Posted on: Monday, July 26, 2004

HAWAIIAN STYLE
Islands filled with great names, cool bumper stickers

By Wade Kilohana Shirkey

A few contributions of readers' mail, clever e-mails and bumper stickers:

• Just off the presses: political bumper stickers and buttons proclaiming RUSTI FOR MAYOR. (Yeah, yeah, yeah. Voters will just go ape for him!)

• Neat company names: Seen on a Kailua-bound van — Cater to Me. A catering company.

• Company sign, also on a Windward truck: SEVEN VALLEYS CONSTRUCTION CO. Before you try to name off the seven local valleys (Kuli'ou'ou, 'Aina Haina, Niu, Nu'uanu, Manoa, Halawa and Moanalua?), be advised the owner is Chuck Siebenthal, German — for "seven valleys."

(And did you know, 'Aina Haina — not the word "ha'ina" that ends the last verse of many hula — actually means Hind's Land, named for Robert Hind, who started Hind-Clarke Dairy there in the 1920s?)

• And on a fishing boat in tow through Kane'ohe, bumper sticker proudly announcing said owner's actual passion: "REEL JOB."

• Not new, but still my favorite bumper sticker: VISUALIZE WHIRLED PEAS.

• The new bar in the old Alakea Grill site: Detox. Happy Hours sign is posted right next to the name.

• License plate on a cute li'l white VW bug, inside Kamehameha alumni plates: Simply OH GOD.

• Truth in Names: A carpentry shop where the carpenter is as well-built as his work? Man Lee, in Kaimuki. (Manly, get it?)

• Food for thought: Cute Bishop Street eatery name — Wok Inn Take Out, a Chinese fast-food joint. And, shades of Yum Yum Tree right next door: Yum Yum Thai.

• And cute, yeah, Suzanne Takimoto of Kane'ohe Junie's Coffee Shop fame's lunchwagon: Ova Deah. (But what if stay Ova Hea, li' dat?)

• The Turtle Bay Resort has a beachside Sand Bar.

• 'Nuther neat person's name: Hualalai Dutchie Souza.

• Very presidential: the brothers, George and Bush Kauahilo.

• Poi, O Poi, O Boy!: name of the manager of the late business, The Poi Co.: Ms. Candy Berry. How sweet it is.

• Then there's a Wong Ho Lane, near Kaiser Honolulu Clinic. Jus' a little alley named for a prominent merchant in business there before 1900 — just sounds neat, yeah?

• And here's another of our wonderfully fluid Hawaiian place names, that run off your tongue like sugar water: Waipunalei, literally lei spring water. Nice, yeah?!

• Author of the book "Pearl Harbor: The Movie and the Moment": Linda Sunshine.

Then, from a reader who obviously gets a lot of fun reading everything from the news to obituaries to bulletin boards: There's Jeffrey Jumper, and an Arlene Bump. "Honey Bun" Chip, Happy Crowder and Amy Utterback.

Heaven Lee speaks for itself. But then there's Rose Nip and Primrose Nakana. Not to mention Daffodil Kubo.

Happy and Lucky Luke are brothers (distant cousins to a Good Fortune?!), as are Leapyear and Hakiti Mafi. Long Urbshot and Cara Lane are sisters. But not Rocky Beach and Pebble Beach — they're father and daughter.

Goosey Goo must be cute. Her name is. So is Benhur Battulayan.

There's Darlene Zickerfoose, Bao Lau and Ping Sing Woo. And Fung Ho Joe. Can we mention Buck Schmuck?

And over the years, this faithful reader has come across Mrs. KC Lilly, chair of Garden Club of Honolulu; an Alfred S. Hartwell, among the first volunteer members of the American Heart Association here; and a podiatrist, the late Dr. Ronald Eugene Walker.

Bill Van Pelt was a big cat (cougars and such) expert studying such sightings on Maui, and Dr. John Learned, UH professor of physics and astronomy.

More bumperstickers:

• FORBIDDEN FRUITS CREATE MANY JAMS.

• DON'T WAIT FOR SIX STRONG MEN TO TAKE YOU TO CHURCH.

• IF GOD IS YOUR CO-PILOT — SWAP SEATS.

• One final religious bumper sticker: GOD PROMISES A SAFE LANDING NOT A CALM PASSAGE.

Wade Kilohana Shirkey is kumu of Na Hoaloha O Ka Roselani No'eau hula halau. He writes on Island life. Call him at 525-8090.