The Aloha Spirit

It’s been a few days since I’ve written.  Since returning home from our Maui trip, I got very busy with the task of preparing my classroom, creating lessons, and in general planning for the school year.  Now that school has started, I feel myself getting so busy that I fear I may not find time to write.  While it is not realistic for me to write as frequently as I did while on vacation,  I know I need to push myself to keep at it. 

One way that occurred to me to continue with my blogging is to reflect a bit on some of our time in Maui.  Thus today’s entry exploring something I learned while living on the island. I learned that the Aloha Spirit is more than just the welcoming and generous intentions of the Hawaiian people.  Though each experience everyday there were opportunities to practice aloha. 

Here is how Serge Kahali King, the author of The Little Pink Book of Aloha explains the etymology:

In the Hawaiian language, aloha stands for much more than just "hello" or "goodbye" or "love." Its deeper meaning is "the joyful (oha) sharing (alo) of life energy (ha) in the present (alo).

In everyday life, aloha might look like…

When uncle and aunty are shuffling down the sidewalk in their slippahs arm in arm for their mornings stroll, a jogger may alter course to run in the street and receive two big smiles and a "mahalo: for their respectful gesture.

Driving like a local in Hawaii and the is to always keep the driver side window rolled down so that you can wave a well tanned hand at other drivers to graciously give them the right of way.  (This is also a good tactic to allow you throw shakas, the hang loose sign, at your friends fishing at the beach park).

In general, taking the time to slow down and perceive the needs of those around you and possibly even finding a way to assist a person in need, is a given. 

Do you need a ride?  Do you need a meal?  No worries. 

This mindset is beautiful and I feel if more of us embraced it wherever we are, our world would be a more loving and nurturing place.  It is my hope that I can find little ways to spread aloha even though I’m back home.  Please join me,  how can you embrace a little aloha spirit in your life? 

Tropical Depression

Well it had to happen sometime.  Today is our departure date and I feel a tropical depression coming on (Not the meteorological event but emotional depression in relation to leaving the tropics.) 

This morning I squeezed in one last 3-mile run up lower H and it sped by, like I couldn’t slow myself down enough to take in all the details I’ve enjoyed about this stretch over the past month.  Something was nagging at my mind; I knew my bags and Greg were waiting back at the condo ready for the packing process to begin.  It amazes me that as comfortable as we were and as spread out and settled, as we seemed in our many rooms (1 bedroom, 1 bathroom, kitchen, and living space) all of our personal belongings fit in the same 4 bags we brought here 30 days ago (3 backpacks, 1 computer bag and the only addition is the ukulele in it’s shiny new case).  We did manage to sneak in an unexpected fish taco as we headed for the airport and turned in the rental car! 

Our flight was on time and with the help of two movies, it went by quickly. When we arrived home after midnight our cat, Nala (who has been under the care of a good friend and house sitter), gave us a cold icy stare as she sat in her perfect princess pose on the ottoman, as if to say, “You two are in very big trouble!”  Luckily Nala quickly forgave us for being away for so long and was purring at our feet five minutes later.  In an attempt to stave off the tropical depression I made this list on the plane of reasons I’ll be glad to get home. 

THINGS I MISS ABOUT HOME 

1. Sundays with my mom at the farmer’s market  (I miss the 3 pack of fresh berries too!)

2. Chatting with grandma after nap time (It was difficult to plan with the time difference)

3.  Cuddling with my kitty, Nala

4.  My garden (Not knowing what is growing) 

5.  The Cheese Cave and raw milk.  (We have had very little cheese here and what we had was not fantastic.  We haven’t even bothered to buy milk.  The coconut kefir has been providing for our probiotic needs but we miss our homemade cultures).

6.  Familiar runs.  (Don’t get me wrong; I have delighted in exploring our little stretch of West Maui by running it.  It is so beautiful, lush, and oceany.  But I won’t miss the humid sweats and the exhaustion that follows.  I love running with the roosters along seaside shores, but I miss my sagebrush and coyotes and the frigid gusts that blow off the field station at dawn, even during the summer.)

7. Kishi (During this trip we got an e-mail from the restaurant saying that Peter San is retiring and their will be new owners.  While we wish Peter all the best in his well deserved retirement, this is the end of an era for Greg and I.  We will attend a farewell party on August 24^th and pray that the excellent sushi tradition continues as our long time friends move on!)

8. Air conditioning.  (Trade winds are great and all, but the effortless kiss of the AC can sometimes be a godsend.  We have had few insufferable days here but when the temps edged into 90s.  However with the few we did have, lying on the tile floor with a ceiling fan idly spinning above, offers little respite.)

9.  Saying goodbye to my brother as he moved out of Upland and into his new apartment.  (Would have loved to do that in person, but e-mail had to suffice. Hopefully I’ll get to visit him soon at his new place).

10.  Proximity (This refers to being close to all the friends and family that live near us.  We miss being able to meet them for lunch, share a smile and a hug).

Now that I feel better about what I’m coming home to, I have to admit it is still very hard to leave.  So even though I’m leaving the island in body, my mind will dwell in memory and I plan to post a few more reflections about our time there.  I have also left behind a bit of heart and soul in the promise that some day, we will return. 

Monday Funday

From beginning to end, we truly had the ideal last day on Maui.  I got to start with a two-mile jog up lower H, so you know I’m happy.  We then had a lazy morning, eventually making our way to Ka’anapali’s Kahekili beach park; in our opinion the optimal place to snorkel in west Maui.  The spot did not disappoint today.  We saw forests of fish!  In a valley of white sand wedges under a coral cliff, I stumbled upon a green sea turtle bigger than any other I’ve ever seen.  The granddaddy of sea turtles, he had wedged himself under a lip of protruding coral so he could rest on the soft sandy bottom.  From the surface he seemed to be nearly as long as I am tall but it was tough to tell and his girth was massive, I’m sure he weighed as much as Greg and I put together.  Later Greg would ask me, “How old do you think he was?  200 ?”  Well, maybe not quite that old, but close!  We swam on to see a massive eel, putting on a show chasing fish with angry teeth and mouth open. Just a bit further north we found another smaller turtle, also sleepily nodding on a sand bed, held down by a coral anchor as well.  Rounding the coral mound we found a more medium sized turtle friend.  We got to watch this turtle come up for air and peeked our heads up above the surface as she did.  Another medium large turtle passed by the sleepy heads on her way to somewhere.  “Howzit?”She seemed to say, “Fancy a swim?”  I swam after her for quite a while, keeping a respectful following distance and she was kind enough to go slow enough that I could keep up.  We had probably been in the water for nearly two hours and were starting to get tired, so we had to bid farewell to our swimming partner and head back toward our entry point.  On the way we got to see the other 3 turtles once more, still in their same spots! 

We went home to clean up and then ventured out toward Wailuku.  We stopped along the way at Leodah’s Pie for a handheld savory pie or two for lunch.  We had the mushroom, herb, and cheese as well as the sweet corn, cilantro, lime and cojita.  Our destination was the ‘Iao Needle.  A lovely ride through the green hillsides and we were at the park entrance, beautiful paths and a gentle hike revealed waterfalls, streams, tropical plants and more! 

On the way back, we stopped at Maui Tropical Plantation shops for chocolate mac nut ice cream and some shopping. We continued on to do some window-shopping in Lahaina and have dinner at Aloha Mixed Plate.  We had the perfect table to watch the sunset over the sea.   A young woman selling leis came near our table and just as we were about to decline, she said, “Hey you guys!” in a friendly tone. “Oh, it’s you!” Greg declared surprised! It as Ali from the surf school!  We love that we’ve met so many nice people during our month and that so many of them seem genuinely pleased to meet up with us in various spots around town. Speaking of local friends, our dinner was followed by one last stop at Lulu’s to give Howard a hug and say goodbye. Of course he invited Greg to play one last song.  “Under the Bridge,” seemed apt for returning to L.A. tomorrow.  Back home I contemplated our last day, running…check, snorkeling…check, hiking…check, great lunch…check, ice cream…check, dinner at one of our favorite spots…check,  beautiful sunset…check, music…check, …what more could anyone want out of a day on Maui.  Our last day contained all of the aspects we could have hoped for when planning this trip.  I can’t think of a better way we could have spent our last day here. 

Sunday Drive

Took a break from running this morning to spend more time in the ocean.  We tried to snorkel but the waves were tossing up tons of sand and we had very poor visibility through our masks, we couldn’t see any fish and could barely make out where the rocks were.  So if at first you don’t succeed, grab the boogie board!  We spent the morning swimming, floating, and attempting to catch waves.  One of our honu friends was near and popped his head up to say hi.  We warmed up in the sun afterwards, the ocean has been on the cooler side the last few days.  Got all cleaned up to pick up our car, we’ll have a rental car for our last few days, mainly because we needed a way to get back to the airport but also because it will be fun to run around on our own schedule.  The bus served us well, but its time to get back to LA’s car culture soon and we don’t want to go into shock! Happy to know we wouldn't be sweating in our clothes waiting at bus stops, I put on a new shirt and was feeling shiny and happy!

The car rental place didn’t even make us walk the one-mile to pick up our car, they sent a shuttle right to our condo, complete with a fun spirited young man who sang along with all the pop songs as he drove us.  Our new car zipped us to Ono Kao Kao for one more plate breakfast of rice and eggs for me and Greg got the saimin, a local noodle soup dish. Properly fed, we decided to take our new rental vehicle for a Sunday drive.  We hadn’t headed south so far on this trip, so we decided to cruise the towns of Kihei and Wailea.  All of Maui is beautiful; views of the ocean on this trip were stunning.  The waves were bigger here and the wind was out of control, so we viewed most these towns from the shelter of our Chevy.  We explored a little craft fair, enjoyed seeing the vast golf courses and posh resorts of Wailea, and even stopped to visit a gourmet market and bought some world renown chocolate at Sweet Paradise Chocolatier (The Kona coffee with dark chocolate was luscious but I preferred the Lava Salt, a chewy caramel in dark chocolate topped with local red salt).  We enjoyed our venture to the south, yet we find we have grown very partial to the Westside. 

A little more sun time followed by one last fish taco dinner from the Fish Market (sigh, I’m going to miss you most of all fish taco).  Over dinner Greg said,  “Eating a fish taco from the Fish Market is like riding a wave.  It is amazing but it doesn’t last very long.”  Such is life! 

We ventured out to Java Jazz once more since Alan (the bass player who plays with Howard) said the musicians had great things to say about Greg.  Sure enough the barefoot guitarist, Steve, gave us a wave as soon as we walked into the crowded joint and the young bass player (also a server) told Greg he had just been thinking about him yesterday.  Later in the set Steve invited Greg up and Mark loaned him his bass.  It is always fun to see Greg in his element; he seems so comfortable and happy on stage.  The music finished up around ten and we went home to eat our chocolate and have sweet dreams about one more day on Maui. 

Running out of time

“I don’t wanna run out, but I’m running running…”  more lyrics from the brilliant Merrill of Tune-Yards.  These were the words that resonated with me today on my long run.  “I know my days are numbered, I should enjoy the climb…but I’m running running out of time.”  Mixed emotions on my run today; sad that this would be the last long run I’ll do in Maui for a great while but glad that I have acclimated enough to make it to the Hyatt and back.  I had my water stops planned today; The Ka’anapali beach park we like to snorkel (I found out the name = Kahekili Beach Park), Whaler’s Village, and perhaps the beach park just passed the Hyatt and the cemetery, Hanakoa’a Beach. 

 

Before I even got to Hanakoa’a cemetery I found a refrigerated drinking fountain outside of Drums of the Pacific Polynesian Spectacular and there were plastic cups, my holy grail, because I could snag one and fill up at the free ice machine.  Cold water and the promise of ice to come...Score! 

  
So, I was well hydrated on my run and the sky stayed blessedly dim until the final mile, sun behind a thick layer of clouds.  Having run the full length of the West Maui Beachwalk, I can honestly say it is one of the most beautiful, visually distracting runs I’ve ever had the privilege to experience.  It will be a while until I can run it in it’s entirety again, but I know I will fantasize about it often on less decorative runs. 

8 miles is a long run for me, and I find myself needing to rest on long run days.  Coffee and pineapple bread gave me a little boost.  Then a little time by the pool, not much sun, we actually had some sprinkles today.  A nap or two assisted in restoring my energy for lunch and more afternoon pool time, watching paddle boarders go by, sailboats and honus popping up to breathe from time to time. 

We made one more venture on the bus, just down to Kahana.  We stopped in an awesome boutique called "She Runs With Wolves" and I found a couple of unique and memorable skirts to add to my back to school collection.  One last meal at Miso Phat where we are more at home, the owner, chef and waitress recognized us and were glad to have us back.  That is what I love about small family owned places; they make an effort to get to know you.  We decided to walk home and detoured through some fun little suburban neighborhoods and found a park with 3 different types of plumeria trees.  There are some beautiful little unexplored nooks and crannies in Honokowai. Even with a month of walking or running everyday; there are still little hidden treasures to discover. 

Eulogy

Something has been missing at our beloved condo this past week, or more accurately someone, but I’ll get to that later. This morning we slept through the rooster somehow but did manage to catch the 7:13 bus with all of our snorkel gear on board.  After seeing the snorkelers at Kapalua Bay yesterday on our hike, we were eager to swim in the bay.  It was a fairly easy entry but our masks were fogging something awful.  A little spit and polish helped and we did see many interesting and shallow reefs, so the fish were really close up.  We saw another eel and a turtle surfaced near by but we didn’t find him underwater.  After about an hour or so we were tired and the waves were sloshing us around a bit more than desired.  We rinsed off at the beach shower, dried off, dressed, and got back on the bus. 

Today was a fresh coconut at the farmer’s market kind of morning.  We grabbed enough apple bananas to get us through our final days on the island, a few more passion fruits and star fruits, just the tropical indulgences that we won’t be able to get easily on the mainland.  Back at home, we spent the morning drinking coffee, eating coconut meat and enjoying the sun by the pool.  I made my new favorite reinvention of an old classic party dip.  We’ve all had Lipton’s sour cream and onion dip.  Stir dehydrated onion mix into sour cream and serve with potato chips, right?  Knowing how awesome the Maui onions are, I wanted to remake this old classic real food style.  Melt a few tablespoons of cultured butter down in a large skillet and add thinly sliced and diced sweet onions.  Stir often over medium high heat until caramel brown. Add two cloves of finely minced garlic and cook until softened.   Season with salt and pepper and then let cool.  Mix with sour cream and refrigerate.  Serve with chips.  We heard the conch blow and headed out to the pupu party with our contribution. 

Debbie, the friendly office manager, invited us to her table and we had a chance to chat with her and some friends.  Greg asked after our helpful groundskeeper, Willie (no Simpson’s fans, that’s not a joke, that really is his name.)  Willie was going on vacation last Friday, right before the storm and Greg asked Debbie how long he’d be gone for.  Debbie gave Greg a distressed you’ve suddenly grown three heads sort of a look.  No, Willie wasn’t coming back from vacation, he had passed away.  What?!  Apparently his flight was rescheduled during the storm, she had contacted him on Saturday looking for the number for the exterminator and figured he didn’t answer since he was on vacation.  His best friend hadn’t heard from him for a few days and he hadn’t made it to his vacation destination.  I guess while Greg was surfing on Sunday we missed the ambulance and the news that Willie was found in his apartment.  Debbie thought all the tenants had heard the news and apologized, thinking we’d known.  We finished the evening chatting with neighbors and friends with a distracted concern in the corner of our minds.

We dedicate this post to the memory of Willie and while we did not know him well or know him for long, we enjoyed his company and his labors.  He kept the grounds immaculate and swept the stray leaves from our front door each day.  He watered all of the orchids and kept a beautiful herb garden by the BBQ grills.  Willie helped us combat the larval invasion of week one and helped us secure our patio furniture before the maybe big storm of last week.  Now he is gone. His Bronco with the West Side marlin sticker sits idle in the parking lot and dry leaves collect in the hallways.  Death is a part of life, even in paradise.  Life goes on here, but even knowing you for a few weeks, we miss you Willie. Your hard work and your calm presence are missed in this beautiful place.  Peace be with you, friend.  Peace be with you.

Take a hike!

A brief lesson on obstacles you may encounter when running in Maui.

1. Don’t step on that squashed mango; you could slip on the sticky pit! 

2. Adopt a modest stride so you don’t kick the curious myna birds, they aren’t eager to get out of your way, ever! 

3. Don’t get distracted by the beautiful view of the ocean and jog into a telephone pole (I’ve had a few close calls, but this hasn’t happened yet). 

Despite these hidden dangers, I did need to get out and move today.  I opted for only a mile since my abs and arms were still hurting from my aerial class. The running warm up to my day did help me loosen up and feel better.  So good in fact that Greg and I decided to go on a hike this morning.  I’ve been eager to see where the path from Kapalua Bay leads.  You may remember I ran to Kapalua Bay for one of my long runs, but I didn’t get to follow the path past there.  So this morning we took the bus to Napili Kai, which gets us just a few minutes from Kapalua Bay. From there we took the path through fancy condos, a rocky path that took us by a bird sanctuary, cliffs of black rocks, tide pools and gorgeous views.  

The path led us through the back 40 of the Ritz resort, oo la la! D. T. Fleming beach was our destination, not because it was a particularly impressive beach but it did have bathrooms and some water to drink.  This is one of the few beaches we’ve seen with a life guard on duty but only a handful of folks were chasing waves and lounging in the shade of a few trees here during the 9 o’clock hour.

Just about ready to head back we saw a cute old tiny church and near its gate saw a map/ sign that noted the start of another trail.  The start of the Mahana ridge trail began right next to this cute little church and immediately curved up into shady trees, interesting vegetation, and a very jungle-like humid feel.  Fascinated by the birdcalls and beautiful plants, I trudged ahead with that determined bouncy walk that I get when I’m exploring a piece of wilderness that excites me.

That impetus took us across an access road, under a bridge and up a hillside.  Greg had to be the voice of reason, we were sweating a lot and not carrying water, it would be a good idea to turn around and head back to D.T. Fleming where there was water.  As usual, Greg was right, if we had continued around one more bend and just one more as my sense of exploration urged me to, we would needed to travel nearly another 6 miles to get to the end of Mahana ridge trail which apparently dead ends into an arboretum.  Even though we trimmed the ridge trail section short, this hike will be tough to beat.  After Greg and I did our10 mile hike in Yosemite this June, we decided to make a date to go on hike each month.  In July, we joined some friends in Claremont to hike the Wilderness Trail (which is a 5 minute drive from our house and offers 5 miles of hiking, this will probably be our go-to hike for the fall!)  So we can check our June, July and August hiking dates off our to do list.  We got some water back a Fleming then we found a vacant hammock on the edge of the Ritz property and couldn’t resist lounging for a few minutes.  Then back on the path.  We paused at Kapalua Bay and watched the snorkelers; we could see 4 of them encountering a honu from our spot on the raised path, that is how clear the water was.  All said it was a 4-mile hike that we took just under 2 hours to complete. 

Back on the bus, our next stop was the fish market so we could buy fish tacos for lunch.  After all that fresh air, exercise, then food a nap was in order.  A refreshing way to shake off a tropical nap is to jump in the ocean with the boogie board.  Greg was all showered up so he watched me from the shore.  There were some big waves rolling in, so I was keeping my eyes on the horizon, but I occasionally glanced down to make sure I wasn’t hovering over any rocks or coral I might inadvertently kick.  At one point I looked down to see a huge turtle, practically the size of my boogie board, swimming right beneath me.  My first thought was, I need to get away from him, I’m way closer than 10 feet but I was afraid to kick for fear of my flippers frightening or tapping him on the shell.  So I just floated and watched him check me out.  The curious turtle tired of me after a minute or two and went on his way. Every encounter with these creatures is thrilling, though we’ve seen them either in the water or from the shore most every day of our stay in Maui, they remain magical!

It was my turn to clean up after my swim so we could head into Lahaina to see Howard play with his band one last time at LuLu’s.  The band was very enthusiastic and had an encouraging crowd tonight.  Howard called Greg up during his break to play a few songs. We stayed past the last bus since Alan, the base player, offered us a ride home again.  Now to bed, I’m hoping for some snorkeling tomorrow!  But for now, I'll settle for reliving that beautiful hike from this morning in my dreams.  

Recovery

Greg had a nice visit last night with Howard and enjoyed listening to music and visiting with folks up country.  We slept in a bit this morning and then tried the snorkeling in front of the condo, it was still wavy but we did see a few fish on the churny sandy bottom and Greg spotted another eel.  We decided to head inside and grab the boogie board and had tons of fun riding the waves.  We took turns dog paddling and riding the board, except toward the end of our outing where we tried to share the board and ride a few waves together.  I felt like a kid again!

Other than this little bit of exercise in the water, no running, no yoga, no walks around the neighborhood?  No…I am feeling the effects of my aerial class from yesterday big time.  My biceps and shoulders are pretty tender thanks to all the upper body work and places where my legs were bound in the silks feel a little bruised and sore, but my abs are by far the worst. I feel like I’ve been in a street fight and taken like a million gut shots.  I groan whenever I stand up, so I’ve been aiming for as many seated or reclining activities today as possible; laying in the sun by the pool, napping, and I even picked some Plumerias from the tree in front of our bedroom so that I could sit and make a lei. (Hotel style sewing kit with needle and thread made this a super easy and completely free activity!)

Housekeeping was calling us this afternoon, we needed to straighten up a bit and do some laundry.  It is amazing the amount of sand that accumulates on the floor, even with rinsing off out the outdoor shower before coming in from the ocean!  We spent the evening enjoying our space.  A sunset colored in pinks and golds thanks to some low clouds floating off of Molokai made the perfect backdrop for a pasta dinner with sautéed farmer’s market mushrooms and a rustic red sauce.  (We’ve finally started to tap into our storm supplies; Greg happily ate spaghetti-Os for lunch while I finished off the surfing goat cheese and handmade hummus from the farmer’s market with some gluten free crackers.)  Tonight I’m enjoying the cool breeze off the ocean as I wear the lei I made earlier today; and my evening is perfumed with relaxation. 

With the greatest of ease

I could hear the waves crashing even before we got out of bed.  The rooster crow was somewhat dampened by the pounding of the surf on the sea wall.  It’s gonna be another wavy day!  But there are many things to do in Maui, other than go in the ocean and this morning I wanted to try one that has long been on my list.  Actually trying an aerial class is something I’ve even considered doing in our hometown, we have one at the packinghouse in Claremont, but I’ve always felt just a bit intimidated to try it.  I’m up for trying any sort of yoga class (well, within reason, no naked yoga for me please).  My mom and I took a Pilates mat class this summer and it was challenging and fun to try something a bit different.  There is just something about hanging from silks that are somehow tethered to the ceiling that gives me pause.  On the other hand, it has always looked like lots of fun to me, but was I strong enough to do it?  Today I intended to answer that question. 

The Passion of Movement studio is two miles south of our condo, easily reached on the beach walk.  So I headed out a bit later than I usually do on my jogs, at about 8:30, to make sure I had plenty of time to arrive for a 9:10 class.  I ran at a very leisurely pace and about a half mile in I thought, I’m killing this, I’m not even sweating.  Cut to arriving at the studio, dripping in sweat 20 minutes later. (I did stop at the beach park for water!) The studio has conditioning, spinning, yoga, Pilates and aerial classes. It is located in front of the Royal Lahaina Resort in Ka'anapali.

It seemed it would be a small class, just the instructor and one other regular student.  

We began the class using the silks to stretch, do some rows, tricep presses using our body weight, leg lifts, lunges; balancing on one leg or arm and using the fabric to support the other.  My attentive instructor was generous with praise.  I was a natural; I was doing a great job for my first time.  This is going to be easy I thought…wrong!  Pretty soon we were sitting on the u-shaped tissue, flipping upside down, legs in the air, wrapped around the strands, heads dangling toward the floor.  That is a nice stretch for a few seconds, but then the blood starts to rush to your head and the lightheaded feeling features prominently.  Now using only your abs sit back up, reach above your legs for the fabric, and pull yourself upright.  This concept seemed easy enough but my legs felt like they were going to slip out of the fabric. Another challenge is watching the instructor in the mirror while upside down and trying to match her movements.  After a few half way attempts, the instructor said to me, “Melissa, I feel like you are strong enough to do this, maybe you’re just scared. Trust that the tissues have got you.”  Scared of my slippery wet with sweat legs slipping through the cloth and dropping me on my head or ass, no…not all!  She encouraged me to give it one more try and as I reached up something shifted my center of gravity, my own weight probably, and I could more easily grab the fabric above my knees and was able to work my way up, one pull at a time.  My instructor was very pleased but I was even more pleased to be upright!  Now she had us stretch the fabric out so it made sort of cocoon, then we shimmied into it so that it covered from shoulders to heels.  Feeling a bit more secure in this tube like shroud, I felt more confident with the next move, throw your legs back over your head, like plough pose, then pull your legs back up to the ceiling, so you are doing a headstand (except your head is several feet above the floor because the fabric around your shoulders is making you gravity free, so to speak).  It was a little scary, but fun.  After all this work, she let us rest in the cocoons doing a few restorative stretches. As the class ended, I got instructions on how to dismount as the other student did some flippy things in the fabric as she got out.  Our instructor called her a little monkey.  After teaching a conditioning class before this and then this very challenging aerial fitness class, our instructor was off to “work out.”  Wow, I may have thought I was in pretty good shape but this woman humbles me with her stamina. 

I decided to rest for a few minutes on a bench outside the studio, in the shade before walking home. Having my cell phone in my running belt, I called Greg to see what he was up to.  He was on the bus up to Whaler’s village, if I walked a bit more to the south, we could walk back together and pick up some lunch on the way home.  I sat for a few more moments getting used to the feeling of being upright again and drank a complimentary cup of water from the studio’s water cooler.  I decided to take the cup with me, since I knew where I could get ice along the way at the Ka’anapali Villas.  As I passed the ice machine, I filled up my cup and had a constant supply of ice water, slowly melting in my cup for my entire walk until I met up with Greg.  I shared my water with him and we walked back toward the condo, getting another free refill on the ice at the Ka’anapali Villas. We had a beautiful walk home, stopping at the fish market to get the two best fish tacos in the world and then rushing home to eat them. 

Jogging, aerial flips, twists and inversions and a long walk on the beach had rendered me exhausted.  I got a little pool time and watched the waves roll in before getting showered up. After a restful afternoon, Greg and I decided to get an early dinner, so we went to the happy hour at the Maui Brewing Company.  Affordable pizza by the slice and awesome brews served as an early dinner.  I had my adventure this morning, so this evening I was sending Greg off on an adventure of his own. Howard, the musician from last night, invited us to come hear him play in Paia.  I was far too exhausted after my busy morning to face a night out, but I encouraged Greg to enjoy a boy’s night out.  He’s been wanting to have a chance to chat with Howard anyhow and riding out to Paia would be a great chance for Greg and Howard to talk.  I’m going to get some extra rest sleep now, can’t wait to hear about how Greg’s musical evening in Paia went. 

Gnarly Waves!

Today started with a three mile run up lower H.  I’m gonna miss smiling and waving at the friendly kiddos while they wait for their school bus.  Greg jogged up to meet me for the last mile.  When we got home we were considering snorkeling but there were giant waves beating against the seawall, it seemed even body surfing was out of the question, we would be pounded to smithereens!  The turtles have moved out a bit but you can see them turning summersaults in the waves further out.  The forecast shows no storm activity on the horizon, so our only guess as to the waves was perhaps they were in response to the full moon last night! 

After visiting the farmer’s market, we opted for pool time today and an afternoon nap. Based on a recommendation from Greg’s surf instructor Billy, we returned to the fish market to try their seared ahi sandwich with coleslaw, caramelized onions, and wasabi aioli.  Billy was right; it was amazing! 

Still no ocean time this afternoon.  The surf is crazy!  Greg says when it's too choppy or windy for snorkeling and surfing, what do you do?  Go sailing!  We were able to admire many beautiful sailboats from the shore.  (If anyone has a boat and wants to take us out in the next week, please leave us a message!) 

This evening we traveled back to Lahaina to see Howard Ahia play at LuLu’s again.  Howard was playing solo tonight.  He invited Greg to play during his break and Howard and I had a chance to chat while Greg played.  It turns out Howard’s wife teaches at the high school. Funny, two musician friends with two teacher wives!  Greg and I had to catch the last bus home, so we said our goodbyes and successfully caught our bus and the transfer, getting off at the right stop!  Hey, we are getting better at this, just in time for our final week on the island!  We'll be going to sleep tonight to the sound of the pounding waves. Doubt we'll be able to hear the neighbors chatting over the churning ocean.  Hopefully the rooster won't be drown out in the morning as well.  

Surfer Dude

Many feared that when I left home to spend a month in Maui, that I would never return.  A few of you may have even worried that I would fall for a sun kissed blonde long haired surfer.  Well, I admit it; I am in love with a surfer dude!  (A few of you are panicking, “I’ve been following this blog, isn’t she married?!” Those of you who know me well are already thinking, “It’s Greg!”) That’s right friends; my sweet husband Greg is now a surfer!  We started our day taking the bus into Lahaina.  Maui Surf Clinics was recommended to us by another guest during our first week, they said if you book them on Sunday other surf schools are closed and no one realizes that this one is open, so if you book a group lesson it is bound to be a small group. Indeed it was, just Greg and his surf instructor, Billy.  So it wound up being a private lesson for the price of a group, score! 

Beautifully tan and blonde, Ali, who worked in the front office, set Greg up with his rash guard and reef shoes.  Ali then ushered us the beach to meet Greg’s surf guru, Billy.  Billy arrived; deeply tan with floppy dark hair and a dog.  That’s right, Billy’s little rescue mutt, Irene, had short black fur with a white patch on her chest peppered with grey hairs, as Irene was pushing eleven.  Did I mention that Irene enjoys swimming and riding on the end of Billy’s surfboard?

Greg and Billy spent some time on the sand going over technique and before I knew it they were heading into the water and down toward the jetty.  I really wanted to get some photos, so I abandoned our towels and the beach chair that Ali so kindly provided, to climb out on the black rocks of the jetty and get some shots.  Greg did great, it seemed like the very first wave they tried he stood up.  He looked like a natural.  Many more times they paddled their boards way out, watched for a good set to come in, and then Greg was up on that board again.  The last wave he caught he rode nearly all the way and flashed me a shaka as he rode past.  Here it the photo of that momentous occasion!

When they returned to the beach, Billy warned me that Greg might fall asleep in the next half hour and though I had not been doing the tough cardio the surfers had, the sun was taxing enough.  Before we headed home for a nap we grabbed lunch at Pacific'O, a farm to table concept restaurant right on the stretch of Lahaina beach where Greg had surfed.  It was a bit pricy but splitting a salad and entree made it manageable.  We enjoyed the catch of the day in a Thai peanut sauce with an upcountry salad including shaved beets.  For you health nuts out there, we tried the kombucha, a locally made ginger lime variety of fermented tea and juices that creates a fizzy refreshing drink full of probiotic and healing qualities.  It was the perfect light lunch after a morning in the sun!

After a bit of rest at home, we realized it was not just our time on the beach that made us feel hot and zapped, it was a really warm day everywhere on the island.  Our little condo was feeling pretty steamy, so we decided it was time to cool off in the ocean.  The surf was pretty choppy this afternoon, so we didn’t even attempt snorkeling.   It seems that body surfing was on the agenda for the afternoon.  Greg got to fill me on the details of his lesson from today as we bobbed about in the ocean in front of the condo. It was fun to jump up and ride over certain waves and ride others back to the shore. At one point when we were just kind of floating, I looked at the curl of the wave just in front of me and saw a sea turtle-shape gliding toward us. “Hey man, check out the waves!”, he seemed to be saying.  I so adore these creatures!  Back inside we felt refreshed and showered up for the evening.  Greg was feeling like sushi so it was back on the bus to the Kahana Manor Center for more Miso Phat; a rainbow roll for Greg and an avocado roll and yellow tail collar for me. On our bus ride back we hopped off one stop too early, still learning to identify our stops in the dark, but we were rewarded with a 10 minute walk under the glow of the full moon, the company of a friendly black cat and a soaring local owl.  Is it Halloween in Hawaii?!  A creepy cool night to cap off a super sunny day!

SATURDAY…Something

Well, we didn’t sleep too peacefully.  While our loud neighbors did move on to greener pastures, some louder neighbors arrived and decided to have a raging party until well past midnight.  While this seemed annoying in the moment, since I was trying to make up for lost sleep due to the storm, perhaps it was a lesson in tolerance and non-judgment.  I think I need those in life, because they keep cropping up. 

While I drowsily recall the rooster, it wasn’t until just before 6 that I awoke. Despite two nights of disrupted sleep, I had a plan for my long run day and it was in the spirit of inclusion.  Greg mentioned a desire to run today, which I would like to encourage but I know he is not quite up for the long run just yet.  So I decided to do the first 5k running north while he still slept, giving him a wake up call as I left the building and enjoyed my first 3 point something miles solo.  Stopping back at home to pick up Greg, gave me an excellent opportunity to drink water in small sips and sweat profusely.  With Greg in tow, we ran the 1.6something miles to the Ka’anapali Beach Park (No doubt this park has some cool name other than that which I must learn).  Upon reaching the park we drank more water and turned around and ran back.  For me about 6.5something miles total today, which broken into bits, feels mighty nice. 

Back at the condo, we were hungry!  We enjoyed hot cereal with bananas, macadamia nuts, and passion fruit slurry and organic Maui coffee.  The sea looked disagreeable but none-the-less we decide to snorkel, just north of the condo this time.  Indeed the sloshy sea gave me a rather seasick feeling and visibility was poor but we followed a stretch of sandy bottom out past the coral wall and saw some cool fish.  Greg swore a giant blue florescent something chased me on our way back in. We have decided that even if seas are rough, we have gained enough confidence to go swimming as often as we want in the ocean during our remaining days here (unless there is a hurricane, which there should not be, anymore!) 

So I decided I wanted to take the bus into Lahaina, to look for more flowy clothes but more-so because I was craving a trip outside of Honokowai, having been hurricaned in for the last few days.  Also, I saw the opportunity for Shave Ice.  Greg saw the opportunity for Aloha Mixed Plate.  We really do love this restaurant.  It is easy to access;  take the bus to the Cannery Mall, walk through the mall and emerge at the seaside.  Cross the street, and there you are.  I enjoyed the coconut prawns and the sweet and spicy dipping sauce, yet again.  Greg had to have the Lau Lau pork.  He decided his favorite part of Aloha’s version of this dish is that they have purple pieces of baked taro, such starchy goodness.  We both adore the leaf it is baked in, like spinach but smokier! It puts me in mind of something akin to a tea leaf, but grape-leafy as well.  This time we added a plate of Kim Chee, Takuan, Namasu and Sesame Bean Sprouts.  Quick pickles; is the closest thing I know of to compare this to.  Some of the vegetables were unidentifiable to me but I want to grow them! I will try to find seeds when I get home. One was like a golden beet, yet with the texture of a radish.  The bean sprouts tossed in sesame seed oil (thanks to poke) is a flavor we are growing to love.

Back on the bus, off at the next stop, and then walking to find Aloha Swimwear; lots of swimsuits and some clothing. I ended up choosing a sea green tank that knots at the back of the shoulders with a Plumeria design on it.  It was not that flowy and not a dress but a super comfy tank and it was on sale.  To get a piece of clothing for under $20 in Lahaina is noteworthy.  We enjoyed our second shave ice; vanilla ice cream base with lime, coconut and watermelon ice.  So refreshing!  Back on the bus, after a little chill time, we enjoyed some crab legs from the Fish Market, heated on the grill with a roasted garlic mash potato side of my creation and lovely sweet corn from the farmer’s market. 

Loud neighbors round two and Greg was feeling restless...so with still active day passes left for the bus, we trucked up to the Maui Brewing Co for a super fast Coco Porter, just in time to catch the last bus back to the condo.  A very eventful day and luckily the neighbors seem to have mellowed in our absence.  Hoping for a restful night or something! 

Stormy weather

The rooster blew away!  (Just kidding, we did hear a weak rather perturbed cry this morning, mostly drown out by the wind.) Speaking of wind, the whistling wind woke us up a little after midnight, we checked the news but the hurricane was still coming on to the big island.  So we went back to bed and managed to sleep until about 5:30 am when gusting winds woke us again.  Another check of the news and we tried to go back to sleep without much luck, it sounded like we were in a wind tunnel in our bedroom.  We decided to get up and make coffee and hot cereal while we still had electricity because their had been outage on other parts of the island.

Later in the morning the storm slowed, it seems to be stalled over the big island. So far we have had lots of wind, choppy seas, and bursts of rain here and there.  At nearly 8 am, no rain was falling, seas were calming, and the wind was less frequent.   The winds had significantly chilled out by late morning and it just looked like an overcast day.  We had some rain midday but not enough to keep kids out of the pool.  Had a high tide with the surf pounding the sea wall and occasionally spraying over, but it didn’t stop the honu from feeding on their rocks.  It was clear by midday we were experiencing a lull. So we walked around the neighborhood to survey the damage.  Other than puddles here and there and lots of fallen flowers, all is well.  Every business we passed was open, so we grabbed a sandwich for lunch.  We had a quiet afternoon, not wanting to stray too far from the safety of our condo, waiting for the official word that the storm had passed. 

In the late afternoon the news announced that the storm had splintered when it hit the big island, so rain and wind were possible but the tropical storm warning was cancelled!

We felt very lucky to get off so light, we didn’t even lose power of have need to break into our supplies.  Another storm is headed this way later in the week, but it seems to be taking a path away from the islands.  So we are thrilled to get back to relaxing in the beautiful weather. Being that our sleep was fairly compromised last night, I’m guessing we’ll have an early bedtime tonight.  We’ll sleep peacefully knowing the potentially dangerous storm has passed us by. 

All is well that ends well

There was a steady rain falling when we woke this morning, I debated going for a run, fearing we’d be shut in over the next few days due to poor weather but opted to sleep in anyway.  One of my favorite things is sleeping to the sound of gently falling rain.  As it turned out, the rain did let up after we had our coffee and hot cereal with banana and passion fruit pulp.  We decided to do one last bit of prepping for the storm. We have a flashlight but thought we’d feel better having a few extra batteries.  Another thought was that since it was getting on toward lunch time, we should get one more round of our favorite fish tacos while the Fish Market was still open and have them send us home with some seafood chowder for dinner. As we walked back from our outing, winds picked up to playful levels and we were glad to be home. But we found that after lunch, clouds were parting again, and we spent a little time in the sun by the pool.

The title of this post popped into our minds again this afternoon, as I sat at the seawall enjoying the intermittent sunshine still waiting for signs of the eminent storm.  I heard a joyful shout down the beach and saw a man wielding a metal detector triumphantly thrust his fist into the air, and with cries of relief and joy a man, then a woman, gave him great big hugs.  We had watched this drama unfold all afternoon.  While enjoying some pool time after lunch, we had watched this couple scrambling from the beach, to the pool deck, turning over all their belongings in both places.  The woman had misplaced her wedding rings.  They asked if we happened to have a metal detector, we didn’t but we felt awfully bad as the woman cried as she explained she’d lost her wedding rings on the beach.  We later overheard that they called a man whose job it was to find lost jewelry.  He was an hour away but was going to make the drive even with a storm coming.  The sad lady kept crying in her lounge chair, while her consoling husband wiped her tears and rubbed her shoulders.  She bobbed helplessly in the pool, her face the epitome of desperation.  It hurt my heart to see someone so crestfallen.  Luckily within 30 seconds of the arrival of metal detector guy, the rings were back on her finger and her husband was running up and down the lawn in front of the lanais letting concerned neighbors know the rings had been found!  As metal detector guy made his way back across the lawn, greeted with cheers and thumbs up signs, “Crisis averted, folks!” he crowed, beaming in the light of his hero’s welcome.  So, as we wait for the storm to show its stuff on the shores of Maui, meanwhile we are enjoying a sunny afternoon by the pool.  Hoping the result of the storm will reflect the cheerful sentiment of this title.

AND IT BEGINS???…. at 5:45 the island of Molokai, which is always visible, even if the loftier hills are cloud shrouded, completely disappeared!  A heavy fog rolled across the water. At 5:50 the sky opened up.  Poor Greg was taking out our dinner trash and got soaked.  A day that was punctuated with high white clouds, partial sun, and light wind finally gave way to the storm we had been watching for warily. Maybe? Or was this a false start?  At 6:20pm the rain slowed to a trickle, the clouds parted and blue sky peeked out of the dense clouds. We’ve had our share of rainbows during our stay and today was no exception.  Sun and rain simultaneously are bound to produce a colorful display if you look around.  Our trickle had stopped by 6:30 and we had a rainless sunset, conches blowing, turtles chilling on the beach.  Still quiet at 8:30, the forecasts have said Maui should expect the storm hit at 9, but on the news there is a lull in the storm on the big island, so we don’t know what to expect, afraid we’ll have to go to bed before the storm arrives.  As we get sleepy on the couch, watching an old episode of the Golden Girls, the surf is quiet and calm outside our window.  So I guess for today it’s true.  All IS well that ends well! 

Don't get nervous now

A few drops of rain have fallen so far this morning, but the sun continues to shine as the condo staff takes in all of the pool deck furniture and Willie, our maintenance manager, and his crew sand-bag the beach entry ways at the sea wall.  A few guests are happily swimming in the pool, taking in the sun and fun as long as it's available.  As we finish our morning coffee, we are contemplating going out for another walk, in anticipation of being cooped up for a few hours to days.  It's difficult to imagine that these massive storms are bearing down on this tiny chain of islands while the skies remain blue and the air warm and calm.  Could it be the proverbial calm before the storm?

(Taken at noon on August 7, 2014)

Here are a few satellite photos we found online that show what is coming our way.  As you can see in the first pic, the Hawaiian islands seem to be surrounded by swirling storm systems.  They look pretty frightening, but we keep hearing that the strength of the closest storm, Iselle (to the right of the islands in the photo), has been weakening as she approaches the shores of Hilo on the Big Island, and will push off to the south of the rest of the islands as she moves through the state and past us.  We are bracing for some heavy winds and rain, but nothing like the direct hit of hurricane force.  The second storm, Julio, is predicted to move past the islands to the north around Sunday and Monday with similar strength to Iselle, categorized as a tropical storm by the time we experience it.  As long as our power stays on, we will continue to update the blog.  No need to worry.  We seem to be in good hands with our local friends here at the Kulakane and surrounding neighborhood.  

Having the best time prepping for the worst case

So, many of you have heard there is a storm headed our way here on Maui.  Today skies were blue, the sun was shining brightly and aside from a gusty breeze now and then, we had beautiful weather. It is hard to believe that over then next few days we may receive 5-8 inches of rain, but more on the tropical storm later in this post.  For now, let us begin as I did, with a two mile run.  Took the usual path but went a bit earlier this am and got to see even more of those school bus stops.  A teenager waiting by a tennis court, four youngsters seated on a low rock wall in someone’s front yard, another kiddo hanging out under a mango tree, these are the unique unmarked school bus stops I get to see on my morning jog.  I was out at 6 this morning and the kids were already waiting, so to me it seems like school must start early here or the bus makes many stops and takes a long time to get to school.  The biggest surprise was arriving back at the condo and finding about 15 high school students waiting for their bus right by the Kulakane wall on the street side of our complex.  Who knew we had our own school bus stop?!  I half wanted to put on my best high school disguise and join them to see what it would be like to go to school on Maui! 

But we had more exciting plans this morning than infiltration the local high school, so I showered up and Greg and I left our condo so the cleaning service could do their thing.  Knowing that we needed to be out for a few hours, we decided this was the perfect morning to wait in line for breakfast.  Those of you who know West Maui know what I’m referring to, that’s right, The Gazebo!  We had read about this great breakfast spot with delicious and affordable food and astounding view to boot.  The only problem is many others have heard about this spot too, so we knew to expect a long line and a significant wait.  We had nothing better to do this morning, so we took the bus north to Kapalua and walked back along the highway for about 10 minutes to find Napili Shores.  We wandered the grounds until we found a quaint gazebo on the ocean front with glorious views of Napili Bay.  A long line already wrapped around the gazebo and up the steps.  We guessed it would be at least an hour.  We lathered up in sunscreen and we waited.  Thoughtfully merchants have set up a few little stands to the sides of the line so as you move up you can watch a wood worker carving knickknacks, and browse through local jewelry as you move up the line.  We got a chance to visit with our line neighbors, a couple and their young adult children from Central Maui; they are on the Westside for vacation.  They gave us some great activities advice and talked about places to eat if we ever come to their neighborhood.  The time passed and it was our turn.  The waitresses were very friendly and playful, made you glad you had waited an hour.  Hot coffee and a menu of delights brightened our morning, as we gazed out at the blue waters.  The food was crazy good also.  I had the macadamia nut pancakes with coconut syrup and it arrived with a mound of house made whip cream on top of it.  Greg had the loaded pancake combo; bananas, pineapples and macadamia nut, also with a pile of whip cream on top.  We topped it off with some extra crisp bacon and went into a major food coma!  Before we caught our bus back to our neighborhood, we walked for a while on the beach, burning off a few of those million calories we just consumed. We saw tide pools, paddle boarders and snorkelers galore.  It was easy to see turtle popping their heads up here and there in the water. 

Then we took the bus to the farmer’s market and grabbed some more fruit and headed home to bask in the beauty of our sparkling clean condo.  We felt good about hunkering down for the next few days in a freshly polished place.  The local attitude about the approaching storm has been chill.  Our favorite checker at the farmer’s market asked us on Monday, “So how long you guys staying?”  When we answered, she became excited, “Oh, so you’ll be here for the maybe big storm!” Yeah, maybe, wait what…maybe a storm or maybe a big storm.  Another regular at the market was ringing us up inside on Tuesday and asked it we would still be here this weekend.  Again we got an energetic response, “Cool, you’ll get to see the that storm that we’ll probably get.  It will be good for your, a good experience.” It seems the locals are practically endorsing it as tourist attraction.  Our condo manager has offered helpful information, but remains calm.  After some reflection, we felt we would like to have a few more supplies on hand in case we lose power in the upcoming tropical storm.  We are well stocked with water, toilet paper, a flashlight, etc. We have plenty of food in the fridge, but if power is lost that food will not keep for long. Greg and I decided to prep our kitchen by adding some canned foods. We had heard that the shelves of the Times Market had been picked over, this was not true, there was plenty to choose from. We have a vegetarian banquet of peanut butter, cookies, baked beans, veggie soup, refried beans, and Spaghetti-0s.  Some these items would be more pleasant if heated but don’t require it.  So we will be well fed if we end up shut in over the next few days. 

We decided to do laundry, so that we’ll have clean clothes to sit around the house with the next few days as it rains, rains, and rains some more.  We slipped into the pool between loads, just to soak in the last bits of sun.  Laundry is done, a few clouds have started to roll in and a sprinkle or two.  The forecast says the storm won’t hit Maui until tomorrow night. After all of our busy running around today, we’ll stay in tonight and eat some leftover.  Hoping for a few relaxing rainy days.

Reality Check

This morning we decided to head back to Ka’anapali since we had such easy snorkeling there the other day.  That 1.62-mile walk seems shorter each time we do it.  We arrived on the shore in the 7 o’clock hour and were quickly submerged in a clear reef full of brightly colored fish.  Many of the fish we see I learned about from my dad, who enjoyed snorkeling, scuba diving, and keeping an aquarium of tropical fish.  I remember the basics from his teachings (tangs, butterflies, wrasses, urchins, damsels, butterflies, angelfish, triggerfish, coris, boxfish, and more).  When it comes to specifics though, I have to look of up the exact types we saw.  Today their was a stocky hawkfish, several varieties of wrasse, a dark version of the trumpet fish, bright red pencil sea urchins along with the more common black ones we see everywhere.  I started to get more interested in the corals and researched some realizing we’ve seen blue rice coral, cauliflower and finger corals too. 

As we surfaced at one point Greg said that he was on the look out for eels. He had decided today was the day to see one.  Perhaps it was the unagi roll we ate last night, but this boy had eels on the mind.  We both found it very hysterical when we went face down and saw a very long dark trumpet fish, which at first glance looked like an eel.  We noticed the ocean tugging us this way and that, as we floated.  The current was intensifying, which is usually our signal that we’ve stayed long enough, time to get back to shore before the winds pick up.  On our way we spotted a honu wedged under a rock, having a comfortable rest on the seafloor.  Greg did get his eel by the way, as we were heading back to our entry point.  He eagerly pointed down and there it was, a good-sized white mouth moray, black and white body zigging and zagging out of a crack in the coral.  Perhaps feeling our presence peering at him, he retreated back into the crevice. 

Back on shore, we rinsed off at the beach park shower and packed up our gear to head back home. We had tossed a little cash into our beach bag this morning in case a hot breakfast appealed to us on the walk home and indeed it did.  We stopped off of Ono Kau Kau for some eggs and rice with a side of pancakes to take back to the condo.  It was a great way to cap off our morning.  A fairly regular day passed with visits to the pool, watching the honu, and visiting with new neighbors.  We met a couple this afternoon from Genoa, Italy!  It made us miss our European travels last summer.  For dinner we grilled some Opah with a lemon butter sauce and enjoyed roasted yams and Brussel sprouts with roasted garlic and sautéed mushrooms.

So here is the reality check.  We are half way through our trip.  Two weeks gone, two weeks remain.  I’ve been trying to pay attention to the day of the week to know when farmer’s market is and when there will be live music, but I’ve purposely tried to ignore the date.  One reason we know we are half way through our trip is that the condo manager scheduled our free mid-way cleaning with us.  We will evacuate the condo tomorrow at 8am while all of our linens are replaced (we washed them on our own last week) and the apartment receives a light cleaning.  So what do you think we did tonight after sunset?  What do you do the night before your house is professionally cleaned?  You tidy up, right?  We put on a Beck CD and rocked around the house reshuffling and organizing clutter, did the dishes, sorted the laundry.  Our little home away from home is looking pretty spiffy.  Can’t wait to come back to it tomorrow after farmer’s market and see it all nice and shiny! Here is a pool time selfie to sign off with tonight!