Bathroom Remodeling: Part V

While I was traveling at the end of the summer, George got a lot of work done on the bathroom remodeling project. He got more bead board up on the walls, put the trim (framing) around the window, and built the little wall between the sinks and the toilet. The wall will have little shelves and cubbies for storage on the side facing the toilet. Just yesterday, we started putting down the floor. Its a little bit like piecing together a puzzle. We're hoping to make more progress on the floor today. We're on the homestretch!

A Whirwind Weekend in DC

I never have enough time in DC to see all the people I want to see and do all the things I want to do. Nonetheless, I think I did a pretty good job considering I was only there for 3 full days. I had a dinner with Mzzzzzz. Torrillo French, had brunch with Rachel, picnicked, went dancing at Glen Echo, watched the Olympic opening ceremonies with old pals, saw a concert in the park, had lots of time with my favorite "niece", had a nice girls' lunch, and went to the National Mall with my sis (twice!) to see the Muppets/Jim Henson exhibit and our founding documents. Whew! No wonder I'm so tired. :-) Anyway, the pics are all here.

"We The People" National Institute in Boston

This school year, I am teaching a course called We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution. I had the privilege of attending the We the People National Teacher's Institute in Boston with 50 or so teachers from across the nation. We the People is a curriculum used nationwide that is developed and funded by the Center for Civic Education. Students participating in the course study the philosophical roots of the Constitution (Locke, ancient Rome, Greece, classical Republicanism, the Magna Carta, etc.) They continue on to study the constitutional convention of 1787 and the subsequent amendments and evolution of the Constitution. The culminating project for students is a simulated congressional hearing in which students speak about and then answer challenging questions about the Constitution, its history, and their thoughts on modern interpretation.

Even after studying Constitutional Law in great depth in law school, I learned many new things at the Institute, which is designed to aid teachers with content knowledge and curriculum ideas for implementing the course. It was an intense week of study, but I have so much to take back to Hawaii and share with my students. Not to mention, the Center for Civic Education provided us with several texts to add to our classroom libraries for the course. The week consisted of lectures by leading scholars and jurists on the subject of Constitutional Law. As teachers, we also got the opportunity to try participating in mock congressional hearing ourselves.

It was awesome to spend a week among other enthusiastic teachers, each of whom brought unique knowledge and experience to the Institute. We had many thought-provoking discussions and I learned much from the vast and broad experience of my colleagues.

We didn't have a lot of time to see Boston, but we did manage to take in a few sites. I also got to see college friend, Kathy, and her adorable daughter, Meg. My roommates at the Institute and I trekked up to the North End and had a delicious Italian feast in Boston's Italian district. Yummmmmm! Here are a few of my pics from the week in Beantown.

LOST Beach

This summer, Gabe and Leo got me complete hooked on the TV series LOST. It is filmed almost completely in Hawaii, so you can visit many of the filming locations around the island. One of the frequently filmed beaches is in Hale'iwa, Hawaii on the North Shore. The beach is not popular with tourists as it is a little difficult to access and it is rocky and not the best for swimming. Still, it is beautiful and is a popular hang-out for the Hawaiian Sea Turtles. And the past few years, it has become a primary filming location for LOST.

So, seeing as we've become a family of LOST junkies, we visited this beautiful beach along with some of the LOST "set" that stands there. For the record, I am only partway through the first season. No spoilers please! :-) The rest of the pics and a mini video tour are here. Enjoy!

Hiking Madness

During our last week with Gabe and Leo in town, we took on two challenging hikes. We headed to the Southeast corner of O'ahu for both. The first hike was to Makapu'u Point. Makapu'u Point is the Eastern-most point on the island. From the Point you can actually see the islands of Moloka'i, Lana'i, and Maui on a clear day. In the winter, Makapu'u Point is also a great spot to watch the migrating great blue whales. On any day, however, there is a beautiful view of the channel, the mountains, and the valley below.
Our second hike, to the top of Koko Head Crater, was one of the most grueling hikes I've undertaken. I usually think of myself as fit and able to tackle most any physical challenge, but Koko Head reminded me that I have room for improvement! Gabe decided he didn't want to do the whole hike, so he and George headed back down mid-way. I wonder if I should have joined them!.The path to the top was no joke. In some parts, it was more of "climb" than a "hike". The whole trail is an old railway path that was formerly used by the military to hoist supplies to the top of the mountain. The old wooden railroad ties still remain and serve as steps along the path. Despite the mild heat-exhaustion I suffered, the views from the top were amazing. The top of the mountain also provided a great resting and recovery spot before undertaking the trip back down. After the hike, we grabbed lunch at one of our favorite spots, Kona Brewing Company, and headed over to Hanauma Bay to cool off with some well-earned snorkeling and swimming.

Pictures of our Koko Head hike can be seen here. Pictures from Makapu'u Point are here.

A Great End to a Great Visit with the Chessons

George and I had a great visit with the Chessons. You would too if you'd been in such nice company for two weeks straight, not to mention eating all of Yvette's delicious cooking! I hope I retained a thing or two that I can use in my own cooking.

Anyway, our last days together took the "oldest kids" (me, George, Yvette, and Jehu, Sr.) to a dinner cruise on the Ali'i Kai. We celebrated Jehu's birthday aboard the boat with dinner, drinks, and dancing.
The next day, we hit Sharks Cove and Sunset Beach one last time with the whole crew. Pics of the cruise are here, our last beach day pics are here.

The Waikiki Aquarium

A fun aspect of having visitors is that you inevitably make it to one or two places you've never been before. At the instigation of the Chessons, we visited the Waikiki Aquarium. It is different from other aquariums that I've been to (Chicago, Baltimore) in that the focus is tropical sea life. There was a whole section on coral, which is an important feature of tropical waters. The aquarium also featured many sea creatures endemic to Hawaiian waters, including the adorable - and endangered - Hawaiian Monk Seal. As usual, a picture is worth a thousand of my poorly-strung-together words. See them here.

The Rodviens and the Chessons Go Riding at Gunstock Ranch

Going horseback riding at Gunstock Ranch was one of the true highlights of our summer. Gunstock is a working cattle ranch on O'ahu's North Shore, very near my school. They offer trail rides for visitors on "retired" and working cattle-working horses. All eight of us saddled up for a trail ride through the foothills of the Ko'olau Mountains. We found spectacular views, unusual plants, remnants of the sugar plantation that preceded Gunstock, and overall fun times. For everyone (except me), this was the first time on a horse. Our group turned out to be a bunch of natural riders, however, and we made great friends with our horses. George has been day-dreaming ever since about how we can get our own horses someday. Ya know, Maryland is right up there with Kentucky in terms of being horse country! Anyway, I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking. Click here to see 'em all. Aloha!

The Chessons and the Rodvien Boys Take on the Dole Plantation in Wahiawa, Hawaii

Pictures of our latest adventure are now posted here.

July 2008 Family Time

I'll write in more detail later, but I thought I'd share some pictures in the meantime. We've been having a great time hanging out, relaxing, and enjoying summer vacation with the boys and the Chessons on O'ahu. The beach has been the most frequent hangout and we'll probably be there again tomorrow enjoying some waves and sunshine. Miss you all! The latest pics are here.

A DC Visit and Cary and Kyle's Wedding

I had another great trip to Washington, D.C., which once again reminded me that I have the greatest friends a human could ask for. I am truly blessed. If only George could have come with me! I feel so much love and caring between the people that I know there that there is no doubt in my mind they are simply the finest bunch of friends! During my week, we had lots of nice meals together, silly late-night antics, touching moments watching two of our bunch tie the knot, and special time with the newest and youngest member of our little patchwork clan, Miss Claire, and her 'rents, Shelly and Andrew. The week was filled with chats to catch up on the news, playing cards, watching the Muppets, being the Muppets, making fruity cocktails, exploring new places, splashing around in the hotel pool, eating pancakes and omelettes, taking the long way home, drinking milkshakes in the country, having beers in the city, and dancing, dancing, dancing. I hardly took any pictures, due to my neglect on charging my camera's batteries, but here are a few. Rita took LOT of nice pictures, although our visits didn't exactly coincide. You can see her pics here. The sets dated 6.12.08 - 6.20.08 are her DC photos.

To think that was only the beginning of a wonderful summer! More soon, including an update on the bathroom remodeling project. :-)

My New Digs: Classroom P-15

Instead of getting all my end-of-year wrap-up tasks completed this week, I spent nearly all of my non-classtime packing and moving. I am moving classrooms from one side of my school's large campus to the other. I was sad to leave the room that contained so many memories of the start of my teaching career and and memories made with my wonderful students who helped make it home. Still, the move was necessary. As I will be teaching mainly 7th graders next year, I needed to be closer to the other intermediate grade teachers.

My new classroom will be very similar to my old one, but it is a bit nicer in a few ways. It is a bit larger and I have more bulletin board space. The location is a bit better, too. I'm closer to the computer lab, the front office, the registrar, and the cafeteria. Maybe I can actually make it to the teacher lunchroom once in a while this year! Anyway, here is a picture of my new room. I have a LONG way to go in terms of unpacking and making it home, but the new school year is nearly 2 months away, so there is time. I'm excited to think of all the things that will happen in my new room.

Little Chinook in the Sky

I see these on my commute home several days each week as I pass Wheeler Army Airfield. Cool chopper! If only I had Rita's camera. :-)

'Cause We are Living in a Material World

But I'm SO tired of it! I saw the new movie Sex and the City this weekend and while overall I really liked the movie, I was really bothered by the excessive materialism in it. A $300 pillow? BLECH!

One of the best lessons I've learned from living in Hawaii and from the students at my school is that "more" isn't always better. Its amazing how focusing on the simple beauties of life (love, family, friendship, nature, laughter, etc.) can really bring a person closer to true happiness. I love how many students at my school don't really care about fashion. For a few students, they're not into fashion because they genuinely can't afford it. Many other students, however, come from families and cultures where most of the time a t-shirt, gym shorts, and the same beat-up pair of "slippahs" (aka flip-flops) that they've worn as long as they've fit is just fine. No need for fancy hair-dos and make-up. And a beat-up backpack or bag will do the job just fine. Really, they have it better. Their wardrobes may be a little older and less fancy, but students still wear clean, functional clothes. And they are free from worry about keeping up with the latest trends. What else does anyone need? Once every year or so, I go through my closet and donate a few large grocery bags of clothes to Goodwill. Its really silly. I don't usually get new stuff because I need it. I get it because it meets some short-lived desire such as "its cute!" or "it minimizes my butt!"


So, inspired by my adopted culture and community, I am declaring "No more!" I am challenging myself to the following and I'd be happy if any of you want to join me:

As of June 1, 2008, I will no longer buy clothes. That's right: NO MORE CLOTHES! (Or bags, or jewelry, or accessories, etc.) And I will avoid accepting gifts of these. I really have enough, so I'm going to stick with what I've got. I am allowing myself a few small exceptions:

1. I will permit myself to replace any garment that is genuinely worn-out (incl. shoes, socks, "slippahs", undies, etc.)
2. I will allow myself to buy new clothes with three unspent gift certificates that I have. I plan on doing this in the near future so I can really begin my "year without clothes shopping."
3. Gifts for OTHERS: I will allow myself to buy clothes as gifts for other people, but I will avoid accepting gifts of clothing. Please support me by NOT buying me gifts of clothing. :-)
4. Precious stones: Seriously, if George (or anyone else!) is wants to buy me fancy jewelry with rubies or diamonds, I'm not passing it up. Is that hypocrisy? I don't care. :-)

Anyway, that's it. That's my challenge. Please wish me luck. I know it will be hard for this occasional shopoholic. On June 1st, I had to drag myself away from the cutest pair of shorts ever. (Yes, ever.) But really...who cares? Will those shorts bring me happiness? Can't I live without them? Yes, I can. And I will.

"Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you." - Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864)

Bathroom Remodeling: Part IV

Hello all! The bathroom is now fully functioning again as a bathroom! That doesn't mean its finished, but it does mean we're getting close. In the past month, George completed the shower and installed the tub. We've tested both out and they are great! I have no doubt I will spend many afternoons after long days at school unwinding in that heavenly tub. Here is one shot of the whole shebang (note the bead board that George has started installing on the right-hand wall). You can see a few more pictures, including the tiles that Rita installed here. For the record, while I did not install any of the shower tiles, I cut gazillions of them with our diamond-bladed tile saw. Hooray for power tools and for George who has taught me how to use them all!

Night Drives across Pineapple Fields

Once or month or so, I find myself coming home late from the North Shore. I'm usually alone, but occasionally with friends or my sweetie. Even though I'm inevitably sleepy, it is a beautiful drive and my senses awaken for the experience. I remember dreaming when I was younger about a long two-lane country highway with expansive fields that ended only to touch the sky. Now I know where those fields lie: I drive across them every day.

At night, however, the drive across the pineapple fields is a different experience. The skies in Hawaii are always clear. Even when there are a few clouds, the skies are clear. There is very rarely haze or fog. Drifting clouds only briefly obscure the infinite stars or a brilliant moon. The air is fresh and warm, yet cool. Its not like the daytime when the sun bears down intensely on everything below.

The best part of all, however, is the smells. As you first start up the fields, there is a faint smell of sea air - slightly salty, slightly fishy, but very fresh. As you drive further up, you notice the slightest hint of pineapple in the air. The smell then evolves into a faintly fermented smell. I've never smelled anything else like the faint odor of fermenting pineapples. When it mixes with the smell of upturned earth and the warm night air, it is a heavenly experience that wipes away all your worries and intoxicates your thoughts. At last, you pass the ends of the fields transformed as the fading scents roll through you mind and prepare your for a calm, peaceful sleep.

Outrigger Waikiki Sunset Cruise

Yesterday George, Jason, Tiffany, and I took a sunset cruise on a catamaran from the Outrigger Hotel in Waikiki. I can't believe we've been here nearly two years and we hadn't done this yet. It was so fun and relaxing, I'd be willing to go every weekend. Even with mere 3- to 4-ft waves outside the channel, we go completely drenched as the boat bounded up and down in the water. It was so beautiful, though. We could see Diamondhead Crater and Kokohead Crater from a totally different perspective. Some flying fish even made an appearance. They are amazing creatures. We met some really nice people on the cruise and it was great to enjoy company of friends old and new in beautiful surroundings. Next time you're in Hawaii, I highly, highly recommend a sunset cruise. We capped off the evening at our favorite Waikiki hangout, the Shorebird Restaurant, listening to great live music. More Pictures of our cruise can be found here.

Graduation Party!

I seriously have the best job in the world. I work with awesome young people who are bringing new ideas and energy to our world every day. In honor of the upcoming graduation of three of my students, George and I celebrated with the junior and senior ELL class from my school. We had a great time and the students did too. Yummy fresh garlic shrimp, music, baseball watching, interesting political discussions, a darts game involving push ups for the losing players, and delicious chocolate cake made for a pleasant evening. And in case there were any doubts, there was absolutely NO alcohol of any kind at the fiesta. :-)

Aiea Loop Trail Hike

Yesterday, George and I headed out with his platoon to explore a Hawaii trail that neither of us had hiked before. It was really beautiful. I'm always amazed at the unique plant life here in Hawaii. The elevation of the whole trail was pretty high and there were amazing views in several places. George works with a really nice bunch of guys and ladies and we had a lot of fun just tromping along and chatting along the way. Check out more pictures here.

Sweet Home Alabama

I am a pretty lucky lady. I had two weeks vacation from work and I got to spend it with three very handsome gentlemen: George, Leo, and Gabriel. I also got to make a trip to Washington, D.C. to celebrate my sister's birthday AND celebrate the birth of the darling Claire Sophia, daughter of my dear friends Shelly and Andrew. I don't know the best place to start, so I'm just going to take things in order.

First, our travels took us to George's hometown, Fairhope, Alabama. Fairhope is a small town not far from Mobile, Alabama. It has a sweet and friendly downtown area.
Fairhope also has a long public waterfront area on Eastern shore of Mobile Bay.Fairhope has a slower, more contemplative pace. I always appreciate a pace that allows me to stop and consider and enjoy my surroundings. Of course, being on vacation always helps with that too.

We spent most of our time in Fairhope riding our bikes from place to place. The four of us stayed at a little cabin we rented right on the Bay. It was a nice place to rest for the night, but it was still plenty close to George's mother's and father's houses. We easily rode around town and hardly needed a car for the whole two weeks.

During our stay, we were able to soak up relaxing hours at both of his parents' houses and share laughter, meals, and good times. George shared tidbits of his childhood and youth throughout our trip. He also pointed out many beautiful homes that he helped build or remodel back in his carpentry days. We made trips to the park for whiffle ball and stops at Mr. Gene's Bean's Ice Cream Shop in downtown Fairhope. We also enjoyed many episodes of Mythbusters and Cash Cab back at the cabin. We made side trips to Mobile to see the USS Alabama and also to Gulf Shores, Alabama to enjoy the beach. We also trekked to Gulf Shores for mini-golf and go-karts. On our way to the beach, we saw this guy!:
Every day was filled with so many enjoyable experiences, its hard to mention them all. I must mention, however, that George's brother Marc took me to hear Joshua Bell with the Mobile Symphony at the historic Saenger Theater in Mobile. What musical bliss! If you've never heard him play, he's more than worth every penny of the tickets. He's not just a bunch of hype - he's the real deal.

The best part of all of my experiences, however, was the company. I am very lucky to have such wonderful in-laws and such bright and funny step-sons.

DC Weekend
In the middle of our Alabama vacation, I flew to DC for a weekend. As trips to the mainland are somewhat rare, I want to see as many folks as possible. The timing of my trip was perfect. Shelly gave birth to her adorable little girl, Claire Sophia, on March 18, just a few days before my arrival. What a little angel! (who has exhausted, but elated, new parents.)In addition to spending time with my new "niece," I celebrated my sister's birthday . . . . . . and had some time to catch up with some of my DC pals. I didn't get to see everyone, but that's the nature of a 48 hour trip. I'm already looking forward to my next East Coast trip in June for Cary and Kyle's wedding. Hooray!

You can see more pictures of our trip including our Gulf Shores side trips and our run-in with an armadillo! Sadly, I forgot my digital camera so some of my pictures didn't come. I relied on the disposable cameras to capture the trip. Still, you can get a good idea of our vacation if you click here.

The New Year for Lisa and George

Hello friends! I apologize for keeping so quiet over the past weeks. We had a holiday season made lovely (and busy!) by seven visitors from the mainland. Big mahalos (thank yous) to Rachel, Mike, Rita, Becca, Duane, Alison and Matt for making the long trip to our little corner of the ocean. While I love Hawaii, it is still always hard to be away from the best friends in the world. They soften the homesickness by coming out to see us. I don't think we can fully explain how meaningful it is to have our guests.


Needless to say, I was keeping too happily busy during late December and early January to log on and blog. While I did take some pictures with our guests that can be found here, a much more complete picture of our holidays can be found by looking at Rita Shah's (photographer extraordinaire) pictures here. She took many lovely, lovely photos.

With our guests, we saw many sites, went hiking, tried surfing, enjoyed a luau, spent quality time at the beach, and last but not least shared laughs and good times at our place and around the island. We were once again awed by the amazing fireworks displays on New Years Eve. I'm not sure I'll ever want to spend December 31st anywhere else.

The fun had to come to an end, however. The Christmas lights and decorations have come down and we are back to our ordinary lives. All of our visitors, have gone back home. Luckily, my second semester at school started out surprising well. As a new teacher dealing with tough students, I still have a perpetual anxiety that permeates most everything. I am proud to say, however, that my passion for teaching has not gone unnoticed. I was nominated by my principal for a new teachers' award called "Teacher of Promise." While I did not win the state award, I was one of 5 state finalists and I earned Oahu's Windward District "Teacher of Promise" award. The encouragement has helped me feel positive about work, despite all its challenges. Do a good deed: tell a teacher - past or present - how they affected your life. The encouragement helps a lot!

For George, it has been a time of transitions at work. He's spending his free time working on remodeling our bathroom. Look for an update on that soon. Its coming along nicely, and he's laying down marble in the shower as I type!

Well, I hope this gives you a little taste of what's been going on in our lives lately. Look for more frequent updates now that the holidays are past. Have a happy New Year and as Garrison Keillor says "Be well, do good work, and keep in touch." Love and Aloha, Lisa (and George)

It was a mighty fun evening to be in Hawaii. The chatter over the Warriors had already spread from the die-hard fans to virtually every person on the island. Even signs on "TheBus" city buses flashed "Go Warriors!" in between route numbers. George and I watched the nail-biter against Washington last night from the comfort of our living room, but nearly 7% of the island population watched the game live at Aloha Stadium. The other 700,000 of us cheered from our living rooms. And with windows open, you could hear the cheering over the intermittent rain showers. When the team finally locked in its victory (in the last minute of the game), it sounded like New Year's Eve or some island-wide party.

Its not like I've been a UH fan for a long time, but I've been a quick convert. Football in Hawaii is practically religion, but the diversity on the island brings together players from many different backgrounds into a beautiful blend that makes magic on the field. With no NFL team, UH is the pinnacle of football in Polynesia and its cool that the mainland is finally taking a look at this often-forgotten team. 12-0. See you in January!

Bathroom Remodeling Part III: Preparing for the Plumbing

While blogging away, I decided it was time for an update on our bathroom remodeling project. George has essentially completed the frame for the shower and the tub. The custom-order glass shower doors are en route to Hawaii and the tub and all the tile are waiting in our living room. As soon as the plumber installs a few new lines, we'll be ready for the fun and final part of the project.

The shower window is fully installed and made of lovely glass brick:

A separate light in the shower with a ventilation fan are also in place in the shower. The electricity now runs to a new power outlet by the shower door.

In anticipation of the plumber's visit, George cut and laid the tile that will sit under the faucet for the bathtub. Tell the plumber to get over here already! We're ready!

30 Miles to Kahuku, Part II

At last, I am taking you all on the second part of my daily drive from Mililani to Kahuku. Thanksgiving weekend turned out to be the perfect time to make the trip with lots of stops to take pictures. In Part I, we left off our little drive just past Hale'iwa, a quaint North Shore town. Here we are again on the two-lane Kamehameha Highway that connects Mililani, Kahuku, and much of the island.

As we begin this part of the drive, a little house with this sign posted out front has always caught my eye. Only in Hawaii:

My drive then takes me up a little hill and then opens up to this amazing view of Waimea Bay. On the far side of the bay, you can see the steeple from St.Peter and Paul's Catholic Church which overlooks surfers, swimmers, sunbathers, and boogie-boarders.
On a day with big winter waves like today, surfers wait out in the bay for the perfect wave to ride in.

Across from Waimea Bay, along "Kam" Highway, I pass the Waimea Valley Audubon Center. I've never actually been inside, but the entryway looks inviting. Its on the list.

Then, I come to the Pupukea area, which is the last business district of any sort before I arrive in Kahuku several miles further down the road. The Foodland grocery store is always packed with surfers, tourists, and other North Shore inhabitants. When I stop there to pick up treats for my students, I inevitably run into another Kahuku teacher doing the same thing.

Across from the Foodland is the Sunset Beach Fire House. Probably the best view for a firehouse anywhere in the whole U.S.A.

Next door to the Foodland, I pass Shark's Cove Grill (Yummy!) before arriving at Shark's Cove itself.

On my left, I pass Shark's Cove. For the record, it gets its name from its shape. While not impossible, I've never heard of sharks coming into the cove. When the surf is calm, Shark's Cove is an amazing place for snorkeling as it is filled with beautiful coral reefs and colorful reef fish.

After passing Shark's Cove, I come to Ehukai Park - home to the Banzai Pipeline - which sits across from Sunset Beach Elementary School. I tend to think that kids that can walk across the street after school and watch the waves at a place as beautiful Ehukai must be some of the luckiest kids on earth. These same kids attend Kahuku High and Intermediate School after they finish 6th grade.

Check out how the nutty surfers have covered the stop sign at the park in surfing stickers:

The next landmark on my drive is this large tiki-looking object, which sits adjacent to a few little shops.


At last, I come to Sunset Beach. This is my favorite beach in Hawaii. The wave forecast on the day of these pictures predicted 15-25 foot sets. I don't think they'd reached that height, but they were still bigger than I'm willing to swim. In the summer time, Sunset Beach is an awesome place to swim and snorkel. Now that the winter swells are coming, it is a supreme place to watch expert surfers.

In fact, O'Neill was getting ready to host something when I stopped by.

Another great feature of Sunset Beach is the running/biking trail which parallels the shore.


I don't usually stop on my way to school, but I jumped out of my car to get my picture taken.

Just past Sunset Beach, I come to Ted's Bakery. If you come to the North Shore, Ted's Bakery is a great place to stop for food. They have scrumptious pies and baked goods. They also have the best burgers on the island, in my humble opinion.

Past Ted's is a little University of Hawaii Agricultural facility. There are usually sheep grazing in the fields, but they must have been asleep on the day I came through with my camera.

Still, I got this nice shot of the windmill.
The next unusual place I pass is Crawford's Convalescent Home. Should I ever need to convalesce, I would happily do it here.


This odd and gutted historic building sits adjacent to the home, too. I'm not sure what the connection is, but its a neat sight.

After passing Crawford's, I start to see more and more little fruit stands. While they are closed in the early morning, in the afternoon I can stop in and get fresh pineapple and all kinds of other fresh produce that comes straight from the many farms in the area.

This little park is the next eye-catcher on my drive. I'm not even sure what its called, but its such a beautiful little spot and surprisingly un-crowded.

After Sunset Beach and Waimea Bay, the last famed place along my drive is the Turtle Bay Resort. It is a beautifully groomed section of the shoreline, but it has a tenuous relationship with its North Shore neighbors. Its owners have dreams of expanding the resort, but most residents of the North Shore fear that this will jeopardize the rural quality of the area. Bumper stickers that read "Keep the North Shore Country" are seen everywhere in this area and are quietly directed at Turtle Bay and other hopeful developers.

Still, it has a beautiful golf course that is host to major PGA/LPGA competitions.

One of the last places I pass on my way to Kahuku is Fumi's Shrimp Truck. Besides football, Kahuku's claim to fame is its farm-raised shrimp. Fumi's shrimp truck serves fresh shrimp straight from the farm. They will cook the shrimp for you a dozen or so different ways. You can sit and enjoy the salty sea breeze, delicious shrimp, and icy beverage in a totally relaxed atmosphere.

The shrimp is grown in little ponds some of which are less than 50 yards from the truck. Talk about fresh!

After passing the shrimp ponds, I come to a wildlife preserve. Its another place I've never been, but its on my list.
At last I reach Kahuku. As I roll into the tiny one-stoplight town, I pass the Kahuku Sugar Mill. Now a historic site, the Sugar Mill used to be an important part of the North Shore's economy.


And finally, I reach Kahuku's one and only stoplight. Kahuku High and Intermediate School sits here, in the heart of the little town, immediately across the street from the Kahuku Suprette.

The unremarkable looking Kahuku Suprette has some of the best Poke (Hawaiian style raw tuna) anywhere on the island. Yummy! Believe it or not, this haole mainlander loves the stuff!

Last but not least, the Pride of the North Shore: Kahuku High and Intermediate School. The school of 1800 students sits at the foot of the mountains, less than a 1/2 mile inland from the beach. Like Sunset Elementary kids, I wonder if these students know how lucky they are. I certainly am lucky to be a teacher there.