John is a news and weather junkie. Each night he faithfully watches the weather report. What to say when you live where not much happens? Just as in the far North there are over 200 ways to describe snow . . . here it is the winds that have the spotlight. We have Trade Winds (very nice), Mauka Winds (come from the mountains) and Kona Winds (come from the south and are warm). The temperature fluctuation seems to be sort of steady, but it does vary the comfort level depending upon the altitude in question. Our location seems to be in a happy medium both temperature and rain-wise. The temperature and rainfall at higher altitudes (toward the center of Oahu) are drastically different from that found at sea level on the Leeward side. The same is true for the other islands in the state. The weather report also covers neighbor islands of the state, not just Oahu. There may be flooding, power outages, and washed out roads on one island while another has perfect beach weather. So you see there is a real job for weather people here.
The news - tracking waves, trees, jelly fish
The local news of course is like that anywhere else in the country, but it does have a few unique features.
For enjoyment John likes to relate some stories from the local news.
The wave report - We have a daily wave report. I think it is because it is winter the waves are higher than other seasons. North Shore (famous for its surfing competitions), Leeward, Windward, Waikiki, etc. are covered faithfully.
A few of the waves we managed to catch on film are below. They were taken at a famous beach -- the Banzai Pipeline -- on the first day of big waves this season. The local TV station was out filming. They interviewed John and he was on the evening news. If you click on any photo you will be able to see more detail.
The tree report - Christmas is almost here. The news began reporting which ships would be arriving with Christmas trees. Christmas seems to be a much beloved season here. Decorations began to appear before mid-November. The progress, count and type of available Christmas tree is periodically mentioned. The newest concern is whether or not there will be enough trees for all.
The jellyfish report - We have been here long enough to realize there is a regular monitoring of when the jellyfish are expected on beaches. Apparently it has something to do with the full moon so is cyclical each month. This is something we never realized before but certainly do now - thanks to the news team.
This photo shows a surfer riding between two curling waves. (click on the photo and it will enlarge) It does not easy to do I would think!
You can get an idea of the height of this wave by the size of the surfers "catching" it. Wow!
Rainbows - everywhere
A recurrent theme we noticed upon our first arrival is that of the rainbow. Sports teams, restaurants, beauty parlors, on our license plate and driver license, etc. It did not take long for us to realize rainbows are everywhere. One evening the weather man said tomorrow was going to be a good rainbow day. We are still exploring our island and have been able to see up to 8 different rainbows in one day.
Aloha - many meanings
As non-natives our concept of Aloha was basically from TV, books, and the movies (thank you Elvis). Now that we have been here a while longer than a long vacation, we are learning that Aloha is a way of life. A delightful way of life. Upon arrival we discovered we would be required to take a written test to get our drivers license. So we went out and got a driver test instruction book to study. In the very front of the book is a letter from the Governor. At the end of her letter she asks the reader to "drive with Aloha." Showing Aloha can involve being polite, showing love, understanding, saying hello or saying goodbye, tolerance, protecting the environment, being a responsible citizen, etc. It is hard to capture all of its many meanings. And we have observed showing Aloha can also involve a hand gesture called the Shaka. Make a fist then pull out and point the thumb and little finger. If we are driving and we let someone merge in front of us they most likely will stick their hand out of the window and shake a Shaka at us to say "Thank You." We, in turn, have begun to use the Shaka to thank other drivers when a kindness is shown to us. We observe Aloha daily when we see the consideration given to pedestrians by drivers. Generally when a pedestrian steps into the road - be there a crosswalk or not. If that pedestrian is not given the right of way we begin to look if it may be a rental car belonging to someone on vacation who is not familiar with the island ways.
Kama'aina
The word “kama’aina” may mean what it says in the Hawaiian dictionary, (means native-born; host; native plant; child of the land) but practically speaking it is that a local driver’s license is enough proof to get you the kama’aina rate at hotels, car-rental services and many other places. Kama’aina also is a description of a state of mind, a sense of belonging and acceptance of Hawaii and its people, and to that notion we subscribe wholeheartedly. This island belongs to the Hawaiians, and they are kind enough to welcome us both as visitors and contributing members of society.
