Currently and A Stroll Through Our Town

Well today I had to go to a workshop on Electronic Portfolios. I was actually looking forward to it, but it turned out to be not as exciting as I would have hoped :( I am really hoping tomorrow will be much more hands on!! I will let you know what comes out of it.

I also noticed as I was sneaking a peak at my favorite blogs during class...shhh...that Farley is having her June Currently and I of course had to link up.


Yes, this summer we are stuck on the island.  I know you're very sad for me I can tell, lol!!  One thing about living on an island is that you are stuck here and have to find new things to do if you are unable to travel elsewhere.  People call it "Island Fever".  The hubs gets it pretty bad, but me, not so much. I do love to travel though. 

I have to tell you it has been pretty fun taking pictures and imagining myself as someone who has never been here before. I try to think of all of the things you would enjoy seeing.  So today I am going to take you on a stroll through my little town.   It won't take long...


This is our little town called Waialua.  It is an old Sugar Plantation and very historic.  The Sugar Mill was the main source of economy for this area until  1996 when it shut down.  Many families that live and worked here are from all over the world including China, Portugal Japan, Korea and the Phillipines.

Three men standing on front of locomotive

Waialua Sugar certificate
 Lots of families moved in search of jobs and the area was not the best place to live for awhile. Some of the land was parceled out to small farmers. The area is very quaint and many young families moved here and have changed it quite a bit.  Our area is now mainly open fields and very rustic.





It is definitely a drier area of the island, but still really beautiful, especially in the winter with all the rain.  Now the old Sugar Mill area has become a marketplace for many growing businesses.



Do you like the local advertising??

Here is the Sugar Mill today.  I can actually see the smokestack as I look out my living room window right now.  We live just a few blocks away.


The Sugar Mill is now the North Shore Soap Factory.


This place is amazing!! The owners Debora and Jerry Driscoll have made this a beautiful showcase for their handmade soaps.  Everything is made right here.

This is the Chocolate and Strawberry soap. It smells so good I think they wanted to eat it!!
This is Deb the owner.  She happens to be a good friend.  Our daughters met in pre-school:)  She was kind enough to send the girls off with their favorite soaps.

My favorite products here are...


and I can't live without this.  I have one in each purse, at school, in my makeup bag....

It smells and tastes so good, my lips cannot live without it!! Click on any of the Soap Factory pics to go to their awesome store:) ( I am thinking about putting together a care package of all my favorite items for a giveaway) What do you think?

There's lots of warehouse space in this area and other shops are here...


Did you know Hawaii is the only state that grows coffee commercially?



There is also a farmers market here on Saturdays. 


 You can come and get papayas, bananas, mangoes, avocadoes, cucumbers and lots of other locally grown fruits and veggies.

Waialua Farmers Market is country in the country

The rest of our little town consists of the Elementary School, Recreation Center, library and little Shopping Center.  We also have a Middle School and High School.

I forgot to take my own pic of the school. Its just two blocks from our house, but I don't work here.



This is the sweetest little library and Saturday Story Time was always my girl's favorite

The old bank is now a screen printing shop
My girls putting on a show for me
The nearest gas station. I try to fill up elsewhere!
It's better just to walk/jog through the old Sugar Cane fields...well maybe for mom...


The population of our town is about 4,000 people. It's very quiet and definitely off the beaten path.
I think it is a wonderful place to live and a great place to visit.

We used to live across the street from this little beach park. It's so lovely here first thing in the morning.


 
I know you are waiting for some beach pictures,  but there are so many that this post would take you all day to get through!!  I am saving the beach post for later.  Our next stop will be the neighboring town of Haleiwa.  Hope you come back for more!!

29 comments

  1. I thought it was fun to see something besides the beach. Thank you for giving us a peek at island living. I was on an island in Lake Erie recently and thought how fun to teach in their school of 48 students k-12! I'm your newest follower!
    Jenny

    Owl Things First

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  2. Love the quaint little town but really, your 2 models make the tour complete :) Precious !!!!

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    1. I thought they made the pics more interesting too:)

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  3. I went to that Saturday Market and loved it! Got Rambutan and some other fruit, yummy! Oh and one of the best parts was as we were leaving, a bakery didn't want to take their stuff back so they gave away their chocolate coffee cakes for free and I snagged one!

    Can't wait to see Haleiwa...I bet I know a few things you'll talk about there ;)


    Journey of a Substitute Teacher

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    1. Oooh, I love Rambutan!! That really is a great market. We love to stroll though and eat new things:)

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  4. Replies
    1. Thank you! It's so hard to capture the feel in these few picks:)

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  5. What an AMAZING town!! Thank you for sharing it with us. And I would be interested in a giveaway featuring products from the North Shore Soap Factory. :)

    Heather (heathernnance@yahoo.com)

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    1. Thanks Heather, I will be working on this when I reach 200 followers!!

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  6. WOW thanks so much for the tour... that was AWESOME!!!

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  7. That looks like a great place to live. I loved hearing about all the history behind it! Thanks for taking us on this tour of Hawaii!

    Lisa
    Learning Is Something to Treasure

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    1. Thank you Lisa, I hope you will keep coming back!!

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  8. Corinna, I am loving this... I should be working on report cards but strolling through a Hawaiian town is so much more fun.
    And yes, having a giveaway of your favorite Hawaiian things is a terrific idea! Go for it, girl!
    Patty
    2ndinline.blogspot.com

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    1. Thank you so much Patty, I'm glad you are enjoying it!!

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  9. Loved your pics. Thanks for sharing.

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  10. Love your beautiful pics!!!
    We get island fever, too -- ha ha. I once went several years without leaving our island. Weird but true :)

    ❀Barbara❀
    Grade ONEderful
    Ruby Slippers Blog Designs

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    1. I honestly don't get bored. I surf every chance I get and have lots of great friends to do things with:)

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  11. I loved the tour Corinna. What a beautiful place to live and grow. Thank you for sharing!
    Eileen Griffin
    2ndgradesunshine.blogspot.com

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  12. I'm your newest follower-I found you through Farley's linky party! :) Love your blog!

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  13. I can understand the island fever, however, this place looks like a dream! It's sad about the sugar plantation closing down. At least, it's not a parking lot. The soaps looked awesome. I could see my nieces trying to take a bite out of the chocolate ones!
    Thanks for sharing!
    Andi

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  14. Love this! If I can't visit Hawaii this year, your photos are the next best thing! Your town is so cute and reminds me so much of the many places I've visited. The beach parks are the best!

    ❀Bethany❀
    Learning is a Journey
    Polka Dot Parlor

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  15. first..can I have some of that chapstick to try?? I have about 5-6 tubes around the house...car..pocket...beach bag...school bag..you get the idea! lol
    2nd...I'd like to win that giveaway :)

    ♥ Jen
    The Teacher's Cauldron

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  16. I am your newest follower! I loved seeing Hawaii through a local's eyes; maybe one day I'll be lucky enough to visit there! Have you read the book "Surfer Chick" by Kristy Dempsey? I just blogged about it--stop by and check it out!
    Swersty’s Swap Shop

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    1. Swertsy!! Why didn't I think to send you over here when I saw your post on that - or send her over to you...yeesh! my bad :)

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  17. Thanks for the virtual tour! I love all of the beautiful pictures. What a beautiful place to live! I can't wait to see the beach pics.

    Krista
    stellar-students

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  18. Gosh, I thought I was living in paradise. Your pictures are beautiful. You live in a gorgeous place. Love your blog. Stop by mine if you get a chance.
    Tammy
    primaryparadise.blogspot

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Mahalo Nui Loa For Commenting!!

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