local fauna

So who moves to Hawaii and doesn't give their friends any idea what the place looks like.  All in good time.  For now, here are the few photos I have taken.

First, a Hawaiian Hawk, or I'o

or

Look at his little flamingo leg lift!  Apparently, that's in here in the tropics

There he is, up there in the palm tree outside of our condo.  Beth spotted him while getting ready for her first day of work.  As you may have read in the link above, these guys are very rare.  A good omen!

These photos were taken from our lanai, the Hawaiian word for patio or deck.  As we've been looking at apartments, I've come to realize how common they are around here.  In fact, a house without a good outdoor living area is pretty much lacking.  Some of the nicest places we've looked at have a bit of an extra kitchen outdoors, with bbqs, stoves or sinks in addition to the requisite shade and chairs.  We're hoping to land in a place with an outdoor shower.  A nice amenity, when da wedder is always 85 and partly sunny!

Lanai is also the name of one of the many (more than I thought; 18 is commonly accepted) Hawaiian islands, just west of Maui.