Standing Into Danger

Friday, February 7, 2025

Bring on the Lions and the Year of the Snake!

I am delighted to be back at the Royal Kuhio again this year

and to have had the privilege of welcoming the Year of the Snake

with the Wah Ngai Lion Dance Association on February 1st.

The lion dancers welcomed in the Chinese Lunar New Year

by performing a traditional lion dance for residents and visitors in the lobby.

Bring on the Lions!

Royal Kuhio

Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

February 1, 2025

The Wah Ngai Lion Dance Association

is a non-profit organization

formed in Honolulu in 2005.

All members are volunteers made up of

students and working professionals.

Website

Everyone should see a lion dance at least once in their lives.

Yes, it's visually exciting and throbs to the beating of drums,

the clashing of cymbals, and the singing of the gong.

But a lion dance is much more than vibrant sights and sounds.

It's a traditional Asian art form that dates back 5000 years to its origin in China. Source

Dancing Lions

Royal Kuhio

February 1, 2025

The lion dance tells a story and brings fortune and good luck to the audience.

Two people mimic the movements of a lion, one in the front and one in the back.

The dancer at the front leads the lion, setting the direction, pace, and footwork,

and the movements of the head, ears, and mouth.

The dancer at the back must follow the steps of the head dancer

and the beat of the music while bent over.

Lion dances are most popular during the Lunar New Year celebrations,

but they are also performed at community events, business openings, weddings, school festivals and other events. Source

Lions Delighting the Audience

Royal Kuhio

February 1, 2025

Anticipation grew as Royal Kuhio employees set the stage for the dance,

carefully suspending a Chinese cabbage in the entrance to the lobby.

The purpose of this curious act was revealed at the end of the dance.

A red packet or hong bao (Mandarin) or lai-see (Cantonese)

containing a gift of money was attached to the cabbage.

Other red packets were hung by the doors in the lobby area.

These packets are traditionally presented on many occasions in China

and other countries with sizable ethnic Chinese populations.

They symbolize good fortune and wealth.

They are also given to lion dance performers for their service. Source

People quickly filled the lobby area in anticipation of the dance,

and excitement and laughter increased as the members of the

The Wah Ngai Lion Dance Association arrived.

Pono Ka'ahanui, the resident manager, has worked to increase cultural events at the Royal Kuhio.

I love to participate in his traditional hula class every Sunday.

Everyone enjoyed the dancing lions as they pranced around displaying their skills.

Accompanying the lion dancers were musicians playing the drum, cymbals, and the gong.

The drum represents the heartbeat of the lion,

and the cymbals and gong represent its thoughts.

The exciting music is loud and intense to drive away ghosts and evil spirits.

One of the Lions Collects a Red Packet

And Another Red Packet

There are two different styles of Chinese dancing lions: Southern and Northern.

The more acrobatic Northern Dance features martial arts moves, kicks, leaps and climbing,

and the lions have a shaggier, more realistic appearance.

The Southern Dance mimics lion behavior

with lots of blinking, licking, scratching, and shaking.

The lions have oversized, stylized, dragon-like heads

and the lead dancers can manipulate their mouth, eyes, and ears.

The colors of the lions represent different qualities:

red for courage, green for friendship, and yellow for liveliness.

Northern Lion Dance

Flickr ~ Choo Yut Sing ~ License

Southern Lion Dance

One of the great things about the lion dance performance in the Royal Kuhio

is that everyone could be close to the lions and see their movements easily.

A Parting Shot

And that Chinese cabbage?

It's a famous lion dance routine known as choi chang or getting the greens.

A head of lettuce containing a red packet with money

is hung high in a doorway or outside a building.

The lion carefully approaches the suspended lettuce, often performing a difficult feat

such as the front dancer standing on the shoulders of the back one.

The lion grabs the lettuce, eats it, and spits it out spreading good luck and prosperity. Source

People often take a piece for good fortune and luck during the coming year. Source

You know I got a piece of lettuce!

All too soon the Wah Ngai Lion Dance Association members were packing up,

moving on to another celebration of the Year of the Snake.

The departure of this magical cultural group left quiet in its wake.

Back in our condo, I wrapped my cabbage piece carefully and tucked it in my purse

next to my father-in-law's St. Christopher's Medal (the patron saint of travelers).

With luck and good fortune, I'll be back to the Royal Kuhio next year

to see the Wah Ngai Lion Dance Association welcome the Year of the Horse!

I'm linking to Rain's Thursday Art and Dinner Date, Tom's Aloha Friday, and Nicole's Friday Face Off.

See you next time! Aloha! ❤️🌺🍀

Till next time ~

Fundy Blue

Standing Into Danger https://selkiegrey4.blogspot.com

My next post will be

Friday, February14th. 🤞

On the Bay of Fundy
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved

Wednesday, February 5, 2025

IWSG: Wednesday, February 5, 2025 ~ Aloha!

It's the first Wednesday of the month,
the day that members of the
Insecure Writer's Support Group
share their writing struggles
and writing successes
and offer their encouragement
and support to fellow writers.

To visit the IWSG website, click here.

To become a member of the IWSG, click here.

Our wonderful co-hosts who are volunteering today,
along with IWSG Founder Alex J. Cavanaugh are

Joylene Noell Butler, Louise Barbour (Fundy Blue), and Tyrean Martinson!

Stop by their posts and thank them for hosting.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Every month the IWSG announces a question that members can answer

with advice, insight, a personal experience, or a story in their IWSG posts.

Or, the question can inspire members
if they aren't sure what to write about on IWSG Day.

Remember the question is optional.

This month's featured question is:

Is there a story or book you've written you want to/wish you could go back and change?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Happy February, Everyone!

I hope your year has started off well, and I hope that each of you

feels loved and appreciated in this Valentine's Day month.

Peggy2012CreativeLenz Flickr License

I have written and published a number of short stories,

and I am happy with and proud of each of them.

There are at least three that I would like to turn into a longer story or novel.

We shall see. Time is an issue, as always. 😂

It's hard to crack the whip at myself when basking in tropical sunshine.

Waikiki

In Front of the Royal Hawaiian

Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

February 4, 2025

Wishing each of you a fun IWSG Day,

and a big thank you to my awesome co-hosts.

Yours Truly

Royal Kuhio

Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

February 4, 2025

Have a healthy, happy, and creative February!
Take care!

Till next time ~

Fundy Blue

Standing Into Danger https://selkiegrey4.blogspot.com

My next post will be February 7th 🤞

Friday, January 31, 2025

Out and About in Waikiki

Two weeks in, and we are so grateful to be enjoying a tropical environment.

I dreamed of coming to Hawaii until I was 35,

and then Terry made my dream come true far beyond anything I ever hoped for.

He's the best!

Terry on the Move (blue cap and shirt)

He patiently keeps walking while I take pictures.

Waikiki Beach Wall

Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

January 29 2025

Waikiki Beach Wall and Pavilion

Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

January 29, 2025

We continue to be busy, but with time for relaxing too.

I've been out and about with my camera on my walks.

Among the things I'm watching is the restoration

of the Queen's Surf Seawall near the Barefoot Beach Cafe

which heavy southern swells undercut and partially collapsed in May 2024. source

Repair work began on January 21, 2025 and will take about six months. In the past week a large crane has constructed a sandbag barrier to protect the collapsed seawall area.

It's an environmentally sensitive operation because the collapse occurred

at the shoreline of the Waikiki Marine Life Conservation District (MLCD).

Established in 1988, the Waikiki MLCD protects 76 acres

from the Waikiki Beach Wall (Kapahulu Groin) to the historic War Memorial Natatorium

and from the high-water mark to 500 yards offshore.

Sandbag Barrier Surrounding the Collapsed Seawall

You can see the Waikiki Beach Wall against the palm trees in the background.

January 29, 2025

The Working Area ~ Sea Engineering Inc.

January 29, 2025

Barrier

January 29, 2025

The Huge Crane

January 29, 2025

The War Memorial Natatorium

by Gerald Watanabe ~ License

January 11, 2017

Wikimedia Commons

To my delight I spotted a little dog from last year whom I had nicknamed Hula Dog.

I had first seen him near the entrance to the Kilohana Hula Show last February.

Hula Dog ~ Last Year #1

Kilohana Hula Show

Kapi'olani Park, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

February 26, 2024

I was photographing my favorite statue on Waikiki,

Makua and Kila, when Hula Dog walked by.

Almost every time I've visited Makua and Kila, leis and/or flowers have graced them.

Makua and Kila by Holly Young

Kila (Hawaiian Monk Seal) and Makua (Young Boy)

January 29, 2025

Makua

January 29, 2025

Fred Van Dyke's Makua Lives on the Beach tells a familiar Hawaiian story. Makua is a boy living at Sunset Beach. He develops a friendship with a Hawaiian monk seal, which his friends and family have a difficult time believing. Trouble follows and life lessons are learned. Van Dyke's story underscores the Hawaiian values of Love and Respect for Ohana (family) and the ocean. Source

I glanced down and there was Hula Dog! I looked around and saw his person.

She was placing fresh leis and flowers on Makua and Kila.

Hawaiians honor iconic statues of Hawaiians and their stories.

Hula Dog!

January 29, 2025

Hula Dog's Person

January 29, 2025

Hula Dog's Person

January 29, 2025

Beautiful Hibiscus Near the Makua and Kila Statue

January 29, 2025

Hula Dog ~ Last Year #2

Kilohana Hula Show

Kapi'olani Park, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

February 26, 2024

Duke Paoa Kahanamoku Statue ~ Honored with Flowers

A Hawaiian Hero and the Father of Modern Surfing

January 29, 2025

Duke Paoa Kahanamoku

January 29, 2025

Here are a few random shots:

Brazilian Cardinal or Red-Crested Cardinal (Paroaria coronata)

Kapio'nani Beach Park

January 29, 2025

Banyan Tree

Kuhio Beach Park

January 29, 2025

Beach Volleyball

Kuhio Beach Park

January 29, 2025

Sometimes the Waikiki area is gorgeous, and sometimes not! 😂

Looking Toward the Mountains

January 24, 2025

Looking Toward the Mountains ~ During a Wind and Rain Storm

Today!

January 31, 2025

I'm linking to Rain's Thursday Art and Dinner Date, Tom's Aloha Friday, and Nicole's Friday Face Off.

For Rain: Mittens ~ I couldn't find mittens, so I went with gloves. This is our great niece Ella, my brother Roy's and Sue's granddaughter, and Neil and Jeannie's daughter.

Ella Grace with Santa Clause

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

November 27, 2017

For Tom: Aloha ~ Aloha is the Hawaiian word for love, affection, peace, compassion and mercy, that is commonly used as a greeting. It has a deeper cultural and spiritual significance to native Hawaiians, for whom the term is used to define a force that holds together existence. Source

Aloha ~ Protecting a Basking Hawaiian Monk Seal

‎⁨Duke Paoa Kahanamoku Beach Park⁩

Oʻahu⁩, ⁨Honolulu⁩, ⁨Hawaiʻi⁩, ⁨United States⁩

January 31, 2024

For Nicole: A Face I love! ~ Dr. Natalie Heembrock. This beautiful and intelligent young woman would not let any obstacle stop her dream from becoming a veterinarian. Terry and I are so proud of her!

Our amazing Niece Naddy!

Facebook

January17, 2025

See you next time!

Till next time ~

Fundy Blue

Standing Into Danger https://selkiegrey4.blogspot.com

My next post will be

Wednesday, February 5th. 🤞

Books Read in 2024

"5 Languages of Love: The Secret to Love That Lasts" by Gary Chapman
"At Home in the World" by Joyce Maynard
"Cockroaches" by Jo Nesbo
"Death's End" by Cixin Liu
"Eruption" by Michael Crichton and James Patterson
"In Darkness" by L. Diane Wolfe
"In My Time of Dying" by Sebastian Junger
"Nothing to Fear" by Julie McFadden, RN
"The Bat" by Jo Nesbo
"The Dark Forest" by Cixin Liu
"The Frozen River" by Ariel Lawhon
"The Last to Vanish" by Megan Miranda
"The Montauk Monster" by Hunter Shea
"The Road to Character" by David Brooks
"The Song of Achilles" by Madeline Miller
"The Twist of a Knife" by Anthony Horowitz
"The Uninhabital Earth: Life After Warming" by David Wallace-Wells
"The Women" by Kristin Hannah
"Where the Crawdads Sing" by Delia Owens
"Writing the Shadow" by Joanna Penn

Jan	FEB	Mar
	13
2024	2025	2026

Pages

Friday, February 7, 2025

Bring on the Lions and the Year of the Snake!

Wednesday, February 5, 2025

IWSG: Wednesday, February 5, 2025 ~ Aloha!

Friday, January 31, 2025

Out and About in Waikiki