I would feel very uncomfortable looking out my front window with a scary looking Tiki staring at me! Of course, you could have a staring contest, but I think you'll lose! HaHa! Maybe the Tiki is guarding the pond that flows below the rock pile.
You will notice a difference in the pictures today. First of all, I was walking on the WINDWARD side of the Island. Also, I walked in the late afternoon. The light and views gives a different feel and due to the lateness of the start, I didn't walk as far strolling only 2.56 miles.
An opportunity presented itself making Kailua a possibility for today. Thinking that Kailua is mostly FLAT, I thought that today would be easy, but, Keolu sits in a basin, and I was walking on the rim. So, it was harder than normal, but manageable.
With the sun dipping low on the Ko'olau ridge line, the light casts long shadows and cooler temperatures. The craggy walls of the mountain range is beautiful to behold.
Do you need directions in Kailua? This resident is sharing his ALOHA by helping you to get where you need to go! (Hell wasn't there! HaHa!) I loved the COLORFUL signs!
Making use of leftover fencing material? Well, its a bargain price and it matches the house, yes?
What was fascinating with this mailbox was the rich colors, the accurate depiction of RED GINGER and that it matched perfectly with their yard, which had the exact same colored gingers growing profusely! Sorry! I should have taken a picture with the mailbox and the yard so that you could see the similarities.
Called "Lakeside," huffing up the drive with rows of townhouses, I could see why they call it that! Each townhouse had a wrap-around lanai facing the Kaelepulu Pond. With the tradewinds lightly blowing, and the blue of sky and water, it sure must feel like heaven here!
You didn't see enough mailboxes yet, did you? HaHa! Sorry! Today, I'm all enamored with mailboxes! The cerulean blue of this tsunami(?) was so rich that I saw the mailbox way before I came upon it! Are you enamored with anything today? Hawaii no ka 'oi! (Hawaii is the best!)
Definitely a disturbing sight, I'm not sure what this resident intended, but, I'm sure that it's a "pot-head!"
Continuing to explore the Kalihi area, densely packed neighborhoods and housing make for complex routing as I referred to my written route many times today. I know that it doesn't look like much, but, today took 4.74 miles to complete. The plethora of dead ends doubled my distance as well as suspicious looks with loose dogs nipping at my heels. I was fortunate to escape a downpour of rain as angry clouds looked ready to loose torrents on me. Noticing the large lot sizes, older neighborhoods are lucky that way!
Hmmm...Does the residents have lots of clothes to hang? Or,are these supporting the cacti? All I know, is that I wouldn't be planting cacti near where I'm hanging my clothes! Too dangerous for me and the clothes!
Wow! This guy must have an interesting house since you can sit on the chairs and STARE at it! HaHa! Really folks, I just take the pictures of what I see! Do I understand it? Not in this case!
Striding down most of Kam IV road (short for Kamehameha,) I thought that a little history lesson about who Kamehameha IV was is in order.
Named "Alexander 'Iolani Liholiho," he became the forth King of Hawaii at the tender age of 20! Married to Queen Emma, he ruled from 1855-1863. The King and Queen devoted much of their reign to getting better health care and education for their subjects. Denied a request for building a public Hospital and home for the elderly by the legislature, they solicited local businessmen, merchants and wealthy residents and succeeded in fundraising to build The Queen's Medical Center, which still stands today. They also were responsible in the development of a leprosy treatment facility on Maui.
He also decreed Christmas Day, (Dec. 25) a National Holiday in 1856, much to the dismay of the conservative American missionaries who believed it to be a PAGAN Holiday.
Too soon, he died of chronic asthma in 1863 at the young age of 29.
I know that this looks like a street, but, it's just an extremely long driveway! This driveway is the longest I've seen so far! I told you that the properties were large!
On my previous blog, I posted a picture of a beautiful Bird of Paradise gate. Though not as lavish as the other gate, I see similarities in the design! Do you think that it may be the same artist or company?
Passing the Fern Playground, I scoped this awesome jungle gym! The child in me wanted so badly to climb it, the adult in me said, "Are you crazy?" I wish they had equipment like this when I was a kid!
Well, when I tell people on my walk what I plan to do, they think I'm crazy and always tell me, "Good Luck!" So, I may be a little crazy, but, I'm also lucky since so many people are wishing it on me! The two year mark is coming in April and I hope to complete a few more towns before then. In addition, I hope to see and take a photo of a WALLABY! Yup, I'll need to be pretty LUCKY! I am Irish, you know! HaHa! Aloha!(Bye!)
It's been awhile that I've posted a picture of a beautiful gate, but, it has to impress me before I share it with you. Colorful, stately, Bird of Paradise graced this driveway gate. I liked how the plants are framed into the metal gate.
Thick brush strokes convinced me that this mailbox was hand-painted. Great composition and fetching colors helped to attract my attention on this walk!
Maybe the heavy rains we were experiencing had a part in it, but, the vibrancy of the flowers took my breath away today! Aren't they gorgeous!
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT! I have just past the 600 mile mark since starting this blog! Taking 4.07 miles to complete today's walk, I have now walked 603.86 miles in total! Every 100 miles, I pause to celebrate how far I have come! One step at a time has got me this far!
I wasn't the only one who had to turn around today. Patch Gate is an alternate way to get in and out of Fort Shafter which is obviously closed on Saturday as well as Sunday too! Stick with the Buckner Gate, folks!
Now either this resident LOVES Angels, or they figure, the more angels, the more protection! It was a beatific sight anyway! What do you think?
Knowing that Kam IV(Kamehameha IV) road is dissected with the freeway, I wanted to explore how it started from King St. across the freeway and headed mauka (towards the mountain)! Maybe I shouldn't have continued in the Private Property area, but, I was amply rewarded with this perplexing sight! A huge, vertical stone with Japanese writing on it stood in the middle of the housing. Graveyard or Shrine, I know not, but, it was beautifully maintained!
Ending my jaunt, I walked the length of Kaua St., which is sandwiched between Fort Shafter and the Moanalua Freeway. Thankfully, my daughter picked me up at Moanalua Gardens so that I didn't have to back-track back to my car. What are you thankful for today? E Malama Pono! (Take good care!)
Sometimes, my blogger friends, I don't have an explanation as to why I took the photo except that it pleases me! Here is one example. I loved the play of sunlight on the red Ti plant and the surrounding colors seemed to emphasize it's beauty. Yes, Donna may have had TOO much sun at the time! HaHa!
I wonder what occurrence happened here that not only did they put their address number on once, but TWICE, then THRICE! A great story could be had here!
Having exposed you to many Japanese gardens, what set this apart? Do you see the Koi fish swimming out from under the bridge?(Double click if you need to see up close!) Well, it's made out of glass or plexiglass and sits on top of the smooth stones making you imagine clear water covering them. I'm impressed with the vision the owner had for this effect.
Hip-Hip-Hooray! I bid a fond farewell to Aiea! Today completed the last of the area, taking 4.35 miles, lots of heavy breathing and a cacophony of barking dogs! Using Radar Hill Road as my "challenging hill" nemesis, today was like "2" Radar Hill Roads! My decision to finish Aiea was ample motivation!
Using this artistic mailbox as a vantage point, Kiawe St. is an example of the roads that were on my route today.
Obviously a San Francisco 49'er aficionado, this resident made their mailbox look like a football helmet. They stand a good chance to make it to the Superbowl this year! Anyone making bets?
I'm standing at the highest point of my walk today on Nahele St. Knowing that everything is downhill from here, seeing the panoramic view and having a bathroom and water fountain nearby makes my spirits soar! I hope that good things are presented before you today, to take advantage of and make you happy! Keep smiling! Aloha no! (Lots of love!)
Catching my eye due to it's peculiar shape, I must admit that I'm quite fond of this cement pattern. Usually brick contains angular lines, and this one has CURVES! Yeah, you're right! Donna does have different tastes!
Talking about lines, I'm used to seeing an abundance of flowers on one bush, this is the first time that they were all in a STRAIGHT line! Very organized, but lovely!
Looking like wrapped packages hanging from the branches, peering closer I realized that it's wrapped bricks weighing the branch down. Does it strengthen the tree? Do you know what the purpose is? Double click the picture to see up close!
If you can't help me with the previous picture, how about this one? I thought that it was a price tag at first, but then I noticed that there was a whole bunch of them! Sticky bug paper? What do you think?
Back to Aiea I go, trying to fill some gaps in my walk. Knowing that this route would be inclines and steep declines, 4.41 miles took an inordinate time to complete. Putting one foot in front of the other and plodding slowly, I got the job done. Sleep will come easily tonight, I think! HaHa!
You are looking down Piki St. I snapped a picture as I caught my breath. I bet the residents LOVE the view and that they don't WALK home! HaHa!
Normally, I don't wish for rain, but it would have been so cool to see a waterfall streaming down this rock path!
Are you thinking that this is a modern painting? Nope, I wanted to show you the rich colors of the Mindanao Gum tree up close. One of the few non-Australian eucalyptus species, I hope that you can appreciate it's beauty! By the way, this is the seventh tallest specie of tree in the world, growing up to 200 feet!
Been falling asleep? I hope that this bright hibiscus woke you up! Probably making the resident nervous as I had to walk up their driveway to take this picture up close! See what I go through to capture these gorgeous flowers! Do something daring today! Nothing illegal though! HaHa! E Malama Pono! (Take care!)
A single-man canoe and paddler about to launch into the waters of Ala Moana Beach park. Originally called, Kalia, Ala Moana was a swampland occupied by many Hawaiian fishermen, numerous fish, ducks, birds, fish ponds and taro patches. The Princess Bernice Pauahi-Bishop estate sold the land to Walter F. Dillingham in 1912 for a tidy sum of $25,000 and immediately displaced many of the residents and filled the swampland with coral from nearby Dillingham dredging projects and created Ala Moana Beach Park. Kalia lives on only as a road in Waikiki now. (Check the second map in the bottom right corner!)
Having an appointment in the area, I decided to accompany my daughter and do some "Walking Hawaiian" while there. I forgot just how big Ala Moana Beach Park is, but I found out by trodding 4.71 miles on today's route. Circumnavigating the park and Ala Moana Shopping Center, I was only one of many pedestrians who frequent the area. Sapphire blue water, great shopping and interesting people made this walk a feast for the eyes!
The area, Ala Moana (path to the sea) was named after the shopping center. When first built, it was the largest shopping center in the United States! Even though it has lost this designation through time, its still known as the largest "open air" shopping center in the world today!
I just wanted to share images seen on my walk through Ala Moana Beach Park. By the way, many varieties of established trees would entertain a knowledgeable botanist!
Though mostly parking for the shopping center, Kona St. (my namesake, Hawaiian for Donna) lengthens westward and hopefully better views since the east part of this street was finished today.
Passing by my FAVORITE mu'u mu'u store on Kapiolani Blvd., it took all of my self-control to not stop in and try on a few dresses! Great prices and great designs, I WILL drop in for a look soon! Hoping that your New Year is starting out fabulously! Aloha No! (Lots of love!)
