May 20, 2011

I've never seen a hibiscus with such vibrant color and unique pattern.   There is a story behind this gorgeous flower......  Today was adventure day with some of the girls.  Karen B., Theresa T. and I buckled up in the car and headed out (over to the other side of the island) to hit our first stop, Wal-Mart.  I know, an adventure all in itself, especially since I haven't stepped foot in one since we left the states for Belgium 3 years ago.  But that's not my story here.    Just 15 minutes of shopping and we were out the door with grilling charcoal, wood chips, gift wrap bags, a cute little handbag and an industrial size box of Otter Pops.  Gear stowed, check.... seat belted in, check.... windows down, check.... off to the next adventure!  As we're pulling out of the parking lot something in the middle of the street catches our eye!  Karen does a quick pull off to the side, I jumped out and run to pick up the treasure... all the time thinking it's a wallet.  Yep, it's a wallet.  Theresa and I start looking for some identification so we can contact the owner.  Well, there were several credit cards, a few gift cards, medical cards, a government check, a large amount of cash, one eye glasses prescription, a couple of I.D. cards, but no phone number to contact.  After a quick discussion, we called the eye clinic listed on the prescription note, explained the predicament and asked if they could contact the owner to have him get in touch with us.   Soon after, a call came in from the owner who gave us his correct address so we could return his lost property.  We were off and heading in his direction!  The tidy little home was easy to find, thanks to a handy-dandy GPS.  While the older gentleman (I'll call him Mr. M.) gave us a tour of his meticulously landscaped yard he explained that he had gone to McDonald's for a morning coffee and must have left his wallet on the roof of his car as he drove off.   In Mr M.'s tiny backyard paradise I spotted heliconia, ti, maile, lantana, bougainvillea, tuberose, bird of paradise, oleander, crown flower, jatropha, poinsettia, so many varieties of orchids, colorful flowering cactus, gardenia, mock orange, dessert roses, an orange tree, a lilikoi tree, an avocado tree, a mini pineapple plant and so many (MANY) more I can't name!!!  There was even a tropical bird in a large cage tucked up on the shaded back patio.  Mr. M. gingerly guided us along, patiently pointing out, naming and explaining many of the species he so tenderly cares for.   A solid 30 minutes later, with wallet and owner reunited, we three ladies once again snapped up in the car and headed out toward home.   We never know what we're going to experience when we get together.... I guess that's why we call it "Adventure Day."
Pearl City, Hawaii