makawao town

June 11, 2009-2

One of my favorite towns. Home of the cream puff . . .oh, and other things too:) I love taking in each shop, with their unusual gifts and very hip, unaffordable clothing. I always get a kick out of seeing the creative store fronts. I sure hope this place never changes.


Driving through Paia town the way to Makawao.


Had lunch here, beneath a misty rain.




Tried to take this shot where our painting was made. . .Conn did a better job, he got the right shadows:) This day was just too cloudy.

a note about komoda's cream puffs

June 11, 2009-1











Enough said.

what's black and white and tropical all over?

maui so far

June 10, 2009



Already Day 5 on Maui.

We've eaten papayas for breakfast, played with geckos, found their eggs in tiny tree trunk holes, drank kona coffee, watched 4 sunsets, saw a mongoose, had a date with my cousin Lisa to our old haunt, had a date with my husband when Lisa kindly offered to babysit, had my korean short ribs there, surfed (one of us!), stared at the ocean, went to Savers:), watched BD put his feet up and watched the Bean run around, making memories she'll one day recollect as fondly as I do now.

The first few days always seem to be for getting back into relaxation-mode. We get late starts, if we start at all. Sooo, next time it stands to reason that we should tack on an extra 3 days to our vacation. Makes perfect sense to me.

the fourth

Hope yours was as fun as ours! Again to Bethany with Nana. Weather was perfect. Mornings just the slightest bit chilly, and by the afternoon, warm but not-too-hot. Never left the complex and could not have been happier. Mahalo, Nana.






She learned to swim last week. Took off her floaties and turned right into a fish. Takes after her daddy.

Hana's vacation:










Why must we always leave all this beauty?

i picked ogo

June 9, 2009

Outside the condo is a great stretch of beach with lots and lots of ogo or limu (seaweed) lining the shore. Whenever I ventured out there, no matter how early, there were already people walking slowly, with their net bags or buckets, sorting through the junk stuff and gathering up this - the good-eating ones. Not much left by the time I got my own batch, but I was happy.

I rinsed it in tap water, put in an uncovered bowl in the fridge to save for bum-bye (later on). WRONG MOVE! I found out later when I asked my uncle about why it got shriveled up so fast, he said you should store it in a paper or mesh bag and to NOT clean it under tap water if I were going to keep it for awhile. OOPS. Growing up I ate it, but it was never a favorite. . . I guess that's why I never bothered to learn how to clean, store or cook it! These are the times when you wish mom were around.

I never got more, but I still cherish this picture, the act of picking it up and the memories it conjures of my mom, aunties and uncles and small-kid times at our favorite beach. I'll try again next time . . .and maybe I'll make something like this.

aunty lisa and new friends

June 7, 2009



An extra pair of rubbah slippahs graced our lanai today! We do love ourselves some Aunty Lisa:) We all went for shave ice from Da Local Boy Snack Shop at the Kihei International Marketplace. Bean of course wanted rainbow "flavored", which got me thinking. . .at what age do our palettes start getting more sophisticated and we stop requesting this childhood favorite?

Oh yeah, BD had rainbow too;)





Later tonight we were lucky enough to meet up with one of BD's classmates - the "mango" I spoke of in a previous post - and her ohana. They now live in SF, and at the last minute were able to swing a trip to Maui.

I've known of her almost as long as I've known BD - whenever I checked out his yearbooks, I'd always wonder about the asian girl and her brother in that otherwise white palette;) Since joining FB, she and I have shared many long "chats" about our lives, the past and present, and found that we have a great many things in common. And now we meet. And it was a joy. She is warm, gracious, a loving mother, and I am happy to call her my new friend.

firsts of maui

June 6, 2009. Maui at last!

We arrived very late on a windy night, Bean asleep in my arms. We sat in that familiar spot at the curb, toward the end of the pick-up line, while BD got the car. It was always my mom who picked me/us up there. The first visit home after she died, it hit me like a ton of bricks that there wasn't going to be the usual routine anymore. I was doing a good job of holding it all in, but then BD touched my hair or put his arm around me in that knowing way, and the tears came. It's been two years since that very hard visit. It was a very different trip home. I felt out of place on my own island. As I knew it - over.

But this was a better one. Time has softened the missing. A needed a break from Pop's death and the home life that has changed without him. I did find myself missing my friend Lizzy. Like when I walked into Banana Republic in Wailea where we spent our last moments together laughing about ill-fitting underwear. But in my mind I've moved her back to Aspen - playing in the snow - until we get to meet again.

The first few days on Maui were so very, very relaxxxing. Year 2 at the same condo, it's beginning to feel like home. Of COURSE the first morning HAS to be a portuguese sausage, eggs and rice kind of morning! ONO!!! Followed by pool for Bean and Daddy; grocery shopping for me (and being shocked back into Hawaii food prices!!). We spent the day at "home" just hanging out. Lanai, eat, beach, pool, eat, eat, drink, sleeeeeeep. Letting the familiar spirit of aloha wash over us. Yesss, you can, and SHOULD, take it with you wherever you go, but it's not the same as the spirit that moves you in the islands;)

It's good to be home again. Again.


bean's potagee sausage, eggs and rice.


photo by bean, her constant companion, panda the panda.


and also by bean.


regulars (that's us now!) at the complex gather on the bluff . . .


to watch the sunset every night. here's the first of many.



she's happy:)


BD fired us up some fresh mahi on the grill

star fruit

I've never had it as a preserve nor have I even heard of it as such. . .but now I am going spend a lot of time longing for it once this jar is gone.

This was made with aloha by Conn over at Cuckoo For Coconuts (more about our Maui visit with them later!). Check out the comments section on that link - my mouth was watering when this baby was first made - and here I am eating that very jar! Okay, maybe not THAT jar, but close! :) Oh the magic of the internet.

And it is lovely. Tart, not too sweet, earthy. Can't put my finger on the flavor...you're right, C - I don't think I detect much star fruit. But then it's been awhile since I've eaten them. It sort of remind me of a fruit roll-up - the good, all natural, organic kind, not the added fructose ones.

The other day I had it with peanut butter on Bean's mini whole-wheat pancakes. That was really good! Today I melted it over a bagel and cream cheese. . .and that was GREAT! I think I like it best warmed up - drippy and gooey. Right now I'm envisioning it over a pretty little cheesecake I just saw. Thanks for the recipe, Leesa!

Mahalo, Conn. Nui loa.

just an island away now. . .

June 6, 2009. HON. Heat, flowers, pidgin in the background, brown faced strangers actually keeping eye contact and smiling back . . .home.







Decided to change the date thing. . .just realized the timeline issue could get confusing if I wanted to post something current. Which I do. But not today:)

Happy sunday everyone!!

for the love of facebook

I had not seen JJ and Theresa for over almost 25 years. JJ was my Maui High School classmate and Theresa was the classmate of my cousin, 2 years older. If it weren't for Facebook, I don't know if I would have ever seen them again. That would have been a shame b/c I really LIKE these people! We started chatting again on FB and quickly made plans to meet in SD, where they now live.

A note about FB: I'm seeing names of people I haven't seen in ages. People who I honestly never imagined I'd be touch with again. But apparently I miss way more people than I thought! I don't know, maybe now that I'm older and living so far away, I'm much more interested in reconnecting with old friends. Welll, most of them anyway;). I have thoroughly enjoyed finding out where life has taken them, with whom, and seeing them in faces of their children. I've belonged to an online infertility support group forever, and it's nice to now lend and recieve support or laughter or kindness with people I know personally as well. Before my travel tales are through, I'll have a few more special FB connections to share. I get the good vibes there.

So Theresa noticed that another local girl, mon ami Barbara , was writing on my FB "wall" en Français, and sent me a message to find out more about this wahine living in Paris. Theresa is a destination wedding planner, specializing in Italy, Maui - and yes, France! She and her kids had plans to visit Paris while I was in San Diego, and wanted to see if she could connect with Barbara . . . because you KNOW all Hawaii people know they can meet each other in any part of the world and it will feel like ohana;).

So while I am in SD, waiting for Theresa to return so we can get together. . .she is in Paris with Barbara, who, get this, has STRONG family ties in San Diego! Small, small world, ay?

She and JJ picked us up and took us to the Old Town area where we shared a nice, relaxing Mexican meal. It felt so familiar - my first taste of home before home - as we talked story about our lives for the past 20-some years. Afterwards it was back to work for BD, while Bean and I were invited over to their house so she could hang out with their two youngest girls when they got home from school. Then we got to tag along and watch them at dance practice.. . . I could've watched them for hours. WOW are those chickies GOOD. Stand-out, award-winning good.

I was on the recieving end of some very beautiful, very ono and very thoughtful Paris goodies from both ladies. . .my request of two scarves (both PERFECT shades of blue and pink, T - though Bean still prefers le rose;-), a bag of candies for Bean, some heavenly meringues and a sweet sachet from Theresa. From Barbara, an incredibly delicious box of chocolates . . .oui, even better than See's! Merci et Mahalo ladies. You'll be happy to know your treats were shared with ohana and friends on Maui and were quite the hit!

Until we meet again . . .and oh yeah, that would be in PARIS next year, with yet another local girl rounding out the island bunch! No can wait, yeah?!?