Saturday, February 9, 2008

Musings: Doggie Dress Ups and Hauntings

Koko and I slipped out for a walk under mostly gray skies this morning, although one big cumulus cloud was entirely pink, with a distinct male face.

I like being out on the weekends, as traffic is generally very light. Koko exchanged greetings with the hunting dogs in the back of a pick-up truck — a Saturday morning regular — and lunged and barked at another truck going way too fast. I can’t imagine where she picked up that “give ‘em” attitude.

Nor can I imagine the doggie boutique in Waipouli will be in business for long. While waiting for our food at busy Monico’s last night, a friend and I wandered through the shop, which was filled with clothing and German dog food priced at $3 a pound.

The lady tried to sell me a $23 collar for Koko, which seemed a stretch, considering I use a piece of cast-off twine for a leash. I’ve yet to see a dog dressed in clothes on Kauai, except for the two little mutts a crazy lady used to push around in a stroller in Kapaa.

But maybe tourists missing their dogs do pick up a new outfit or two for Fido while on vacation. I suppose Koko would put up with it, but it might spook her friends in the neighborhood if she pranced by in a frilly pink and feather frock.

Apparently some folks are getting spooked by the goings-on at the Waipouli condo resort, across from Safeway. I’d heard a few reports of unusual events, and then Brian at the post office, who always asks what I’m working on, suggested yesterday I might want to write about how the place is haunted.

He said he’d been hearing stories of doors opening and closing in the night, furniture moving around by itself, strange noises. “But it might get some people upset at you,” he cautioned.

“Well,” I responded, “other people already got pretty upset when they dug up all those bones at the site and built those condos.”

A number of Hawaiians tried to block construction there after the burials were discovered, but didn’t prevail. For a while the iwi were stored on site, in a cargo container, and I’m not sure where— or even if— they were eventually re-interred.

Anyway, it seems like the original inhabitants are making themselves known.

In yesterday’s post, I mentioned I didn’t know Lee Tepley, the man who was circulating an email questioning whether the Superferry had hit a whale. Dick Mayer of Maui informed me that Lee is a retired scientist/engineer on the Big Island, who has a website that delves specifically into how the boat will impact whales.

Meanwhile, The Garden Island is continuing to follow the story on the possible impacts that Syngenta and its pesticide applications are having on students and staff at Waimea Canyon School.

It was especially interesting to note in yesterday’s story that Syngenta has finally got a PR person — after years of mostly dodging press inquiries — and that the Dept. of Education declined to back Sen. Hooser’s bill restricting pesticide applications around elementary schools.

Now why do you suppose they wouldn’t support something like that?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I had a pleasant visit to the same pet product store the other day. I left with some treats for my dogs and my mainland guests left with the dog collar that I have and they wanted; but, is no longer available at Kukui Grove.
I'm afraid your comments on this store make you out as a bit of a boorish snob.
Now its my turn; get your dog a decent leash...the dog deserves it..its a safety item just like a car's seat belt.

Anonymous said...

this blog is going to the dogs

Joan Conrow said...

Thanks, Anonymous two. Seeing as how I love dogs, I take that as a compliment. As for anonymous one, I appreciate your concern, but Koko's homemade leash is strong as a store-bought one and plenty safe. I wouldn't risk my best friend with a junk leash.

Anonymous said...

i just returned from a stay at waipouli resort over the labor day weekend and had a strange experience. my stay on friday and saturday night were uneventful, but on sunday night i believe i had a visit from a spirit. i returned from dinner around 9pm and got ready for bed. i put my earrings that i had been wearing that night on the desk next to the bed. i was watching tv and kept hearing clinking noises coming from the kitchen. i was spooked so i turned on the living room light to keep a light on all night. i had strange nightmares all night long. the next morning after showering, i went to the desk to put on my earrings and one earring was snapped broken. the earrings themselves were still on the desk but the wires had been detached from the earrings and were on the floor under the desk. i gathered up the wires and one small piece of metal that i thought came from my earring and flew home to oahu. upon examining my earrings, i realized the small piece of metal i had picked up was not from my earring and was probably from someone else's earring. i think the spirit that visits this particular room has a thing about earrings. i had no idea about spirits at waipouli until i got home and searched the internet and came upon your article.