I peered around the corner of the house. This was scary, but it was fun too. I sure as heck wasn't gonna get caught. Then I caught a glimpse of the broom and not a moment too late either. It just missed me by a fraction of a hair. At that moment I almost froze in my tracks. But I turned my butt around and hauled ass to the front of the house. I let out a scream and laughter at the same time to warn the others. As I entered the garage I turned to look over my shoulder to see if he was still after me. With the broomstick in his hands, waving it above his head, Grandpa was in a full run after me, yelling at thetop of his lungs, "Leave da fish alone! No make li'dat wit da fish in da pond o else I go git you and wrap dis broom around your okole!" I did manage to escape safely. The neighborhood kids and I settled down in our secret hiding place to plan our next fishpond attack.

As a young child, Grandpa's fishpond always fascinated me. I was fascinated with the bridge that went over the middle of the pond that led a visitor from the front gate to the front door. I was also fascinated with how easily the fish would eat from your hands. But I was even more fascinated with "wading" in Grandpa's fishpond! Don't know what kind of fish they were, but they were long, gray, slimey things that were especially easy to catch with a coffee can. You just took off your slippahs and when the coast was clear, step into the pond and try scoop up as many fish as you could with the coffee can without getting caught! It was always a game to see how long it took Grandpa to come running after me and neighborhood kids with his broomstick. He'd chase us around the house before letting us escape to our secret hiding place.

Grandpa's house with the fishpond in the front yard is no longer there as the H1 Freeway now runs through the property. But I always laugh when I reminisce about Grandpa's fishpond. And I can't help but I think that it was more fun getting caught by Grandpa, than trying to catch the fish in his fishpond!

I was born in Wahiawa and raised in Pearl City on the island of Oahu. I now reside in Massachusetts just several minutes north of Boston. I'm happily married with two nani daughters, one in high school and the other in college. After being laid off from work as a process engineer due to company downsizing, I made the decision to make my hobby of soapmaking a business. I missed the "island ways" so it was with this inspiration that I started East Coast Tropics which specializes in handcrafted soaps made of Hawaiian luxury oils. I also enjoy both digital and non-digital photography.