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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 17, 2018 - 06:15pm PT
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Vacation Time In the Fog Belt
I talked with the Purple Sage today.
This is what he had to say:
“Find you some flowers and plait you a lei.
You may discover Hawaii. Okay?”
“It’s winter,” I said. “Or haven’t you seen?
The pickings for blossoms seems mighty lean.”
“I know, grasshopper. Tis the season between
the time of what’s coming and the time of what’s been.”
I took his advice and walked out the door
and I took the stairs down to the second floor.
A wahine I know had lived on Oahu before.
She’s fun and she’s pretty and never a bore.
I asked her to go to a concert with me.
It’s just down the block and admission is free.
The singer’s Kanaka, never misses the key.
We’ll listen to her, perhaps see what will be.
--MFM
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zBrown
Ice climber
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Jan 17, 2018 - 06:38pm PT
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New Old California
Get yer motor running
Brooklyn isn't in CA IS it? Just the Bristol guys
Oteil is damn fine
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Jan 18, 2018 - 02:47am PT
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hey there say, ... wow WONDERFUL HAWAIIAN TIME! GOOD to hear of such a wonderful thing to have in town...
:)
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Gnome Ofthe Diabase
climber
Out Of Bed
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Jan 18, 2018 - 04:24am PT
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I haven't seen them yet. Looking forward to seeing my best effort of this frigid morning; 6:38 / 6:40 am 1/18/18, 11 degrees, -5 with wind chill,
Dawnszorrow and frozen feet
shifting dreams yield to freezing chores
bus stop jump off
tootsies numb;
tips of things sting. . .
Muddy phone pix don't bring. . .
Any warm 'nd fuzzy feelinz. . .
ransom the warmth, show proof of life
askin' fo' the seasons to turn sooner
Waiting for spring. . .
don't bring a garden hose to a mid-winter blaze. . .
got no idea where the thaw will put us. . .
30 degree swings, killin' things. . .
rough winter for flames and boydzs
1/14/18 not so cold
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 18, 2018 - 05:58am PT
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Last night’s concert at the MAC
Kaumakawai Kanaka’ole (K from hereon) is a jewel in the crown of the 50th State. But jewels are not part of the Kanaka culture, I think. Whites like ‘em. The Hawaiian people have lava and no mines or gnomes.
What I took away, what she meant to say:
Each of us has his own culture.
It may be watered down, but there is one in a normal person.
The culture is best observed in the family circle, where traditions, language, elders and ancestors receive the high honor they must for the culture to survive intact in the face of invasive strangers in their midst, as is the case in Hawaii.
She sang with one of the strongest non-operatically trained voices you can imagine. The videos of her and Shawn you might see on Youtube are a pale comparison to spending time in the same room with this magnificent soul. Yet both Laurie and I felt the quietness of her conversation made it hard to truly understand some of her thoughts. There was plenty of laughter, so either we are getting to be had of hearing or our seats to the side were not acoustically the best they could be, because the crowd to her front was laughing a lot. Likely the first option.
Laurie was glad to be asked to attend. I was happy that she liked it. Neither of us seems to have much excitement in our lives, but this, for me, was right up there with the top experiences of a lifetime.
Laurie, by the way, is a lovely person whose Hawaiian experience began when she was offered the job as a nanny for an aunt, which evolved into long-term care for her uncle, who was dying. She was on Maui, not Oahu, as I originally had thought. This event was the second cultural one we have experienced in Merced together. The first was standing on the fire escape of Middle Earth during the early-December Christmas parade. We have talked once in the Cinema Cafe and she had the nerve to come to my digs to talk after that encounter.
The Arts UC Merced crowd knows how to get things done. The venue was packed. K’s comments on Merced were complimentary, but humorous. Cows, chilly weather, and so on...they have an appeal to few, let’s face it. K is very much the modern generation of Hawaiian. But she was raised on a farm on the Homestead.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaiian_home_land
President Dole, that sounds weird, doesn’t it? Just remarkin’.
Her grandfathers and grandmothers played important roles in her life. She has been instructed in the Hawaiian culture her whole life from an early age by folks who vary from college-educated scholars to sixth-grade graduates. One grandfather, the professor, spent the last thirty years of his life traveling the world seeking out Kanakas who lived and died in foreign lands and repatriating their remains.
When he settled into the Homestead (Home Lands) he knew nothing of agriculture, but the rules specify that they need to be used for ag of some kind. His response was that he knew nothing of ag but had to plant something on the ten acres, so he planted guavas.
One of K’s favorite verbs is “resonate.” Her voice certainly resonates. Shawn’s guitar (didn’t get to see it up close) certainly resonates. The tuning was an open tuning, but this is musical knowledge I do not share. He is a wonderful accompanist. In a brief lull in her conversation, being fearless and immune to stares and sharing in her attitude, I shouted out that he was wonderful and thanked him. K looked over at me beaming. She is a very “hang loose” type and fun mixes seriously in her conversation. That is her word: We were all having a conversation. She spoke to us in her language, we listened in ours. Resonance.
And she related the anecdote of her trip to Brooklyn some time in the past. She’d been contacted by some Hawaiian government agency who wished her to work with them and they sent her and Shawn to Brooklyn. (My daughter Bevin lived in Brooklyn for years). When they arrived, they found the venue was decorated with spray-painted pineapples. She left right then and stormed back to Hawaii. The insult was just too sickening and her message has nothing whatever to do with the imported fruit which symbolizes the haole domination of her peeps. The sponsors were sh#t out of luck and washed their hands of her. She didn’t care a damn bit. Big points for the integrity of a pretty big lady.
In my teen years there was a guy named John Nelson who was a member of our Explorer post. His nickname was “Pineapple.” Who knew back then of its derogatory nature? But nicknames are often cruel.
I saw a few folks there who I know, like John, a member of a local drumming circle, and Cliff, who sits in the Arbor Gallery at the MAC, and Danny Baladad, who I have known since 1961. One of his brothers bought our old home on Olive which was partially burned last year. He is also a member of the Merced Historical Society. It was great to speak with him as it’s been too long. Otherwise, the crowd was mixed: students, a few young children, and “vintage” citizens (K’s term) like Laurie and I.
So that was the event.
I came home and ate some more tuna (had a good lunch at the 510 Bistro of medium-cooked tuna on a bed of greens with vinaigrette) and a cup of mushroom bisque. I was being good to myself yesterday, it seems, but I may have few chances remaining to do so. I spoke on the phone with my sister, too. And bro Tim even called to check up on me, having seen what’s happening on the thread. He said my legs looked much better than they did and told me to keep doing what I have been doing. He is taking off for Truckee today as the storm might call for mandatory chains—he is a chainer-for-hire on the side of the highway, you may recall. So yesterday, culminating in an ad hoc “date,” was special.
“And then I fell asleep.” Really, I got three whole hours of sleepy-time. The dream was vivid and perplexing, about a local Merced wedding. Now that’s entertainment.
I must run off to Fresno in a few, so adios, amigos.
Aloha means love, not hello, BTW, so instead I will say “Mahalo.” Thank you.
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hooblie
climber
from out where the anecdotes roam
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Jan 18, 2018 - 07:10am PT
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you know, that's how me and mr. tree left it ...just keep on doing what your doin'
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 18, 2018 - 04:41pm PT
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KK became close to Raiatea Helm when Helm was just beginning her rise to stardom. They are one year apart in age and remain close friends.
FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR – At barely 18 years of age, Raiatea Helm made Hawai’i music history as the youngest artist to ever receive the coveted Female Vocalist of the Year Award by the Hawai’i Academy of Recording Artists (Hawai’i’s equivalent to the Grammy Awards). At the same time, Helm became one of the youngest recording artists ever to receive the Most Promising Artist of the Year Award. This debut CD is self-named as ““Raiatea”ť translates to ““Far Away Heaven.”ť
[Click to View YouTube Video]The two ladies have totally different vocal ranges. KK's hula is so fun to watch, so gracefully expert and sinuous.
All systems "GO" after the visit to VA Fresno.
neebee, see what I found at the Mexican market? Van Driver pulled over at El Bajio market for me. My neighbor Mike happened to be in the line just ahead of me and I snagged a ride home with the groceries. Today was another very good one.
Sister Lenna got good medical news, too. YAY!
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 18, 2018 - 06:25pm PT
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Birds.
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 18, 2018 - 06:30pm PT
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 18, 2018 - 06:32pm PT
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Two January sunrises from 2016.
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hooblie
climber
from out where the anecdotes roam
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Jan 18, 2018 - 06:45pm PT
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makes me smile ^^^glad to hear your news
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Gnome Ofthe Diabase
climber
Out Of Bed
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Jan 19, 2018 - 04:20am PT
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CANT GO BACK,
NEVER GOING BACK,
IM CELEBRATING PASSING THE DOUBLE NICKLE
BY TAKING THE STRANGEEST STRANGER,
DA' GOYLE SPAWN, TO A SHOW!
THIS SHOW, FELT LIKE IT WAS PLAYED FOR ME.
(sigh, shuda' stayed)
Grateful Dead 5/5/1990 Cal State Dominguez Hills, Carson CA SBD
https://youtu.be/LDx2z5RLx08
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