Island Activities — June 2015

Aloha-N-Paradise Art Gallery

At the Aloha-N-Paradise Art Gallery, satisfied customers thank Kelsey at the espresso bar for “the best coffee in town.” Kelsey indeed brews up some magic. “I had my first espresso ever here long ago,” she says. There is an art to making a perfect cappuccino, and this Waimea wahine has it down.

Riding on the Kaua‘i Bus, the backseat view is something to keep your eyes on. Let the driver do the work. The local bus is always an experience, especially around the Garden Isle. People are quick to talk story, laugh and respectfully offer their seat to an auntie or uncle. Earlier in the morning or later in the evening, sleepy silence lulls the passengers as the little bumps in the road rock the cradle of transportation love.

A great frigatebird

A great frigatebird soars over the ocean near Po‘ipu. This seabird can have a wingspan up to eight feet wide. They can be seen dipping and diving on the coastal winds all around the shores of Kaua‘i and other Hawaiian Islands in search of swimming meals just below the surface of the water.

The Kaua‘i Makers Club discusses imaginative ideas for engineering projects big and small during a meeting at the Kaua‘i Beer Company. On the table is a “flame thrower” created by the man on the left in the yellow shirt, Dan Loeffler. He tells how the craft utilizes “the awesome power of free waste vegetable oil firing at 2000 degrees Fahrenheit.” On the right is Bryan Knopf, who specializes in laser cutting and etching at his business, Firelight Kaua‘i, and Chris Hardi, who regularly repairs surfboards along with numerous other projects that tickle his fancy. Club President Carl Lozar has a great enthusiasm for helping out his community with all the various ingenuities of the group in this Makerspace. The Kaua‘i Makers Club meets at 6:30 p.m. every first Wednesday at the Kaua‘i Beer Company and every third Tuesday at Ha Coffee Bar, and is “free to all to come share what you are working on!”

A monk seal pup

A monk seal pup nurses from its mama on the beach. A volunteer for the Kaua‘i Monk Seal Watch Program explains this baby is about three weeks old and will be venturing out into the world on its own soon. He says the seals are carefully protected when they come ashore so they can get rest and feed their young. The endangered species is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands, and is called ‘ilio holo i ka uaua, which means “dog running in the rough seas” in Hawaiian language.

• Chandley G. Jackson resides in Kapa‘a and has many interests up to and including writing, drawing, crafting, music, yoga, talking story and behaving like a mermaid. chandley505@gmail.com