Plumeria

Plumeria trees have an unusual blooming strategy.  When we got here on January 31st, the tree outside our window looked like this;

very few leaves and one bloom.  Both bloom and leaf grew from the very ends of stubby, finger-like branches.  Eventually, the tree will be in full bloom, then set about growing more leaves for the summer.  Different.

Pretty flower, nonetheless.

Hawaii Notes

-The only license plates you see here are Hawaiian.

-Interstate Highways don’t go to another state.  They don’t even leave the County (each

  of the major islands is a County of the state of Hawaii).

-Maui has the most and prettiest beaches.

-The Hawaiian State flag is a Union Jack on a red, white and blue striped field

-The cost of living here is high and salaries are low due to the lack of industry other than 

  the Military and Tourism.

-Land costs are high since suitably usable land is rare and the costs of installing infrastructure

 like hydro, water and sewers through the lava that underlies everything is also high.

-If it’s a tropical fruit or flower or tree, it probably grows here.

-It rains heavily on the Windward side of the islands because the volcanoes are the first

 bump the clouds see for thousands of miles; they’re forced to rise, they cool down, it

 rains.