this is halloween, this is halloween...

with love from waikiki...where the wild things are!      "hubby"and prickly

hair-em scarem

swimming with the prehistoric

                                       hawaiian green sea turtle (above photo by john fischer)

I try to make it a weekly event that I go swimming and snorkling in front of the Moana Surfrider Hotel in Waikiki. I know it's full of tourists but I do it for one reason and one reason alone. Swimming with Hawaiian green sea turtles! It's got to be the most exhilarating experience one can ever imagine. 

Each day around 4pm there's at least one turtle that swims in the same area of the beach. Back and forth, back and forth. It pops it's  head up for air, then back down in the water it goes. Unless you have a snorkle, you wouldn't even know it's swimming right beneath your feet, as this has happened many times before. The nearest I think I've knowingly come to the tortoise is about 2 feet and that's what I saw with my own eyes  near my own feet looking thru my snorkle. That's pretty close. Sometimes there's a baby green turtle swimming in the ocean near its mother, but never side by side. One is usually at the opposite length from one another. Normally its the same turtle or both mother and baby each day. How or why it swims the same area of a large stretch of Waikiki Beach is beyond me. I read that this area of the beach in front of the Moana Surfrider is usually where several large green sea turtles have been swimming and laying their eggs for hundreds of years! 

Today, there was a new turtle that I've never seen before in the area and it was gargantuan! It was so prehistoric looking up close, that it was kind of scary being so close. I'm also quite sure it was very, very old, just by looking at the shell. It's unbelievable that they live to be 100 years old! The body or shell of the tortoise was at least 3 feet long. The head was the size of a 5 year old child! Forget the size of the legs and feet. Just watching it chomp away at the surrounding growth of seaweed within arms reach was to overwhelming. The tortoise acted like he wasn't bothered by my presence. 


I had my disposable underwater camera in hand. Snap, snap, snap! This was my first effort of underwater photography. Who knows if these pictures would come out? I had them developed and the results are the last two photos. Look out Jacque Cousteau!

may this be love (waterfall)

Waterfall

Nothing can harm me at all

My worries seem so very small

With my waterfall

I can see

My rainbow calling me

Through the misty breeze

Of my waterfall

Some people say

Daydreaming's for all the

Lazy minded fools

With nothin' else to do

So let them laugh, laugh at me

So just as long as I have you

To see me through

As long as I have you

Waterfall

Don't ever change your ways

Fall with me for a million days

Oh, my waterfall

make a difference.....

how to keep your mail safe

a growing epidemic...

storytelling:chapter 3 obsession~part 5

...continued from storytelling:chapter 3 obsession~part 4


"$1500. 3bdrm house in Ewa Beach. Close to shops and buslines." It's a huge house by looking at the pictures, but I wouldn't live in Ewa Beach. Too far from town and not the best area...for us, that is. However, out of curiousity, I emailed the person who listed the posting because I've seen this listing for months, but never bothered to "click" on the post. This guy emails me back and says that he has to return to Kenya or some place in South Africa, with his family on emergency.  If I could send him first months rent PLUS deposit he would mail me the keys from Africa. WHAT? OMG! Is he joking? Another scam!?!?! I'm beginning to wonder if there are any undercover police at this point to catch these MF's! You know...they have them for online predators. 


It's pretty outrageous that people would actually post this and the fact that people would actually fall for this. In hindsight,  I love it when people who respond to these kinds of listings and in return lashes out on craigslist: "such and such IS A SCAM! DO NOT  REPLY TO such and such POSTING". Their outrage is sometimes so blatant and hilarious. Who can blame them?


I get really annoyed and pissed off when a realtor posts pictures of rentals on their site that is supposedly available and when you contact them, it's not available. But they have another one rental you might like. Then when they refer to the other rental and show you pictures, it's nothing what you're looking for! It's a rental they can't rent for one reason or another. WTF! Why waste my time and yours you moron!


Then you get the postings with photos of a rental inundated with so much of the currents occupant's personal crap! How about having them tidying up the place before taking your pictures and posting so we can REALLY see what the place looks like. I don't want to see your sh*t where mine will possibly go! Ugh! 


There's hundred's of postings that sound quite interesting and they don't have any pictures at all or have one measly photo of the bathroom. Why? Can you please explain that? And how about that scenic photo of Diamond Head? What's that all about? 


Hey, all you folks posting stuff on craigslist or any other listing, if you don't know how to post, for god sake get some help, would you please? It not only waste your time and money, but it also wastes ours. Thank you!


to be continued...

once upon a time...

858 Olokele Avenue and Leialoha Avenue

I took this photo on one of my neighborhood walks and didn't realize it was up for sale until I looked up address.

Listed for $685,000. 3 bedroom, 1 bath. 810 sq. feet Built in 1929.

storytelling:chapter 3 obsession~part 4

...continued from storytelling:chapter 3 obsession~part 3

I don't begin pre-production for Fashion Week Spring 2009 until the first week of August. If my mother won't come to New York, I'll go to Los Angeles to visit her. It's early July and I make plans to visit for a week and I can still search online for housing. I'll also look into storage facilities I've found near my mom's house to store all our belongings. We've decided to put everything into storage and "test the waters" in Hawaii before shipping everything via Matson. If it doesn't work, for whatever reason, we won't have to ship everything back. We've also decided to sell our car in New York, rather than tow it behind our U-haul. I am dreading that cross country drive AGAIN!

My travel arrangements are made as well as my yearly dental, eye exam and facial. In the meantime, I've come across some great listings on craigslist. "$1750. DIAMOND HEAD.1 BDRM. BALCONY WITH OCEAN VIEW. UTILITIES INCLUDED." Any listing by Gold Coast will be pretty amazing. They deal with rentals primarily near Diamond Head. If your not familiar with the area, it's below Diamond Head and the end of the Waikiki Area near Kapiolani Park. It's really hard to find available rentals in this area let alone one that is reasonably priced. 

This Gold Coast listing is at the "Diamond Head Ambassador". (Refer to "portions and servings" listed to your right on blog and go to the month of August and click on "diamond head ambassador". There will be a photo I took of the building). It's this beautiful Japanese inspired architecture. Two buildings connected by walkways that look like bridges and built on the beach. The beach is literally your front yard. It was built in the 50's and I've seen it in a movie and on "Househunters". Problem? Immediate rental. Street Parking. NO PETS!


"$1780/2br-Pet Friendly Gorgeous Condo-Stunning, Cool, Clean (Makiki)" Description: "WOW EFFECT! 2/1/1. Fabulous unit & location-1 mi to: Ala Moana, Waikiki & downtown, on busline. Walk to markets & tennis park. Small pet ok. Gorgeous upscale remodeled unit includes stainless steel appliances, granite, wood floors, washer/dryer, big lanai, 1 uncovered parking, pool, bike rack, res, mgr. Large bedrooms & closets. Great city and mountain views. Lease term negotiable. 


It was just the perfect rental. Four photos were included. Problem? Available 8/10/08. It just wasn't meant to be...sigh....


to be continued...