Cats and Trails and Garden Tales
Musings on cats, travel, gardens and life
The Cats Call Me Sue
My name is Susanne but I never heard it growing up, except on the first day of school when the teacher did roll call. “It’s Susie,’ I replied and so it was until I began working at Prudential Mutual Savings Bank in downtown Seattle.
One day I answered the phone, “Susie speaking,” and it no longer fit. So I went with the name on the birth certificate and set out to retrain everyone.
“It’s Susanne,'” I said over and over, until everyone made the switch and so it has been ever since.
Until I started my blog that is, and the cats decided to call me Sue. And in the words of Johnny Cash, “What could I do?”
“Isn’t that right boys?” I asked.
“Yes Sue,” said Tiger.
“That’s right Sue,” said Benji.
“But why?” I asked still puzzled myself.
“Maybe it’s easier for you to type,” said Tiger.
“Maybe it’s easier for us to say,” said Benji.
“Makes sense to me,” I replied.
~ Susanne (aka ‘Sue’), Tiger, and Benji.
Super Worm Moon Through the Trees
Strange name isn’t it? But that’s what tonight’s last full moon of winter is called. It was a clear night so I went out to watch it while it was rising through the trees.
So there you have it.
The Super Worm Moon through the trees.
From my backyard.
~ Susanne
The Beautiful Rhododendron! Washington’s State Flower
We tend to take for granted what we have in abundance, and in Washington the rhododendron is abundant- not to mention hard to spell. 😉
And it brings back memories too. Of traveling to grandma’s house and counting the rhodies we saw in the forest along highway 101 on Hood Canal. It was a game to see who could find the most, a clever trick my mom came up with to keep us kids occupied during the final stages of the long ride over. The bright pink flowers of the large shrubs stood out against the dark green of the woods similar to the ones blooming in my front yard now.
You can find all colors in local gardens everywhere.
Lacy, frilly, feminine flowers yet an uncomplaining workhorse in the garden.
For Sunday Stills photo challenge.
~ Susanne
To Oahu’s North Shore – Kualoa Ranch and Turtle Bay
Every visitor to Oahu needs to make the trek to the North Shore at least once. Most make it a day trip but this time we opted to spend four nights at Turtle Bay Resort so we could linger and enjoy all the North Shore has to offer!
So we said goodbye to Waikiki and headed across the Ko’olau Range via the beautiful Pali Highway, stopping by the lush Nuʻuanu Pali Overlook.
According to Wikipedia, “The Nuʻuanu Pali has been a vital pass from ancient times to the present because it is a low, traversable section of the Koʻolau mountain range that connects the leeward side of the mountains, Honolulu to the windward side, Kailua and Kāneʻohe. The Nuʻuanu Pali was the site of the Battle of Nuʻuanu, one of the bloodiest battles in Hawaiian history, in which Kamehameha I conquered the island of Oʻahu, bringing it under his rule.”
The overcast and always windy overlook gave us views of the Ko’olau Cliffs, the highway below and the windward side of the island where we were headed.
Our first stop on the other side was at Kualoa Beach Park where the mountains meet the sea,
and you can see Mokoli’i island (aka ‘Chinaman’s Hat) offshore.
We stopped for lunch at Kualoa Ranch, a 4,000-acre private nature reserve and tourist destination, where many TV shows and movies have been filmed, including Jurassic Park which made the valley famous.
From there we continued on up the Kamehameha Highway and after a quick stop for shaved ice in Laie,
we arrived at Turtle Bay Resort which would be our home on the North Shore for the next five days.
We settled in, and had these views from our balcony
then had dinner by the pool and watched the sun go down.
It wouldn’t be the last time.
Stay tuned for more Hawaiian adventures!
~ Susanne
The Trouble with Benji
The little boy was everywhere this morning and being rather troublesome as only he can be.
He started out on my lap but when I got up he’d taken over the chair.
I reclaimed it but he pestered me by using it as a scratching post (we’re still working on that), and then shredded the small box of Kleenex nearby.
Cute yes, but we decided it was time for him to go outside and play.
He opted for a nap instead.
How he got up there I’ll never know.
That’s my Benji.
He always makes me laugh.
~ Susanne and Benji
It’s Leap Year – So Let’s Leap!
Happy February 29th!
~ Susanne
Photography Fun – A 2020 Space Odyssey
I hadn’t photographed the moon yet this year – how could I with all that rain? – so when I saw it glowing last night in its crescent form with Venus nearby I thought I’d give it a whirl.
The sliver you see is the moon and the teensy speck on the right is Venus,
just before the moon seems to open up …..
and these come out!
What is it? A message from outer space? A space odyssey?
I doubt it. More like an unsteady hand!
Next time I’ll use my tripod! 😉
~ Susanne
Makaha Beach and a Surprise Lunch on Oahu’s Remote Leeward Coast
Time to drop back in on Oahu and take you to the remote west side of the island. To get there we left our base in Waikiki and headed northwest to the Farrington Highway where we had the ocean on one side and the Wai’anae Range on the other.
We made it to the end of the road where the young and hardy – not us – hike the five miles to the westernmost part of the island – Kaena Point.
Instead, we drove back down to beautiful Makaha Beach.
Makaha Beach
Noted for its high surf during the winter, we found it relatively mild on our visit. There were only a few of us on the beach as you can tell by our footprints where we sank deep into soft golden sand.
I could have watched those waves roll in forever.
A Lunch Surprise
Afterwards it was time for lunch and I turned to the Lonely Planet guidebook. We drove to the first choice off the beaten path but it was not for us. The rustic farm had a strange hippie vibe and Bob lamented that he didn’t recognize anything on the menu. When we couldn’t locate our second choice we asked a local who instructed us to follow him for a good restaurant on the beach. So we did.
He motioned for us to turn down a short road and we found ourselves at a military checkpoint. (This is not the first time we inadvertently wandered onto a military base on Oahu). But the young guard was friendly and after we showed ID, welcomed us onto the base, a playground reserved for military families.
The restaurant fronted the ocean and had a happy vibe.
I ordered a typical Hawaiian plate lunch with Kalua pulled pork, rice and slaw; Bob had fish and chips and we were both happy. Too bad we didn’t have room for dessert but we made up for it later.
After lunch we stopped by Poka’i Beach next door. The waters were calm and protected and while Bob took a catnap I splashed around in the surf till it was finally time to go.
But before we leave I have to tell you the truth – the west coast of Oahu has a large homeless population. We saw many little tents on stretches of Farrington Highway but the guide book had warned us so I wasn’t surprised. It’s an unfortunate problem but I guess if you have to be homeless, this is the place to be.
We headed back to Waikiki for our last night there,
and managed to find some dessert.
It was good yes, but too rich – what I really wanted was shaved Ice. I found some the next day on our trek to the North Shore where we would stay for the second half of our time on Oahu. Stay tuned for our adventures on the North Shore, Surfing Capital of the World!
Aloha!
Susanne
Playful Benji
It goes without saying that I miss the boys whenever I’m away and I’m certain they miss me too.
So I need to make it up to them as best I can.
Tiger is happy with a good scratching but Benji wants to play.
He finds Snake on a String and deposits it at my feet.
“C’mon, Sue, I’m ready!”
How can I resist?
I fling it high in the air and he captures it for a good working over.
Then he carries if off as prey,
before returning for round two.
~ Susanne and Benji
Oahu! A Walk at Ala Moana Park and Waikiki
It’s always hard to return from vacation and it’s even harder to share your enjoyment without putting your reader to sleep. (Remember the neighbor’s slideshow of no interest to anyone but him?)
So I’ll break our trip into chunks and dole them out over the next few weeks starting with Honolulu, the base for the first half of our stay on Oahu. More precisely, we stayed at the far end of Waikiki next to Ala Moana Park, a favorite of the locals.
The park is huge with broad beaches, wonderful trees and great views of Diamond Head, perfect for walking or reflecting any time of day.
I loved all the trees in the park especially the mysterious looking Banyan trees.
I also loved how the Monkeypod trees provided shade and a lovely canopy to bride and groom.
In fact we saw many couples ready for their nuptials – I counted three in the picture above.
And if you look closely you’ll find another bride and groom in the center of the picture below.
They’ll always have happy memories of Ala Moana Park and we will too.
But Waikiki is in the opposite direction and also deserved a visit.
Now, a bit on Waikiki. It’s basically composed of a string of beaches running two miles from the Hilton Hawaiian Resort to Kapiolani Beach Park. Waikiki Beach is one of them (mostly manmade) in the center. The area is iconic with luxury hotels and Diamond Head in the background and everyone visiting Hawaii should see it at least once. But just so you know, these are NOT the best beaches on Oahu, being rather narrow and crowded with tourists. (I’ll show you some of the best later.)
Even so, I was eager to make the trek to Waikiki and in particular to see the Duke at Kuhio Beach. I started my walk at the Hilton Lagoon, alone; Bob opted to visit Pearl Harbor that day and we were both happy.
At times I had to skirt around eroded areas or take walkways next to the beach;
but I finally made it to the center of Waikiki
and the Pink Lady, the historic Royal Hawaiian, one of the first hotels established in Waikiki in 1927.
Soon after I was at Kuhio Beach and saw the statue of the Duke.
Duke Kahanamoku (1890 – 1968) was Waikiki’s legendary surfer and Olympic gold swimmer who popularized the ancient Hawaiian sport of surfing.
There’ll be more about surfing later when we head to the North Shore but now it’s time to go back to the hotel for a quick dip in the pool.
More to come.
~ Susanne
Cats and Trails and Garden Tales 