October 2024 Journal Photos

Morning Walk

Andrea and I take a short walk every morning before breakfast and again after dinner.


Tuesday, October 1, a single delicate white maiapilo blossom in the morning. Photo by Andrea.


Some interesting clouds. Photo by Andrea.


The large scheflera at the abandoned house on the corner was blooming. Photo by Andrea.


My chess puzzle rating is now over 24 hundred.


Thursday morning. Photo by Andrea.


Friday morning, my son Robert posted this photo of Becky doing the Karate Kid crane.

ABCs of Bonsai Class

I helped at the third and final ABCs of Bonsai class on Saturday morning, October 5, at the Susannah Wesley Center in Kalihi.


Gale gave a lecture on pots for bonsai.


Students brought their trees for repotting today.


Alvin gave a demonstration while Charlene assisted.


All the volunteers helped during the repotting free-for-all.

Sunday evening we went over to Robert and Aries house and had dinner with them and their friends Garret and Jessica. We had ragu and salad. Andrea brought chocolate cake for dessert.

Becky's Road Trip

Becky continued her road trip in October visiting brothers Thomas, Robert, and cousin Michael.


Slide with a bump half way down. Photo by Robert.


Octoberfest in South Lake Tahoe. Photo by Robert.


Monday, October 7, water lilies. Photo by Andrea.

Dinner with Pete and Kim

Cousin Kim and her husband Pete visited the islands and came over for dinner on Friday, October 11.


Andrea photographed our bird of paradise on our Wednesday morning walk before breakfast.


Our native red hibiscus by Andrea.


Andrea with Pete and Kim with pupu and drinks on Friday night.


After dinner with the desserts Pete and Kim brought.

Carmela's Event at the Manoa Heritage Center

Fellow docent Carmela invited Andrea and Me to her event at the Manoa Heritage Center where trans-dermal electrical stimulation devices were available. There were several speakers and some snacks and liquids available. I had water and lilikoi drink. Andrea had hibiscus tea with turmeric and ginger.


I photographed this new konane stone that someone had given to the Center.


There were three of the trans-dermal machines available. They focus on the vagus nerve system.


This 57 year old woman told us about her swim across the Kaʻiwi Channel (Molokaʻi to Oʻahu).

Rainbow Bonsai Club Monthly Meeting

I attended the RBC meeting in Kaneohe while Andrea went to Hula in Manoa on Sunday morning, October 13.


Pat called the meeting to order. Arthur was acting secretary.


John and I brought trees to work on.

Sunset Seminar

Andrea and I attended the Sunset Seminar at the Kahala Hotel on Tuesday evening, October 15.


We stopped for a photo on the stairs by the orchid wall after leaving the car with valet parking.


We had gin and tonics.


Cheers!


Andrea and I split a plate of Hawaiian style nachos.


The lecture was about how captive dolphin research helps conservation in the wild.


Kalani High School Teacher and FRC 3008 (Team Magma) mentor Bryan Silver won Teacher of The year.

Jim Nakata at the Manoa Heritage Center

Andrea and I attended the talk story with Jim Nakata at MHC on Wednesday afternoon, October 16.


Jim did the initial landscaping at the Manoa Heritage Center in the late 90s, and the lower landscape more recently.


The event was well attended.


After the talk, people came up to look at the old photographs.

My notes from the meeting:

There is a quotation on the wall (my translation):

He aliʻi ka ʻāina (A chief the land)
He kauā ke kanaka (A servant the man)

Jim Nakata got a call from Mary Cooke one day to redo the border at the house. Not many native plants available, a few were growing akia. They were taking cuttings, some from the Big Island, some from Kauaʻi. Mary had only a few rules: only native plants, white flowers in the White Garden. The big rock in front by the road was there. Kilohana said that Bill Char had told her that Sam Cooke had said they found offerings on it, that it was a healing pōhaku. It's name is hauʻola.

The lower level rocks were brought by truck. There were five or six on his team, Japanese and Hawaiian. They found lots of chips in the soil from the Japanese stone masons in 1911.

Used to have lots of banyan trees and scheflera. They put the circular walls around the big kukui tree and crepe myrtle. The ground fell away, so they raised the level of the ground, the "well" technique he learned in Japan.

Jim built the hau tree arbor and planted two large branches he cut from the Nuʻuanu reservoir.

Here are Andrea's notes:

Aina Haina Prepared Zoom Meeting

I joined the AHP Zoom meeting on Wednesday evening, October 16.


We tentatively set November 20 as the date for a Fire Department presentation on preventing falls.


Our Christmas tree this year will be a euginia. Photo by Andrea Friday morning.


Friday afternoon, the 18th, I got two Steinbeck books in the mail I haven't read yet.

"Mele: In The Footsteps of Queen Emma" at the Mission Houses Museum

Saturday afternoon and evening, October 19.


Andrea and I went early to help set up these 90 chairs.


Resting under the kou tree.


Judy, Jo, and Lois met us there while we were having bento and pizza dinner with wine. We gave Lois a lei and a card for her birthday.


Jo offered to take a group photo for some attendees.


We had front row seats.


The audience gathers.


Sam Gon led his halau in an opening oli.


All had beautiful kihei.


Keiki hula.


Sad news from the Hawaii Bonsai Association. Our friend Ed Murakami passed away.

Philosophy Meetup

I attended the monthly philsophy meetup on Zoom on Sunday afternoon, October 20.


Zoom screen capture of the philosophy meeting. The topic was the philosophy of introspection.


We decorated for Halloween on Sunday. Photo by Andrea.


Monday morning Andrea photographed twin maiapilo blossoms on our before-breakfast walk. Later I got my covid and flu shots at CVS.

Sign Waving for Kamala Harris

In Hawaii we have this tradition of political "sign waving" where we stand by the roadside holding political signs and wave at the passing traffic. Sometimes they honk in appreciation and wave back. Andrea and I participated on Monday drivetime, October 21.


We started a little before 4:30 PM.


More people joined us as the hour wore on.


I'm all the way down at the end. Photo by Andrea.


Daughter Becky worked lighting in a theater for Cars cover band Candy-O. Here's the first set list. Photo by Becky.


Here's the second set list. Photo by Becky.


The lighting console at the Bijou Theater. Photo by Becky.

OLLI Writing Circle Zoom Class

Andrea and I attended on Tuesday drivetime, October 22.


Andrea photographed my blooming poinciana bonsai on our before-breakfast walk.


The day's session went an hour over the prescribed two. Lots of discussion of Andrea's paper on being local.


Wednesday morning, Andrea photographed me feeding the guppies in our water lily containers.


Then she got me running ahead.


Ulysses is a real slog. Four hundred pages gone, three hundred to go. I consider it my penance for blowing
off some reading assignments in school. I'm also proof reading a nonfiction manuscript for a friend.

Halau Hula Events

Andrea's halau sisters from paris are in town this week.


Andrea with the halau on Wednesday, October 23. Downloaded from Kilohana's facebook page.


Thursday afternoon Nina came over to gather some palm fronds from our coconut tree.


Cutting into short pieces.

Halau Potluck Pāʻina

Joleen held a potluck party for the halau and Paris halau sisters at her house Friday night, October 25. I went over in the morning and helped her set up tables and chairs.


Ready for the lei giving ceremony as the Paris halau sisters are about to arrive.


The Paris sisters arriving.


Lei giving ceremony for the visiting halau sisters from Paris, France.


People begin to get drinks and pupu.


Andrea prepared the charcuterie platter, visible here.


Kilohana sat with Earl and Hope for a while.


Joleen's sister Lois was visiting from the mainland, center. She was very active in making sure things went smoothly.


Lots of conversations at the tables.


Andrea and I sat at the table with Earl, Hope, and Kilohana.


Andrea talking to halau sisters with wine in hand.


Almost ready for the buffet dinner.


Lois and Andrea talking as it begins to get dark (6:09 PM).


Paul brought his harp and played Hawaiian music accompanied by two ukulele.


I told Paul later that his harp sounded really good. They played and sang many Hawaiian songs.


Everyone was having a good time.


Kani kapila begins. People sing along.


The first hula of the evening. That harp sound pretty good.


Another beautiful hula.


Joleen dances this one with red headed Bonnie in the middle.


Andrea, Joleen, and Carmela in the front row for Yellow Ginger Lei.


A French hula.


Kilohana leads this one.


A French song after dessert is served.


It started to rain about midnight and the next morning the stream was running with brown water. Photo by Andrea.

I created a separate page for the Halau Potluck Pāʻina.

Halau Palm Frond Basket Making

Nina and her daughter Ellie came over on Saturday afternoon, October 26, to teach niu frond basket weaving. Then Kilohana arrived followed by the nine Paris halau hula sisters. We had a nice dinner afterward.


Everyone got coconut fronds to work with. Nina had cut them from our tree last Thursday (see above).


Instructions on how to weave: three over then five over and under.


Andrea got to make a basket too.


Photo by Kilohana.


Some of the ladies were interested in the bonsai. Photo by Andrea.


A magnificent sunset. Photo by Andrea.


I popped the cork on the magnum of French Champagne that Eiko had given Andrea for her birthday some time back. Photo by Andrea.


Andrea prepared a spectacular dinner. Kilohana brought the beautiful roses and some fine bread and the salad. Photo by Andrea.


Dinner and conversation under the lychee tree. Photo by Andrea.

Veneeta's Book Launch

Monday afternoon, October 28, Andrea and I went to Manoa Heritage Center for her halau's performance with the Paris halau for Veneeta's book launch. Veneeta wrote a book about the ahupuaʻa of Waikīkī called Waikīkī.


We arrived early and when Kilohahana got there, practice began.


They drilled linups, entrances, and exits.


The Paris halau had been there earlier working with hau bark.


Practice hula, "Waikīkī."


After the guests arrived at 2:30, the performances got underway.


Veneeta's discussions of the book were interleaved with related hula.


Maile did a solo hula.


At the end of the event everyone posed for a group photo.


After the book launch we went sign waving for Kamala Harris on Kalanianaole Highway for the drive-time commute east.

I created a separate page for the Veneta Book Launch event.

Bonsai Podocarpus

I bought one of the podocarpuses that were left over from the ABCs of Bonsai class and decided to work on it today, Wednesday, the 30th.


Beginning bonsai work on a podocarpus. This young tree was left over from the recent ABCs of Bonsai class. Podocarpus is a member of the yew
family, and like all yews is toxic. This is great from a pest resistance view in Hawaii, but the leaves, flowers, and seeds are toxic so keep
a podocarpus out of reach of toddlers and pets.


I pruned and wired the podocarpus into a moyogi, informal upright, shape.


I planted the podocarpus bonsai into a free-form pot made by Shogo, a member of the Rainbow Bonsai Club.

I created a separate page for the ABCs of Bonsai class.

Halloween

On Thursday, October 31, I carved the pumpkin Andrea bought into a jack-o-lantern while Andrea made beef stew for the going away party for the Paris halau Friday night at the Church of the Crossroads.


Ready for trick-or-treat.


The commander of the kitchen.


Taking a look at the big pot of stew.


Looks good, smells great.


Ready for the evening. Scary! Photo by Andrea.


A spooky sight for the little ones approaching for trick-or-treat. Photo by Andrea.

Email Richard dot J dot Wagner at gmail dot com


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Last updated November 2, 2024 by Dr. Richard Jeffery Wagner. Text and images copyright © 2024, unless otherwise attributed, all rights reserved.