Ephemeral Life...

The South Shore had its first swells of the Season yesterday...

A man gathering 'opihi, or salt-water limpets at the end of the day. Fresh food for dinner. For some families, the 'opihi is an 'aumakua, or deified and transfigured ancestral spirit. Every so often, a collector is swept to his or her death while harvesting 'opihi along the rugged coastlines. Food for thought...

A Ku'ula stone. Washed into the ocean some time long ago and encrusted with coralline algae. Probably stood on a fishing ko'a altar at a Ku'ula shrine some time long ago, helping to bring fish home to grateful families who prayed to Ku'ula for a bountiful harvest and who offered the first catch afterward in humble appreciation. This Ku'ula lives again. I go fishing. Not always for fish however...

I stopped by Kaka'ako Park this afternoon to watch the Sun try to hide from me. Nice try Mr. Sun. I wasn't buying it. But I will play again tomorrow. And the next day. And the next...

I truly believe that experiencing the deepest sorrow allows you to fully experience the sweetest and purest form of happiness...

The language of thought...

In Hawai'i, you can wipeout right on shore...

Totally "Green" fun...

This morning, after we marched down Kalakaua Avenue in Waikiki, blowing conch, as part of the Prince Jonah Kuhio Parade, we headed up to Nu'uanu to visit the Kamehameha Tomb at Mauna 'Ala, the Royal Mausoleum. We gave prayer, oli, expressed thanks and offered plumeria lei to the Kamehameha's and Ke Ali'i Pauahi...

A beautiful Ho'okupu, or offering, for the ancestors at Hale'au'au Heiau. Mahalo brother Tom. Mahalo sisters Kelley and Kehau. Pa'i'ai. Aweoweo. Pūʻolo. Then the flies descended. How appropriate. In the lands of Kamehameha III. Kauikeaouli. The cleansing. The legacy of Pa'ao. Brought in his voyaging canoe. Ka-nalo-a-muia. The swarming of the flies...

You can fight the waves in life and get battered. You can ride them and let them take you to their destination. Or you can hold your breath, dive down deep, and emerge to rise another day...

Neck and neck just out of the starting gate. Koa needs a longer neck...

The butterfly effect...

On Friday, March 18, 2011, I participated in a commemoration of President Grover Cleveland's beautiful supportive relationship with our beloved Hawaiian Queen Lili'uokalani as she tried to reinstate the Hawaiian Kingdom after the 1893 Overthrow by American businessmen. It was his birthday. Queen Lili'uokalani stated " it must be testified here that I never had the least cause to retract my early assurance that in Grover Cleveland, I had met a Statesman of splendid ability, rare judgment, and lofty standards of right. " On December 18, 1893, President Cleveland stated " the law of Nations is founded upon Reason and Justice. " We continue working to fulfill these legacies...