, even though it’s “public.” Be laid back and you’ll probably meet some new people, or even be welcomed in inimitable Aloha style. Offer to share your stuff first, like a juice to a child, or a slice of pizza to the guy sitting right next to you. I could recount many stories of visitors being invited to the baby luau, the wedding up the block at somebody’s house, given deeply personal tours, or even invited to stay over. Nice people do find each other, bad attitudes: just keep driving! Back in Waikiki, joining the throngs walking, running, gawking, biking, unloading surfboards on Diamond Head Road, I got to thinking that to visitors, DH is a famous visual emblem. But it’s so much more than that to us; for example, we use it to describe seasonal conditions: “Look! Diamond Head is so green!” (Lots of rain) or brown (lots of no rain). To locals it’s not just visual though, ole DH is like a beloved uncle that we playfully climb all over. We hike the trails and enjoy the view FROM Diamond Head (his shoulders). We sit on his lap: DH park one and park two, green oceanfront enclaves made peaceful and private by their lack of parking, brides are photographed here as limos hover. At the foot of the cliffs, below Diamond Head Road, are intimate little beaches where naturists and meditators can be left in peace. So you see, we locals don’t just SEE DH; we play with it, smell the flowers, hear the surf and enjoy the birds. And at the right time of year it’s perfect for spotting whales spouting and splashing out to sea. Even the tightly scheduled tour van groups that pull into the lookout seem to hush at the majesty of the vista, as their harried drivers relax for a smoke. It's the perfect spot to “watch the submarine races,” or simply to loose the grip of hours and minutes. . . Misty Technicolor clouds blowing over the mountains, blue heron, red sails in the sunset. . . Hot shower, cold beer, and warm welcome; how can every pau hana (after work) be uniquely wonderful? Guess they’re just like snowflakes. . . Remember snowflakes? In Hawaii it’s OK to smile at others. Everyone is beautiful here- but it’s from the inside. In our tropical climate makeup runs, but true aloha just glows through your expression, your skin, and your face, like a light from within. . . SUPER FERRY! The Alakai, the largest all aluminum ship built in the USA, is here. We can now take our own vehicles to Maui. We all need to get out on the water sometimes. . . just so we can take our turn. . . doing the fish dance. . . Aloha! Cloudia

Whales and Tales

Click on photos to enlarge!

Ted Trimmer, Maui by Air, top


"Invention is the mother of necessity." - Thorstein Veblen

"One's real life is often the life that one does not lead."
- Oscar Wilde

"The lure of the distant and the difficult is deceptive. The great opportunity is where you are."
- John Burroughs

Lahaina Maui, one-time capitol of Hawaii, is also infamous as the battlefield of the "Whaler-Missionary War" back in the 19th Century. Missionaries were none too pleased when rough & ready sailor-men ("wooden ships, iron men") followed valuable oil - whale oil, that is - to the rich winter calving grounds of the humpback whales off Maui. These guys were no choir boys, and their hard-drinking, two-fisted, profane activities while ashore clashed seriously with the hymn singing, religious instruction, and "useful" labor that the men & women with the monopoly on God were trying to impose, er, offer the benighted Hawaiians. That "war" must have been some brawl! Imagine obscene pirates trading "licks" with fire & brimstone preachers wielding axes, and egged on by their indignant, hatchet-faced wives!

Today we lack the rectitude of the missionaries, and the pure spit-into-the-wind brio of the whaling men, but the whales still winter in Hawaiian waters and they still favor leeward Maui. Today they are protected and admired. Yet small boats of gutsy people still occasionally chase the whales, as one craft did yesterday. These pursuers were not whale-hunters but whale-HELPERS. In response to reports by recreational boaters of a whale entangled with discarded fishing line & nets (some an inch thick!) the team went in search of a giant mammal in distress. The gaffs, hooks, and blades they carried were all designed for the purpose of freeing the intelligent mammal to pursue it's hemispheric ramblings unencumbered. The ensuing water ballet would have baffled the whalers of old, as the scientists and marine specialists worked quickly but carefully to remove the debris straight-jacket. Finally the creature tired of the sport and swam for deep water. Scientists say that enough line has been removed to guarantee the oceanic visitor a good chance of healthy survival. . . To save Earth will require profound changes in our attitudes and activities; But for one afternoon, an important victory had been won. One of many . . . .one at a time . . . Experts estimate that 1700 humpback whales are currently wintering off Maui.

A L O H A ! Cloudia

Lava Tongue

Christmas in Manoa Valley
(Click on Pics to enlarge)


Ted Trimmer:
"December Sunset"



















Mele Kalikimaka (Merry Christmas), girls!




OOOOO, Red!

Pho in Chinatown & Cops!

"In youth we feel richer for every new illusion; in maturer years, for every one we lose." - Anne Sophie Swetchine

"Describe things as better than they are and you'll be called a romantic; describe them as worse than they are and they'll call you a realist; describe them exactly as they are and you'll be thought of as a satirist." - Quentin Crisp

"It is impossible to defeat an ignorant man in an argument."

- William Gibbs McAdoo

A mile-wide "tongue" of lava is crawling towards Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. It takes a six mile hike over dangerous new terrain to see (feel & smell) it up close, but you can look in on Pele's activities courtesy of Big Island vulcanologists at: http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/cam/ , or: http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/cam3/ .

Move over humpbacks: Two Sei Whales were spotted last week off Maui in approximately 50 feet of water. Longer and narrower than our customary humpbacks, and wearing shorter flippers, they boast a magnificently tall, sickle-shaped dorsal fin. Habitue`s of deep, temperate seas, these guys are "extremely rare" in Hawaiian waters. If they can make it here, so can YOU!

The older I get, the more I identify with my heart, rather than my appearance. Good thing too: my appearance isn't what it once was - but my heart is growing everyday! Thanks for "walking along" with me through the run-up to an island Christmas. . . . A L O H A! Cloudia

The Whales Return

"We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude."
- Cynthia Ozick















"The Dreamers are the saviors of the world."
- James Allen




"The Greeks invented logic but were not fooled by it."
- Eric Hoffer

A big "Mahalo" thank you to everyone who left a comment yesterday! Things have been so "jamming" here at Da Beach that I've fallen behind in my visits to YOUR sites. I look forward to catching up with you soon! YOU are the whole point of this blog.

A few days ago, a catamaran spotted the first whales of the season a couple of miles off Diamond Head. Winter really has arrived! Another sign of the season: A group of inmates at the minimum security Waiawa Correctional Center, here on Oahu, rose before dawn one morning last week. They took off their red prison shirts and tied Kihei over one shoulder in the old way. Conch shells (Pu) were blown, and Oli, chants, shared. The men were blessed with long Ti leaves that had been dipped in water salty with Hawaiian Alae, red salt. The Kahu, Priest, sprinkled the assembled men with the water he had blessed. And then they each had a few moments to speak. Most expressed thanks for their families and friends, their Ohana. Some did so with newly learned Hawaiian words. "This is about growth, forgiveness, and new beginnings," said Kahu Patterson. Each Oli of the morning seemed to be answered by Ka Makani, the wind, and after the group recited the Lord's Prayer one particularly strong gust blew over their altar to traditional god of the Makahiki season, Lono. Make of this what you will. Like many other indigenous people colonized by westerners, most Hawaiians are devout Christians who, nonetheless, bring their ancient spiritual culture into church with them. You should hear O Holy Night in Hawaiian! E lohe na Leo Anela: "You, Hear The Voices of Angels." Liturgical Hula is not uncommon here, even at Catholic Mass. Of course the original missionaries would be outraged by this, but our understanding and our compassion do seem to evolve over time. In 2003 the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation filed suit on behalf of Hawaii prisoners (a majority Hawaiian or part-Hawaiian) incarcerated on the "continent." To deny them their cultural observances was not re-rehabilitative, or Pono "righteous." After this year's hard won ceremony, each man turned to the brother next to them. They touched foreheads, and shared the sacred "Ha" the breath of life, the Makana "gift" that some prefer to call the Peace of Christ. May that peace, whatever YOU may call it, be yours today. Amene

A L O H A ! Cloudia