Hawaii Flowers

Early in season for best blooms, still, so many flowers! These are from different locations on different days.  Some I can identify, some I can't, and some are not even flowers!

Red ginger at Queen Emma's

Don't know this sweet plant

Variegated ti with ferns

Back lite shell ginger

Hibiscus are in every color!

Spider lily

 These tiny 'half' flowers have a lovely story about separated lovers

Hotels, restaurants, retail stores display beautiful bouquets, often featuring Anthurium

More hibiscus

Maybe penta?

Sidewalk waterfall on Waikiki

Heliconia at Queen Emma's Palace

Coconuts at Punch Bowl

Fungus on trail to Kaniakapupu ruins

Another bouquet

The mango tree at Emma's Palace was dropping fruit on the lawn.  Wish I had know it was a mango at the time I would have checked out the fruit! 

Plumeria was blooming everywhere!   On Saturday,  Bonnie was wearing a lovely plumeria lei from her Daughters of Hawaii presentation.  We had stopped at a park to see a piece of a historical water system when a young man came over to Sandi and me with leis for us too.  Wasn't that the sweetest gesture of 'Aloha'?

Hanaiakamalama

Queen Emma's Summer Palace is also know as 'Hanaiakamalama' ("foster child of the moon").  This is where Emma, her husband and son escaped the dusty summers of Honolulu in the mid 1800s.  It's still a good escape! The grounds are cool and inviting with many hugely spreading Monkey Pod trees.  The Palace is designed with windows and doors in alignment to create lovely breezes through the building.

Looking from front hall out back door.....

And a cross view....

The furnishings were gorgeous though out, many were gifts from European royalty.  Prince Albert's cradle was commissioned by the King and Queen at his birth. Considered a state treasure, it was designed and built by Wilhelm Fischer of four native woods:  koa, kou, milo and kamani.

(sorry, pic doesn't even come close to showing beauty of this piece)

Several benches invite a sit to enjoy the grounds.

A great huge monkey pod tree in the side yard is almost covered in stag horn ferns.

Here's one more ancient tree.  It's current job is guarding the parking lot, but one can only wonder at the stories it could tell!

Oahu Road Trip

On Friday we took a road trip around the island.

For most of the week the surf had been really big on Waikiki, and so, it was relatively low on the Waimea side.  No worries, it was still beautiful, and folks were loving the water.

It's so fun to visit an area with someone who has deep roots.  Bonnie had a great story of a time when her father had a restaurant under this mountain called, of course, 'Crouching Lion'.  How cool is that?

We stopped at Kahuku Sugar Mill.  Sandi wanted pics for a friend who was raised there and currently lives in Oakdale.  So many pieces of interesting old equipment!

There are several of these smallish islands along the coast at a State Park.  Nice camps!

Haleiwa is a little tourist town.  We walked around, visited the shops, drank smoothies, and took some pics.

(regretting not buying this tote bag)

Bonnie was a great sport pulling off the road in the blink of an eye whenever we saw something that required a closer look.  She knew we would LOVE Kenike's for lunch.

The roof of the back patio is palm fronds.   

While we were the only 'customers' enjoying the back patio, it wasn't lonely with the chickens wandering around,  the pygmy goats nearby, and family working in the garden.

We sure didn't need dinner that night but did make one last stop back in town at the iconic Liliha Bakery for Coco Puffs.