About Oahu

I really admire strong, athletic people. Brilliant dancers and skilled surfers amaze me. I had fun watching the start the of the surf season in Hawaii. Here's a shot of my sister aka Lany Tany Bad Girl surfing the North shore.

Random shot from sitting under surfboards in the backseat.

Waikiki Aquarium: up close and personal with the fishies.

Baby Cousin Jove (aka Jovenstein). He is a serious little guy with an irreverent streak, a lot like his dad. I could be biased due to shared DNA but I think he's great.

On the Mainland

 
Depart: Honolulu, Hawaii

Arrive: Los Angeles, California

College Era Photo Memories

College years--Shannon (who danced at that Blazer game),
Meghan, me, and my sister visiting.

Family portrait: Dad and the sibs.

A glorious week on the west side of Oahu for my cousin's wedding.

Andrew & me as babies. First picture we ever took together, at a beach in Yachats, Oregon.

Visiting Lantana at college in Virgina.
Lany looking smug, Dad looking skeptical.

Hana, Hawaii

I would rather live one day in Maui than a month in New York.

                                                 -Charles Lindbergh

Keanae Church

Where the mountain stream meets the ocean.

One lane bridge over one of my favorite swimming spots.

Lone shell on Waikaloa Beach. Hana is one of the most vividly colorful spots in the world--still vibrant in black & white.

Avocado is the Aztec Word for...

testicle.

Really, go ahead and google it.

Santa Barbara County has its share of festivals...Lemon, Summer Soltice, Fiesta, French... I'm noticing a pattern--same vendors, food stands, different title. Today was the Avocado Festival. Avocados are definitely worth celebrating. So are testicles (healthy remaining ones especially).

The best part was it was in the adorable, dinky little town of Carpinteria (or Carp).

Carpinteria happens to be right on the beach. The water was a comfortable temp. Bouncing around in the waves cleared up any crowd exhaustion I felt. Hawaii restoked my desire to be in the water, not just at the water.

Two outgoing elderly ladies stopped me in the crowd to tell me I was making quite the fashion statement. This camo hat, the avocado necklace I made ages ago, and a ruffly green beach dress? I'm still not positive if this was a compliment...

Octoberness

My email to the world as Andrew put it.

Hawaii was Hawaii in all the ways I wanted it to be. It is impossibly beautiful--and it's home. I'm feeling more like myself. Ｉchecked in with my people (and miss them even more). Now I'm back in California and I've had a few teensy tiny pangs of homesick but I'm actually more content being here now than I was before.

I hit up my best yoga class and remember why I love it. My muscles are so sore from two days ago that I skipped tonight. I don't think my arms could hold me up.

My vision has worsened, which is supposedly normal. The good part about this is I hadn't realized and now my new contacts make me feel like I have super human vision.

My garden is comprised of clay beds with brown weeds sticking out. I'm visualizing these weeds gone, as well as composty, fluffed-up dirt, and fresh new seedlings. But, what? Any ideas? I'm drawing a blank.

I'm reading "The Tortilla Curtain" and I love it so far. The social commentary is gritty/honest/horrifying. A book hasn't made me look forward to bed time (read-time) like this in awhile.

I'm aware that this is a silly, random posting. I've missed blogging and it's October again. Some have asked and I'm Emily October only in a quick attempt to find a still-available domain name. October is my birth month and one of my favorites.

Island Hopping: My Hawaii Highlights

Last night's Maui sunset from Dad's porch

OAHU:

BBQ w/ my college people. It is amazing how many alumni are from the Hawaiian islands. When you go to college on The Mainland quite a bond forms when you are from the culture and climate of Hawaii.

North Shore. Most Maui-esque, countrified part of Oahu.

Family: I enjoy watching my cousins' little baby eat mangoes.

I loved the Lyon Arboretum--the University of Hawaii Tree Museum. A misty forest tucked in the hillside behind the city. I grew up with plant people and I can't look at something growing without thinking about what it is.

Kayaking in Waikiki. Ｉlove looking over at Diamond Head. We caught some really fun waves in a tandem kayak and managed to avoid running over tourists.

BIG ISLAND:

The bounty of Hilo's farmer's market: $1 for FIVE papayas. Unbelieavable.

Coffee farms with free samples.

Sparkling black sand beaches with sea turtles smooshing up next to you when you swim.

I developed a crush on Miss Piggy my Big Island cousins' gorgeous potbelly pig. I put one of her future offspring on my wishlist.

Outdoor showers on my cousins' farm really make you feel one with nature.

Kona-side beaches with their windswept kiawe (mesquite) trees, rope swings, and crystal clear waters remind me of Maui's south side 20 years ago when I was a small keiki.

MAUI

Ahhh home.

A dip in the clean streams of Iao Valley was the first stop off the plane.

Lots of walks in the country hills (cow pastures) and rambling gulches. We've been doing a lot of back routes that remind me of my roundabout bus rides to school growing up. Embarrassingly, I was ill prepared for the Haiku humidity and just about passed out from heat stroke on the 10th mile (uphill) of such a walk. Luckily, a kind stranger rescued me and drove me home.

Hiking lava fields and beaches over in La Perouse, hotel hopping, and hanging out with my best friend's lovable kid sister.

More Maui adventures to come before we head back to Oahu for a final summer adventure.