Before we bid farewell to summer, there’s still time to enjoy a final three fictional escapes. Each story is attached to a place, and one or more points in history. Each involves at least one feisty heroine who takes control of her own life, however reluctantly. 

I almost didn’t pick up The Lions of Fifth Avenue. For some reason I thought it was about financial titans or young lawyers. But I was wrong. The sculptured lions in Fiona Davis’ intriguingly mysterious historical novel, lie on either side of the main Fifth Avenue entrance to the New York Public Library.

Before diving into the book, lets pause for a couple historical notes. The lions themselves were designed by Edward Clark Potter in 1911, and were carved from Tennessee Pink marble. Facing the entrance today, the lion on the left, south side is Patience, and the one on the right, north side is Fortitude.

It wasn’t always so. They were first called Leo Astor and Leo Lenox after two of the library’s founders. At some point, people began calling the lions Lady Astor and Lord Lenox. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia dubbed the feline guardians Patience and Fortitude, two attributes New Yorkers needed to get through hard times.

At its dedication in 1911, The New York Public Library was a marvel of its time. It featured a huge reading room sitting above seven floors of book stacks housing 75 miles of shelving and over one million books. Transmission of the books to the reading room was via the most rapid delivery system in the world.

Fiona Davis’ meticulous research reveals many more aspects of the massive library as it was in both 1914 and 1993. In developing her characters, Davis humanizes the early days of the women’s rights movement. In 1914 women didn’t have the right to vote, but they could test social norms and their own assumptions. Laura Lyons, the initially conventional main character, has a husband, a son, and a daughter. She would also like a life for herself. In her pursuit of a journalism career, Laura ventures away from Fifth Avenue to Greenwich Village, and away from meeting other people’s expectations to finding her own.

This is a time-slip novel with the parallel story of Sadie Donovan, a curator at the library who happens to be Laura’s granddaughter. Sadie isn’t a woman who wants to break barriers, but she stands up for herself. The year, by the way, is 1993 which is now sufficiently long ago to qualify as a period of historical fiction. [Ouch!]

An overarching thread is a mystery of disappearing books. Thefts in 1914 become tied to  missing books in 1993. I thought the solution to the mystery was satisfyingly unexpected, though better sleuths than I may devise the answer sooner.

An absorbing read as well as a Good Morning America Book Club Pick

Honeysuckle Season by Mary Ellen Taylor is another piece of historical fiction. Set in Bluestone, Virginia in the Blue Ridge Mountains, this family saga opens with Libby McKenzie who is trying to sort out her father’s estate and her own life, while establishing herself as a wedding photographer. Elaine Grant, owner of nearby Woodmont Estate, invites Libby to cover a wedding on the premises.

Not surprisingly, Woodmont Estate is filled with unspoken secrets resembling the honeysuckle vines that grew up around the abandoned greenhouse. As the vines are removed so the greenhouse can be restored, stories emerge.

One is about Olivia Carter who fled the London Blitz to marry the doctor who then owned the estate. Another is about Sadie, whose family was known for their distinctive honey flavored moonshine.

Time alternates between 1994 and the 1940s. When all is done, Libby is a better place than she started. 

A good read on a lazy, humid day.

No Place Like Home, wherever that may be, takes the reader to Hilo, Hawai`i, my home town, with a focus on haole residents, both, as the author writes, home grown & flown, who for various reasons, live in East Hawai`i. Among them, Griff lives over a lava flow in Puna; teen-age Mahina hangs out in pricey Sunrise Ridge with her mother Iris. George has a house further up the mountain that he shares with his partner Cal. Desiree and her children perch in a hot, tiny apartment in downtown Hilo. Additional characters wander through the pages to fill out the cast for the Palace Theater’s fall musical production The Wizard of Oz.

By the time the musical opens, drug deals have gone down, romance has blossomed as well as died, good luck has triumphed over evil, and most of the characters have identified the next steps in their lives.

The Palace Theater was built in 1925  and is on the National Register of Historic Places. At the time it was built, the Palace was the grandest theater outside of Honolulu. It was constructed with redwood timber imported from the Pacific Northwest. The roof, sides, and back where sheathed in sheet metal, a standard tropical construction method. The front facade is in the Beaux-Arts style executed in stucco with wood moulding.

In 1930 Consolidated Amusements bought the theater and ran it until the company closed it in 1984. During the 1990s, restoration work began. The Friends of the Palace Theater formed in 2000 to continue renovating and modernizing the building. The fall musical is an important part of the fundraising process, which brings us back to No Place Like Home.

Debut author Susan Wackerbarth knows the Palace Theater from both the front and back of the house. Her deft characterizations of the theater and the people who love it are based in reality. No Place Like Home is a a fun read.

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Illustrations

Ribeira das Naus, Lisbon Portugal by Pedro Ribeiro Simoes.

New York Public Library Post Card 1920.

Lion statues outside main branch by Ken Thomas. Released to public domain.

Palace Theater, Hilo HI by Reweaver33

Fiona Davis

Mary Ellen Taylor

Susan Wackerbarth

Palace Theater, Hilo HI

New York Public Library History

New York Public Library Lions

The post Last of the Summer Reads first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.

Once upon a time, people thought that somewhere in the New World there existed a Fountain of Youth. They thought anyone who drank from it would be restored to youthful vitality which was the next best thing to immortality. It’s unclear whether the lucky finder would have to camp nearby and drink from it every day, or if one swallow would return a lifetime of vitality.

The myth had legs. I remember learning in about the Fourth Grade that the reason Ponce de Leon was in Florida in the 16th Century was because he was searching for the Fountain of Youth. He didn’t find it, but he still claimed the real estate for Spain. Now this anecdote is an official myth – though one might wonder whether the myth is due to the non-existent fountain or Ponce’s lack of belief. Either way, we have been disabused of the concept. There is no Fountain of Youth.

There is only diet, exercise, and the avoidance of disease.

In many ways the last century could be called a century of longevity in the developed world. Better sanitation, access to medical care, penicillin, and sterilizing medical and dental instruments contributed to longer lifespans in the early 20th Century.

Since 1950 other factors have increased longevity — better medical technology, cleaner water and air, better housing, access to food, pharmaceutical breakthroughs, and more understanding of behavioral effects. Smoking, for example, not only has a negative effect on the individual smoker’s health, but also on the health of non-smoking bystanders.

And yet . . . .

Though people are living longer, the quality of life isn’t necessarily better. Youthful attributes of moving and digesting freely are affected by increasing rates of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancers, and a great many other conditions, all of which are expensive to treat as well as unpleasant to have.

Now we’re looking for a recipe for a long and healthy life. We want to look young, feel young, and live without discomfort. Research funding  from insurance, health foundations and government sources seeks solutions with the same enthusiasm Ponce de Leon may have looked for the Fountain of Youth.

BLUE ZONES COME TO HILO

One result is the discovery of what Dan Buettner calls Blue Zones. The concept came to my attention when the official Blue Zones Hawaii Community Program Manager spoke at my Rotary Club. East Hawai`i, which includes my home town of Hilo, is an official Blue Zone Project Demonstration Community. HMSA, a major health care insurance company, brought Blue Zones to Hawai`i, starting with the island of Kaua`i in 2013.

Buettner coined the term Blue Zones for the five communities where he found people living long, healthy lives: Ikaria, Greece; Okinawa, Japan; Ogliastra Region, Sardinia; Loma Linda, California; and Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica. I note that with the exception of Loma Linda these were places without many temptations for easy rides or fast food. And the Blue Zoned folks in Loma Linda have religious reasons for their healthy lifestyle.

BLUE ZONES POWER 9

From the experiences of people in the five Blue Zones, Buittoner distilled what he calls Power Nine. – Nine behaviors to improve the quality and quantity of life. None of these is a new idea, but all of them are good for us. Whether we choose to follow this health advice or not is up to us.

1. Move Naturally

The good news is moving naturally doesn’t require sweaty gym workouts or Triathlons. It means ambient physical activity as mundane as getting up to change the television channel instead of using the remote control. Of course, you’d have to change channels frequently to get the benefit.

2. Have a Sense of Purpose — Get up ready to face the day with focussed activity. It might be nurturing your tomato plants, volunteering to coach your kid’s soccer team, or joining the community chorus. The point is not to get up with a negative attitude.

3. Downshift & Destress. Pray, nap, sit by the sea, or contemplate a zen garden.
4. Follow the 80% Rule — Eat until you’re 80% full. We’ve been told for years that our stomachs are full before the brain tells us to stop eating.

5. Plant SlantDo what the USDA advises. Put more beans, vegetables and fruits on our plates. Reduce meat intake.

6. Wine @ 5 — or tea, or lemonade. The point is to share a glass with food and friends. It’s not about the wine or even the time. It’s hanging out with your Tribe and talking story.

7. Join the Right Tribe

Hang out with friends that support you & healthy behaviors. People you can cook with, walk with, laugh with. People with a positive attitude.

8. Community

Seems redundant, but this refers to a faith based group – could be your tribe. Don’t try and do everything yourself.

9. Family First

Take time to eat together, chat, shoot hoops in the driveway –  that sort of thing.

So What’s New?

What Buettner contributes to the discussion is a community aspect. We know we should reduce our fat intake, but if all our friends are eating jumbo fries, we probably will too. So the trick is to have friends with good behaviors and everyone mutually reinforces each other. That sort of thing.

Buettner’s most recent book is The Blue Zones Solution. He lays out the changes that have happened in demonstration communities. Which brings us back to Hilo.

Blue Zones in Hawai`i

HMSA has been urging us to walk with a friend for some time. The organization believes small changes can result in longer, healthier, happier lives. And HMSA hopes Blue Zones can make this happen.

Here’s what’s supposed to happen.

The goal for Blue Zone Communities is lower healthcare costs, increased productivity, and a measurably improved quality of life. Citizens, schools, employers, restaurants, grocery stores, and community leaders are supposed to join together to improve community environment so it’s easier to make healthy choices. Sounds good.

So, what’s been happening since Hilo became a demonstration project earlier this year?
– Chiefess Kapiolani Elementary School met requirements to become the first Blue Zone School in Hawai`i
– Sweet Cane Cafe is the first Blue Zones Project Approved Restaurant
– Three other food outlets and one other school are involved in the project
– Cooking and gardening demonstrations have taken place

And the first time I heard about the project was at my Rotary meeting last month. – That’s not the way it sounds in the book. In the book, the whole town gets excited. I feel like I’m in the wrong reality TV show.

So what am I saying? 

Would I like the Blue Zones Project to take off?

Absolutely. Then maybe we could move forward more quickly on the Hilo Bayfront Trails project, and maybe we could get bike lanes somewhere besides the street that runs by the university.

Do I think Hilo will make the grade as a Blue Zone Community?

Hard to say. I found no data on how successful Kaua`i has been since being designated three years ago. I don’t see even our most community-minded grocery store touting Blue Zone foods. I don’t see publicity about other schools taking the challenge.

Word-of-Mouth is the one way to get things rolling. Hence this blog.

How did I do on the Power 9? — Pretty well.

Could I do better? — Absolutely.

What do you think about Blue Zones? 

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Featured Image: Liliuokalani Park, Hilo. Author’s favorite place to walk. Photo by Author.

Pictures:

Ponce de Leon. Public Domain.Wikimedia Commons.

Vanderbilt Tenements. Public Domain. Wikimedia Commons.

Pauline Betz Smoking. An advertisement by R.J. Reynolds. Public Domain. Wikimedia Commons.

Blue Zones Power 9. Blue Zones. bluezones.com

Toddler by nathanmac87. Creative Commons Attribution. Wikimedia Commons.

Balboa Park Japanese Garden by Lhimec. Creative Commons Attribution. Wikimedia Commons.

USDA Food Pyramid. Public Domain. Wikimedia Commons.

Glass of Port Wine by Jon Sullivan. Public Domain. Wikimedia Commons.

Soldiers and civilians of Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, with their spouses and children, came together for a great family event in the spirit of the season at Patton Hall for the Family Readiness Group holiday party Dec. 14. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Tim Meyer, U.S. Army Central Public Affairs.)Public Domain. Wikimedia Commons.

“Big Island ‘Blue Zones Project’ Demonstration Communities.” Big Island Now. Feb. 17, 2016.

“First Blue Zones Approved School in Hilo.” Big Island Now. May 26, 2016.

Blue Zones. Live Longer, Better. Webpage.

“HMSA and Healthways Launch Blue Zones Project to Improve Well-being of Hawaii Residents.” HMSA Media. Sept 9, 2014.

“HMSA designated as Hawaii’s first Blue Zones Project Demonstration Worksite.HMSA Media. Dec 19, 2014.

“Hawaii Blue Zones Project. Blue Zone Project by Healthways.” Hawaii Blue Zone Project.

Hilo Bayfront Trails

Eliza Barclay. “Eating to Break 100.” NPR: The Salt. April 11, 2015.

Dan Buettner. The Blue Zones Solution. Washington D. C. 2015.

Bill Gifford. Spring Chicken: Stay Young Forever (or die trying). NY: Grand Central Publishing. 2015.

Kirsten Johnson. “School first in state to earn Blue Zones Approval.” Hawaii Tribune Herald. May 30, 2016.

The post Blue Zones Come to Hilo first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.

Liliuokalani Gardens sit on 30 acres on the Waiaikea Peninsula of Hilo Bay. Within that acreage is a 17 acre Japanese Garden designed in the Edo Style. The original plan for the gardens envisioned a “strip of land that stretches in front of the kerosene oil warehouse and on to the harbor line bordering Coconut Island.” The kerosene oil warehouse is long gone, but Coconut Island, now connected to the Gardens by a bridge, extends the area.

The 1917 Report from the Legislative Committee on Public Lands described the area as one that “After and careful consideration we find that the object of the bill is to provide a park in the suburbs of the City of Hilo where can be constructed gardens surrounding silvery lakes and about rock-bound inlets of the sea of great beauty on the order of Japanese landscape gardening that will add greatly to the beauty of this approach to the city and further the txt land desired is of little value for other purposes.”

In 1917 Queen Liliuokalani dedicated the Gardens to Japanese immigrants who came to Hawai`i to work on the sugar plantations.

Interest in Japanese garden design for public spaces in Hawai`i may have begun with a 1914 visit to Japan by people from Hawai`i with an interest in economic development and beautification projects.

The Japanese Garden is said to be the largest Edo style garden outside of Japan. The central water feature is Waihonu Pond which is surrounded by foot bridges, traditional gazebos, weeping willows, azaleas and a bamboo grove. A traditional Japanese tea house called Shoran is also on the grounds. The 15th Grand Tea Master of Urasenki donated the tea room. The Urasenki Hilo Association conducts tea ceremony classes here in both Japanese and English.

In honor of the United States Centennial Celebration, a traditional rock garden joined other garden features.

Liliuokalani Gardens is the center for numerous community events, including the annual Queen Liliuokalani Festival honoring the monarch’s birthday in September. The one day festival opens with the presentation of ho`okupu with members in attendance from the Queen Liliuokalani Trust, the Royal Order of Kamehameha, the Ka`ahumanu Society, Hale o Na Ali`i and hula halau.

The festival itself features hundreds of hula dancers dancing in unison, taiko drumming, musicians, crafts, and food.

To give you a sense of what the festival is like, I’ve included a video by Big Island Video News from the 2008 Festival

But on a quiet morning, the festival seems far away. And the road into Liliuokalani Gardens beckons walkers to begin their day.

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Photos by Author. All Rights Reserved.

Stephanie Salazar. “Queen Liliuokalani Festival Held in Hilo.” Big Island Video News. Sept. 20, 2012.

Dave Smith. “Group Preparing for Liliuokalani Garden’s Centennial”. Big Island Now. April 24, 2013.

The post Liliuokalani Gardens: An Oasis in Time first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.

Do you ever see an announcement of an upcoming exhibit or event and think, ‘I’d like to see that?’ Last April, I saw an article about Nā Kuana`ike Pāheana o Hawai`i: Artistic Perspectives of Hawai`i. It’s on display at Lyman House Museum until September. Hmmm…I’d like to see that…sometime. I promptly forgot all about it until last week.

I was having one of those days – the kind where you want to abandon the computer and the to-do-list and do something out of the ordinary routine. Lunch, I thought, preferably by the water. And took myself down to Hilo Bay Café.

The view was wonderful. The food didn’t disappoint. I ate as slowly as I could. Fish tacos. Then I ordered dessert – salted caramel ice cream. But despite my efforts at procrastination, the meal was over.

Then I remembered the art exhibit. It was just up the road. I found a vastly different museum than I remembered. The last time I visited Lyman House was in 2009 for a traveling exhibit called Grandfather’s House, a replica of a rural Korean house in the 1930s. Grandfather must have been tired, because the exhibit is still there.

The art exhibit of paintings, prints, and photos from the 18th to 21st centuries was well worth the visit. I was surprised at the number of 18th century prints in the museum’s permanent collection. There’s something special about seeing a print by John Webber about Captain James Cook’s arrival in Hawai`i next to a 20th century depiction of the same event by Herb Kane.

LYMAN HOUSE ORIGINS

Though the thatched roof disguises the archectecture, the house built by missionaries David and Sarah Lyman in 1839 was one of the first houses on Hawai`i Island to be built in the New England style with local koa and `ohia woods. On January 27, 1839, Sarah noted: “Moved into our new house today. The carpenters left last week, the mason still at work in the chambers.”

Writing thirty years later, Isabella Bird, peripatetic traveler, noted that in Hilo the missionary houses “combine the trimness of New England with the luxuriance of the tropics; they are cool retreats, embowered among breadfruit, tamarind and bamboo through whose graceful leafage the blue waters of the bay are visible.”

Over the years, Haili Street was extended, requiring the Lyman House to move to the side. A roof was added. The view has changed considerably. But from about the point where the house once stood, you can still look down Haili Street to the bay.

CORNICOPIA OF MINERALS

On the ground floor I revisited the permanent galleries and was astonished. Orlando Hammond Lyman, David and Sarah’s grandson, collected shells and minerals. Some had been in the family since the early 19th century. Orlando started his own collection in 1918. Not content with what he himself discovered, Orlando purchased smaller collections from throughout the world. In 1981, the collection was estimated at over 20,000 specimens. What was once a sterile almost overpowering display is now an artful arrangement glittering under tasteful lighting.

Of particular note is the only known specimen of a mineral called Orlymanite. First discovered in Orlando’s collection and native to South Africa, Orlymanite was officially identified in 1987 as a new mineral species. And it’s most famous sample is in the Lyman collection.

The Habitats of Hawai`i gallery imaginatively displays geological and natural features of Hawai`i. Particular stars are the model of a lava tube and displays of reef fish, including a ten foot shark. [I’d rather see a display shark than meet one while snorkeling.]

I returned home refreshed and ready for computer research. Like most people I travel to see exhibits in other places and overlook the delights in my own neighborhood. I drive by Lyman House several times a week on my way downtown, but it wasn’t until I rebelled from my usual routine that I took the time to pay a call.

Acknowledgements:
Featured Image: Hawai’i Visitors Bureau sign for Lyman House.
All rights reserved for photos by author.

For more photos of the Lyman Museum mineral collection, see Mineral Museums. Here.

Hawaii247. Lyman House Presents Grandfathers’s House. July 13, 2009. Here.

Hilo Bay Café.

Lyman Museum and Mission House.

The Mineralogical Record.

The Lymans of Hilo. Lyman House Memorial Museum. 1979.

Isabella Bird. Six Months in the Sandwich Islands. Charles E. Tuttle Company. 1978.

The post ART & MINERALS AT LYMAN HOUSE first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.

As anyone in my family will tell you, I’m not much of a shopper. There are several reasons for this, starting with the fact I don’t like traffic or trolling for a parking space.

But despite the daunting prospect of full parking lots and possible inclement weather, I do appreciate beautiful things, which is why I enjoy craft fairs at the annual Merrie Monarch Festival.

The world famous hula competition encompasses many aspects of Hawaiian culture – among them language, history, and artistry.

Merrie Monarch Invitational Hawaiian Arts Fair.

The Merrie Monarch Invitational Hawaiian Arts Fair is sponsored by the Merrie Monarch Festival. Organizer  Nelson Makua calls it a celebration of all things Hawaiian. Makua selects one hundred sixty vendors from the State of Hawai`i. Many return each year to reconnect with other artists.

Vendors develop their products all year. For example, it takes twenty to eighty hours to hand wrap a feather lei. Each 24-inch lei, on average, uses from two to three thousand feathers. Traditional colors are gold, green, red and black.

Everything at the Invitational Hawaiian Arts Fair was exquisitely created and beautifully displayed. Among the items that caught my eye were pahu drums, shell leis and textiles.

The Annual Hawaii Arts, Crafts, and Food Festival

The Hawaii Arts, Crafts and Food Festival is a more eclectic event. Organizers hold two events annually, one to coincide with the Merrie Monarch Festival and the other during the Christmas shopping season. The emphasis is on Hawai`i’s diverse cultural heritage.

Several vendors specialized in handmade jewelry. There were T-shirts and other clothing items, products made from koa wood, specialty soaps and fragrances.

Hilo Shopping Center Merrie Monarch Craft Fair

My last stop was at Hilo Shopping Center for the Merrie Monarch Craft Fair. Marcia Prose, fair coordinator, said, “we like to call our fair ‘kama`aina craft fair’ because these are truly local people.”

There were about thirty vendors selling jewelry, clothing, pictures ready for framing, and much more.

The Merrie Monarch Festival is a special event for everyone in the Hilo community. It’s an opportunity to connect with the creative energies of dance, music, and design. The 52nd Merrie Monarch is now a memory, but it’s not to early to begin planning your visit next year.

Acknowledgements:

Featured Image: Fresh Haku Lei at the Invitational Hawaiian Arts Fair.

Photos by Author. All Rights Reserved.

Hawaii Arts, Crafts, and Food Festival. Here.

Katie Young Yamanaka. “Crafts fair fun.” Hawaii Tribune-Herald. April 21, 2014. Here. 

Katie Young Yamanaka. “Got the Fever.” Island Beat, Hawaii Tribune-Herald. April 2, 2015.

Merrie Monarch Festival Here.

Nelson Makua Design and Nā Mākua Original Hawaiian Designs. Here.

The post CRAFT FAIRS AT THE MERRIE MONARCH FESTIVAL first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.

Once upon a time in paradise, Makato Nitahara transformed a 20-acre papaya patch into a tropical dream. I don’t know what inspired him – perhaps just the joyful satisfaction of creation. Nitahara called his garden Nani Mau – Forever Beautiful. In 1972 Nitahara opened his garden to the public, and it’s been a favorite destination of Hiloans and visitors ever since.

In 1999, controversial local entrepreneur Ken Fujiyama purchased Nani Mau for $2 million. It was not a happy time for the garden. But since Ms. Helen Koo bought Nani Mau in 2012 for $2.2 million, good times have returned. I visited Nani Mau last month, sampled the café food, and strolled the grounds. It was an idyllic experience.

The Japanese Bell Tower is a garden landmark, recalling Nitahara’s vision. The tower is built with 20,000 boards, and has no nails or screws. Only three towers in the world utilize this technique. The other two are in France and Canada, respectively. The Bell Tower highlights a large bamboo grove.

Nani Mau is known for its 2,300 orchids, many in an Orchid Pavilion. The garden hosts one of the world’s largest collections of the Paphiopedilum, Phalaenopsis, Epiphytes, Oncidium and Cattleya orchids. Since I don’t know one orchid from another, I’ll have to accept that claim on trust.

There’s a Ginger Garden, Hibiscus Garden, Fruit Orchard, Anthurium Grove, and several varieties of palm trees, including Ceiling Wax Palms, Royal Palms, Manila Palms and Areca Palms.

Nani Mau also has several resident peacocks, one of whom was kind enough to put on a show for me. The male peacock’s brilliant colors and ability to fan his beautiful feathers is enchanting. His raucous call less so.

For More Information:

Photos by Author – All Rights Reserved

Nani Mau Gardens, 421 Makalika Street, Hilo HI 96720

Admission Charge

Nani Mau Gardens Website – http://nanimaugardens.com

John Burnett. Nani Mau Gardens Sold, Hawaii Tribune-Herald, August 2, 2012. http://hawaiitribune-herald.com/sections/news/local-news/nani-mau-gardens-sold.html

The post NANI MAU GARDENS – An Oasis of Floral Enchantment first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.