Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
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Oct
13
Posted by matthew smith
Hawaii - Honolulu - Kailua Beach
Welcome to the beachside neighborhood of Kailua Beach on the windward side of Oahu. When the serious trade winds kick up out of the east, Oahu’s kite boarders are in the water here from sunrise to sunset allowing the wind to help them skim the surface of the waves and catch serious air at each turn. As an example, on July 28, 2007 Cabrinha’s Jesse Richman went airborn for 22 seconds at the Big air wind jam in San Francisco. He threw 7 kiteloops…probably a new world’s record for kiteboarding…a water to water jump.
check out the video at:
www.cabrinhakites.com
Welcome to the Big Show of Hawaii where all the world’s top riders congregate annually for the Red Bull King of the Air. You may not be pro material (yet), but you can still enjoy Kite Beach in Maui or the more docile Kailua Beach in Oahu, and you might even end up in a magazine. Book your trip from May to October, when the wind is the most consistent.
Schools: Hawaiian Watersports; Kailua Sailboards and Kayaks Inc.; Off Da Lip; Naish Limited
Happy winds to all!
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Sep
14
Posted by matthew smith
A palm tree in the top photo stands out against the Honolulu skyline due to high levels of volcanic fog. Volcanic fog, or “vog” forms when sulfur dioxide gas reacts with sunlight, oxygen, dust particles and water in the air. The lower left fishing photo shows a unique vog sunrise over Oahu. And the lower right photo shows a vog enhanced sunset off Honolulu.
Vog does not originate on Oahu. It starts hundreds of miles to the southeast on the active volcanic big island of Hawaii. If the winds are just right the vog created there by mother nature works its way into our atmosphere here in Honolulu and around the island of Oahu. It’s a bummer of a mid day hazy annoyance when the skies should be clear and blue. On the other hand we are blessed to start and end our daily life here with spectacularly enhanced sunrises and sunsets when vog is visiting our island.
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Sep
06
Posted by matthew smith
As you head North and West along the shore from Kaneohe Mall area to the North Shore you will pass by a very interesting sight on your left with a huge wierd shaped object covered by a gray tarp. My wife thinks it’s a boat. I think it is part of jet. She thinks I’m crazy. For the fun of it, I’ve pictured it above alongside an actual Hawaiian Air jet. Notice any similarities between the shape of the front end of the actual jet and the shape of the object under the tarp?
I think it is a piece of the jet that crashed in the hit ABC-TV series ”LOST”. In that series, a plane en route from Australia to the United States crashes into the ocean on a tropical deserted Pacific island. There were survivors of that crash. Oddly enough it’s not hard to spot those survivors occasionally around the island of Oahu. Sometimes downtown Honolulu. Sometimes at a restaurant in Hawaii Kai. The other day I was purchasing an item at Pier One Imports in Kailua and spotted one of the survivors sniffing the scents of varrious candles. Then attempting to see if they fit certain candle holders. How sad to have to live that way.
It has to be pretty rough being a jet crash survivor here on island. Is it possible at the end of each day they all hike back to their tarped wreckage, burn candles, and hunker down for another day hoping to be rescued? I’ve never followed one of the survivors to find out for sure. But I rather doubt it.
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Sep
01
Posted by matthew smith
I start most of my mornings with a trip into Kailua-town to get a cup of coffee at Kalapawai’s. It’s right on Kalaheo Avenue, a main road through Kailua on your way to Lanikai. Parking is a bit tight. Many times I have to cirlce around Kailua Beach Park and go back by to find a spot. One always opens up. The circle drive past the beach is always fun watching the surf and beach goers beginning their activities for the day. The benches and seating along the front of the store are always full of local folks visiting about a variety of things. Politics, religion, Aunty Betty, you name it. You pick up quick bits of interesting information just walking past them into the store where the conversations continue around the coffee corral. Many wishing you a good morning along the way. All this effort for a worthwhile cause. The coffee is fabulous with lots of selections - including dark full bodied Kona coffees- my favorite.
Besides being a neighborhood store, it is also a sandwich deli with full service. Kalapawai recently opened another ”restaurant only” location deeper in Kailua-town. Both locations offer sandwich and salad creations that are out of this world. Here’s some information to help you locate Kalapawai or contact them and get on their mailing list.
Featured Coffee at Kalapawai Cafe
In-Store
Coffee of the Day
- SUN - Toasted Coconut
- MON - Lion French
- TUE - Toasted Coconut
- WED - Chocolate Macadamia
- THU - Vanilla Macadamia
- FRI - Lion French
- SAT - Red Elephant
NEW REVIEW!!! We were recently written up by Wanda Adams of the Honolulu Advertiser
Read more on our new Press page.
Cafe Dinner Menu (PDF)
Wine Flights change on a frequent basis and may differ.
Our 5 featured wines are:
- Sterling Napa Chardonnay
- Rosenblum Torrontes
- Capezzana Sangiovese
- Navarra Cabernet Sauvignon
- Green Point Shiraz
Chefs John Memering and Jason Iwane are proud to introduce our new Spring and Summer dinner menu beginning on Tuesday, May 13, at Kalapawai Café. Some of the featured new items will be the Salad of bay shrimp, Hau’ula Tomatoes, Kahuku corn & Big Island heart of palm, over crispy baby romaine lettuce with a soy-wasabi vinaigrette; Tagine of New Zealand free range lamb shank over saffron-scented couscous; grilled cider-brined pork chop served with calabacitas over poblano chili mash; & a bruschetta of artichoke tapanade & speck. These are just a few of the new items to join our list of favorites. See you at the Cafe!
Wine flights are the perfect way to start off your meal…they feature 2 oz. pours of 3 different wines showcasing anything from growing region, to character similarities & differences, to just giving you the chance to try something new.
Call us at 262-DELI or send us an email at cafe@kalapawaimarket.com to find out more and to join our mailing list to be the first to find out about our up-coming tastings, artshows, and other special events
We invite you to browse our site, shop on-line, order your lunch, read about our store and learn about the Kailua and Lanikai beach communities. If don’t see what you’re looking for, give us a call (808) 262-4359 or if you are near Kailua Beach, stop in and see us.
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Aug
26
Posted by matthew smith
The Mokulua Islands are twin (Mokulua) islands that are connected to a reef just offshore from Kailua and Lanikai Beach on the North and Eastern coastline of Oahu. For the most part the islands are a bird sanctuary owned by the State of Hawaii.
One of the islands can be accessed by visitors and has private beach areas and plenty of hiking trails. Both are an easy kayak trip from pretty much anywhere along Lanikai beach, and just a little further from Kailua beach. An abundance of coral beds and sea life with keep you entertained along the way to and from the Mokulua’s referred to by locals as the “Mok’s”.
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Aug
12
Posted by matthew smith
Amazingly there has been lots of controversy about democratic presidential nominee Senator Barak Obama choosing to vacation for a week in Hawaii. Should he have chosen some other more American State than a foreign and exotic Hawai’i? What kind of message is vacationing in a far off Pacific island paradise sending to the American voters? Never mind that he was born and raised in Hawai’i. Graduated from Punahou High School in Honolulu. He has routinely returned to Hawai’i many times over the past 20 years to vacation in Honolulu on his native island of O’ahu, visiting family and friends. In fact I’ve heard he recently made a real estate purchase here.
So what’s this nonsense about Hawai’i being less American all about? A whirlwind tour of Honolulu and the island of O’ahu would include interesting current and historical American points of interest like the Arizona Memorial, Punchbowl Cemetery of the Pacific, the USS Missouri, National Guard soldiers training for their second deployment to the Middle East, and Aloha Stadium where the best of the best football players traditionally come each February to play in the Pro Bowl, following the Super Bowl - without needing a passport.
I’m convinced Hawai”i is a U.S. state when I sit in the gas line at Costco next to Home Depot in Honolulu waiting my turn to purchase cheaper fuel. When I’m purchasing my groceries at Safeway in Kailua keying in my phone number that includes a U.S. area code for savings. When I’m deciding whether to fast food it off the dollar menu at Burger King, or splurge at Taco Bell. When I’m passing by Wal-Mart and K-Mart on my way to the Ala Moana Mall to make a purchase at Sears or Nordstrom’s.. And when I’m merging from Interstate H-1 to Interstate H-3 to get home from another day of real estate in Honolulu. Always wondering why we call it an “Interstate” in the first place. Then chuckling as I pass by McDonald’s, where only in Hawai’i can you order “Spam N’ Eggs” off their breakfast menu. I never have! Seriously!
Hawaii Is Our 50th State. Seriously!
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Aug
04
Posted by Matt Smith or DeeDee Arena
(CBS) Parents of college freshmen face a rite of passage this fall when they take their sons and daughters to campus for the first time.For this group of teens, autumn not only brings a new school, but new friends and an independence they’ve probably never experienced before. So psychologist Lawrence Balter offers advice for parents and college freshmen as they prepare for the year ahead.
PreparationSending a son or daughter off to college for the first time has got to be a very difficult move for most parents. After all, this isn’t the same as a 4-week or 8-week stay at a summer camp. It is a big commitment and a major step toward independent living, says Dr. Balter.Parents should think about their own feelings of loss and exhilaration. Of course, most parents are glad to see children move on to this important stage of their lives. But at the same time, parents know that the relationship will never be quite the same again, even if their children turn out to be ‘boomerang’ children, who come home again after college.Mixed feelings can be expressed in lots of ways: sometimes kids and parents fight a lot because there is so much tension in the air. Sometimes, parents and kids become overly solicitous toward one another as they anticipate the big separation.Up until now, parents have been trying to get their children to take care of themselves and live up to their responsibilities. In a way, this is the big test.
From Big Fish to Little Fish
In high school, your son or daughter may have been the star of the basketball team or class valedictorian, but usually that’s not going to be the case in college. This often becomes a question of self-image - how they see themselves. You should talk to your child about this and help him or her to set realistic expectations (different from high school).
Separation from Family
It is important to talk to your child about living with people who are not related. They will often be paired with one or two roommates, usually in close quarters. You need to try to allay any fears they might have about these new relationships. You should also bring up the subject of fiends and remind your child that good friendships take time and effort to develop. I know of many who are leaving the mainland and attending the wonderful University of Hawaii at Manoa in Honolulu. They will be so welcomed and make lasting friends.
Signs of Freshman Stress
Typical freshman symptoms are lower grades, weight gain and homesickness. It’s important to listen for signs of depression or unhappiness. Parents should be patient and supportive. They should keep in mind that grades may temporarily suffer because of the strains of the initial adjustment.
And if your children have put on the “Freshman 15,” the excess weight that is so common, tell them they are not alone, but suggest they try to eat at regular meal times and avoid the late-night pizzas and fast food, which are all too common in dorms.
Parents also shouldn’t hesitate to stay in touch by emailing, phoning, sending letters and care packages. And when you do talk, tell them the latest, but don’t pry.
Additional Help
If it gets really bad and your child talks about wanting to take a year off, whether it’s because of the pressure or just because he’s homesick, don’t rule it out without giving it a fair hearing. But first, try to encourage him or her to give it some more time. You should encourage your child to speak to a dean or to contact the college’s counseling center. Freshman blues usually do pass and if they don’t, taking a year off isn’t the worst thing that can happen.
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Jul
29
Posted by Matt Smith or DeeDee Arena
