William Hardy

I saw Simon and Garfunkel in concert twice, once at the Honolulu Civic Auditorium (now the site of the Blaisdell Center) when they were beginning to be popular in the early 60’s, and once at the Staples Center in Los Angeles in the early 2000’s. Before the concert at the Staples Center, Paul Simon was … Read moreSimon and Garfunkel at the Civic Auditorium

Truthfully, I hated English class.  And, it wasn’t just because I hated the hard-nosed, unwavering Miss Muratsuka, who had turned a moderately distasteful class into a daily 50 minute screeching, teeth gnashing, life-threatening experience.   No, it was because I hated all the nuances of English and the rules, with everything so fixed and unbending … Read moreMiss Muratsuka in New York

Recently I have been thinking about what I am going to say to Saint Peter when I get to the Pearly Gates, assuming that I do get there.   Frankly, I don’t know what I would say.   What do you think a saint would want to hear from the likes of me?   Not too … Read moreA Tee Time For the Pearly Gates Country Club

  I survived another day of traveling.  It was fourteen hours in total and, although I think each part of this was reasonable, somehow the whole seemed to be overwhelming, especially to all those who were trampled and left to disintegrate in the passages and aisle ways.   I often wonder what happens to those … Read moreThe Trampled Forgotten

The white and gray clouds tumble over the mountains.  They leave splashes of white as they crash over the neighborhoods and obscure the mountain dwellers in mist.  Those who live there are used to the precipitous ministrations of the gods.  Those who see it from a distance, see something else.   Under a green canopy … Read moreThe Cauldron of Makapu’u

There is a roundabout between Haleiwa, Wailua and the road to Wahiawa.  It is a large roundabout by normal standards . . perhaps 100 yards across.  Roundabouts were used as early as Roman times and have been a staple to manage congestion.  Recently, we have been using stop lights.   The French discovered in the … Read moreRoundabouts in Hawaii

Wailua was a small town.  Coming from Wahiawa the road meandered down the hill across cane fields and fallow fields of reddish earth, set off against the blue tapestry of the ocean.  It was as James Michener described it . . unspoiled and beautiful.   The local McDonalds hosted twelve seniors who talked in quiet … Read moreFootloose and Fancy Free in Wailua

Every now and then, when I visit Hawaii, I drive through the neighborhoods where I grew up.  Usually, I see them through the rose-colored glasses of the past.  I see the way it used to be. . . a new redwood structure, with a concrete patio and retaining walls built by Uncle Hans, a front … Read moreWhy Kemo-Sabe Why?

  In 1959 my father gave me a brown Motorola radio which was about twelve inches high and fourteen inches long, with a radio sensor on the front indicating the strength of the radio signal.  The sensor looked like an eye with the retina opening and closing as if it were watching me as I … Read moreCan You Hear the Drums Donald?

She had short curly-brown hair, an upturned nose, and a pixie-like smile.  She seemed to chirp instead of speak.  I was driving her Nissan Rogue.  I had rented it from her for my two week stay in the islands, and I was now taking her to the airport.  I thought I would be returning it … Read moreDana and the Nissan Rogue