Hello
Hello Gentlemen,
I hope the day is serving you all well. The waves were breaking at Point Panic today, and I went out with a boogy board. I had some good rides, but did
get to enjoy the underwater view a bit, since I was diving for pearls. They have
some pretty big rocks under that thar water, you know. I nearly made a close acquaintance with a few once or twice. Well, when you have a hard head like me,
sometimes it takes something like that to clear my goggles. Ewa Beach Road Forever!
The sooner I get published, the quicker I can come and say Hello everyday. I love
Swaylock. It's the answer to many Surfer's dreams of keeping in touch. God Bless
all you Surfer's out thar. You Heeeeeaaaaa. Till the next Big Wave. naky....
My Dad was army.He wen go paratoopers. Later got Honorable Discharge had Mastiods, wen cut his ears, and he went Federal Fire Department. Worked on Ford Island, Waipio Point, and then Barbers Point. Worked with Tony Ferreras Dad, Billy Wise Dad, Teddy Talbert, Sean Kim Hans DAd, John Silva, Stanford Montgomery’s Dad, Al Montgomery, Mike Mahaloviche Dad. Too long time for rememba all. Small kid time he take me all ova with him. Berma Road, also known as Drum Road. Da road go through tunnels in da mountains from Haliewa side, all da way way through Wahiawa, Waipio, Aiea, Red Hill, and to Koko Head side. A branch of da road came down into Waipahu and ran along da shoreline to Pearl Harbor. We used to swim in da rivers that the road would cross. Later in my life I would tell him where I was riding dirt bike in the mountains and he woukd describe the place and say, yea, dats where we used to swim. When he was at Waipio Point, I was 5 years old and he taught me how to drive. 18 speed fire truck. He would take me to work with him 24 hour shift. Sean’s Dad was da police at da gate. " Whats dis, Shep’s boy, driving in and out of da gate and all ova da place in da fire truck?" I gota be lucky for a Dad like that. Drive 49 Chevy around Kaena Point, through Drum Road, and a firetruck. 5 years old. Neva know what you had till gone for soo long…Bradda Paul…By da way, My Dad met my Mon at end of a Machne gun at Pearl Harbor Gate. Oh well…
My Mom was first one hired at Barny’s Burger House at da new shopping center. Her and Herbert Pruces’s Mom. Before da shopping
center wen get built, da land der was a corral. Only had keawe trees and brush. Cows would wander across da road and you gotta stop
da ca an wait fo dem to get outa da way. Had rail road tracks to keep da cows from going into Ewa Beach side from Fort Weaver side
into Tanaka Store side. No mo traffic signal or even street lights or even stop sign. My Mom was a substitute teacher at Ewa School
before Barny’s was der and continued for a few years after. Dat time had sugar kane all da way to begining up what came to be
Leeward Estates. Both sides of da road from der into Ewa Beach was keawe. Till da corral wer was kina cleard out fo da cows. Das da
patch now get da shopping center and mcdonalds. In fac da shopp[ng centa was der before Leeward Estates cause I rememba seeing
Daryl Nelson lick some sailors in front of where mcdonalds is now an only had Keawe trees where Leeward Estates is now. Da Bradda
was awsume. He lick 4 or 5 guys no problem. Used to whistle like a bird, mine his own business, but fight like a tiger. Anyway
story goin get mo nuts as my mind digs on, so Lattas My Braddas,…Paul Shepard…
Paul- i memba Darryl Nelson. iwas young boy. Didn’t he have a brother & they was living going to Hau Bush 1st left by Tony or John Lopes, maybe he was related to them. U right he did whistle like one bird. Another thing your Fada used to raise honeybees yeah.? This is 4 Mike Nii. yes i do recamemba u folks from olokele ave in Kapahulu. My mada once told me i used to follow my brothers to Jefferson Elem School by the AlaWai. Then somebody came pick me up cause i was too young.
Jim, you followed the dream and surpassed most other’s who became satisfied with a status quo of boardbuilding. I have never met a person who knows you who does not hold you in high respect. Me particularly. I watched you mentor a young builder in his garage at night afyer you put in full days work. You had time for the kid, Austin I think was his name. My tip of the hat to a genius of boardbuilder and a good wuality person. I have no doubt your old man is looking down and smiling at the good man you became. John
Jim you will always be my Champion. You are a genius, and a scholar, when it comes to the craft of Surfboard building. You have turned it into a refined and sought after Art. Your creations will be treasured for years, like the famous paintings in the St. Peter's Bacilica in Rome. I am so glad one of Our Own became famous for his outstanding work in Board Building. The markets open, but you got a corner on it. God Bless You Jim. You are a Master craftsman at what you do. naky
Eh Tom, Hzit Bradaa. Darryls brada was Jimmy. Dey lived up da road by Ewa Beach park side. Up by Portagee, Robert Lee. Portagee had da black 32 Chevy no mo radiator cap.Dey may have relates down da udda side. Joe Lopes familier, did my dads taxes and mine all da way to last year. Mabe related or same guy. I tink Joe was up by Tony Ferreras on Ewa Beach Road though. Yes my dad raised bees. He had bees down HauBush side, Lani Moo side by Haleiwa, Kahuku, Mililani, Kunia, on Regos ranch, Nally Smiths ranch, Malama
Solomans ranch big island, all ova Oahu and Big Island. All da farmas and ranches wanted him to bring his bees der, good fo da crops. He was president of da Bee Keepers Association and had da biggest Honey Bee population in da State. If you ewa got stung was probably his bee. Was talking to Charly Mizunaka saturday and he wen share one story wit me about wen small kid time my dad wen capture him one day and asign him to go help my dad get some bees. Charly say he had so much bee sting. My dad sold honey fo 11 dolars a gallon fo eva. Neva raise da price fron day one till da end. Every body say " oh yea, your fada da honey bee man". I da first one since great great gandfathers generations to break da tradition. He sole um unmark gallon gugs to freinds but sold small bottles leftover under da brand “Hula Bee Honey”. You got it right Tom. Aloha My Bradda…Paul…
Some old shots from late 70’s and late 80’s. Days when the canefields were everywhere.
You know Tom, I was just tinking. No mo da farms and ranches used to have. All gone now. Only get houses and shopping centers where once had country. We lucky to have been der den. My hart sore today for let dat all go away. Leese we get us, who can still rememba. Alohas my Bradda…Paul…
Hey Paul. Sometimes when we were young and we'd be walking down EBR, your dad would call us into the yard and give us pieces of honey cone dripping with honey. I was afraid that the bees would attack us, but they never did. I didn't really know about bees and honey until your dad told us and showed us about it. That was cool. Good memories.
a few years ago my shaping room walls got filled with a new colony, my buddy Ray in our local been man, be come take down my outside wall and get the queen and her soldiers, take 'em home to his place, I got local honey from him all’a time
Yo Old Salt, you spy on me, I help Austin, but like to “help” his mother more
Paul! I remember your dad and his bees. Didn’t know he went that big with it. His price was old school but who does that anymore huh? Yes Jimmy was Darryl’s brother. I also remember when da suga cane came up to Leeward Estates. Remember, tidalwave gotta go to Ewa and wait. One time i was with you and your dad come home no can cause had tidal wave. Jus wait til pau. tink was 59-60’ sorry hard time rememba. also wen get beeg rain close road to Ewa and town. no body go school. Stay home play in puddles make iron toe tung boat wid tar and nails. Ride boards on water on EB rd. Go play tackle football Ewa school or Puuloa park. Sand side on street pull surf board wid bikes etc.I remembe playing tops everybody stay bombing each other top. You go home redrill your top put 8 penny nail inside and blast all us guys to bits. Even Polo and Peewee could’nt beat yoyu. You was da bomb. Nice pic of Rocka and Mizunakas. Rocka evertime like wrestle, use sleeper hold on everyone. Now MMA guys all use it when on the ground.
Cleigh
Harry, GREAR JOB on the vedeo!!! mahalo nui loa for all your efforts in documenting this event…ike
E Cleigh. You wen jus bus me out lafing bra. I get tears laf so hard. I wen foget da canoes we made from coragated roofing and put 2 by 4 at da ends and paddle in da road. Ewa Beach style bra. Any event was a blessing to us guys. We was in da country. Good day bad day no matta, we turned any day into a fun day. Playing eggetes, dose tops, bottle caps, boxing, wrestling, tree tree, hide and seek, any kine stuff was always in your front yard. Your front yard should have been called Ewa Beach Park, had mo action der dan at da park. Anytime you go by your house, had action. Good days my Bradda, precious days yu no goin see no more. But to rememba in talk story, make da heart young again, and special proud to be wit all us guys dos days. Dos days, yes dos days. We not Pau yet. Love you my Bradda and all my Braddas who wen go on before us and dos who still stay for da times we wen pick each udda up. Good life dis place. Aloha…Bradda Paul…
Harry, Mahalo bra. You wen make supa videos. You wen capture us as we is. We not actas, we for real and you wen show dis. You wen take da time and effort to do dis, and save dis for us. Maybe you no tink you professional, but bra , I neva see someting like dis before. You did it right bra. You wen save it fo da futa. U wen tell it like it is and was. How dey say “just da facks”. Good to have one of us to represent all of us as we are and were , and preserve it for da futcha. What I wish I could do, You have done…Aloha My Bradda…Imua…Old time someone tells, someone rememba, Now you brough it togeda fo Ewa…Aloha Bradda Harry…Paul…
Hey, Troy, Chris and Lance. This is Dan Bilderback from old Ewa Beach days. I’m still in touch with the Garrabrant brothers, Bob and Tim. I’ve been following the thread for Ewa Beach for about a year now, and of course things have changed after 40 to 50 years.
My brother Jack and I lived in the house at 91-175 EBR with Dave Pond and Jim (Duke) Doherty. Chris Gardner shaped and glassed in our shed/shop in the back yard. Lotta good times, man, lotta good times. Dick DeLong lived around the corner in a little place. Zach Fornes used to come over and give me a ride to Brooks Rent-a-Car down at the airport where we worked for a while. Naky lived up the street. Silva store was an everyday trip for Reeses Peanut Butter cups, and other essentials. Jonathan Crouch, myself and John Hosemann worked at the Capehart Housing gas station for a while. I used to get there riding my Raleigh ten-speed bike I got in trade for a surfboard with Troy Mize. Mrs. Crouch used to make the greatest lentil burgers and invite us over for dinner. I saw Troy’s message about the Hendrix concert at the Shell. I still have the ticket stub from that show. Good old times.