July 4, 2008
4th of July on the Waianae Coast
I didn’t make any special plans for the Fourth this year. There’s been a carnival-type festival going on all day at Maili Beach Park. I tried to find a place to park so I could walk around, watch the kids on the rides and visit the food booths. Alas, the nearest spot to leave my car was much too far away. I did park at the other end of the beach, though.
Families get camping permits for long weekends and stake out their territory early - probably Thursday afternoon for most. There might be six or eight tents in a family gathering, with aunts and uncles, grandparents and cousins all enjoying the holiday together. It looks crowded in the photo above, but it really isn’t - just the angle of the photo, I guess. Groups are far enough apart to not intrude on each other and there’s plenty of open space left over. The park is probably about a mile long, and the festival area only takes up a stretch of a couple of hundred yards.
Maili Beach Park is the closest beach to my house. I have to pass it to go anywhere, so I stop by frequently. Sometimes there are hardly any people there, but on weekends it gets a lot of local traffic. On holiday weekends, everyone goes.
I was in street clothes when I stopped by. These kids were having so much fun I was tempted to strip down to my skivvies and join them! I don’t remember toys being this cool when I was a kid!
I always ask before I take photos with recognizable faces. This family group welcomed me warmly. There are several veterans in this group. The young man writing in the notebook is currently serving in the Navy. The fellow directly behind the blue bag was in Nam at the same time as my ex.
I was going to grill outside today and wanted a steak, so I stopped at the market while I was out. I did get a steak, but I’m saving it for tomorrow. There was a huli-huli chicken calling my name. I had some for lunch and will have some more for dinner. When a word is repeated in Hawaiian it means many or plural. Huli is turn. This is chicken that has been turned many times - you’d call it rotisserie chicken. Whenever I see huli-huli chicken I think “turn-turn” and start humming … “To everything, turn, turn, turn - there is a season, turn, turn, turn.”
I’ve been hearing a few fireworks intermittently all day. They’re getting more frequent as the sun is just going down. I might drag the ladder out in a little while and set it up so I can go sit on the carport roof. There will be a big, professional fireworks show at Maili Beach Park. My roof provides an almost-front-row seat.
Oh, my! They’ve started early! Here I go!
[tags]Fourth of July, Hawaii, July 4th, Maili, Maili Beach Park, Waianae Coast[/tags]
Posted by skeet @ 7:49 pm • Hawaii, Recreation
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July 4th, 2008 at 9:12 pm, Flo Says:
Maili Beach Park was on the news tonight. It looked like a lot of fun. Meanwhile, here in Waimanalo I’m getting my neighbors arrested
July 4th, 2008 at 9:22 pm, skeet Says:
Uh-oh! Is it for fireworks violations or something more nefarious, Flo?
What channel was Maili on? Maybe I can catch it at ten.
July 5th, 2008 at 4:41 am, mistipurple Says:
you can sit on your roof top?
July 5th, 2008 at 6:50 pm, valmg Says:
Thanks for sharing great pics, as always!
July 5th, 2008 at 8:55 pm, skeet Says:
Just the flat roof for my carport, Misti. I’d love to install some stairs and put a rail around the edges so I could use it all the time. We started going up there with my son’s telescope when he lived here and I still do from time to time. It allows me to look over the neighbor’s rooftops and get some good photos that I can’t get from ground level.
July 5th, 2008 at 8:56 pm, skeet Says:
Mahalo, Val. Wish I could have gotten some photos on the festival grounds, too, but my energy level was too low for me to walk that far!
July 7th, 2008 at 11:05 am, Charla Says:
Seeing the pictures makes me want to go to Hawaii again. It’s so beautiful there!
We really like rotisserie chicken too…in fact, I picked some up on my way home today to have for supper this evening. I just told my family we’re having huli huli chicken tonight, and my husband said that it sounds exotic.
July 8th, 2008 at 3:08 am, HawaiiVacationGifts Says:
Great pics and the chicken looked real ono! Stopping by from Evelyn’s Carnival of Aloha.
July 8th, 2008 at 5:01 am, Katy Lin Says:
that would be a wonderful place to spend the holiday! and the chicken looks delicious!