Honolulu Zoo

 We went to the zoo today and joined the Honolulu Zoo Society (HZS).  We are now proud Gharial Supporters!  Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of the reptile that we so lovingly forked over money for... so I will have to have an entire post dedicated to him the next time :{

 Instead, I give you the acrobatic White-handed Gibbon, the always adorable Ring Tailed Lemur,

lazin' Black and White Ruffed Lemurs,

 an up close and personal underwater turtle,

 the camera shy Siamang Gibbons,

 the peacock (AKA my Lunch Buddy),

 Meerkats (reminding me of when all my children were still at home),

 a sleepy chimpanzee,

 a frisky lion, and an irritated lioness,

 an even friskier lion, and a resigned lioness

 reticulated ruminant giraffes,

"river horses", or hippos - holding their breath and snoozing









Next time --- the infamous Gharial crocodile!

Scenery

There are some sites that I love when I walk around Hawaii Kai.  Sometimes it's a sculpture, sometimes a combination of plants against a backdrop.  Though I must admit, what intrigues me the most is thinking there's a secret garden tucked just behind a gate.  One morning, I decided to covertly take pictures of some of my favorites.  I seem to walk when it's pretty deserted, but there were a few times I pretended there was a rock in my shoe so that I could stop and not look like a stalker.   

Morning Walk in Hawaii Kai

I love walking around Hawaii Kai in the morning.  The surfers haven't shown up yet, and the worker bees have already left, so the streets are clear and relatively quiet. 


It amazes me that the plants & flowers that I had to baby along on the mainland are used as easy maintenance landscaping.  They actually use chainsaws for bi-monthly trims.

My walk is a little over 2 miles, but goes back & forth from sea level to a hill, so my legs get more of a workout than when I speed walked through the Island City Cemetery. 

I'm sure there are famous neighbors hidden here and there, but "Dog the Bounty Hunter" likes everyone to know he's around.  I guess that in-your-face attitude is why he's good at his job.  I snapped this picture quickly though... the man scares me.  Funny enough, a policeman was driving his rounds right after I took this photo.  I am just paranoid enough that I thought they had some sort of camera covering the entire block, and that I was a goner.  I am so brave!

I had to take a picture of one of the flower-strewn paths I walk along... these add a wonderfully tropical scent to my mornings.

Hah... I had about three of these plants in my house, and here it's a weed!

The bird of paradise bushes are grown in rock gardens and are enormous!  I have to admit I never liked the flowers before... they look like they could animate like in Alice in Wonderland and peck you to death.  But seeing them on big, lush bushes... okay, they still creep me out a bit.

I snuck my camera through a fence for this shot.  Currently, that's all there is: a fence, some old wood, but a FABULOUS view. The owners better have dreams of glass walls to catch every bit of their private paradise, or they don't deserve this lot.

I am thinking that these people either have huge egos, or a sly sense of humor.  Reasons for the statue:  love that Caesar-style haircut, born on the Ides of March,  always wanted to be Emperor,  has a dog named Brutus,  or they needed something heavy to hold the gate open.















Here's the view from the top of our street.  Honolulu can been spied just across the water.












Now back at the entrance to our temporary housing... our rental is only a few minutes away, and still on the water, but probably a third of the size of this place... and there won't be any A/C!  Hope we don't melt. 

Hawaii Kai Sunset

Despite flat tires on two different cars,

generally never knowing how to get from point A to point B,

and not being able to find a house I like that we can afford...

I am so grateful to be in Hawaii!

I love the breeze as I walk to the cliffs and watch the white foam crash against the rocks. I love the lush, tropical plants growing wild. I love the clouds hanging over the mountains.