Hawaiian shirts: SO out.
Hawaiian shirts – toss them out.
Sorry, it’s true.
Florida.1951. President Truman in center.(National Archives/Office of Pres.Libraries/ Harry S. Truman Library.200549 US public domain: by fed employee/ Commons.wikimedia.org)
It’s been difficult:
Those bright colors: turquoise, reds, and yellows simmering under the endless everyday grey.
The tropical images: beckoning, enchanting, promising.
Soft relaxed fabric more of a kiss than clothing.
Even while hidden in back, never out of mind.
There. Did you hear?
Chattering palm fronds.
Mesmerizing whispers of waves on the sand.
The sands. Warm sands cuddling feet.
The sun beguiling worried thoughts into stillness.
Why ordered out?
Rumpled and jumbled into a pile with tank tops and frayed flattened flip flops.
Nonchalantly oozing memories of lazy summer days.
Defiantly unconcerned with clocks and calendars.
Unable to resist burrowing my face.
A slight hint of salt air and coconut oil?
A soft seagull call trapped in a seam?
Jewel of a beach.Oahu. (Cristo Vlahos/ Commons.wikimedia.org)
Why ordered out?
Long sigh.
Because.
Because it’s time.
Because it’s really really hot, and the days are longer, and there are lots of butterflies and flowers blooming amid the pollen, and the oak trees have abruptly dropped their old brown winter leaves and quickly dressed in bright green new ones, and the squirrels are frisking around, and the fuzzy ducklings are swimming already, and the mocking birds are diving protecting nests, and we’re having spring already even if you’re not.
Sorry about that.
(It’s coming. Hang on!)
Hawaiian shirts, tank tops, flip flops: all out and ready to play.
Phil, the Philosopher Mouse of the Hedge.
(Oh, feel free to smirk when it’s sweltering here while balmy there…like next week probably)
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Philosopher Mouse of the Hedge 
Sigh. Still no spring for us. Double sigh.
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It’s on the way…ducks know. (They may be late trying to avoid unpleasant egg snatchings?) Thanks for floating a comment this way
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When worlds collide: has anyone, anywhere, ever decorated Easter eggs to look like Hawaiian shirt prints? Hmmmmm….. This has possibilities!
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Not quite what I’d envisioned, but close!
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Cool
What about the Bluebird Circle Easter eggs and baskets to raise money for the clinic and kids’ hospital treatments
http://www.thebluebirdcircle.com/projects/easter-eggs/
(I always wanted one of those baskets)
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Hmmm, a new business opportunity?
Have you seen the Fabrege eggs at the NAtural Science Museum?
http://www.hmns.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=594&Itemid=621
Thanks for tossing a few over here to decorate
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I catch glimpses of them here as the air warms up and I see my husband getting ready to go out. No plaids or boring plain colors for him. It’s palm leaves and flamingos until November!
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He’d fit in perfectly here…we have wild (escapee) green parrots on the powerlines (somehow they manage the freezes…I think they hang out among the overhang and warm lights of the grocery store center….the bee swarm probably tried to copy that?
Thanks for the flowery comment!
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This reminds me: in dire need of a vacation somewhere… preferably nice, interesting, at least semi-quiet, and warm. (At the rate things are going here, we may never see spring this year. Damned cold weather & temperatures.)
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Shhh…don’t want to tempt those extreme broiling temps to venture that way. But yes, a nice trip would be nice..need some fresh adventures to recharge here, too. Thanks for coasting over to chat
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Don’t see a lot of Hawaiian shirts here. Maybe it requires more humidity and a touch of salt air to tease them out of hiding.
Had to laugh at that first picture. They put the biggest guy there in front of the president. Maybe Truman wanted to hide his shirt?
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That picture’s got to be a classic. Maybe you’re right about the seating arrangements. Great curtains. Lots of grass fires around here – hope it’s better there. Hoppy weekend!
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Gosh, I would love to swelter a little bit! We had a first sign of spring here — Starbuckers were sipping their coffee on the patio the last two days. It was around 40 degrees but they are a sturdy lot. BTW I LOVE Hawaiian shirts! The color (of course, I am still coming out of winter doldrums!)
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Sitting on the patio! A modern day sign of spring. It sounds like here with the restaurants with outdoor areas – if it’s sunny , usually someone is out there….unless it’s summer. We love the ones with clear heavy plastic roll down curtains and heaters! You can pretend it’s perfect. What a funny lot humans are.
Glad you liked the shirts – grey skies need some brightening. Hoppy trails to you!
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I’ve never purchased or worn a Hawaiian shirt in all my 43 years on this planet, but they have a certain charm.
Great post, as always!
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It has to be just the right shirt – or it feels dumb….so many feel just right to me, I’m afraid. Summer’s coming, Hook (for better or worse). HAng in there with all the construction and spring madness!
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Oh, it’s been in the eighties here, so it’s been Hawaiian shirts and flip flops for a couple weeks now 🙂 Okay, my husband and I only have one Hawaiian shirt each – which we bought in Hawaii last year. We couldn’t be real tourists without wearing Hawaiian prints!
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Someday I’ll get to Hawaii. Meanwhile shirts will have to provide the island attitude. We’re in ping pong season – warm ( unusually warm) in between a cool day or two (not long enough). But I think summer’s really at the door after today. Thanks for hula-ing by
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Someday I’m going to get back to HA & then I’m going to buy a shirt which I will wear when I get back home. I’ll look fab. I just know it! Someday…
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You will be fabulous…maybe get online and order some tropical flowers and a shirt to match in order to practice the attitude? I’m definitely all for that…someday I’ll get there, too…and see those waterfalls and volcanoes…meanwhile, what’s on the travel channel? Thanks for stopping by to dream
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Some trees are flowering, but it’s still so cloudy and below normal in temps. Maybe we should all wear Hawaiian shirts on the same day to bring Spring to the northern half of the country!
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What if you got all those tourists to hold up mirrors to reflect the sun? (say it’s a performance art performance?)
Something needs to break up all those grey skies. Maybe the Easter Bunny will charm out some warmth. Hoppy on to Easter to you!
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Ah, here too. Temps are in the mid-70s now. Spring is in full-swing and the mosquitoes know it!
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And those big mosquito hawks are everywhere…Molly looks forward to leaping and grabbing them in mid air during walks. Thanks for wandering by to bark along
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It’s spring here, too. Lots of green everywhere I look. And of course, the usual suspects complaining about pollen in the air.
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Despite the ping pong weather – must have shorts out now. (of course that guarantees a multi-day cold spell is on the way.) We are all getting outside even with the pollen – those broiling temps can’t be far behind…it already looks like lawns will be parched and shriveling if not totally gone before August. HA! No mowing! Prairie grass survives all! Thanks for surfing over to chat
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Now that the weather is warming up here, I’m past the need to go away somewhere warm. Whew. Thank goodness. I saved a lot of money. I’ll spend this weekend out in the garden, one of many to come.
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Whew – the humidity is already here. (can’t wait for the remaining cool-ish fronts)
It’s probably really nice there – my gardening time is about done. Can’t take the heat….and the mosquito hawks might carry you off! Enjoy that glorious weather…and eating outside no doubt ( Feeling the envy? Hoppy on to Easter!)
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Oh, I remember that humidity! We’ll never have it here in Idaho. Looks like we’re headed into a string of sunny days! Sorry, I’m really not gloating! 😉
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You should! The environment makes up for other things? Hoppy oward!
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🙂 LOVE IT 🙂 ……………. searching through my closet Now 🙂 lol xo
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Must have glorious blazes of color on to match the environment! Bloom on!
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There was a call-to-arms to cover our arms with Hawaiian Shirts at work one day this past week. Since we’ve experienced wet snow even through the end of March, it was apparently thought wearing them would somehow break the wintery spell and bring forth warm weather. I woke up this morning to find we may get more wet snow on Tuesday…in April. Hawaiian Shirts may have lost their mojo.
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The shirts are probably really worried…they’ve heard that groundhog is now in witness protection. (Tossing some sun your way. Catch!) Thanks for sledding over
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Even in black and white those shirts are shocking
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Chances are that at least one of those pictured was a ginger…probably suggested the Hawaiian shirts to detract attention? Thanks for splashing a comment this way
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I am jealous – palm trees, coconut oil, splashing in the water. Sigh. We have one nice day – sixties or seventy – then it turns cold and rainy. I’m ready for better.
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The palms are swaying…but the water is still a bit cold (and a half hour drive from here). But warm weather is coming! Thanks for spreading some sunshine over here
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Hawaiian shirts may be “out” – but the colors and yearnings and (sometimes) memories they evoke are always welcome 🙂
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Oh, these shirts are just out of the back of closet and ready to use. Who can’t keep from smiling with them on? Thanks for coloring these pages with a comment!
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Oh, those wonderful shirts!
The colors! the flowers! the memories!
And the commercial for the fruit drink: “How about a nice Hawaiian punch?”
Not a fan of summer. Bleccch. But I do love those shirts. Wish I had one. Used to have the long “granny” dresses in those exquisite Hawaiian prints. But those days were lost to fashion trends that frowned on beauty.
Enjoy your spring!
🙂
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