so now when we travel and look around, I notice which trees are really covered in bloom. I have a cutting the cook gave me in the parking lot at a DIVE in oahu with good local food...it is solid yellow and cannot wait for it to bloom as it was covered as well and smelled true Hawaiian. If you just ask, they are so happy to give you a cutting and the airport guys (AG) okay it....gotta love that group of islands...roxanne

Thanks, lazybonz! I agree with you! The cost of living is high, but there is beauty everywhere you look. texasplum- You would love it in Hawaii! What a wonderful sister you have to bring you cuttings! I came back with quite a few myself. I will be sharing them with my older brother. He has the bug, too! jandey - You're right! It is even more amazing in person. I can't think of a place that I would like to visit more. kms2 - Thanks so much! The dawn picture was taken at Makena. It felt so serene that morning. You might be able to see Molokini in the background. I spent that morning swimming at Turtle Town. Have a wonderful evening!

The first time we were at the Radisson Aruba, I had a case of hives that were seriously exacerbated by eating fresh fish. I woke up with swollen lips & hands and had to go to an Island doctor for a shot of Prednisone. The cab driver drove us over to the doctor's office, he waited for us to come out instead of making us call for another cab, drove us to a Pharmacy, and then back to the hotel. Talk about tourist friendly, that was a very nice way to deal with that fare. On that same trip, my husband strained his back and could barely walk. We were quite the sight - me covered in hives, him bent over and limping along. To make up for that less than perfect trip, 2 years later we went back (to the Radisson again) and managed to stay healthy for the week. A big snow storm hit the east coast and we were worried about getting back into Philly late and then having to shovel out the car. Luckily, days later when we returned to the States, most of the snow had melted and slid off the car and we were able to just drive over the snow plowed behind the car. This year the only thing we have planned is some time in Hilton Head.

ken -- Yes, these are some variety of the Cassia fistula. However, these look nothing like the photos. These have no lower branches -- just bare trunks that go up 30 or more feet, with a short 'topping' of maybe 10 feet of shoots. (Think of a stalk of celery.) Will lower branches regenerate? I don't think these will grow taller. They are at least 40 feet. Do they have a meaningful future? Can they be 'brought back', as one here person living here suggested? wisconsitom -- We have owned at this location for 15 years. We have lived with monkeypods that completely blocked our ocean view for several years until they were mature enough to be 'raised'. Now they are majestic. Some still interfere with our view, but they are beautiful trees. We value trees *good* trees. At our home near Chicago, we pay $600 alternate years to inject our 100-year-old American Elm against dutch elm disease. We proactively removed dozens of ash trees as soon as the Emerald Ash Borer was found in our town. We've removed invasive species as we found them. I'd say we have spent $8000 on these removals in just the last three years. In this case, I don't see any redeeming value in these three shower trees. I'm asking opinions on that. They provide no shade. The provide no screening. All of the lower branches are missing, leaving only about ten feet of foliage at the top. I'm not computer literate or I would post photos. Our condo complex is built up the side of a small hill. The shower trees (and some monkeypods) are fifty feet lower than our lanai. They would have been planted around 1991. I suspect they were butchered early on -- to improve views from the buildings below us. Now they are mature, 'leaves on sticks' between us and the ocean. I could have 'forgotten' to say that these trees obstruct our view, but I didn't because this is a question of weighing value. BTW, this is a *heavily landscaped* property: 23 acres in South Kihei. (Maui Kamaole, if you want to look it up.)