She Ain’t Rose….

My dear friend Pedar Wold was a music collector. He had thousands of CD’s and he loved to share them. One he gave me was a collection of Leon Redbone songs, including “She ain’t Rose.” The lyrics to the refrain are “She ain’t Rose , she ain’t bad, and Rose ain’t here…”

….and I thought of that song while I snorkeled at 69 Beach today (so named because it is at telephone pole #69….).  Losing the Wai’ Opae tidepools at Kapoho to the current lava flow was a gutpunch.  It can only be described as a magical place-and now it’s gone.

But the first thing I saw today was a turtle, swimming past a 5′ long eel.  I curved around the (old) lava rock island and nearly ran into another turtle. I saw a sailfish tang in “full furl.” And a humuhumunukunukuapua’a with an erection (his top fin was erect for as long as I followed him…usually they are folded in unless he is threatened-and I laughed as I heard the commercial in my head “call your doctor if you experience an erection lasting longer than……)

….and a Lei Triggerfish….and a pinktail triggerfish…..and a longnose butterflyfish….

and all the while I was hearing that song (modified):

She ain’t Kapoho, she ain’t bad, and Kapoho ain’t here….