I'm pretty excited and telling everyone live or inanimate (whoever will listen!) that I have just completed TWO SOLID YEARS of doing The Walking Hawaiian! Walking a total of 659.10 miles and acquiring 10,000+ views, I feel like celebrating!
First of all, I want to sponsor another CONTEST with the prize being a hand-made (by yours truly) felt Easter egg that you can fill with candy and use year after year! You get to pick which one of the four you want!
Enter by putting the date and year of your own personal favorite "Walking Hawaiian" blog in this comment section and you will be entered in the drawing! The drawing will be held on Friday, April 18, 2014. So you have less than a week to enter! Hurry!
As motivation, I want to share with you my own personal favorites this past year. Click on the date to link immediately to my favorites!
March, 16 2014. - Ford Island, I bravely rang a ship's bell and instantly regretted doing it! Find out why!
February 27, 2014 - Kaka'ako, the artistry of the painted mural on the walls of businesses wowed me!
February 14, 2014 - Makapu'u lighthouse road had dramatic views and I saw WHALES!
January 10, 2014 - Newtown, Aiea had so many strange sights and beauty too!
November 18, 2013 - Fort Shafter, walking on Parks road which is nestled deep in the valley was peaceful and lush with older homes full of character!
September 2, 2013 - Niu Valley was a desire coming to fruition by exploring it fully with all the interesting gates, gardens, driveways, mailboxes and cars!
May 7, 2013 - Diamond Head road introduced me to Reuben, a fellow Hawaiian and craftsman. Also, the walk was full of history!
April 11, 2013 - Kahala-Kaimuki is my old stomping grounds and it brought back so many memories!
So, what have I learned doing "The Walking Hawaiian" the past year? Most importantly, never lose your passion in life! Even though friends, family, health and other activities will wrest for your time, make sure to make time for your passion! Then you will wake up every morning enjoying your life's journey. With me, you won't have blisters! Aloha no! (Lots of Love!)
Based upon the saying in the commercial for Trix cereal, "Silly rabbit...Trix is for kids," I loved the moniker and that girls can have fun with a jeep too!
Having a tiny incomplete area on a map page was driving me CRAZY, so taking 4.95 miles to complete the makai side of Fort Shafter, it is now done! Just as numerous construction projects are ongoing on the mauka side of Fort Shafter, the makai side is too! After spending time contemplating and writing down a route to take today, I pretty much threw it out the window as detours and construction sites blocked the original plan. Oh well! More importantly, I did finish what I planned to do.
Kahauiki Stream ran alongside of me and I crossed it several times on my walk today.
A hidden gem of military housing called Funston Village had a 360 degree vantage point as it looped on a hill.
I haven't posted cars in a long time because I do have high standards! I liked this Chevy though! The red-orange color demanded further study and the designs were so graphic, almost New Zealand, Maori style! The hubcaps and tires were pimped out too!
In a likewise manner, this car's color got my attention first... later the design! Scooby-Dooby-Doo! I guess that today was the day for automobiles!
Making a design on a fence out of plastic cups is as dramatic as the message it inspired which is LIBERTY!
Through the duration of my trek today, this sign was my constant companion. Although frustrating, I didn't allow it to make me give up and go home. The road may not be as planned, but going another way can be interesting! Hoping that detours that come up in your life will lead to new discoveries! E Malama Pono! (Take Care!)
Seeing something out of place, I saw this lone "owl ornament" that is supposed to scare birds away, but, if you look closely, you will see WIRES sticking out of his head. I guess that the birds thought that it's head was a good place to rest! HaHa! (Double click picture to see up close!)
So where am I now? Fort Shafter! I have the tendency to get lost on this Army base. After previously exploring the unknown, (Niu Valley) I am inspired to learn this base completely by travelling this base on FOOT! Today tallied 3.99 miles of mostly residential housing. The NEW homes are reminiscent of Arts and Crafts style with at least 2 complimentary colors of paint to add interest.
Those XXX's mean that I can't go there. Construction always put a dent in all my careful planning of a route to take. Well, my walk is just like life! Always changing and things get in your way, so, I just go around it and make an adjustment!
Now this is something that I didn't expect to find! This is the fourth FUEL CELL car I have come into contact with! Of course, you know that these cars run on hydrogen! So cool!
Talk about cool! Check this pool out! What a beautiful oasis! Placed near the housing area, you could walk here, swim and then walk home...it's that close! Maybe I should be wearing a bathing suit under my "Walking Hawaiian" attire, yeah?
I love it when I can capture some beauty on my walks. You never know what is gone by tomorrow!
Many homes have decorated for Fall. These are my two favorites. The scarecrow is a little unsettling to me and I don't know why! The pig as a bench was definitely different. Maybe they are going to have HAM and turkey for Thanksgiving! HaHa!
The base is a combination of OLD and NEW. Richardson Theatre, opened in 1948 was named after Lt. General Robert Richardson. Built in Art Deco style with 18 inch walls and painted a rose-coral stucco, it is similar to Tripler Army Medical Center. Army Community Theatre (ACT) used the facility starting in 1987, to perform Broadway productions. ACT had to find another place to perform after an abrupt closure of the building in the Spring of 2011, for necessary renovations of fire and safety upgrades. As I passed by, it still looks unused and empty. I hope that someday soon it will be reopened, even if only as a museum, its so beautiful!
I hope that you always have an OPEN heart and leave yourself OPEN to new possibilities everyday!
Aloha no! (Lots of love!)
