Page 4 - MidWeek Windward - Nov 24, 2021

4 NOVEMBER 24, 2021
With the creation of a beautiful fine furniture table, Kailua resident Dr. Paul Brennan has brought a unique tree to the next chapter of its story. In 2005, he rescued the wood of a massive hoop pine tree after it was felled due to termites. The im- pressive hoop pine grew for approx- imately 135 years, watching over the Queen’s Retreat, also known as the Boyd/Irwin/Hedemann house.
the main home to greet their many guests, including the royal fam- ily, which is why the property is nicknamed “The Queen’s Retreat.” King David Kalākaua and his sister, Queen Lili‘uokalani, attended par- ties and spent vacation time relax- ing with the Boyd family.
slab from the point where damage stopped. It was still wide enough to leave the edges natural and there is no seam! The wood took eight years to dry before being worked into fine furniture.Brennan created this table as a symbol of the carriageway and to honor the historically significant tree.
This amazing table and other fur- niture made from the Queen’s Re- treat hoop pine preserve the story of the tree and the Queen’s Retreat. There is a bench made by Brennan from the same tree at ‘Iolani Palace in the Imprisonment Room. The ti- tle of this table is “Royal Carriage- way.” It will be on display at the Hawai‘i Wood Show Nov. 20-Dec. 5 at Hawai‘i Opera Plaza.
Maj. Edward Boyd and his wife bought land for their home in Maun- awili in 1869 and planted the hoop pine tree sometime around 1870. The private Boyd carriageway lead- ing from Old Government Road to the house was lined with royal palm trees. The hoop pine was situated at the end of the carriageway near
In 1878, before she served as queen, Princess Lili‘uokalani was at the Boyd Estate when she was in- spired to pen one of Hawai‘i’s best- known songs, Aloha ‘Oe. A young man in her party said a particularly emotional farewell to a young wom- an from Maunawili which gave the queen her idea. The hoop pine was in existence at that particular visit and many others.
“It was the termite trail right down the center that spoke so elo- quently,” he stated.
Mahalo to Wendy Roberts for submitting this article. Watch her mini-documentary at bit.ly/3w- prSCA. For more information, visit wendyrobertsfineart.com.
SPECIAL FEATURE BY WENDY ROBERTS
Historic Hoop Pine Tree Given Royal Treatment
Dr. Paul Brennan created this table using wood from a hoop pine tree at the Queen’s Retreat. PHOTOS COURTESY WENDY ROBERTS
table was higher and significantly thinner than the base of the tree, which reached an amazing 6-foot diameter. The 80-85-foot mark where this section was originally located is where the termites finally ceased devouring the tree’s center. Brennan and the saw miller made a
Eventually standing 144 feet tall, the section of the tree in Brennan’s
Using varying colors of epoxy, he filled the channel in the middle of the slab and then sanded the entire top to a fine polish. The leg design was chosen to harmonize with the main slab’s natural appearance. The results are stunning, emphasizing the path as the focal point of the table.
MaryAnne Long is an artist, art instructor, art collector and cura- tor. Reach her at malong@hawaii. rr.com or longlostart.weebly.com.
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