Anini Beach 21 July 2017

Rochelle and I met up with our island host, Luan Becera, at Anaina Hou, a park near Kilauea, for a walk through the Mahogany plantation. Seemed like miles and miles of trees lined up in ranks like soldiers waiting to be cut down ...86,000 trees, said the sign, the largest such plantation in the US and one of the largest in the world. Little trees, not eight inches, but along the way we saw some mighty trunks from the previous generation of trees.

A couple of miles in, a beautiful pond with the mountains of northern Kauai in the distance. A great walk, and a good chat with an interesting fellow.

On the way back, we deviated from the authorized trail to walk down the long aisles between the trees. The geometric perfection of the rows reminded me of the rhythms one sees driving through the Almond orchards near Chico, or of wintertime vineyards.

The daily rains keep the ground here wet, and between the trees the leaf litter is in constant ferment. Newer groves have weed cloth planted with the trees to keep the "weeds" down ... mostly volunteer Mahogany sprouts. A very industrial feeling place.

Luan and I remarked on the curious business of land ownership in Hawaii, where much of the land not owned by the US and State governments is in the hands of a very few families ...and has been since the "conversion" of Hawaii to Xtianity. A sad, sad story of greed and wealth masquerading as religion.

On the bright side, this plantation and Anaina Hou are owned by (Luan's words) "a very generous family that apparently made their too-muchness by inventing ETrade.

Lunch at the bakery in Kilauea, "Practicing Cultural Appropriation since 1983." And we were here when it started in a house down the road with a crazy French baker and his ohana. I love the Cultural Appropriation part.

Nowadays, it has indeed appropriated the culture, moved to the gentrified Ching Young "Plaza" (used to be a grocery store, now upscale shops and a market. The bakery is the funkiest bit here, but it's pretty polished. 

When we got home, we were greeted by the green beauty at right.

Our Mendonesian friend Kathleen and her far-flung family, ex-husband Michael and grandaughter Tallulah, are staying up above us in Princeville, and came down for a sentimental visit to Anini, where Kathleen and we hung out together in 1990.