From the Portrait Gallery:
Dad with Loulu Palm (with a line from Orhan Pamuk)
I took the photo of Dad standing in front of a loulu fan palm
on the grounds of the Kamehameha Hotel in Kailua, Kona
near the waterfront. It’s not a great photo; it’s something
from what I have left—this is what makes it great. It must
have been 1986. The photo isn’t a close-up, but he’s clearly
smiling. At about 15 feet, the loulu palm towers over him.
I exhibit the photo here.
After mamane & perhaps koa, the loulu was one of Dad’s
favorite trees. He once expressed his desire to have a loulu
palm on his property near the summit of Kilauea volcano.
He was told flatly that loulu would not grow thousands
of feet above sea level. Dad obtained a young specimen,
planted it a few yards from his front door, christened
the palm “Lulu.” Over the years the loulu prospered, grew
to tower over him.
In the photo Dad is smiling about any number of things:
his beloved Lulu the Loulu up the mountain, his triumph
in having a palm grow where it should not be able to grow,
or in the fact that I am back for a visit & not lost to him.
Andrew Shattuck McBride
October 9, 2012
PaPoWriMo ~ 2012 *Day Thirteen Poem*
Andrew Shattuck McBride, Writer's Blog 
Where in Volcano Village was your dad’d property located? I believe we purchased the parcel to which you make reference and yes, we do have a palm tree just out the front door of the house! The parcel is located on Kilaeaua Rd, on drive way up from the intersecting Huanani Rd. Did the house have a huge lava center fireplace?KD VolcanoVillage
For Kathy Demski:
Yes, that’s the property my father once owned.
I emailed you with a response earlier. Perhaps my email is in your ‘spam’ folder.
Sincerely, Andrew McBride
🙂 with tears in my eyes, as I write this LuLu towers over the house at least 30′ and is QUITE happy at this elevation! Would you like a picture? I was not able to view the photo, ;-( KD
Nice, Andy! I really like all the Hawaiian plant names–both here and in several of the poems you wrote last April.
I’m trying to guess which line is from Parmuk and can’t come up with it. Whichever one it is, you’ve integrated it seamlessly into your poem.
Jennifer, you are so kind and generous in your comments–always! Thank you.
“I exhibit the photo here.” I added “the photo” in place of “it” (below).
I guess it’s a variation on a line from Orhan Pamuk. In his novel The Museum of Innocence, he uses “I exhibit it here” after mentioning a certain item. His novel is absolutely brilliant.
Thanks again! All the best, Andy