"GARDEN OF THE GODS"

During the winter of 1984 I went out to Hawaii with Scott Manison. Scott and I both worked for the Manning family back then and Scott was a frequent visitor to Hawaii. We took advantage of a package deal of airplane and hotel for a week in Oahu for about $600.

We stayed in the Westin on Waikiki Beach which is right in front of the harbor where the Skipper, Gilligan, Mr. & Mrs. Thurston Howell III, the professor, the movie star and Maryanne boarded the SS Minnow for their ill fated three hour tour. Apparently there were camera men with unlimited film and the ability to process the film as we viewed the adventures of Gillian's Island through the years of the television show. It is possible I guess that different members of the SS Minnow could have taken turns filming each other but I don't know how they could cut the episodes in the various segments; especially when sometimes all the people from the boat were in the same shot. I guess that show wasn't a documentary and we had to suspend reality and just enjoy the show.

Anyway, one of the side trips we took was to "Garden of the Gods". Garden of the Gods was set near the side of a small mountain range. There were temples there from the different world religions. I was especially impressed with the Buddhist temple and the large Buddha figure there. Most memorable was a Buddhist monk there whom I saw standing near a small stream. There were fish in this small stream and he would call them and they would swim over to him. This monk then flicked his hand slightly and two birds flew into view and landed one on each arm of the monk. These events occurred without the aid of food of any sort. He just called these creatures to him and they responded. I guess they were used to him and knew that he wouldn't harm them. Maybe they knew this monk from a former incarnation.

I feed birds at my house outside at my bird feeder near my front door. The birds always fly away when I leave my house out the front door. Maybe if I had shaved my head and wore the robes of a monk the birds would flock to me and land on my arms as well. I don't know. It is hard to figure out birds and fish. They always seem to look at you sideways.