Ohana Luau at The White House, Aloha!

Barack Obama & daughters enjoying shave ice in 2008 on vacation with friends in Hawaii

Ohana is famous to most people from Disney's Lilo & Stitch. The word means family. The families of the Obama Administration along with Congressional pals, partners and little people are invited to enjoy a pre-Independence day celebration with the Obama Family.

Update here is stage being set photo courtesy CBS.  Everyone will get a lei and there is a dunk tank for Charity too.

UPdate 2:  from the actual event

Bo got to come with his sporty leash sans lei - he already had one at his first visit to meet the folks.

Presidential Dad & Sasha delivered a dunking to the White House Chief of Staff as well.

Hawaii is the fiftieth state, coming to the stars and stripes officially in August of 1959. On August 4th, 1961, a bi-racial baby was born on the island of Oahu, in Honolulu, that would grown up to be the president of the United States. Hawai'i's traditions of shave ice, body surfing, calmness and tropical "cool" with the shaka are part of the heritage. For the first president ever from the pineapple state, a luau is landing on the South Lawn. Historically there is nothing to compare it to for other first families. With abundant joy, the Reagans vacationed in Hawaii. Most presidents venture to the state to visit the Pearl Harbor Memorial or as a pit stop on the way to Japan. (Photo of President & Nancy Reagan's enjoying the warm waters of the Pacific in Hawaii)

Thursday night is the big draw for the lu'au. Tihati Productions will provide some of the festive flaming entertainment in DC that they do in Hawaii for tourists anxious for poi, pineapple and a roasted pig with an apple in its mouth alongside the hula and the flames. For me its more a Euro style luau rather than the ones I have participated in with the cooking of the pig in a pit with my native Hawaiian neighbors. My youngest was born at the same hospital as the president, albeit quite a few years later. Now I see luau's again through the eyes of a mainlander as will the guests of the White House. (Tihati Productions Luau performance photo courtesy of Jay Metzger)

"The White House specifically wanted a Samoan knife twirler," she said. "Well, we will bring six fire-knife dancers, who will do a pyramid formation."

Tihati performances draw on the traditions of Hawai'i, Samoa, Tahiti, Fiji, the Cook Islands and Maori New Zealand. To fill out the cast for this special performance, the Thompsons raided Tihati productions at the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani, The Royal Hawaiian, the Hilton Hawaiian Village, the Hyatt Regency Maui, the Hyatt Regency Kaua'i and the Waikoloa Marriott.

Congressional picnics are an annual event meant to bring together a couple thousand people on the lawn right before the Fourth of July holiday. Food, music, and the ubiquitous red checkered tablecloth are the usual accoutrements. This is going to be quite different though familiar for those who on the Hawaii tourist circuit. Alan Wong is the Hawaii celebrity chef following last week's celebrity chef for the Father's Day Event, Bobby Flay, by providing meals with the foods and fusion arising from the islands. Macadamia nuts and corn on the cob will be side by side at the buffet picnic. Some of the ingredients will no doubt come from Michelle Obama's Kitchen Garden as well. Yep, that means spam, in flagrante, too. (President Bush & Speaker Pelosi in 2007 at Congressional Picnic, photo courtesy AP)

(Mardi Gras was theme of the 2007 Congressional Picnic with formal hayrides offered to the guests by Harmon's Hayrides.)

In 210 years, the stately mansion at 1600 has witnessed many a new idea brought about by a toughtful first lady and her staff.

Note: Maureen's eyes have been particularly bad lately. We apologize for the lack of posts. She thinks she's on the mend finally and thanks everyone for their forbearance while health problems took precedence. She's working to gain a few pounds too!

Mahalo & Aloha!

White House Quacks, Barks & Stings

WH View from Putting Green on South Lawn near Oval Office (Photo Courtesy Architectural Digest)

New First Families are the regular order of the day when presidents switch in and out. The multi-faceted talented White House staff takes that in stride. It is the more unusual outdoorsy happenings from the pets and critters, great and small, that give the Executive Mansion a bit of swerve and verve. During the chills of winter, the first lady signed off on a first-ever bee hive for making White House Honey. A horticulture plan must be in place for the right types of flowers to groom next to the hive. Bees are pretty active in the spring and summer collecting pollen from all the flowering plants. It just so happens a White House carpenter extraordinaire and bee master reside in the body of Charley Brandts who takes great pictures of the hive on the WH grounds when not wearing his superhero bee keeping cape.

Michelle Obama said some eyebrows definitely raised when presenting the garden design (chefs, bee keepers, head horticulturist, Chief Usher, National Park Service) plans to a skeptical Malia & Sasha who have a vested interest in their new backyard. The grounds team appropriated prime space for their swing set. Deep in the southern 9 acres is Momma Obama's garden, with the hive closer to the tennis court and the children's garden and that big grand fountain surrounded by blooms. Prior summer flowers for the fountain included geraniums, marigold lilies (lots of marigolds in the Obama Victory Garden) and petunias. Add the inquisitive nature of Sherlock Holmes to one rambunctious puppy and things can get a bit tense. Bo's walks are matters of national security. Seriously. When in DC, the president walks Bo. Not sure what Secret Service protocol is for a bee protest.

Bo passes the West Wing on a walk with White House Horticulturist Dale Haney. He has a great deal of experience with First Family pets too.)

Bo is closer than most Americans will ever be to the "football" - the codes for the nuclear weapons. The White House doctor will make sure no allergy sufferers are without the appropriate antidotes. Interesting, because in about 6 weeks, the Obamas will host a major annual gathering of congressional spouses, children and friends on the South Lawn, close to the Fourth of July, before he and Michelle make another international tour, including Ghana. At this time, it is not clear whether either or both of the First Daughters will accompany their parents on such a major trip. The East Wing is already gearing up for the inevitable press crush probably making the First Family appreciate the secret life of bees more.

(Charlie Brandts removing North swarm of bees after installing the domesticated bees on South Lawn)

A few suicidal bees roaming on pollen patrol could send things out of hand, if not paying attention during the season. That already happened in the near the West Gate, with the same beekeeper going out in full regalia to collect the Queen Bee and the swarms and rescue the media from enduring bee stings while doing their live shots on the North side of the White House. The "Renegade" bees (ha ha code name puns) moved in without an election to enjoy an annual springy "Renaissance" garden as the shy "Radiance" of the brilliant sunshine pours on the youngest "Rosebud" determined to use the outdoor pool to teach her new Portuguese Water Dog how to swim.(Photo with hive to the left Courtesy of City Bees, a blog with several posts detailing the insider story of the Obama's sanctioned bees.)

It is known that squirrels frequent the South Lawn. In the middle of this natural park, a Ducky Mom created her own tour of the West Wing shepherding her ducklings past an assistant press secretary's window inspecting the White House grounds. Michele Obama did not arrange for ducks a la orange in the ramped up local food initiative. (Outside West Wing of the White House Photo courtesy New York Daily News)

Sorry for the longer than planned posting absence, but an emergency illness arose stinging me in more ways than one.