Trick or Treat? No shows!!

Today is Halloween and, like what has happened the past few years, no kids showed up to receive any of the couple dozen bags of treats we had ready for them.

What gives?

It wasn't the weather (calm, clear evening with no rain).
It wasn't that we had the lights off in the house or out front.
It wasn't that we weren't home.

So what was it?

Wethinks it is that the street we live on is (or appears to be) Halloween-unfriendly.  Plus, our street is at the top of a long street (Apapane) that is a long hill that kids (and their parents who accompany them) are unwilling to tackle to get treats.  I also think the no-shows are also a result of not having (m)any young kids living on our street.  Maybe it's also because not many kids trick-or-treat nowadays. 

Whatever the case, now we have a bunch of candy to give away, consume, whatever.

We'll try again next year.

A tale of two hikes

A long day, but a wonderful day.

Our day began at 4:30 a.m. as we arose from a night of slumber to prepare for a hike to the lookout above the Makapuu Lighthouse. We joined members (Kanoa Kanahele and Gene Tamashiro) from church at the hike's start along Kalanianaole Highway at 5:20 a.m.  With the big dipper and Orion's belt clearly visible in the dark night sky, we said a prayer together and then set off up the unlit road, flashlights in hand.  It was 5:30 a.m.

Here we are with Gene Tamashiro

On the way up, Kanoa entertained us with a seemingly endless repertoire of jokes.  Meanwhile, Jacque took a near-tumble off the road since she was so engrossed in trying to figure out some do-hickey on her iPhone.  She was okay and we made it to the top before sunrise.

Gene, Kanoa, Jacque, Dayle @ the Makapu'u Lighthouse lookout.

There we met two other church members (from our stake) and then four more (from Laie) and the two more (current missionaries, one being Elder Delai who is serving in our ward).

Rosie, Cody, Gene, Kanoa, Jacque, Dayle, Elders

Here we are, with the Makapu'u lighthouse downridge below us.

Elder Delai (from Fiji)--Sunrise @ Makapu'u

After the Makapu'u hike, we headed to Iolani Palace to begin our second activity of the day: coordinating the 4-mile Ulupaina hike for the Hawaiian Trail and Mountain Club.  We arrived at the Palace @ 8:15, met three hikers there, then drove to Temple Valley on the windward side where sixteen other hikers were waiting for us.

By 9am, we were on the trail, which begins on the mauka side of Kahekili Highway on the Kaneohe-side boundary of the Valley of the Temples cemetery.

Ulupaina lunchspot @ the powerline towers at the base of the Koolau cliffs

We did the hike as sweeps, and spent most of the day hiking with three young ladies from Roosevelt High School and Robert, a heart & lung surgeon from the Netherlands.

Arbitration!

Today, we had to attend and testify at an arbitration hearing as part of a settlement lawsuit resulting from a car accident, whereby Jacque was rear-ended by another driver on Kunia Road by Waipahu.  That acccident happened a few years ago (2007?) and here we are almost four years later awaiting a settlement.

Representing us is Attorney Joseph Ahuna with "the opposition" being AIG Insurance Company nka Farmer's Insurance.  The arbitrator was Michael Tanoue, who served as a judge of sorts, to determine if Jacque is owed compensation as a result of injuries suffered from and as a result of the accident.

Now we will wait and see.

Happy Birthday Grandma!

Today was Mom Turner's 75th birthday and we celebrated it with a dinner at Paula's house.  Happy birthday, Mom!

Mom with her birthday dinner:  Hawaiian food!

Kale, Paula and Dayle with Mom

Mom and her great-granddaughter (Shanara's)

Pu'u Ma'eli'eli HTMC

Today, Jacque and I led a hike up and around Pu'u Ma'eli'eli today for the Hawaiian Trail and Mountain Club.  The route begins along Kahekili Highway just Kaneohe-side of Temple Valley Shopping Center and follows an old jeep road that follows the ridgecrest to Ma'eli'eli.

Along the way to the top of the pu'u, there is a junction where we head right to descend into the foothills on the makai side of the ridge.  Part of this foothill ramble is along old jeep roads, probably created by the military vintage WWII.

Eventually, the foothill ramble leads up a ridge that ends at Ma'eli'eli that offered views like these: