Come Onna My House

       More Letters From Paradise
          Come Onna My House
My house is bigger than your house. My house stands 38 stories high, in a  graceful gentle S-shape. There is a large lanai for each of the 407 units, total population of which can accommodate some 900 residents. The building is one of the very few which has one side open to the elements. Sunshine, rain or whatever. Enclosed  hallways always remind me of a "Motel Six."

Below my home is a shallow pond, referred to as a lake. Once, the lake was stocked with a number of Koi, the Asian carp which has so many colors. But, they were accidentally killed when attempts to control algae were made. We had a pair of swans too, but they have passed away. But, we do have a quantity of wild ducks. They arrive, lay eggs, rear their ducklings, and drive some people living on the lower floors simply crazy. Quack, quack, quack. We are not bothered as we live on the 30th floor.

There is a small tea house in the center of the lake for those who wish to use it. Trees and flowers are nicely sited around the lake. There is also a high concrete wall and a iron fence to enclose the property. To see how beautiful our home is, look it us on the internet.

My wife Tonto, thought that getting me to move into a condo would be difficult. But not so, as I don't miss shoveling snow, ice -frozen paper boxes, heating and cooling bills, and all the rest. I don't have to drag garbage cans out to the street, and the morning paper is found just outside our door.

Inside our home, once you pass the guard shack, and through the key door there is the manager's office. The lobby is furnished with chairs, and a door leading to the garden lake.

Walking down a few steps you find the library, maintenance shop, mail boxes. and locker rooms. Up on the right is a waterfall with some koi in a pond. Also, a couple of palm trees.

Every apartment has a large closet locker for suitcases, golf clubs etc. There are also assigned parking spaces.

As you continue ahead there are elevators on both sides of the hall. The elevators on the left run only up to the 20th floor,those on the right run up to the penthouses.

The 407 apartments range in size from a one bedroom, a two bedroom,a three bedroom, and of course three floors of penthouses. For each bedroom there is a bath. Some residents choose to install air-conditioning, while others use ceiling fans, and an always open door to the lanai.

Some special features besides our library are the swimming pool, tennis court, recreation area for parties, squash court, puttingu green and driving net, fitness center, saunas for both sexes, and an exercise area for dogs. We are one of the "pet friendly" condos. And so, we have a large number of dogs or all sizes, a few cats, and I know of one rabbit.

Famous people have made the Waipuna their home. Julia Child once lived here. Also the late Senator Dan Inouye lived in one of the penthouse suites. Currently there are t.v. personalities,owners of local restaurants, etc. We are now seeing Japanese families, and other ethnic groups with children.

We have a small group of men, and one woman who work very hard to maintain our home. Most of them are Filipino.

We can rest easy at night because the building has guards who control the gate, entry door, and patrol the halls at night.

With all that I have said, surely you must ask about problems in condo living. The main problem is the lack of storage space. There is always too much stuff. You will find under beds, beach chairs and canned goods. When all of our food comes to us on large pallets, and some things are hard to get, you buy more than you can use. This leads to a storage problem. And, many of us are collectors of stuff.

Problems? Sure, with some 900 people living here, you would expect it. One of the big problems concerns the trash room on each floor. There is a trash chute for bagged garbage, a large barrel for cans and bottles, and a box for newspapers. And, on  the door is a large sign telling people to take large cardboard boxes etc. down to the dumpsters on the main floor. Do all people do this? No, they are too lazy to comply,and simply leave them in the trashroom when no one is looking. Inside the trashroom itself are directions given in English, Japanese, Chinese, and Korean, where to put each item of trash. Is it done? Are you kidding? People sometimes are just plain lazy.

A couple of other problems relate to our lanais. People who smoke throw their butts over the side, only to sometimes land on the lanai below. Carpets have been burned as well as stuffed chairs. And, there is the problem of people making a fuss on their lanai after 10 p.m., which is the time to quiet down so people can sleep.

Two other major problems are people who drive in the parking garage too fast, and without their lights on. There are signs everywhere. And the second is about tailgating. This is when a resident allows someone to follow them into the building. You must have a key, or phone from outside and the host resident lets the guest in. This is a secure building.

Other than these few mentioned problems,life in this building is very good.I will never again pick up a snow shovel.  
           Aloha
           Grant