Sunday, April 28, 2013

Aloha to Eagle Scout Project, World Book Night, and Makahiki Scout Exhibition



Aloha!  We have been busy in Hawaii ...


My son completed his Eagle Scout project - the Hickam Heritage Trail.  I posted pictures here, here, and here.   He presented the project to the Hickam Library - the starting and ending point for the trail.


April 23 was World Book Night at this link.  I was honored as a "giver" ... and I gave away copies of James Patterson's MIDDLE SCHOOL:  THE WORST YEARS OF MY LIFE to Boy Scouts from military families.  Many scouts have deployed parents ... reading provides them comfort and humor during the family separation.


April 27 was Mahakiki - the Aloha Council's Scouting Exhibition.  The piper led the units to the flag ceremony.  Check out more pictures from Makahiki at this link.

What's been happening in your corner of the world?  One randomly selected commenter from this week's blogs wins a book choice from my convention stash.  This giveaway is open to all readers.  Comments are open through Saturday, May 4, 10 pm in Hawaii.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, May 5, at The Reading Reviewer (link).

Mahalo,

Kim in Hawaii


Thursday, April 18, 2013

Aloha to World Book Night USA and Kalihi-Palama Public Library


Aloha!  World Book Night is April 23.  From its website (at this link):

World Book Night is about giving books and encouraging reading in those who don’t regularly do so. But it is also about more than that: It’s about people, communities and connections, about reaching out to others and touching lives in the simplest of ways—through the sharing of stories.




I applied to be a "giver" of middle age books.   I was assigned to pick up my books from the Kalihi-Palama Public Library.  



Auntie Brenda, the children's librarian, created a wonderland for children to explore.



On the day I picked up my books, the toddlers were making sand paintings.



Check out the World Book Night events at this link, including the Kick Off events on Monday, April 22:

Ann Patchett and James Patterson at Parnassus Books in Nashville. More details here.

Lisa Scottoline, Walter Mosley, and Hillary Jordan at B&N Union Square, More details here.

Neil Gaiman, Lisa Genova and Vanessa Diffenbaugh at the Cambridge Public Library. More details here.

Mike Perry at the Calhoun Memorial Library in Chetek, Wisconsin. More details here.

Jesmyn Ward at the Pass Christian Library and Bookstore joint event in Pass Christian, MS. More details here.

Michael Lewis at Mrs. Dalloway’s in Berkeley, CA. More details here.

J. R. Moehringer at an arts space hosted by local booksellers. More details here.

Alexis Smith is one of the author and musical guests at the Holocene club in Portland, OR. More details here.

Nora Roberts at Turn the Page Books in Boonsboro, MD. More details here.

Mark Twain will be at the Tattered Cover Bookstore in Denver, CO, in conjunction with the Douglas County Library. More details here.



Curious what book I am giving away?  Come back next Wednesday for pictures!

Mahalo,

Kim in Hawaii



Monday, April 15, 2013

Aloha to Lehua Parker, ONE BOY NO WATER, and the Niuhi Shark Saga


Aloha!  I discovered Hawaiian author Lehua Parker via Twitter.  She is the creator of the Niuhi Shark Saga ... and she joins me today for a cozy chat!  

Kim:  You are a graduate of The Kamehameha Schools. My three years here in Hawaii has given me an appreciation for the school and its legacy. Can you share a special moment from The Kamehameha Schools?

(Founded in 1887, Kamehameha Schools is a statewide educational system endowed by Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, last living descendant of King Kamehemeha).

Lehua:  A couple of things stand out from my time at Kamehameha. The first is being constantly told that we were lucky to be there and that if we didn’t work hard, there were twenty more kids lined up to take our place. Ai ka pressah! But more importantly, we were told that because we had been given an incredible opportunity, it was our kuleana, our responsibility, to take the gift of our education and use it to make a positive difference in the world. Reconnecting with classmates 29 years later, it’s obvious that the message of giving back really stuck with us. We all seem to be highly active in donating our time and talents to various charities and causes wherever we live.

It’s also impossible to think of Kamehameha without thinking about the annual high school-wide Song Contest. It’s hard work to learn to sing, really sing, in eight to twelve part harmony. You can’t fake it; no one is ever allowed to not sing. Regardless of natural ability everyone in your grade, about 350 students, has to learn to work together to create a polished sound in a few short months. It’s crazy. But at the end of all the early morning rehearsals you stand with your classmates under bright lights in your dress whites and perform for a packed house at the Neil S. Blaisedell Center and millions of people via live tv and the internet. I’ll never forget the music and the way it ran through my bones, especially when the guys hit a deep bass note or when a twelve part harmony rang true. There’s nothing like it.

Kamehameha Schools Song Contest One Voice
juniroa.com

Kim:  You currently live in Utah - what is your favorite sight, smell, and sound of the Beehive State?

Lehua:  I love summer twilight. The light never looks quite like that in Hawaii and even after all this time, I’m still amazed that it’s light at 9 pm at night. My favorite Utah smells would be bayberry and cedar. My mother’s family was from Utah and when we’d visit them, the scents of the bayberry and cedar bushes would creep in through the windows at night. My favorite sound would probably be a water sound, like the waves on shore at a lake or water in a stream or hard rain on the roof because those sounds remind me of Hawaii.


Kim:  What do you miss from the Aloha State?

Lehua:  The people. The food. The music. The beach. The weather. I could create a list much longer than anyone would care to read. Every time I go home I’m reminded that I’m living in a foreign country, especially when I see my mainland-raised kids’ reaction to simple things like purple taro rolls and jellyfish. I forget I need to teach them things like leaving your slippahs upside down when you go swimming at the beach so you don’t burn your feet when you put them back on.


Kim:  Tell us about ONE BOY, NO  WATER and the Niuhi Shark Saga - what inspired it?

Lehua:  It’s a fish out of water tale. In many ways Zader is a typical 6th grade island kid. He’s trying to fit in with his peers, keep up with his more popular brother, and get into a good prep school which is a big deal in Hawaii. But no matter how hard he tries, Zader’s anything but typical. He was found abandoned on a reef as an infant by Uncle Kahana and ‘Ilima, a poi dog, and adopted by the Westin family. He’s allergic to water—one drop is like acid on his skin—absolutely ridiculous on a tropical island—and he can’t eat rare meat. When Zader’s surf-crazed brother is scared out of the ocean by a shark sighting, it’s up to Zader to help him get back in the water. The whole series about finding yourself, defining family, and living in modern Hawaii, things I think will interest readers.

The inspiration for the series goes back to when I was seven years old, sitting on the cool concrete floor of the Kahului Elementary School cafeteria in the dark, watching a 16mm film projected on a white bed sheet. The movie was about ancient Hawaiian legends, and it was the first time I saw people on the screen who look like my friends and neighbors who weren’t tending bar or shaking grass skirts on the original Hawaii 5-O. Act one: villagers are disappearing and it’s feared a man-eating shark is on the prowl. Act two: villagers rip the cape off a young boy to reveal a huge gaping shark’s mouth where his back should be! Ai-yah! The boy was actually a shark! And his family knew! And he was eating people he knew! Talk about a nightmare inspiring moment, right up there with the night swim scene in Jaws. Act three: I think about it for too many years and finally write my thoughts into a novel or five. The Niuhi Shark Saga is not a retelling of this Hawaiian legend, but that certainly was the genesis.


Kim:  What's next for Lehua Parker?

Lehua:  Book two in the series, One Shark, No Swim, is in editorial review right now. All of the artwork is in production and I’ll soon be doing a final version of the manuscript for advanced reader copies which will go out to reviewers in late May. The book will be published by Jolly Fish Press on August 10, 2013. In Hawaii, bookstores can carry it on their shelves, but it’s easiest to find online at Amazon or Barnes and Noble. In the fall I’m speaking at a few writers’ conferences on the mainland and doing workshops at schools both in person and via the internet. I’m also working on book three, One Fight, No Fist, which will come out in 2014 and some shorter companion pieces to the series that will come out this year. For free reader discussion and classroom activities, excepts, and short stories set in Zader’s world, please see my blog at www.LehuaParker.com. I also blog about living on the mainland, write book reviews, and share publishing tips. I love to hear from readers, so please stop by my Facebook account (Lehua Parker, author at this link) and drop me a line. If you like my author page, my publicist gives me a gold star. I wish I were kidding. Aloha, no!


Mahalo, Lehua, for your virtual visit to SOS Aloha!  In honor of Lehua, I am giving away a "Aloha" prize package to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment a local legend from your part of the world.  My favorite legend of Hawaii are the Menehune - the first Polynesians to settle the islands.  They were smaller than the second wave of Polynesians, so they moved upland.   The Menehune avoided contact with the new arrivals but were renowned for their building skills.  Ali'i often hired Menehune to build heiau (temples) which they did at night, in one night, to maintain their privacy.  

2.  This giveaway is open to all readers.  Comments are open through Saturday, April 20, 10 pm in Hawaii.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, April 21, on The Reading Reviewer (at this link).

Mahalo,

Kim in Hawaii

According to legend, the Menehune built Ulupo Heiau.

Monday, April 8, 2013

Scenes from the North Shore - Hale'iwa Ali'i Beach Park


We are approaching our last month of surfing season ... 


... and the waves still entertain!   The surfer stretches ... 


... and jumps right in!


I enjoy the colorful boards and apparel ...


... but its the surf that mesmerizes me!
   
  
The keiki (children) catch fish with nets ...


... and poles!


The keiki even snorkel!   One randomly selected commenter from this week's blogs wins a book choice from my convention stash.  This giveaway is open to all readers.  Comments are open through Saturday, April 13, 10 pm in Hawaii.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, April 14, on The Reading Reviewer.

Mahalo,

Kim in Hawaii





Thursday, April 4, 2013

Scenes from the North Shore - Opana Radar, Turtle Bay, and Kawela Bay



After licking our fingers at Ted's Bakery (at this link), we ventured down Kamehameha Highway towards Turtle Bay.    It was a sunny day ... the horses found shade under the palm trees.   Notice the white domes on the mountain crest.    



The white domes are the modern version of radar antennas installed in November 1941.  The radar identified blips on December 7, 1941.  But the blips were dismissed as the B17s expected from California (link).



We stopped at a fruit stand with homegrown treats ... 



... on our way to Turtle Bay Resort!   The resort has been featured in H50 (old and new), Magnum PI, Lost, and Forgetting Sarah Marshall.    



We parked next to the stables and followed the shore to Kawela Bay ...  



... where we found another WWII relic - a pillbox!



After failing to scale a steep slope to the Lanikai Pillbox (link), I felt satisfied having reached this one!
  

My kids, however, stated it was not the same!



Walking back to the stables, we met the horseback tour!



The stables are home to more than horses!


What would you do at the Turtle Bay Resort - swim in the pool?  surf in bay?  hike to the pillbox?  ride horseback on the beach?  One randomly selected commenter from this week's blogs wins a book choice from my convention stash.  This giveaway is open to all readers.  Comments are open through Saturday, April 6, 10 pm in Hawaii.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, April 7, at The Reading Reviewer (link).


Mahalo,


Kim in Hawaii 



Beauty on the beach




Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Aloha to Papailoa Beach, Turtle Beach, and Ted's Bakery



Hawaii News Now reported supermodel Heidi Klum was vacationing on Oahu's North Shore.   From this link,

A relaxing vacation turned dangerous for Heidi Klum and her family who had been on Oahu for the past week.

Entertainment Tonight obtained the exclusive photos of Supermodel and TV host Heidi Klum swimming into the ocean to grab her seven year old son Henry who reportedly got caught in a rip current Sunday. Klum is seen pulling her son to shore.

She was also photographed helping pull one of her two nannies to safety. Her boyfriend/bodyguard was also seen catching his breath after the incident.

In an exclusive statement to US Weekly Klum said, "We got pulled into the ocean by a big wave. Of course, as a mother, I was very scared for my child and everyone else in the water. Henry is a strong swimmer and was able to swim back to land. We were able to get everyone out safely."

An emergency call to 911 was not made. There were no reported injuries.

Lifeguards think the incident happened at Papailoa Beach where there was a high surf advisory yesterday with 10-15 foot waves and a strong north wind.

My family visited Papailoa Beach last week during Spring Break ... so I share our pictures with you!


Papailoa Beach is tucked away behind several secluded estates.  Hawaii law requires public access to all beaches ... so we walked down the sandy alley next to this house.  Maybe Heidi rented it for her ohana (family)!


The winter months bring monster waves to the North Shore ... but the volcanic rocks create tide pools for keiki (children).


The endangered honu (green sea turtles) come ashore to eat the lima (seaweed).  Hawaiian law prohibits interaction with the honu


My children walked towards Turtle Beach while I moved the car. 


I thought this house was intriguing ...


... with its Hindu motif!


My kids arrive on Turtle Beach - its lima attracts honu.


Volunteers from Malama na Honu (Protect the Turtles) rope off the beach when the honu come ashore (and the tourists descend from buses).  Check out this link for pictures of the honu on the beach.


Turtle Beach also attracts surfers ...


... and ohana (family).


No trip to the North Shore would be complete without a stop at Ted's Bakery!


We sampled its famous cream pies!   What's your favorite pie?  One randomly selected commenter from this week's blogs wins a book choice from my convention stash.  Comments are open through Saturday, April 6, 10 pm in Hawaii.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, April 7, on the Reading Reviewer (at this link).

Mahalo,

Kim in Hawaii