Enhancing "I Spy"Game & Inventing Words With Our Granddaughter

Aloha Everyone,

Whenever we are driving somewhere, our granddaughter loves playing word games. She enjoys playing the popular children's game, "I spy"." It is a guessing game and the person who spied would say, "I spy with my little eye," and say the first letter of the object and players have to guess the person or object the Spy is referring to.  

To make this simple game more complex and challenging, our rule is that we have to use different adjectives to describe your eye. For example, I spy with my brilliant eye, keen eye, incredible eye, clear eye and so on. The object we spy may be 2 to 4 words. Once we've exhausted objects we could discern inside and outside of Honu, we moved into imaginary objects. You can "see" that this game could go on and on.

We also invented words which we can use as noun, adjective, adverb or verb. J.J. also got involved in coming up with words that is really not a word in most languages but which we could use to describe people, situation, mood, state of mind. For example, "Trambaash" is one of the words we.invented,  We can say, "I am so trambaashed" or "Ah the scenery is absolutely trambaashing!!"  After finishing, a marathon, we might say, "The experience was trambaashly exciting!"  I believe you now can trambaash what I mean!

Aloha -- Cathi

Happy 240 Year America!!!

Aloha Everyone,

Whenever J.J. and I return to the United States from one of our overseas travels, I always experience a profound sense of gratitude for being an American.

Today we celebrated our nation's 240th birthday. Our family had a gathering at my niece's home where there were 7 children and 9 adults and a lots and lots of foods and merriment. However, the highlight of the day was at night when darkness enveloped the city. Then the fireworks started. My granddaughter and I slept in the 2nd floor bedroom of my Mother's house and watched the spectacle. At times we were enthralled and mesmerized by the colors, speed, design, size and very loud noise.  

We talked about the meaning of independence and why we celebrate the 4th of July.

"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves." --Abraham Lincoln

"We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." --Thomas Jefferson 

Aloha -- Cathi

Southern California Live Steamer

Aloha Everyone,

The hobby was started in 1948 by Mrs. Lewis in her backyard in Lomita. Beginning in 1985, tracks were laid and operation of live steamer trains began.

Southern California Live Steamer membership is made up of volunteers whose mission is to educate the public about the rich railroad history as well as to promote interest in the hobby of live steam trains. 

There is no mandatory payment for the ride, but donations are welcome as this is how the club maintains and operates these trains. Trains run on the first Sunday and third Saturday of each month with additional special fundraising events. For more information, go to: http://www.southerncalifornialivesteamers.org/

Theresa, a long-time volunteer and her nephew, Daniel are continuing the tradition which her husband began as a founding member.

Obi and Noriko with their young son are repeat visitors on the train rides.

Aloha -- Cathi

Physical Art Of Christo

Aloha Everyone,

Some of us might remember the 16 days in February 2005 when Christo and his late wife, Jeanne-Claude installed 7,500 gates along Central Park’s walkways. The gates were each adorned with shimmering saffron-colored panels. Christo described them as “a golden river appearing and disappearing through the branches of the trees.” The project cost $20 million. It was financed by the sale of Christo’s artworks. It attracted four million visitors to view his golden River and pumped nearly $250 million into the city’s economy.

"It put New York City in the international headlines for something hopeful for the first time since 9/11,” said Patricia E. Harris, the former deputy mayor and, for decades, a leading supporter of the project with her boss, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. “It reminded the world that our city’s artistic spirit was alive and well.”

Christo, known as a conceptual artist, just finished his latest project in Italy. The Floating Piers is a walkway on water. It stretches nearly 2 miles connecting two small islands in Lake Iseo in the Lombardy region of Italy.  

As in all the projects of Christo and his late wife, Jeanne-Claude's projects, "The Floating Piers is absolutely free and accessible 24 hours a day, weather permitting,” Christo said in a press release. “There are no tickets, no openings, no reservations and no owners. The Floating Piers are an extension of the street and belong to everyone.”

Christo and the late wife, Jeanne-Claude’s projects are playful, joyful, fleeting public artwork that offers fantastical relief from the ordinary. Christo, an energetic 81 years young man with a grinning face and twinkle in his eyes, announced his next project. "Over the River" will cover a segment of the Arkansas River, the most rafted river in the United States. J.J. and I hope to keep tab of Christi's project so that we could experience this fleeting art that might profoundly impact the way we see our world.

Aloha -- Cathi

Fellowship With Other Early Risers

Aloha Everyone,

I've always been a morning person. I love the quiet hour between daybreak and when the world begins to wake up.

In the morning, most people are nicer and kinder. Air is cool and clean. Listening to bird songs one cannot but to smile and hum a tune. It is a wonderful way to begin your day.

Early risers you meet are ready to get their body warmed up and get in shape. Some are serious runners focused on each step they take.

Others are social runners with a running partner. They run together to deepen their friendship.

One of more interesting is the dancing couple, with music blaring, they dance from one end of the field then back again, not just once, twice but five times, the entire time I was at the park.  

In the late afternoon, my granddaughter and I returned to the park. She continued to help me advance on my scooting skills. I learned to use foot and hand brakes if I need to suddenly come to a halt. I also practiced in continuous turns from large to smaller circles. As with any "lessons" she has given me, my granddaughter was encouraging. She assured me that I am a very fast learner :-). As to her offer of getting me a scooter for my birthday, my suggestion is to let me borrow her scooter whenever we visit. We have no room in Honu and beside, many RV parks state and national parks would frown on adults riding scooters.

Aloha -- Cathi