On my walk this morning around the block I saw these beautiful blossoms on Huamalani road. It’s Spring into Summertime!
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Lily
Morning glory
Hibiscus
Lily
.
Palm
Hibiscus
Heliconia
Shell ginger
Plumeria
.
Hibiscus
.
Bird of Paradise
Ixora
Oops, this is Willy the peacock. He’s not a flower, but he thinks he is!
Across America families are celebrating the graduation of young people from schools and colleges. Commencement ceremonies for The Kamehameha Schools take place today, and my friends the parents of Punia Sonoda-Pale wisely selected last night to throw him a party. This is how it’s done in Hawaii! 
One of the nice touches were the lighted table centerpieces handcrafted by Punia’s family and friends. So clever and creative! Here is the graduate decorated with flower lei.
Punia Sonoda-Pale
I mua! Go forth!
Looking toward the left from my balcony
Waking up to this sky over Makaua in the district of Koʻolauloa on the island of Oʻahu.
Looking toward the my right
When the pool is filled and the fountain spurts high, Thomas Square is even more of an oasis in mid-Honolulu.
Mothers Day 2019. I kept my commitment to serve the homeless and needy in Honolulu today. The venue was Thomas Square (photos below).
My friend’s hobby is to cook and serve a delicious buffet meal to the homeless on a fairly regular basis for free. Today she added a free store. The recipe ingredients and pre-owned store inventory are largely donated. She has a handful of helpers who pack, drive, unload, unpack, set up tents and tables, serve, and break down from about 9 in the morning to 4 in the afternoon. It’s rough work. The venue might change from time to time, but her regulars find her by word-of mouth.
In the morning Thomas Square is neat and tidy; public restrooms are clean, thanks to a dedicated City & County crew. However, the park that is one square city block and planted with mature banyan trees around a circular fountain gets a little trashed during the day, I noticed, and it looks like it’s a growing hangout for folks looking for a place to sleep at night. Before, it was refreshing to see the pool with water in it and the fountain operating. Today it was dry.
“Customers” waited patiently for the food and store to be set up and then were grateful, mostly, to fill their bowls and plates. Some looked disheveled. Some were very tired. Hot soup, several kinds of salads, a meat-and-rice dish, Greek dolmas, macaroni and cheese (Gouda with bacon!), yogurt, corn dogs, chips, cold tea and water—are you hungry yet?
For me, it was a rough day in terms of interacting with this particular public. It is not in my repertoire. I returned home to read that the homeless people in Chinatown made the front page of the daily newspaper again.
It’s too bad. I think I can do this only about once a year. God’s blessings to my friend and her regular team.
Thomas Square’s refreshing-looking lawn
Mature banyan trees
Shady spot
Old sign
Fascinating aerial roots
Thomas Square, with dry pool and fountain in the foreground
These four creatures have names and depend on the people for food, so I guess they are ours: Massimo, JJ, The Fat Dove, and Willy the Peacock.
By the time I post this, the Annual Foster Garden Plant Sale will be over, but you can make a note of it for next year. It has been a long time since we came to this event, and I suggested it might be a good place to look for hanging baskets to decorate the newly covered deck outside.
We came away with some tillandsia and and many photos.
First I had to pay homage to the baobab tree (center). It’s the one Le Petit Prince hated because of all the leaves he had to rake up.
Tillandsia
Bedding plants
The open bulbs trap insects, perhaps!
Groot
Hibiscus varieties. Wow!
Lime puff
Love the color
Vanda orchid
According to Wikipedia, Foster Botanical Garden, measuring 13.5 acres (5.5 ha), is one of five public botanical gardenson Oahu. It is located at 50 North Vineyard Boulevard, Honolulu, Hawaii, United States, near Chinatown at the intersection of Nu’uanu Avenue and Vineyard Boulevard. Foster is in a highly urban area with strip malls, schools, and both Buddhist and Methodist religious facilities nearby.
No need to wait for next year’s plant sale. You can stop in for a visit to the rest of the garden anytime!
Our neighborhood is having a nighttime egg hunt on Good Friday, so Maundy Thursday’s secular activity was dyeing eggs—real hard-cooked chicken eggs.
I recall the children being so excited to find “a real egg” last year. It’s been the fashion to hide plastic candy-filled eggs. Sheesh.
Ayla got right into the decorating while we noticed how competitive her Papa was in his designs.
We dye Easter eggs every year, delighted to pass the tradition on to the next generations.
After the eggs dried, I buffed them with a little salad oil and a soft cloth for shine.
The kids are advised to bring flashlights, but they won’t need them at our place. Motion sensor lights will make the night bright as day.
Happy Easter!
~ Rebekah
Rebekah’s Studio 
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