Island Paradise: Hawaii trip 2011

AzPete

Veteran
I have loved all the travel posts and enjoyed the photos greatly. I thought I would add my recent trip home to the collection. Having moved to Arizona with a so called job promotion we try to go home every other year to visit friends and family. No small feat with three kids, but these days we have an empty nest and try to make the trip more frequent.
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Hawaii, even Oahu still remains in beauty, but the need for land is a constant struggle so the state does it's best to keep parks and beaches protected. Families have resorted to building a second story on their homes to accommodate family. Honolulu has become the epitome of a cement jungle. Traffic is always bad and there is always a line with people waiting for this or that. After all how many people can an island hold anyways?
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For this post I would like to submit why I love Hawaii and show the side of it why people make this wonderful place their home. For it is the people that make this place special. A smile, a kiss hello on the cheek, letting the car in front of you turn while you wait, bring a treat or food to someone's house when you visit. You get the idea, for the most part the "aloha spirit" lives in it's people.
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Of course our trip included the trip around the island with stops along the way to enjoy the scenery or think about the old days. This trip was special as we (Donna and I), were reunited with our youngest son who has been here for the past five years. Alex is here to get his life in order and to grab on to those moral roots that live so strong in the Hawaiian soil. At 27 years he has overcome the odds (drugs) and made an about face to lead a productful life... As a Hawaiian. He is good. We are proud.
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So I'll not bore you with anymore travelogue words, as a writer I am not. But I hope you can see that Hawaii lives on in my heart.. As in life you need to look through the crap to see the the shine. A poor analogy but you get the picture. Hope you enjoyed the pics and if you ever need a guide let me know, I can be had for cheap.
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Alex and Donna remembering family
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Diamond Head...a rose among thorns.
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This was the beach I grew up on... lived a half mile from it.
Cheers all,
Pete

ps. I did get homesick and may go home for new years, go figure.
 
Pete, you are both a writer and a photographer. These are beautiful, as you know I had a sneak preview over on Flickr and am completely in love. The deep beauty is palpable and so is your love for Hawaii and your family - all three are fortunate to have each other.

Now if I could just teleport through the Internet ether and be walking those beaches and swimming in that water. Please don't hold back if you have more to add!
 
Beautiful place, beautiful photos Pete. Although the beaches are all beautiful, that part is kind of expected. But the shot that actually triggers the most memories of the islands for me (haven't been since we lived on the West Coast, about 20 years ago) is the cemetery shot. Nothing about the cemetery per se, but just feel for the climate, vegetation, and landforms really come through in that photo. We used to go to Kauai, and that shot almost looks like a miniature version of the Na Pali coast.

-Ray
 
Beautiful images Pete, it must have been difficult to leave such a place. Good to hear your son is thriving there, he certainly looks well!
 
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