Tales from the Man who would be King

Rex Jaeschke's Personal Blog

Signs of Life: Part 10

© 2017 Rex Jaeschke. All rights reserved.

From time to time during my travels, I come across signs that I find interesting for one reason or another. Sometimes, they contain clever writing, are humorous, or remind me of some place or event. Here are some from trips to the Hawaiian Islands of Maui and the Big Island.

 

As you might expect, this is a stop sign; however, the text is a little unusual. The Parker Ranch was at one time, the biggest privately-owned cattle ranch in the US. For Wiktionary's meaning of whoa, click here.

Mahalo.

 

'Nuff said; now show me some ID and that you have "sufficient means of support" for that bikini!

 

You weren't confusing me with some Politically Correct person were you?

For the record, here's the real P.E.T.A. Also, see here.

 

You do know that while dogs have masters, cats have servants!

 

License plate on an under-cover Soviet agent's car.

BTW, when I was in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1992, from a street stall I bought a T-shirt that said the Russian equivalent of, "I was an agent of the KGB." Wikipedia says that KGB stands for "Komitet gosudarstvennoy bezopasnosti, … Committee for State Security".

 

This Hawaii Administrative Rule governs certain actions regarding fishing with nets. I guess it means something to the locals, but I was worried that perhaps I'd inadvertently somehow lain my net incorrectly, and might end up spending years languishing in an Hawaiian prison especially during their severe winters!

 

There I was, minding my own business driving on a back road on Maui when I came across this sign. "Okay, I'm watching out, but what exactly am I watching out for?"

Wikipedia says, "a long speed hump with a flat section in the middle". Hmm, how about "speed bump ahead"?

 

A fish restaurant on Maui.

Read here for the English idiom.

 

Isn't that just the cutest thing to see on the T-shirts of a honeymooning couple? Now excuse me while I throw up!

 

You're not fooling me! I know this has absolutely nothing to do with a donkey. See other possibilities here.

 

Okay, I give in, what's a Mo'o? Surely not the dress a local cow wears to a luau. Or am I confusing that with a muumuu (Mo'o Mo'o)?

 

Au contraire, according to their website, it's an ice cream with a (presumably crushed) cookie in it.

 

I never could find an official explantion for this road sign. The best I could figure out is that you should go slow, as you can't see very far ahead.

 

When was the last time you got birthday greetings written using bits of coral on a background of smooth lava pebbles?

 

So, smarty pants, which of the 50 US states has the British Union Jack on its state flag?

There are various stories about why this might have come about, but I think this part of the Hawaiian flag history remains a bit of a mystery.

BTW, Brit Captain James Cook did name the islands The Sandwich Islands after his sponsor, The Earl of Sandwich.

 

Ain't that the truth? A hand-made sign in I'ao Valley State Park.

 

The imposing figure of King Kamehameha the Great can be seen at the entrances of all Hawaii state parks.