Farewell to old friends

Little did I know that when I ambled beneath the ironwoods along Kalakaua Avenue on Saturday that it would be the last time some of those old trees would shade me from the sun.

As kids, my siblings and I would kick off our rubber slippahs to walk barefoot over the prickly cones the trees dropped on the ground, competing to see which one of us could go farthest without wincing.

We'd also separate a segment of a tree needle, reattach it carefully, then play a guessing game as to which part was broken

With cones and needles from those same trees, I've shown my nieces and nephews that toys needn't come from a store.

Oh, I know the trees are sickly. I know they present a danger and need to be removed. I also know I will miss them for they linked my childhood with another generation of my family.

--Cynthia Oi

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