Sweet Home Waimanalo

RIP, my friend. My two times with you were magical (and mosquito-filled).

This trip has been filled with neuscheiss. Usually we do altscheiss (old shit).

Yes, it is tragic to say goodbye to your Neatloaf or Sloppy Gluten or whatever it is I used to eat there, but we will be trying out Ai Love Nalo today.

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Thursday was filled with downright goodness. The skies were blue and the weather was warm but not hot. We headed for Waimanalo, with a stop at the Kahala Mall for coffee and to take a picture of the Jack Lord sculpture. 

 Ended up buying some new flippies, as well as 4 bras, at Macy's. I never have time to do this at home. All of the clerks in the foundations department share my first name, and one is now taking her vacation to help her mom clean out the house. They just moved her dad to assisted living. We had a lot to talk about.

The mall also used to have a bowling alley, which has amazing architecture, so we stopped to photograph that.

 
Then we visited the 'Aina Haina library for their booksale and to see the Tadashi Sato painting. It's been on our list because of the painting and we pass by the library each time we visit because you can see the building from the highway.

We looked and looked for the painting and found it tucked in the back, over a work table, and hung on some of the most stupendous cement brick that looks as good from the back as it does from the front.

I picked the wrong day for the book sale, but we got lots of good stuff any: books, and a Rap Replinger VHS. I don't know why I can't get enough of the Auntie Marialani sketch.

Makapuu Lookout always reminds me of Five-O. I think of Jack Lord skittling down the rocks in his hard-soled leather shoes wondering how he didn't slide off the rocks and die. 

Finally made it to Ai Love Nalo, which is in the Sweet Home Waimanalo building. Their food is so delicious that we took a Medi Bowl to go. Went a little further up the road to see the Akebono statue, the Ko'olaus and to have a cone at Dave's Ice Cream. You can see paradise from the parking lot.

Makapuu tide pools were so restful. We watched teensy hermit crabs and little fish, while a deeply suntanned guy was poke pole fishing on the rocks in the distance. I found a rock with limu on it and ate some. Did not die. And found this cool-looking thing -- seaweed with little teensy mollusks on it.

Above us people were parasailing, and then landing about 200 feet away. It was an amazing thing to see.

Back home we noshed on our goodies and drank beer on the lanai until way after the sun went down. Whales were spouting not far off shore, and then giving a tail flip to the breeze.

Can't believe we've only been here three days. 

Hawaii 2016 Day 2

My only goal for today was to go to the state capital for the opening of the legislative session. I read about it in "Pupus to da Max" or something years ago. Kept trying to research what exactly happens on January 20th. The only thing I could find was Daniel Anthony's kickstarter to help buy 1000 lbs of kalo to pound in the atrium of the capital building. Kickoff at 9am.

Fate was slowing us down. Our room safe was busted so I had to lug my laptop with me. There was serious traffic on Ala Wai. There was no parking. Mrguy was seriously bumming out. But we parked at Mark's Garage (an experience), got to the capital (dodging the gun rights supporters who wanted me to know that they also supported women's rights) and feasted our eyes on the scene.

Friends of Bernie were out in number:

We caught the opening remarks of this session. The chambers are incredibly beautiful:

All of the legislators have open house today. E komo mai!

Keiki and grownups down to pound:

 

Dozens of teenagers were lined up to clean kalo:

It was a great time. We even saw and spoke to some friends from our poi-stravaganza of 2012.

All in all a great half day.

Hawaii 2016 Day 1

Good golly. So pooped. Vacation started out with bigsis and I taking Mom and her best friend of 74 years to the seaside. It was fun but a lot of work. Wheelchairs give an extra dimension to logistics, as does memory loss. Mom has been calling at odd hours recently, and she called me at 3am the day we left, insisting that I had called her. She performed her nightly phone ritual the next night also, with the added dimension that she woke sis and I up to let us know the phone had rung and there was nobody there. Sis earned many gold stars last weekend. Many. We'll leave it at that.

Mrguy and I headed out yesterday morning, on our way to the sweet relief that is Hawaii. Thank you, people of Sensaphonics earplugs, for helping us withstand the rigors of a baby-encrusted airplane.

 

I tried to deaden the effect that unhappy children was having on me by having a bloody mary. Note to makers of Mr. & Mrs. T Bloody Mary Mix: your product tastes like onion powder and suede. I did not drink that beverage after all.

Soon, however, we were in the bosom of our usual first stop, La Mariana Sailing Club. For two months mrguy has been saying "I can taste the tuna sandwich now", which is code for the tuna sandwich at La Mariana. It did not disappoint. Like the Eagles Aerie back home, they hang up bags of water and pennies to repel flying insects.

Our new hotel is totally quiet and on the other end of town. We flopped in our room with some complimentary wine for a bit and then walked up town to see Our friends play at the Royal Hawaiian Center. It was great and always inspiring to see them play. They are fantastic musicians and great people (earnest, thoughtful, funny) and kolohe as well. Their set last night was uncharacteristically sad -- a song about a dead schoolmate, a song about losing someone, a song about the Japanese tsunami of 2011, a song about George Helm (WHO IS DEAD). Even the song Bumbye, which has a jolly melody, is based in sadness (but they didn't tell that story). Today mrguy said "You know when you lose someone, and their pillow still smells like them, and you continue to sleep with that pillow? And you cry and cry and cry and that person is never coming back? This song is about that. It is called 'Tear-Stained Pillow'".  "And you know when your house burns down and all your most priceless possessions are a smoking pile of rubble? We've all experienced that (or we will). This song is about that. It is called Smoking Pile of Rubble".

After (redacted) (again, I tease but they are some of the most inspiring musicians we know) we walked over to the Halekulani and tossed back a few mai tais. 

Then we helped a fellow tourist from Iowa who wanted to walk along the water to get back to her friends (who wanted to walk on the sidewalk) and made some suggestions about things they might want to see when they're in town.

Then to the ABC Store for a few nibbles and to bed.

Death So Near. Heaven So Real!

Get your hands off my mama, Sword of the Lord.

This is the handout she received at "church" yesterday.

Baby no like.

Bucket List 2016

While watching the Tournament of Roses parade, I wondered where it fell on my bucket list and was horrified to see that it wasn't there at all. Time for a revision.

In no particular order:

1. See the Rose Parade floats in person
2. Take an exercise class with Richard Simmons

3. Ride a camel (not a location-specific goal)

4. Sit in the booth with Doreen Simmons while she comments on a sumo basho for NHK
5. Be a balloon wrangler in the Thanksgiving Day Parade

6. Volunteer in the Bishop Museum archives

7. Learn to tie knots (as added in 2015)

Some goals, like writing a book, are off the list now. I don't think it's going to happen unless I retire.  Meeting distant Irish relatives was a previous goal, but the Irish research is at a standstill.

I love that the list is smaller and all doable. OK maybe not sitting in the booth with Doreen, but I live in hope.