Boy #1's Holiday at AlohaHoya Heavenly Retreat

First, I want to thank Miss Carol for opening their personel paradise, and a special Thanks to Bob, who's energy and talents in chemical engineering seem limitless. Bob is one of the unsung heros working on a better tomorrow in the field of bio-fuels.
Thanks Bob, for letting me use your camera since I'd left mine behind..OH MY GOD! HOW MANY PICTURES DID WE TAKE!? 130.....(LOL)

We'll start with the Botanicaly Talented and Charming Carol, AlohaHoya!

Every Morning we start with the "rounds" Morning inspection

Starting down the roads.

Of course, I'm bouncing left and right trying to see everything I can..and there is alot! You see something new everytime.

Colors everywhere...
While my little Croatons are pampered, they're hedges here.

Manini, I saw the place of the original Manini.

One of DG Islanders describes this banana

mai'a koa'e
or from an old Hawaiin man
manini 'o koa'e

One of those means striped

Mai'a koa'e is a somatic (in place) mutation of the common Hawaiian banana; mai'a moali. This is the staple food-crop which has survived the Pacific Island Nations!

More Manini
I call it Manininanner

Bob has an impressive collection of Palm trees, the likes of which several I've never seen before.

travelers palm

palms

fan palm ..
He even has alot of the palm names tagged at the bottom. I was lucky to get pictures let alone names

Heliconia Galore.
Carol seem ho hum about Heliconias, but..I loved them.

Heliconias

all different types were blooming -Heliconias

The rarest of them all
Carol

Boy #1

Oh Lord! She lives in a paradise. When visiting Jenny on Maui we went to a nursery where I wanted to buy a pup of a traveler's palm. They didn't have it. Probably wouldn't grow in Dallas anyway. With what little I know it may be really rare. It was at the gate of the nursery so I was just overwhelmed with it.

When I win the lottery, (don't even buy the tickets), I am going to Carol's and Jenny's once again. If you are really good, RJ, you can go with us.

More pictures please.

Christi

Don't think I wasn't eyeing the "for sale signs" of property around there.
It Rained everynight, except for the last night I was there. There was something comforting about waking up in the middle of the night listening to the rain on the galvanized roof... Definately reminded me of some moments remembered growing up in Nimba County, Liberia.

Philodendrom paradise...I didn't even capture a nick of the Philos growing ramant there.

Philos

Philos,
these were some of my favorites

Monstera

Don't think any critters will climb this palm...still, nature has a way for some guys to be able to get around some of these defenses..may be a few more million evolutionary years yet for this one though.

Spiny palm tree

The "food section"
Banana Row- there are hearts of palms, coffee, bananas. Oh..and "white pineapple" for which I will forever be spoiled.
It's the sweetest, very low acidic tastiest, most lovely, melt in your mouth nummylicious pineapple ever. Do you think I liked it?


Banana Row

okay..I couldn't do it..the palms are so beautiful...I believe these are where "hearts of palms" come from.
Guilty..had some on pasta. Did I mention Carol is an awsome cook!

The Hoya Hut

Hoyas..wow..they drape from trees everywhere...litterally way up in the trees.

There were gingers and orchids "oh my"
Orchids were growing everywhere...I ran out of battery :(

Local Orchid (weed)
How would you like this for a weed? Very tall orchid plants ...thousands everywhere.

The AlohaHoya brick road.
Carol needs to toot her horn a little bit louder me thinks!

Colors upon colors.
The size of the brug blooms were impressive.

one of my favorite colors for the garden this year!

bromeliads - lots of cool bromeliads

and the road kept going

Palaver Hut

In Africa we called these Palaver huts.

Palaver:
1. a conference or discussion.
2. a long parley, esp. one between primitive natives and European traders, explorers, colonial officials, etc.
3. profuse and idle talk; chatter.
4. persuasive talk; flattery; cajolery.
–verb (used without object) 5. to talk profusely and idly.
6. to parley or confer

pinecone ginger..

Carol, I came home to find a minini pine cone ginger blooming...woo hoo lol

These are Carols.

Bamboo spikes

The whole bamboo

More cool palms

and the road keeps going....palms of every sort

Red Bauhinia

a type of cluster palm