Mowing

 I have long been fascinated by the sheer mass of vegetation here and by all the work and workers required to maintain control. Guinea Grass is an invasive plant that grows in such density that a person would find it difficult to walk through an area where it has taken over. You find this vegetation along most of the roads and the equipment deployed to keep it away from roadsides has always been something I wanted to capture in a photograph. I finally had the opportunity yesterday.

Equipment such as this mower cannot always do the job, and the common guard rails that are needed beside the roads are a significant challenge due to the terrain. We used to see laborers with weed whackers clearing the grass that grew close to these barriers. Last year and much more commonly this year, they seem to have resorted to herbicides of some type to deal with this problem. I am not certain if there were environmental or financial issues with this approach in the past, but what looks like RoundUp now seems to be common.

Protect the Turtles

Turtles are a predictable visitor to many of Kauai's beaches and sometimes they show up in large numbers. As I have mentioned in previous posts, Cindy has become very protective of the turtles and seals on the beaches and gets quite irritated when "tourists" ignore the signs in their excitement to get close to the animals for a picture. I heard a lifeguard once yell at tourists and suggested they should learn to use the telephoto lens on their phone and give the animals some space. I would hate to see major portions of some of these beaches closed. 

 The issue has gotten to the point it has prompted accounts in the local paper. I doubt the message will reach those who need to be more self-aware.

Rain Event

 It rains here often, sometimes heavily. The terrain of the island also has an impact with mountains and valleys. From time to time, the combination results in dangerous situations because of flooding and mudslides that can close roads and swamp vehicles left in the wrong places. Roads can become impassible, and it is possible you can get caught on the wrong side of a bridge and be caught for a few hours or overnight.

It rained most of yesterday and through the night. About five this morning, our phones and iPads began screaming, and we were awakened to receive a flood warning. We stay on a cliff over the ocean, safe from sunamies (a different problem) and floods, but it is nice they have this system. I suppose it would be similar to warning of a tornado in the Midwest.

Chinese New Year

 We have been in Kauai to experience the Chinese New Year celebration several times. There are many Asian people who live on the islands and many visitors who fall within that general category. The celebration differs depending on whether the celebration is in a larger or smaller community. All communities are small, but some smaller than others. We experienced the Lion Dance in Princeville earlier than the celebrations in larger communities. No fire crackers. Just one dance group probably moving on to a larger celebration but stopping for a bit in Princeville. For some reason, the limitations of the event reminded me of the 4th of July in a small midwestern town. For those of us not from this region, the experience typically includes the town's fire truck, a couple of big tractors, boys and girl scouts, the high school and junior band if one existed, and perhaps a couple of local politicians riding in a convertible.

The Lion Dance includes a percussion group and a couple of "lions" moving through the crowd, scaring the kids and collecting money from the adults. In previous experiences, red envelopes were first passed around and you put your donation in these envelopes. Here you simply stuffed money in the mouth of the lion.

Income Diversity

For a small island, Kauai has significant differences in residents' financial holdings. We have always known it was a very expensive place to live, with those in such occupations finding it difficult to meet basic housing requirements, but I decided to to investigate a little more. 

We often walk down to Hotel 1, which I know is very high-end. I did some online research and found that the cost for a room per night is over $1,000. 

We like walking there because it is close, and their coffee shop has a great ocean view. Coffee is $8 per cup, and for some strange reason, a cappuccino is only $7. 

You enter the Hotel 1 from the top as it stretches down the cliff to the beach below. I find it a strange experience hanging out there, wondering about the people sitting around me in the coffee shop. No, I will be paying with my card and not putting my $8 cup of coffee on my room.

At the opposite end of the continuum are all of the homeless people. I understand that being homeless in Kauai and Minneapolis would be a very different experience in February, but I do wonder how they cover the cost of their food. There is no panhandling or people standing at stop signs with signs asking for money. The following image is fairly common. I would guess you can't live on the beach, but you see lots of tents and car "camping" on the other side of roads across from beaches,

According to my AI query:

Kauaʻi’s homeless population increased to 523 individuals in the 2024 Point In Time (PIT) Count, a 7% rise from 2023, according to the Bridging the Gap report. The count, conducted on January 22, 2024, found 464 unsheltered individuals(89% of total) and 59 sheltered individuals (11%). Unsheltered homelessness among single individuals rose to 370, while unsheltered family households decreased slightly to 22.

Key trends include a growing number of individuals with serious mental illness and chronic substance use, with 123 and 105 people identified in these subpopulations, respectively. The increase is linked to the end of pandemic-era protections, rising housing costs, and limited affordable housing. Despite this, shelter capacity has improved, including upgrades to Kauaʻi’s primary emergency shelter in 2022.

Support services are provided by organizations such as the Mana`olana Emergency Shelter (19 beds), Transitional Shelter (8 units), and the Kauaʻi County Housing Agency, which coordinates a Continuum of Care (CoC) with nonprofit partners. Advocates emphasize that actual numbers may be higher than the official count, with estimates ranging from 800 to 2,000 homeless individuals.