An Historic Day

Recently the nation celebrated an historic day in the inauguration of the new president. Today we had another. After waking up we checked to make sure Mack would still fit in our suitcase if we want to smuggle him home...Then Mack surprised us with his first rollover... from his tummy to his back... Honest we all saw it. He was pretty pumped.
Then we headed off to the Foster Botanical Gardens in downtown Honolulu. We saw beautiful trees and flowers.

At the orchid garden Marilyn spotted this little creature. What a beautiful little gecko with his green and red body and bug eyes.

I don't know if you like geckos or not but you have to admit, this one has good taste in clothing.

Several seemed to be all over the orchid plants, walking on their padded little feet.

C'mon now, you have to admit he is cute.

And the orchids don't seem to mind.

As I said the grounds were beautiful.

The orchids were spectacular.

The trees were unusual too... here is a canon ball tree. A sign warned about walking underneath... duh.

And my favorite tree... the rainbow euchyluptus which can grow to 200 feet.

Carrie gives you perspective on the size of some of these trees.

This plant is weird but very beautiful.

This is one of the tallest palm trees I have ever seen. Planted in mid-1800's. Truly an historic day.

God loves color...

Hawaii is such a beautiful place and full of color.These mountains were once volcanic ash but are lush with green trees and shrubs.
Even the sky seems more blue...

This flight formation faces the canal where the navy ships come and go out of Pearl Harbor.

Speaking of color, these plumeria are some of my favorite flowers and I found a tree in bloom, unlike most which seem to be dormant.

And speaking of color, these fish are as colorful as the rainbow. I wish I knew what they were.

This yellow Tang really showed up in the water.

Another one of the colorful "rainbow fish."

And still one more of both of them.

The plumeria has a beautiful palm in the background.

And finally God throws in a splash of red. He must love to see the colors He has made especially over here in Hawaii.

What's he doing here?

Okay, so you all have seen a Monarch Butterfly. So have I. But what is this one doing on Oahu? A quick check on the internet says they came between 1841-1852 when milk weed plants came to the islands. Funny, it doesn't look that old to me.

Farewell Potluck

The Slangers are experiencing some of the closing activities of their time in Hawaii. Yesterday was the last Sunday all three could worship together as Rob leaves on an assignment. He and Carrie were interviewed about their move and prayed for by the Kahu (Pastor).
After the service it was potluck time which the church family pulled off on short notice.

Their main sanctuary is still being renovated so the back of the educational wing serves as the fellowship hall, while the front is where we worship.

Here Carrie and the two Slanger men pose with the ladies of the church. The men got to pose too but I couldn't get that picture as I was in it.

And here Maj. Slanger and family are ready for church...

with Mack and his new outfit from Uncle Jim.

Saturday after the storm

Yesterday the rains came and the winds blew and the schools, county, and state offices all closed. Today was beautiful (watch your nose... these are birds of paradise)So we all left for the Farmers' Market by Diamond Head. The community college has a cactus garden next door to the market. I thought I was in Arizona.
I never get tired of God's creation... He must like diversity because He sure made a lot of different flowers (and people too)
The cactus garden looks very healthy and the climate must agree though it would seem too moist for most of them. Parts of the island are very dry however.
Here is a glimpse of the market with fresh veggies, food items, orchids and even popcorn.

Here is one of the orchids for sale.

Papayas anyone?

These three locals look like they are ready to go home. Note the coat... it was 68 this morning... a lot like home.

More flowers for sale... bunches for $5.00.

This little guy was super taking in all the sights and smells.

On the way home we drove by the Waialae Country Club where the Sony Golf Tourney was going on.

Then we had to have lunch and finished at JJ's with desserts... Sweet Potato and...

Chocolate Banana Confit (Impressed by my French?)

Hawaiian Love Birds

It is unusual to see something on a walk that fails to catch your interest. Like this rainbow eucalyptus tree not far from Rob and Carrie's place. The bark is smooth and colorful.

Then there is a canal running next to Kailua. I spotted this Black Necked Stilt who wasn't happy I was so close to his fishing hole. Notice his eyebrows need a little darkening.
And one of my favorite fish hunters is the Black Crowned Night Heron. There were four of them staring at the water looking for dinner. This one has the long feathers off its head that makes it look pretty regal. They will dive head first into the water after fish and the canal is full of them.

This one wasn't going to let me scare him away from his fishing spot.

That beak means business and the eyes are penetrating. I wonder why God made them that color?

The most fun was to get these Common Waxbills sitting in the tree next to the cottage. They are small birds and hard to get a picture of. I got these through the window. I thought they were so sweet sitting together like two Hawaiian Love Birds.

They seemed to enjoy each other's company.