Blah, Blah, Blah

Leslie Lang writes:

Richard and June are back from two weeks in New York City and have hit the ground running. Richard will check in here on Monday, but in the meantime he asked me to tell you a little bit about myself and about my husband Macario.

I am a freelance writer, and met Richard when the editor of Hawaiian Airlines’ in-flight magazine Hana Hou! asked me to do an article about Hamakua Springs. Macario, a professional photographer, was assigned to photograph the article. We both hit it off with Richard right away.

When the farm needed a website, Richard remembered mine and knew that I’d done it myself. He asked if I’d work on a website for the farm. So that was the second time we worked together.

Macario did all the photography for the website and helped some with the graphic stuff. I planned and wrote and put it all together. And along the way we confirmed that Richard is really a terrific person to work with. Smart, positive, enthusiastic. It’s a dream partnership.

As Hamakua Springs keeps growing and evolving, we have both continued to work with the Has. Macario does the farm’s photography. I maintain the website, write articles and press releases, keep a press kit current, and do other writing and projects as needed.

And then we came up with the idea of this blog, which I started and maintain. I got to make up my own title—“Chief Blogger”—and am really enjoying it.

In our other lives, Macario shoots for most of Hawai‘i’s magazines and some mainland publications. He does some commercial work for corporate clients (specializing in architecture and interiors) and often shoots art work for artists. He also specializes in, and really enjoys, photographing people. He has a design and graphics background and is himself an artist.

As for me, I write a lot of different things: For corporate clients (newsletters, slogans, press releases, manuals, more); articles for magazines, both here in Hawai‘i and on the mainland; copy for websites (I also do website design), and books. My first (co-written) book, Mauna Kea, published by Watermark Publishing, came out last fall. If it has to do with words, I'm there.

Right now I’m just finishing up another book, which is about historic Hilo and has been a really neat project. I see Hilo completely differently now. When I drive into town from Hamakua over the singing bridge, I “see” the pre-1946 railroad station sitting there, roughly where the “Welcome to Hilo” sign stands. And when I drive down Kamehameha Avenue past Wailoa State Park, I picture it lined on both sides with businesses and homes as it used to be, even though that was before my time and I never saw it that way.

When the book, “Exploring Historic Hilo,” comes out this fall I’ll remind you here and try to badger you into buying a copy.

Okay, enough about us! Richard will be back here on Monday to tell you how his weight-loss program held up in New York, and more. Stay tuned.

Comments

[Richard]

I remember the town just prior to the 1960 tidal wave. I was in the 10th grade and sometimes we would cut out from school to visit our friends Ruben and Francis Omega. They used to coach boxing and martial arts and lived between Kamehameha
Ave and the canal. After the wave there were no more homes left, just crushed lumber and tin pushed up the bank pass the King Kamehameha statue. You can still see some of the driveways in the sidewalks along that stretch. Will be sure to get a copy of your book when it comes out.

[Joe O'Brien]

Aloha,

I happened onto this blog and it sure brought back memories of the night the tsunami hit.

Though this is an old blog, I hope I can be put in touch with Richard. In fact, Ruben and Francis Omega were my trainers, I had a bout scheduled but it was canceled due to the wave and the tragic loss of two fine Omega brothers that night. The watermark on the auditorium was over 35 feet. What a tragedy.

And Richard, you probably knew my brother Mike O'Brien, he was 11th grade, I was across the street at Hilo Intermediate, 9th grade.

The night the wave hit, Mike almost didn't make it. We were running up the street, he had to climb a tree. I was able to outrun it and I can still hear the sound of it today. We lived on Ululani Street, across from the Haili Church, it came within about a block from our place. We lost some stuff in storage down on Kamehameha Ave.

I went to the mainland after the wave, and in the 10th grade I wrote a book report about it, and they didn't believe me. When I came back to Hilo in 61, the damage was still visible. I lost a few friends from that wave.

And now, 50 years later, it still seems like yesterday.

Aloha

[Richard Ha]

Howzit Joe;
WOW. Thanks for writing. I was in the 10th grade. My email is Richard@hamakuasprings.com. My cell is 808 960 1057.
My friend Lambert Balingit lived close to Hilo Tribune Herald. He ended up running up the street too.
Aloha

[Joe O'Brien]

Hey Brudda,

I’m glad to be in touch, and thanks for your email address too.

Blogs like this are so good in keeping people in touch with their past. They also help to keep stories true to the fact, and keep them alive. I’ve read of people just telling what they’ve heard about it, stories change after going through two or three generations of mouths.

I know we’ll be in touch email-wise, but I thought I’d mention another thing that other readers of this page might also enjoy. I remember cutting out from school, heading over to the high school and off into the jungle for some fun. I bet you did this too :-)

Do you remember the place called South America? It was an old volcanic crater in the shape of South America. It was right in the river, very steep and jagged on the sides. We’d jump from about 50 feet and then climb up the waterfall side to hike further up to the mud pond. You had to be careful, as there was a rock just under the surface to avoid. It was too dark to see it from above. If the first guy made it okay, you just jumped in the same spot. That’s why nobody ever dove. I remember a fellow called Raymond Agapoon slipped once, he hit the side and cut his back. He was a tough guy, didn’t bother him at all.

There are other stories of living in Hilo I remember, might be fun to see if we had some of the same friends. If you have a 10th grade yearbook, you should see if my brother Mike is in it. He got into a lot of fights, seemed to enjoy it.

Aloha