Fourth (4th) of July Parade in Kailua

Palm trees and patriotism at the 62nd Fourth of July Parade in Kailua, Oahu.

From bagpipes ...

to Korean drums ...

Two Kailuans against development on the North Shore.

Kailuan Wally Amos hands out coupons for his famous cookies.

Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hanneman gets a group hug from Kailua High cheerleaders.

God Bless America.

Happy Fourth!

Gov. Linda Lingle and Lt. Gov. Duke Aiona

Beach Access is a hot issue in Kailua with private lanes gating access to Kailua Beach. This little boy got it right: "Da beach is my playground. No Gate 'Em."

Kailua High cheerleaders show their stuff.

Staying cool atop a float.

Obama for President!

Stop Rail Now activists encouraging people to download the petition to get the issue on the ballot. They have until July 10 to collect the required number signatures.

Panos, a University of Hawaii professor and an outspoken critic of the Mayor's rail proposal, has thrown his hat into the mayoral race. Bill Brennan (in red shirt), Mayor Mufi Hanneman's spokesperson, looks on.

Member of the Royal Hawaiian Band.

More sights of the parade ...

Kawai nui Marsh: A Hawaii Treasure

At one time, Kawainui Marsh was part of the Kailua ahupua'a or the area between the mountains and the ocean where the inhabitants lived a sustainable and self sufficient life. Today, it is the largest remaining wetland in Hawaii, and it is home to at least four species of endangered waterfowl: Hawaiian stilt, Hawaiian coot, the Hawaiian moorhen (gallinule) and the Hawaiian duck (koloa). The marsh is also a sacred place with several heiau or Hawaiian burial sites including the large Ulupo heiau (Look for an entry on this in the future).

The Army Corp of Engineers built a mile-long levee alongside the marsh to prevent flooding. Today, this levee is a popular place to take a walk in the early morning and evening. It is also a good place to spot birds and the other inhabitants of the marsh. Surrounded by the Koolau mountains, this lovely green space offers serenity and wonderful views of Mt. Olomana.

You can enter the levee from Kaha Park, at the end of Kaha Street, or from Kailua Road. Numerous ducks, including mallards, muscovies and Hawaiian ducks, hang out at Kaha Park, as they have got used to being fed. We don't encourage this, but I must admit that children do enjoy feeding the ducks.

Several community groups such as Ahahui Malama I Ka Lokahi work to protect the marsh. They organize service learning projects and educational hikes and seminars. Presently, a master plan is being developed to protect this natural, cultural and historical treasure. An article in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin in 2007 provides more information on the plan.

Hamakua marsh, an offshoot of Kawainui Marsh, is another good place to spot birds. Hamakua Marsh runs alongside Hamakua Road in Kailua.

Lanikai Bunkers/Pillboxes Hike

The short hike up to the pillboxes (also known as Lanikai bunkers) on Ka'iwa Ridge offers one of the most breathtaking views of the windward coast of Oahu. The first part of the hike is steep and very slippery due to the dry dusty ground. There is nothing to hold onto other than tall grass and a few bushes, so wear hiking shoes or be prepared to end up on your bum a couple of times on your way down. There is no shade on this hike - that is, until you reach the pillboxes, of course. Go early or wear lots of sunscreen and a hat (but hold on to it once you get to the ridge).

The two pillboxes were built by the military during World War II. Even before you get to the first pillbox, the view of Kailua Bay and the Mokulua Islands off Lanikai, is amazing. Once you reach the second pillbox, you can see all the way to Chinaman's Hat. We hiked up on an overcast day, but even then the view was stunning.

The trailhead is opposite Mid-Pacific Country Club on Kaelepulu Drive (off of Mokulua Drive in Lanikai). About 65 yards beyond the MPCC entrance is Blue Stone, a gated townhouse complex. On the left of Kaelepulu, just before the turnaround circle fronting the Blue Stone, a private driveway ascends the hillside. At the point where the driveway veers left, a trail that initially follows a fence leads to the top of Ka'iwa ridge. The trailhead is located in a residential area, so please be respectful of the residents.

Hawaii wedding photography and vacation portraits

If you're interested in beautiful wedding photography or an outdoor portrait session in Hawaii, check out AinaKai Photography.

AinaKai Photography is a small family business based in Kailua, Oahu, and they offer some of the best rates in Hawaii for high-end digital photography for weddings and beach portraits. These folks won't compromise quality or cut any corners.

Family portraits are $260 and wedding packages start at $995. You will receive discs of edited high-resolution images (with no copyright restrictions for personal use) and some professionally made prints as part of the package. Add a wedding storybook or top of the line album for a very reasonable price.

The photographer will travel to your favorite spot on Oahu without charging any travel fees. For neighbor island weddings, he only charges for the airfare, rental car (and hotel if an overnight stay is required). If you like Richard's work, he will try very hard to work within your budget. But above all, he will exceed your expectations of a wedding photographer.

Island Snow Shave Ice, Kailua

Island Snow is located very close to Kailua Beach Park. It combines a surfwear store with a shave ice bar. We think this place (and Waiola Shave Ice store in Waikiki) has the best shave ice on the island of Oahu. Our favorite flavors include lilikoi (passionfruit), lime, lychee, and raspberry. The lines can get long on sunny weekends, but the lines are not as long as the more famous shave ice store in Haleiwa on the North Shore (where the flavors are a little too sweet - try Aoki's instead, which is very close to Matsumoto's). Options for your shave ice include ice cream at the bottom, and a snow cap on the top (which is sweet and creamy). We always stop at Island Snow for shave ice after a day in the sun at Kailua beach.

If you are looking for a Kailua t-shirt, you may want to pick up a "Kailua Boys" t-shirt from Island Snow.

Island Snow
Kailua Beach Center
130 Kailua Road
Kailua, HI 96734
808-263-6339

P.S. Shave ice is the same as a snow cone.

Buona Sera Italian Restaurant, Kailua

Buona Sera is a lovely little Italian restaurant that has been a kama'aina (locals') favorite for a long time. We had dinner there last weekend to celebrate my birthday. We got there around 6:30 p.m. and the restaurant was already almost full. By 7 p.m., there was a crowd waiting for tables.

The entrees here are delicious and reasonably priced (approx. $15 each). We ordered Rigatoni Carbonara and Chicken Sorrentino. Before the entrees arrived, we got a loaf of very hot, fresh bread - yummy! The entrees arrived very fast - the service was excellent. The portions were not huge, but were certainly adequate.

For dessert, we wanted the Tiramisu (which we had ordered on a previous visit - it was good), but they were all out. We settled for the Spumoni ice-cream and was disappointed with the size of the dessert - a small scoop for almost $5.

The restaurant is decorated with hundreds of empty Chianti bottles. A nice twist is that if you order a bottle of Chianti, you are given colored markers to autograph and decorate the bottle, which is later added to the collection on the walls. We didn't order a bottle of Chianti, but the table next to ours did and they had a lot of fun decorating their bottle of Chianti. I'm sure they will spend a lot of timel looking for their bottle the next time they visit Buona Sera!

Buona Sera Italian Restaurant
131 Hekili St., #101
Kailua HI 96734
Ph: 263-7696

Located right next door to Buona Sera is another restaurant that is a renowned kama'aina favorite - Boot's and Kimo's Homestyle Kitchen. We'll review Boot's and Kimo's in a future post.

This is our first entry :-) We hope to update this blog once a week, so please check back. We'd love to hear from you.

A hui hou!
R & S