'Awapuhi Blooms in Suburbia!

A few years ago a neighbor was giving away ginger rhizomes. She had dug so many out of her garden that it looked as if a dump truck had unloaded them on her driveway.

I didn't end up planting that many in the garden because our dirt was hard as a rock. So I potted some in big old plastic pots with potting mix and put *those* on top of the dirt underneath our kitchen window. I keep meaning to plant them for real at some point...and then I don't. 

In the meantime the ginger seems to like it where it is.

And this week our first yellow ginger flowered. It smells amazing. As the song goes:

My yellow ginger lei

Reveals her scent through the day

Enchanting moments with you

Make me love you.

Kuʻu lei ‘awapuhi melemele

I puīa me ke ʻala onaona

Hoʻohihi ka manaʻo iā ʻoe

E kuʻu lei ʻawapuhi

Quick Quiz!

I'm going to take a guess that this song was written by Johnny Noble, because he often used the metaphor of a fragrant flower to describe his beloved (he was blind).

Wrong!

I looked it up, and My Yellow Ginger Lei is by a guy I don't know, John Ka'onohiokala Keawehawaii.

Johnny Almeida and John Keawehawaii perform it on this recording.

Listening to the original, I kinda get why artists like Led Kaapana make a medley out of it with other songs. It's super repetitive. And maybe that's a reason that it's popular with non-professional hula dancers -- the verse in Hawaiian and English is the same, which means that the dance is easy to remember.

Another random thought: on this particular recording they don't credit the female vocalists. Bummah, but a quick search of Discogs shows that JKK's group, The KeaweHawaiis, credits Linda De La Cruz as one of the vocalists. They were lucky to have her.

A favorite version of a song we used to do in the big ukulele band.

Hawaii 2019, Day 4

We started our day swimming at the beach and thinking about the wild crab scene that had taken place there the night before. Funny.

Then two objectives were met at the Sheraton: the Apple Store for a connector, and the ukulele store. This place was the scene of the crime the year before, when we looked for a new uke for mrguy and found my Kanile'a 5-string instead. Rinse, lather, repeat.

Walked in, picked up this Tahitian ukulele and immediately purchased it:

Yep. Strung with fishing line.

While we were talking to the salesman, we mentioned that we'd purchased a 5-string Kanile'a with two high A strings the last time we were in the store. He said that he almost purchased it himself. He indicated that something was mixed up in the Kanile'a order and instead of a arriving as a leftie, it was a rightie with the two high A strings. It was nice to know the story behind the uke. And mrguy left empty handed again!

Then we went to Hungry Ear and bought a bunch of records (for me, without hearing them at all). I wanted to check out some more records produced by George Chun, who had produced a few records that I really like. I also got an early cassette featuring Del Beazley.

We wound up our day at Diamond Head Grill, where the wasabi shoyu ahi plate never fails to please.

Hawaii 2019, Day 3

I had a mad craving -- banana mac pancakes from Koa Pancake House in Kaneohe. So we went and had pancakes and someone bought our breakfast and someone else bought *their* breakfast, so we then bought someone else's breakfast. They got the better deal, but it did a heart good.

Then we went to Kanilea to look for ukuleles and mrguy almost pulled the trigger on one, but didn't. I got a replacement peg for my 5-string.

Back home at the hotel.

A "little" Happy Hour snack -- ulu mash and flatbread.

Then we met our friend at Michel's for a late dinner, to include table-side caesar salad and cherries jubilee. 

It was FABULOUS. We were the last people in the restaurant, and as things settled down inside we were treated to a crab party on the beach outside the window. I had no idea! Late at night crabs come out onto the beach and chase each other around. It was super entertaining but didn't photograph well.

Hawaii 2017 Day 6

We turned the corner on the week, but the hits kept coming.

On Monday we caught the bus to one of the hotels. That particular hotel has a ukulele store in the lobby. Mrguy was in the market for a new instrument. Me too.

You see I've been having an ukulele crisis of faith. I have realized that I hate the sound of the Martin tenor uke I've been playing for 30 years. But it's my baby. I have never felt comfortable with a different instrument. I have other ukes, but none of them is one I'd gig with. So I have been considering either getting a Tahitian uke (brighter sound, extra strings) or getting a different pickup for my Martin tenor. 

A different solution presented itself at the hotel ukulele store. They had everything, including this odd Kanile'a 5-string. It's light. It feels just like my Martin tenor. It has two A strings. It was inexpensive (for a Kanile'a). I bought it. I wish it had a satin finish, but you can't have everything. I'm happy.

We took the uke to the Japanese food court, which didn't really wow us. So we cut our losses, had a rice ball to tide us over, and ate lunch at Maui Brewing. With my new uke.

Later on, back at the hotel, we did some genealogy sleuthing and general hanging out and posting to Facebook and such and were getting razzed by a friend because we hadn't had a mai tai while in town. We ordered food delivered, and while we were waiting for it we went downstairs to the little restaurant the hotel has recently opened and drank the bartender's first-ever mai tai. 

It was fine, and satisfied our fb friends. But while we were drinking it at the bar, something else happened. We somehow got sucked into watching The Voice, despite the fact that it was on mute, with subtitles. We felt like anthropologists. "How does this work?" Anyhoo, on vacation you do things differently, so when our food arrived we ate it while watching The Voice in our room. And now we are hooked.

Happy Anti-Family Day!

Today we will have our first rehearsal with the halau leading up to the big festival in August. Those guys are a crack up. We *did* tell the kumu hula that we weren't comfortable being a bunch of mostly haoles and playing Little Brown Gal. Come on, brown isn't even in the "rainbow". We were told that they understand, but isn't the *most beautiful* color in Hawaii the color of its people? Again, as a haole, I don't think I'm supposed to sing about other people's skin color. Hula Blues has been substituted in our set.

Recently the kumu asked our band to pick five days for rehearsal. None of us noticed that the first date we picked happened to be Father's Day. An honest mistake. It wasn't a purposeful act, but some of the dancers flew off the handle and melted down in glorious style in a series of emails. They don't have fathers, but have brothers and brother-in-laws and uncles, you see...

So now we hate brown people *and* are anti-family. At band rehearsal this week we were arguing over who was more anti-family. I said it was mrguy and I because we don't have children. Then there was a certain amount of jealousy over that and others chimed in that they could be *just* as anti-family while actually having children. 

I don't think that's a defensible position ;)

Sunset View

Last week we had a road trip! Our band played with the halau at a retirement community in the wine country. First we stopped for lunch at a very chill place. I thought I was so smart in having a horchata before singing, because it's dairy free. 

 Then I remembered I'd ordered a big old cheesy burrito. Holy cow.

 
On the way to the venue from the burrito place, we saw a community called Sunset View. It was hilly, and I bet you can see the sunset from Sunset View, but to me that name says "I can see Death from here."

Anyhoo, I thought the community where we were playing would be funky. Instead, it was unbelievably posh. Lakeside views, fountains, fancy architecture, "cookie time", and almost everyone wore Aloha attire. They were *so nice*.

Despite light amplification, the acoustics were great, and we were really happy with our performance. We were also very proud of the halau. Those guys are so sweet. 

The community wants us to come back, and we met someone whose friend is having a Hawaiian-themed wedding and is looking for a Hawaiian band, so business cards were utilized. 

We met some interesting people there, as well, including a woman who had hopped a freighter to Tahiti and lived there for a year in 1953, and a kumu hula from Fiji, who had nice things to say about our band.

Then we stopped for dinner with old friends. Missed the traffic home, and got to gape at the Super Moon on the ride back.

Fred Ferkel

I am up in the middle of the night eating "Oriental" flavored potato chips and big old gummy pig faces. 

Must be in Germany.

I kinda like Hamburg. Mainly because it has lots of groovy stuff in windows and shops that are open when I am free. In that respect it is the anti-Bonn.

My evening jet lag is not so bad, but it had me visiting Facebook where I found a friend request from a guy who used to work at the forklift factory. He is one of only two people I have de-friended in years of being on fb. Here's how it happened:

Most of my fb friends work at the factory. Most are not people I spend time with in person, but I enjoy their thoughts on fb and have become better friends with them at work because I know more about what interests them. A small proportion of those are people I don't know at all, like the guy who has a bajillion friends, 79 of them mutual to me. I think he wanted to be friends with all the girls in my band.

Anyway, that guy, let's call him work guy, sent me a request. I didn't know him but we had 79 mutual friends, so I said yes. After this we became more like wave-in-the-hallway people. One day, while I was still in the Hawaiian band, we were rehearsing during open restaurant hours. I saw work guy and his girlfriend on the sidewalk looking in. I waved to them through the window, hoping they might decide to stay for dinner (the restaurant was failing). They came in and watched us play. We were in the middle of a song when he yelled out, playfully, "Isn't one band enough for you?" He knows I'm in the girl band. 

Unbeknownst to me, our bandleader began to seethe over the fact that I was in two bands. Readers of mrsguy will recall that the seething manifested itself in new band rules being drafted, and my leaving / being kicked out of the band by proxy. Our subset of former bandmates formed Hawaiian band of our own, and we're still at it 3 years later :)

Not long after the inciting incident, which was very painful and annoying, work guy ended his employment with the forklift company. A year later I unfriended him. I hadn't had any contact with him since he left the company, and every time I thought of him I also thought about the unintended consequences (good and bad) of his comment that day. In addition, I thought of the unintended consequences of my choosing to wave him into the restaurant instead of focusing on the bandleaders. So I cut the fb cord.

Today he noticed. After 2 years. This the convergence of social media and social awkwardness. He's now in friend limbo until he notices that, too.

Bucket List Addition

I should have put this on my bucket list: I've always wanted to play music at a retirement home.

Soon I will get my wish. Our Hawaiian band is rehearsing for a ho'ike in June, and someone had the brilliant idea of rehearsing at a retirement home.

I'll get my retirement home gig, and the residents will get to see the dancers do their thing. Their payment? Repeat performances and having to witness Kumu No'filter dress us down "Use your PO'O!!" "I can see your underwear!!" "Did I tell you to start playing?"

She's not as intimidating as James Brown, but I have to admit that the first couple of times she corrected me I didn't recognize that her comments were directed at me because it's been a verrrry long time since anyone has spoken to me in that tone of voice. Ouch, Lady.

Anyhoo, we're going to play at the ho'ike, which will be fun, and we love the ladies of the halau, and Kumu No'filter has good taste in music, so we're learning some new Tahitian songs.

Aloha Festival 2012

After debuting at the Ukulele Festival in April, we were approached by a halau that needed musicians to back them up at this year's Aloha Festival. The last few months have been an introduction to the world of this halau, in specific, and to playing for dancers, in general.

Our first reaction was surprise, and excitement. What good luck to have this experience! And how great to debut at the Aloha Festival as a support act and not as as a featured group with its own time slot. Kinda perfect.

Rehearsals were interesting. Due to our summer schedules, our band wasn't able to be in the same place to rehearse for around 8 weeks. Whoever was available came to our weekly rehearsals and whoever was available came to rehearsals with the halau. The kumu was pretty flexible about the changing sound we were able to offer. At one point, when a rehearsal with the halau conflicted with my rehearsal with our girl band, mrguy played mrsguy for the night and sang my parts for the halau while I sang my parts with the girl band. Whew.

The Hawaiian band was *so* not in the same place that one of us had to fly in from out of town for the day to rehearse and play and then out the next, after our performance.

The dress rehearsal was fantastic, in its own way. It was in a large instructional space at a small Japanese preschool in a church. The corner we occupied was shared with various fish, turtle and tarantula tanks. The turtle was very curious as we played, and his water supply was very loud and splashy. At the end of the rehearsal my bag was splattered with turtle water :)

Yesterday was the big day. The grand mammoo came to see us, which was really touching, and friends from work also came (so cool!). The sound crew was very professional, but had been given the completely wrong info about our band's needs. The sound ended up being great. Imagine! My own sound coming out of the monitors! The halau did a great job and we did a great job, although I was nervous during the first number and wasn't able to sing as forcefully as I wanted on my solos.  Every once in a while, while performing, I'd see something that made me happy, like the next band, quietly waiting their turn on the second stage, cheering us on, or the sound guy wandering past us, eating malasadas. After we were done, one of the elder members of the halau told me that my falsetto is beautiful and sounds very Hawaiian. This is the highest compliment that I could be given, since I sometimes feel self-conscious about being a haole girl playing Hawaiian music in this community. So far people have been very kind.

The rest of the afternoon was a blur of eating, shopping, hugging and traveling. The band is all busting to get together again. The 18th is the band's 2nd anniversary, and we have a million goals we want to work toward together this year.

The Weekend, Ukulele Style

Fri: half day of work, drive south, stay with cuz, go out to dinner, stay up late talking story, sleep in sleeping bag in the living room. It's kinda like being a kid again!

Sat: brunch at cuz's house with grandmamoo guy, big sis, and middlesis guy, delaware punchy and more cousins. Clean up, short nap, drive to middle sis's art opening, stay for an hour, drive back north.

Sun: Sleep from 2-7am, then off to the ukulele festival. Whew. We were beat.

The festival was tremendous. Lots of vendors, lots of great food.

Backstage was cool. From the set list for the previous night we learned that the entertainment for the police benefit the previous night had included magicians and ventriloquists.

The gig itself was fun. We were the first act, or as mrguy modestly remarked "The foamy first pour from a keg".  Even that early there were plenty of people in the audience, including Auntie Spunky, who I could hear from the stage. The reception was warm and friendly. We got some compliments from friends and strangers, and it was lovely.

After playing we took seats in the balcony and saw various bands play. The balcony is THE BEST! Kinda informal, which will come in later...

Playing first? Also THE BEST because you get to see everybody else and hang out with zero nerves. This was the most fun I've had at the festival since before we joined the big uke band. And we ran into friends from the band and caught up on life. One of them asked us to play for her halau at another festival, which I hope comes to pass. That would be a treat.

After chatting came lunch. Look at my yummy chicken lau lau plate! The mac salad had a little tuna in it. And it came with poi. Heaven.

The afternoon acts were varied and interesting. I wish I'd brought a book, though, because when they were not so good they were really not so good. I feel like I learned a lot from watching, and I'm definitely going to buy the dvd.

So here we are in the balcony again. Some bandmates still there, some not. Mrguy put in his earplugs and went to sleep after the wrinkly bag and whiny child people sat behind us. Right behind us, though, was this lady Auntie C. Real initial. I know this because she called out her own first name during the raffle, and all the performers' names are listed in the program.

When she didn't win a raffle prize but it went to a little old lady, her husband joked that he was going to beat the lady up. And when one of the sponsors was onstage Auntie C. commented that he'd lost weight, his face used to be rounder and now he looked like a haole. Goes without mention that she also booked it for the exit when they started Hawaii Aloha. 

That's o.k., lady, I didn't want to hold your hand anyway ;)

A Saturday

It's been a while since we've had a restful Saturday. Last weekend was Maternal Tax Bunker 2012. The week before that we visited our beloved and very ill auntie. The week before that I was under the weather. Which brings us to today.

We had three entirely satisfying estate sales. 

Lunch in a log house. 

Bought a new traveling uke, with which to get the flock out of Dodge. 

Took a big power walk. 

The monthly auction catalog is online!

Soon I will punish my glutes and make my physical therapist happy.

Then to the kitchen to make some soup because I apparently didn't have enough at lunch.

The only speck in the frosting, so to speak, was an odd encounter with an old friend after which I have inferred that I am to be avoided. Message received.

And the sun just peeked out from the foreboding clouds :)

Two Guys From Portugal Walk Into A Bar

Mrguy had two gigs this month at Kisses, a bar in The City. He reminded me after the second of them about some guys we'd met during the first...

The first gig was on the first, actually. The guys asked me to play uke and sing some harmonies on a song. As I stepped on the stage, I vaguely remember hearing someone yell "Nice hair!"

The sprout inspires all kinds. Anyway...

After the song was over, I went back to my barstool and was greeted by a young guy who asked me if I knew where my instrument came from. I started to tell him that I bought it in New York. He interrupted me to say that he wanted to know if I knew the *history* of the ukulele. I said yes, that it was inspired by the Cavaquino. No, he said, it was inspired by the Braguinha, from Portugal, and that he was from Braga and he wanted me to know that. I started to tell him what I knew about the three cabinetmakers from Portugal who sailed to Hawaii in the late 1800's, but he wasn't really interested in hearing about that and repeated "Braguinha. From Portugal. You should know".

Great. Enjoy the rest of the show.

It was a little harder than usual to make our escape that night. First I needed to listen to a pitch by the cross-eyed videographer who had been recording that evening. Then my new friend came outside. I'd already told mrguy about him. He started to tell mrguy the same thing about the ukulele and mrguy gave it his best polite reaction. Then another guy came out. His voice was like a Portuguese version of the Wild And Crazy Guys.

Guy 2: "Nice hair"
Guy 1: "She's married"
Guy 2, in drawling, deadpan Boris Badenoff voice: "Congradyoulations"

He was later heard asking why the streets were empty and where "the bitches" were.

Congradyoulations.

August Came Early

August is usually a month of reflection. 

It's the anniversary of the untimely death of a co-worker and I make a point of thinking about where I am, what I'm doing and what I want to be doing.

August came early this year.

Last week, the band of three letters got one week's notice that our drummer was moving to Canada. Our only gig of the year is in four weeks.

On Monday night Red was "graduated" from the Hawaiian band. I couldn't imagine being in the band without her. I was time to resign. Not a difficult decision at all (and almost one made for me) but a painful one. I went to sleep in tears.

The next morning, Paws had an episode. When I took her to the vet they could not save her. I had to put her to sleep. Thank goodness for the band debacle. Gave us something else to think about.

On Wednesday, mrguy suggested that we have a graduation party in lieu of class. I went to the restaurant to resign in person, and then took my kleenex box to the pizza place and waited for our friends to show up. The four of us who have always talked of having a band but had never done anything about it will move on. Happily, we will be joined by dear friends.

And yet I'm beyond miserable. The combination of events is perhaps too much in a concentrated dose. I soothe myself with the thought that at least I'm getting it all of the bad things out of the way at once.

Next week I will be in the bosom of the family. Cheez-its, champagne. Balderdash. My vacation work is to finish my Japan blog and start writing arrangements for the new band.

Hau'oli Makahiki Hou

I heard the whir of her car engine from inside the garage, where I was riding the exercise bike. The grand mamoo had arrived! New Year's Eve was upon us :)

We ate cheese and drank a little bubbly with middleguysis before heading out for a Hawaiian New Year's. Mrguy stayed in his tiny bed, sick as a dog :(

After dinner the family band played some tunes. Auntie Sassy's Boys played, and then Red and I winged it. No way was I going to go straight in after the Boys, though, so we tossed them some irresistible cuteness first, in the form of Red's three-year-old singing "Last Christmas I Gave You My Heart". Audience was rendered helpless, then we winged it and earned our mai tais.

This morning I woke up early and watched the Tournament of Roses Parade with mom and middleguysis. Totally excellent. People from other lands must think this parade is really wacky, because it is. Think about it: crafty people paste a jillion pounds of organic material onto a souped-up car frame and drive it through Pasadena. I think the parade's wonderful and I try to watch it every year.

UPDATE: For cool pictures of the preparations for this years' parade, visit the LA Times coverage here.

Then the Precious Family came over to visit with mom and sis and us, and then that nice boy came over.

He and I and mrguy caught up on the many many years its been since we saw each other last.

That wasn't scary, was it?

October Wrap Up

I felt guilty ignoring October and it's already November so I will do a few wrap up posts.

Rocktober was fabulous. I had two ukulele workshops in just over a week. The first was with Derick Sebastian, who came and gave a private concert at the forklift factory and then gave a workshop to about six of us. The Ambassador of Uke and mrguy bonded over Alden shoes. Poor mrguy. His lady doesn't care if she's wearing ripped up "chucks".

The following week, mrguy and four strangers and I had a private workshop with Keoki Kahumoku. Also fabulous. I have lots to learn.

At the end of the month, our library at work had a grand reopening. The Ambassador and I jammed a bit to provide background music. It was super. He taught me Opihi Man.

Gotta practice.

Yes, It's Fall Now

I'm wearing an aloha shirt and I'm chilly.

This is one of those awesome weeks. An amazing ukulele soloist came to the factory to share his artistry and knowledge with the uke players at the factory. I hope to put his knowledge into action.

My biceps hurt from hauling Golden Forklift statues across the street today, which is mildly humorous. I gave a tour to a group of forklift fans today and made them really happy. I'm going to the Twin Cities in two weeks to see middleguysis.

And it's quiet in the home.

Mrguy is clacking away on the other side of the room and potatoes are roasting in the oven.

Aloha Festival 2009

What a lovely Aloha Festival. Our slot was early, so it was cold. In the photo below you can just make out the teri smoke rising in the background. That sight, seen from the stage, is one of my favorite moments of the festival (as you can see from last year).



The performance went surprisingly well, but as usual I couldn't feel my fingertips.

After we took pictures, mrguy, mr finn, ms scandiwaiian and I high-tailed it over to the food booths and ate two bags of malasadas (breakfast) and then some teriyaki marlin (lunch). I just realized there was no mac salad!



Lunch was followed by shopping, an hour or so of kanikapila with people from different ukulele classes and a hot clear drive home.


How can you start out the day with numb fingers and end it with a sunburn?

The International Food Festival

The day after the rock camp showcase we had our own, and the food festival. Here's the view from the stage.

Then we played at the bar for a few hours and wrapped up the night singing karaoke. Mrguy and I reprised our version of Suspicious Minds, and the other performers rounded it out with several selections from Chicago, much of the Michael Jackson catalog, and we all wrapped it up with Cruel Summer.

A different end to the food festival, but a good one.

LA Day 3

Partially revived, I felt good enough to see the world. We went to the Huntington botanical garden. What an awesome choice. It was perfect weather to be outside and the season was right, too. Roses, jacaranda, some rhododendrons and various kinds of jasmine were all in bloom. I took pictures of pretty things.


Yes, it was Memorial Day and there were lots of fellow travelers. With so much loveliness in front of us it was easy to tune them out.

The madness in the new cafe in the Chinese gardens? Not so much. Avoid at all costs.

After the Huntington, we were off to Japantown.
Aside from signage, my favorite thing there has to be the historical references that the city has embedded into the sidewalks in front of the storefronts.

We bought some beautiful mochi.
This storefront offered elaborate warnings for loiterers:
Having sated ourselves with supermarkets and bookstores, we went home to eat more mac and cheese and play ukulele.

So ends Los Angeles.

LA Day 2

Just because I was laid low by the ostrich didn't mean we couldn't have a good time.

Mrguy and mrguy south worked on music in Man Room South while I rested.

Then they went out for provisions and mgs made us a yummy dinner of bbq chicken, asparagus and mac and cheese.


We hung out and played ukulele that evening and I turned in a little early.