January 31, 2012

I'm having a tough time laying out this blog. It's difficult to get the text to relate properly to the photograph so I think I'll alternate written parts with images in separate posts. Sure wish it worked like facebook - so much easier. I think I've gotten the hang of it now though. Also didn't realize that to follow the blog you must set up your own account at blogger.com too. I'm sure there must be other simpler blog sites out there, but now I'm committed so will stick with it. Thanks for looking in!

Over the weekend Ferd and I visited the local big box stores to grocery shop and somewhat outfit our temporary home. Our visit to the downtown Honolulu Wal Mart on Saturday afternoon was a horrendous experience but, once done, no need to ever go back there again. Driving around in the little 2003 Sebring convertible that Ferd bought, top down, sun shining, through Waikiki and around Diamond Head, all made up for the shopping nightmare. Most of our groceries will come from the local Time Supermarket and Whole Foods at the Kahala Mall. Last night Ferd prepared calamari and I chopped up a big vegetable salad. Asian pear for dessert. Things are really expensive. I had thought that the savings at not having to buy so much hand and body lotion might help balance out the grocery budget, but not quite.

We've continued to walk to the bus stop every morning - Ferd crosses the street to catch the bus and I turn left into the mall to pick up something we need or something special for dinner that night. Last week I walked all around the mall and found the movie theater, so we went to see 'The Descendants', a George Clooney movie set in Hawaii. It has beautiful scenery and captures the howlie lifestyle on the islands. Later we learned that the young woman architecture student, Jamie Emberson, who care takes this property and lives in the attached apartment, is from Kaua'i and that a friend of her family wrote the book upon which the movie is based. She said the family in the movie is modeled upon a composite of her own family and others on the island. Amazing! The movie is worth seeing for the scenery and George Clooney's baffled puzzlement at what's going on all around him.

Last week I also mustered the courage to drive the car to the University to attend a party that Clark held to celebrate Ferd's becoming an AIA Fellow. Traffic is scary but the aloha spirit pervades and no one even honked at me, driving below the limit and squinting at street signs. It was fun to meet some of Ferd's colleagues and his 8 graduate students. His students presented him with a beautiful lei, the traditional celebratory gesture, in honor of his being a Fellow. I left the room when he exclaimed "It's about time I got laid".

Spent the afternoon today going over the Lonely Planet book on Hawaii. (Thanks Ben! What a great Christmas gift!) Have mapped out the hikes we'll be taking. Tomorrow I plan to walk to Waikiki and back along the beach. Someone said that I may have to swim around the cliffs at Diamond Head but I see there is a road so don't think that will be necessary. There are numerous botanical gardens that I've noted to visit when Popie, Steve and Alice join us here.