Homespun Honolulu

I’m all for supporting a Motorcycle Awareness Month! I saw this announcement in an article about riding on the mainland so I had to find out, “Hey, what about us?”  This doesn’t mean that our local news channels haven’t said anything; it just means that I haven’t heard it.  Apparently, it is also bike (bicycle) month.  The news has spoken about that and a school’s poster contest called, “Make it Safe for Me.”  I like that!

If I wasn’t such a coward I would ride a motorcycle.  But, I also suffer from road rage and a need for anger management so it would be a very bad idea!  We had thirty (30) motorcycle fatalities last year and there were 5,290 fatalities Nationwide in 2008!

In 2007 and 2008 the numbers were horrid, probably because so many people have turned to this more gas-efficient mode of transportation.  More people riding motorcycles means that more motorcycle accidents are likely to happen.

Regular readers know how I whine about biker safety, all of the time.  We had another fatality earlier this week.  I don’t know what the accident total is so far this year but as this is being written, I kid you not; the morning traffic report is talking about a bike down on the windward side of O’ahu.  “Hello?!?  You’ve got to be kidding me!” It says they are clearing it up so I’m going to guess that it was not a fatality.  Thank goodness!

It’s important to make all two-wheelers safe — be they bicycles, mopeds, or motorcycles.  I’ve actually found myself positioning my car behind bikers on the freeway to protect them from oblivious drivers.  Obviously I’m not the only one.

That way they will have the distance they need, and a protective driver will be able to hit the brakes if the need should arise — a buffer of sorts.  “Rear end my car, not a biker.”  I may end up with a nice rear-end smash, but a biker would end up dead.  Simple.  “Look twice, save a life!”  Love those bumper stickers.  Click on the photos and check out these sites.  Pick up a couple for your car to remind your fellow drivers.  It’s Motorcycle Awareness Month!

Welcome to the latest chapter of the Carnival of Aloha!  Things are a week late but while pulling thing together we found some gems in the process.  We have some new friends joining us and I appreciate these new perspectives.  I don’t know how new the blogs are but they’re new to me!  Help me welcome them to our little Carnival ohana!

Noel shares The Nuances of Hula with us that is posted over at A Plant Fanatic In Hawaii.  Great post, Noel, thank you!  I was happy to see a cultural submission (I always am happy to see that) and I am also thrilled to welcome a plant aficionado into our midst!  Now I have someone who can tell me what peculiar thing it is that I’ve taken a picture of while wondering around.  Welcome, Noel!  Thank your for joining us!

This chapter of the Carnival is an active one and we need to be fed.  While Noel found us and is sharing the floral beauty of our culture and our gardens, I found someone to provide us with some cyber food from the garden to help us keep up our energy.

Sonia tells us what it’s like to be Cooking from the Garden that we can find over at Sonia Tastes Hawaii.  Yummy!  Relax, I know it says garden but I did see meat in some of the pictures on her blog.  But, I’m all for learning some good vegetarian dishes too.  Mahalo, Sonia, for agreeing to provide a “ride” for the Carnival!  I hope you will tell us more about garden edibles and your other food finds!

Sheila shares more cultural finds with us and suggests that we Visit Kauai’s Wailua River Valley.  We get to learn all about it on her blog at Hawaii Vacation Advice – GoVisitHawaii.com.  As always, the photos are beautiful and very enticing!  Waterfalls and heiau make a really great combination for a place of peaceful wonder.  It looked like a warm day, Sheila.  I’m glad you and Andy like to hike!

Sheila shared the Carnival of Aloha with one of her blogging friends and as a result, we get to welcome Melanie as she joins us for the first time!

Melanie Waldman presents some great Images of Maui posted at Travels With Two.  What beautiful pictures, Melanie!  You guys seriously need to check this out.  After one camera drama after another, these beautiful pictures were actually taken with the camera in her iPhone!  You have GOT to be kidding me?!?   Amazing!  I love the pictures of the cattle crossing the road.  Too cute!

I think Sonia fed us too well.  We need some exercise!  Ryan’s here to fix that!

Ryan Suenaga tells us about his Sixty Two Miles of Heck: the Haleiwa Metric Century posted at The Athletic Diabetic.  You know, Ryan, that’s a round trip from Nu’uanu to Makaha and back.  There are a lot of people who freak out over that distance by car!  I don’t, but I’m weird so that doesn’t count.  I’ve thought about getting a bike recently, but, I just don’t know.  Somehow being on foot still feels safer.  Ryan, is it safer?

Evelyn Hunter (me) wanted to share A Reprieve for the Dogs with the Bad Press posted here at Homespun Honolulu.  I actually tried to share this with the Carnival of Cities because there are so many cities across the country that are dealing with this very same issue.  Unfortunately, the host at the time chose to ignore it.  Perhaps they saw it as advertising or something.  Maybe they have decided that the Carnival of Cities is for Travel writers only — that was not its original intent.  I’m not sure since they have not responded to my inquiry.  If they do, maybe there will be a reprieve for them too.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of the Carnival of Aloha using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page and the guidelines can be found here!

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Here is another one of those events that I keep missing.  Coming up on us very quickly is the 5th Annual Hawai’i Book & Music Festival, a Celebration of Story and Song.

This year’s event comes with an added touch for those who are literary-minded.  We have an O’ahu resident whose book will debut at this event!  Douglas Corleone was an attorney in New York but he left the practice and moved to Hawaii.  Now Douglas is a beach-going writer who is enjoying life at a much slower pace than what he found in New York city!

This is great — we have a resident novelist among us!  His book, One Man’s Paradise, is an award-winning crime-drama/mystery using Honolulu as the back drop.  It will be  interesting to see, and fun to watch, how this young author will do with this novel and the novels that follow!  I’ve started reading it and the personality of Mr. Corvelli, the book’s protagonist, is already an interesting study.

The book is now available at our local book stores and if you want to get a head start on One Man’s Paradise before the Festival, or if you can’t make it to the Festival, you can still get a copy and meet the author at:

     Barnes & Noble, Ala Moana on Saturday, May 1, 2010 from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.

or

Borders, Waikele Center on Saturday, May 8, 2010 from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m

Then there’s the Book & Music Festival where Douglas will be on May 16, 2010 at the Barnes & Noble Bookseller tent for signing at 3:30 to 4:00 p.m. followed by a reading and a Q&A at the Author’s Pavilion.

If you still don’t have a copy at that point, there is still June 5, 2010 at Barnes & Noble, Kahala Mall from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m.

Mahalo to all of the sponsors and contributors to the 5th Annual Hawai’i Book & Music Festival!  Try to get there if you can!