Whenever I complain to my kids in January that it's too hot and humid, I get no sympathy. Yes, there's a lot about Hawaii to love. Here's a few of my reasons.
1. When strangers talk to you, you're not at all surprised. People smile a lot. Customer service associates are cheerful and friendly.... usually. Yes, we do have a very few grouchy, had-a-bad-day, chip on the shoulder type sales people, but they're pretty hard to find.
2. You're bound to bump into somebody you know no matter where you go. The islands are pretty darn small. They tell you not to yell at anybody in traffic because they could be a relative or neighbor.
3. Pot Lucks! Parties are more casual and everybody pitches in.
4. Rainbows
5. Shave Ice, malasadas, andagi (for my son-in-law)
6. Food: The islands are full of all kinds of ethnic food. Saimin is a noodle soup dish that I LOVE, but can't get anywhere on the mainland.
7. There's always flowers blooming somewhere. I love the African tulip trees. When the shower trees are blooming, it's really spectacular.
8. Surfing: I'm definitely not a surfer, but my son loves it. It's how I can entice him to come to Hawaii.
9. Yes, yes... The weather is pretty wonderful. I do especially enjoy it when I'm wearing shorts and t-shirts during my evening walks in January.
10. There are amazing white sandy beaches and warm ocean water. You don't need a wet suit to go into the water.
11. You only need clothes for one season. You don't need to have gargantuan closets to store winter clothes. It's t-shirts year round.
12. NO snakes, skunks, chipmunks (yes, I know they're cute), and other nuisance creatures. We do have mice and mongoose, although I only see them darting across the road.
13. Volcano National Park is pretty darn awesome!
14. Solar panels get a lot more sun.
15. You can hang your clothes out all year long if you avoid the micro rainstorms that pass through. AND you don't have to pay for heat in the winter.
16. It's closer to Asia, so traveling there is a lot easier.
17. Everybody remembers to take off their shoes when they come to your house.
18. The laid back, casual life style is quite peaceful and they say life expectancy is higher here despite the fact that so much Spam is eaten.
I guess no matter where you live, you will find wonderful and not so wonderful things about it. It's all in your outlook and what you make of your life.
Hmmmm.... I just had a thought. I haven't had shave ice in a long time.
1. When strangers talk to you, you're not at all surprised. People smile a lot. Customer service associates are cheerful and friendly.... usually. Yes, we do have a very few grouchy, had-a-bad-day, chip on the shoulder type sales people, but they're pretty hard to find.
2. You're bound to bump into somebody you know no matter where you go. The islands are pretty darn small. They tell you not to yell at anybody in traffic because they could be a relative or neighbor.
3. Pot Lucks! Parties are more casual and everybody pitches in.
4. Rainbows
5. Shave Ice, malasadas, andagi (for my son-in-law)
6. Food: The islands are full of all kinds of ethnic food. Saimin is a noodle soup dish that I LOVE, but can't get anywhere on the mainland.
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| African Tulips |
7. There's always flowers blooming somewhere. I love the African tulip trees. When the shower trees are blooming, it's really spectacular.
8. Surfing: I'm definitely not a surfer, but my son loves it. It's how I can entice him to come to Hawaii.
9. Yes, yes... The weather is pretty wonderful. I do especially enjoy it when I'm wearing shorts and t-shirts during my evening walks in January.
 |
| Tiffany and KC |
10. There are amazing white sandy beaches and warm ocean water. You don't need a wet suit to go into the water.
11. You only need clothes for one season. You don't need to have gargantuan closets to store winter clothes. It's t-shirts year round.
12. NO snakes, skunks, chipmunks (yes, I know they're cute), and other nuisance creatures. We do have mice and mongoose, although I only see them darting across the road.
13. Volcano National Park is pretty darn awesome!
14. Solar panels get a lot more sun.
 |
| Art and KC doing laundry |
16. It's closer to Asia, so traveling there is a lot easier.
17. Everybody remembers to take off their shoes when they come to your house.
18. The laid back, casual life style is quite peaceful and they say life expectancy is higher here despite the fact that so much Spam is eaten.
I guess no matter where you live, you will find wonderful and not so wonderful things about it. It's all in your outlook and what you make of your life.
Hmmmm.... I just had a thought. I haven't had shave ice in a long time.
That Hawaii life does sound great.
ReplyDeleteI love the laundry photo.
There's something good about every place, but Hawaii does sound a bit like Paradise to me! I would miss the changing seasons, though.
ReplyDeleteGood to know.Point number 1,2,4,7,15 and 17 are common with my city .Same pleasant weather all year long -how lucky !
ReplyDeleteI think to be happy we have to focus on the good things about where we find ourselves.....it sounds like you have done that, Kay, and you've made Hawaii sound like a wonderful place indeed.
ReplyDeleteI agree 100%. You forgot this one: a lot of restaurants here have a beautiful view of the outdoors.
ReplyDeletePS. Why do you now have Visual Verification? Too much spam? Hassle, though.
Nice list! I love shave ice too. I make a homemade concoction so I don't miss retail shave ice that much. I crush ice cubes in my blender (the result is a course shaved ice). I can choose healthier juices (less sugar) and low fat ice creams than the sugary syrup/ice cream that's used on store bought ones. My favorite topping these days is Benefiber powder...yup that way I can get a bit more fiber to help my cholesterol. Benefiber has aspartame, so I use this moderately also, but the flavor goes well on shaved ice. I really love eating this daily in the afternoon as a pick up or after dinner as my dessert. Husband thinks this is gross but I find it refreshing and helps me get my dessert fix without the calories or sugar. This morning husband suggested I try furikake on quinoa. OK, that sounds weird too but I'll try it. That's the thing about Hawaii I love...we combine cultural dishes to come up with new ones.
ReplyDeleteL.
Gigi: I've been getting too much spam lately (not the kind we eat) so I have to add the Word Verification for a while until it stops.
ReplyDeleteL: That sounds really interesting! I was just thinking I need to use my huge bag of quinoa that I got from Costco too. Shave ice with Benefiber? Wow! Now that's something I've never thought of, but it sounds wonderfully healthy.
ReplyDeleteEvery now and then, Dick will talk about retiring. I don't believe he'll really do it, but he mentions it once or twice a year. Last time it was "I'd like to retire in Hawaii"!!
ReplyDeleteLOL
I'm glad you have something to like about both homes. I imagine what you love best about Hawaii, however, is your mom.
Kay, Alberta, Canada
An Unfittie’s Guide to Adventurous Travel
I knew it was truly paradise. I just wish it weren't an island. And, I wish it weren't so far away!
ReplyDeleteI'm getting a lot of spam too. Must be living in Hawaii!
ReplyDeleteI think I should retire to Hawaii! Sold! Do you know saimin instant noodles (well the ones in the package) are deep fried, so they are crunchy and can be eaten as chips. I try not to have it so often because they are fried noodles. But that's why they taste so good.
ReplyDeleteSounds idyllic - but I think I'd miss the changing of the seasons - sometimes four times in one day;-)
ReplyDeleteWonderful list Kay!
ReplyDeleteI did learn that shave ice is different: lighter than snow with syrup. MUCH better than a snow cone with chunks of ice. Seeing that big cylinder of ice in the shaving machine was interesting. Wonderful stuff!
You've got better fish and fruit options in Hawaii, too. DrumMajor
Look at all the enthusiastic responses you got. Is Pho similar to your noodle soup?
ReplyDeleteI like no humidity. This will do me just fine. I'm too far from the beach as it is.
glad you are home safely and happy to be back in Hawaii!
ReplyDeleteThat's quite a list, and I agree with you about everything is pretty much how you look at it
ReplyDeleteNo place
ReplyDeletelike these islands,
these people!
Aloha from Honolulu
Comfort Spiral
> < } } ( ° >
Today, here in the cold northwest rain, Hawaii sounds wonderful!
ReplyDeleteHi Kay!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you!
wherever you live, you find good points also bad points.
actually I'm jealous of you!
of course I wanna live in Hawaii if I can do it.
Nobody doesn't like Hawaii.
sometimes I can't find good points about Japan or Japanese. Because I'm tired of politics or something.
and as you said, people in Hawaii also other countries smile when their eyes meet you. but most Japanese people don't do that.
I don't like this point.
but you know, of course there is a lot of good points to live here.
by the way,
yes! it's kaki tree in my picture on my blog!