#370

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Hawaiian Kamani and 24ct Gold Plated Ballpoint Pen

KAMANI - Calophyllum inophyllum

A member of the mangosteen family kamani was brought north to Hawai`i from the South Pacific islands by early settlers from Polynesia. Also called Alexandrian laurel, true Kamani was probably introduced by seed, which is how it is propagated. This native of the Pacific and of tropical Africa, grows slowly along sandy shores and in lowland forests. It was cultivated in villages, near houses and also in groves away from villages. When found growing in windy areas it is sometimes in a picturesque, crooked or misshapen form.

True Kamani is not to be confused with "false Kamani," a common tropical almond that grows profusely along the shores of Hawai`i. This false Kamani or "Kamani haole" was introduced after the first white settlers arrived, and has the scientific name of Teminalia catappa. It was planted for shade and as an ornamental, also growing from the edible seed in its corky pod that washes ashore with waves and currents.

True Kamani is a large attractive spreading tree up to 60 feet high, with a rounded head of dense foliage and rough grey bark. A reddish-brown hardwood is derived from the trunk. From this was carved many objects including canoes; homes; `umeke la`au, wooden containers or calabash, specifically `umeke kamani, food bowls and trays called pa kamani. 

We had arranged to travel from Blisworth to Fenny Stratford for the first ever Fenny Stratford Canal Festival. Luckily we just about had enough stock to trade with after the busy weekend in Blisworth. We weren't expecting too many towpath visitors as these events do take a few years to build up a reputation. 

The chief organiser had cleverly decided to host the event on the same day as a local Fenny Poppers day a few streets away. Early on Sunday morning we walked Dudley Boar Dawg in a now familiar loop around the local highstreet and back down the canal. The stall holders were bust setting up as were the music stage and fair ground. The stalls looked fairly run of the mill and an uninspiring mix of the usual food outlets charity and tombola type stalls. It transpired that the fairground owners organised the stalls and only granted low value participants access so that visitors had plenty of money for their fairground rides, sneaky. It was a blessing for the five of us canal traders that made it there for the day as we did a roaring trade.

It was a scorching hot day on the Sunday with plenty of power going into the batteries via the solar panels so I set the lathe up and turned a few of the pen blanks that I had drilled and glued over the last few days. We even had a visit from the dignitary in the way of the Mayor and Mayoress of Milton Keynes who treated themselves to a pair of pens. We were made to feel very welcome by the local villagers of Fenny Stratford and even invited to the organisers BBQ after we had closed up the shop for the evening. Definitely a location to bookmark for the future. 

Having said our farewells we made our way briskly back up the Grand Union Canal stopping overnight on the edge of Milton Keynes and Weedon Bec before arriving once again at Whilton Locks

Pen #370 was turned at Whilton at the bottom of the Buckby Lock flight.