Upcountry Makawao Video Post

Maui's Tsunami 2011 (Discovery #6 Tsunamis )

After the 8.9 earthquake hit Japan, Hawaii was put on tsunami watch.  After what seemed just minutes, though it was more like a couple of hours, we were elevated to warning.  It was on it's way, and the footage of Japan's destruction caused uncertainty and some anxiousness about what that meant for us here on Maui.  I had always seen the siren towers, but could never imagine what it would be like to hear them sounding the alarm in real life scenario.  Yes, this was my first rodeo!  The alarms went off every hour through the night, warning folks who live, (or are vacationing) around the coastline to head to higher ground.  Let me say, I am glad we have the sirens, but hearing them is eerie, and unsettling.  We live in upcountry, so we had no need to evacuate, so I tried to settle in to sleep, with not much luck I am afraid.
The next morning, I quickly turned the local news on to see what happened in the early morning hours.
With a huge sigh of relief that it was not worse than it was, there was damage to many areas, and life for some will be full of trials and rebuilding.

I was pondering all that happened both in Japan, and Hawaii as I did a little bit of yard work. We have a spider here whose webs are very invasive and sticky.  I was going about tearing down the webs, thinking that they will just show up again tomorrow (they always do).  It occurred to me, that like this ambitious little spider, when we get knocked down by things like earthquakes or tsunamis, we too, get back in there and rebuild.  One of the things Hawaiians are doing to help our friends in Japan is here on this link: Aloha For Japan I found this one a creative way to support them.

Fat Tuesday Hawaiian Style ( Discovery # 5: I Love Malasadas)

Fat Tuesday means one thing in Hawaii...  malasadas.   Malasadas are a Portuguese doughnut basically.
The Portuguese brought them to the Hawaiian Islands when they immigrated here in the late 1870's.
They would make them at home, and eat them on the day before lent.  In the 1950's Leonard's on Oahu was opened, and introduced them to the public.  There are now many places throughout the Islands to get them, I have been to Leonard's, and oh my, they are amazing.  Leonard's: 933 Kapahulu Ave
Honolulu, HI 96816 (808) 737-5591http://www.leonardshawaii.com/malasadas.html

Leonard's Bakery, Oahu

Here in Maui, We have a famous place to get our fix on Malasada Day, The best on the island is Komoda Bakery in Makawao.  They don't have a website, or I would share a link, but their phone and address is (808) 572-7261 3674 Baldwin Ave , Makawao, HI 96768

Malasadas

Happy Malasada Day!

Getting Frisked at The Airport ( Discovery #4 I will never get used to TSA))

http://www.voterightga.org/November2010.htm Photo credit: click link

Nobody likes getting patted down in front of a bunch of travelers. We don't like taking allot of time going through the security screening , let alone being called aside for what appears to be no reason.  This has happened to me three times while going back and forth between the mainland and Hawaii.  I ran my own experiment, having been frisked once on the way to Hawaii wearing a long summer dress, I decided to wear the same dress to see if the incident was random, or if it would happen again.  It happened again.  I am Caucasian, over 50, and a female.  What is it that makes me get pulled aside?  I guess I had better not wear a long dress anymore, as I don't think I'll ever get used to the indignity and hassle of being patted down by anyone.

The Ke'anae Peninsula (Discovery #3 I am an accident waiting to happen))

The waves at Ke'anae 

While on the infamous 'Road to Hana' Info for Road to Hana we decided to check out a road which lead down to the shore at Ke'anea ( kay ah NIGH). (Turn left at mile marker 17)
I had my camera of course, so I was eager to get some shots of the amazing waves that day. Unfortunately, I wanted to get a shot that lead me to stepping onto a rock which rolled out from under my feet, and thrust me forward into a lava rock ledge, shredding my knee and calf.  Consequently, we were unable to continue exploring the amazing little town, and church etc. due to the bleeding  (insert a collective aw-w-w here) .

My shredded leg made for a great ice breaker wherever I went , and it has since healed fairly well.  I do have some gnarly scars from the incident that I wear as both a badge of honor from an ancient memorial the lava left behind... and of course a badge of shame being so clumsy, my husband renamed me "Calamity Jan".  On that note, please be very careful not to turn your back on the ocean, or get too close to the edge.  In treacherous conditions like you are seeing here, tourists have been swept out into the surf.  You can't be too careful!

 the shot I got off just before the "incident"

Perhaps a month or so later, we met a very nice man named Bo, who lives down the road from us.  He grew up in Ke'anae, and his grandmother is the minister of the little church there.  The area has so much history, you can feel it in the air.  Bo grew up growing taro with his family, and worked on that very church which needed some repairs.  It was so nice to put a friends face to a place we had been, especially a place as beautiful and historic as Ke'anae. About Ke'anae

I wonder if the fishing was goodflickr photo set

Please let me know if you have been to Ke'anae, and what you think.  I would love to get comments.

Upcountry Evening (Discovery #2: I love it here)

Sunset from my backyard

Some evenings when I sit outside looking out beyond the trees toward the West, I am swept up by some of the most amazing sunsets.  Here it is February, and it is raining softly as I write this post.  The warm balminess of the evening brings out the crickets and they chirp along with the rain.  I love it here in upcountry, it brings a certain restfulness.  I have a new appreciation for the art of doing absolutely nothing, and loving every minute of it.  I hope you can enjoy time in upcountry one day... the cows, roosters and goats are waiting.

Baldwin Park (Discovery #1 : Walks on the Beach)

My Journey begins: footprints in the sand

I am fairly new here, after moving from the wine country in Sonoma County California, where I lived all of my adult life... that is until now.

I have been blogging about Hawaii from the experiences I had in vacationing here for many years, but when you move to the most beautiful place in the world, there is so very much to discover.  This is the start of my journey, and I hope to get anyone fully engaged in my discoveries, both my  posting about places I have grown to love, or perhaps you, the reader will send me suggestions along my way. The footprints in the sand above are from visiting Baldwin Park Beach, on the North shore of Maui.  This is where my husband and I take our daily walks both to pray and get much needed exercise.

Baldwin in the evening

Baldwin Park is on the Hana Highway just before the town of Paia. (More about Paia in another post). There is a unique area where a shelf of rocks off shore separate the beach and the shore break. This spot is where the folks who know about it take their toddlers to enjoy the beach without too much concern. In the early mornings, you will find some of the locals doing laps in the same spot. Collecting shells, jogging, sunning and swimming are all going on at Baldwin. There are lifeguards on duty, no fee to enter, what a great place to start. If you have a favorite beach, or spot you may want to comment about, I will be so happy to hear about it.