Lazy Day

Did you think we might be tired after my morning run, our choppy snorkeling, riding the bus for the first time and walking several miles home late last night?  Well, we were!  We slept in for the first time past eight!  We managed to slap on some hats and hoof it to the farmer’s market because we were running dangerously low on apple bananas. We also did a morning exploration of a half-mile quadrant of our neighborhood. 

Yesterday Greg had read that Ono Kau Kau served breakfast all day, which is something we always delight in, especially if we are having a lazy day.  Though it was probably only 10 when we got there, we were excited to try the local breakfast.  Meat, eggs, and rice.  The gateway meat of all vegetarians, bacon, swayed me. Greg was curious about the Portuguese sausage. Our waitress in this four-table dive (I say that with the utmost respect and adoration for this joint, no time spent on ambiance or décor, just good food) couldn’t really describe the sausage, so one of the local ladies at the table by the door took it upon herself to explain it as a spicy kielbasa.  She encouraged Greg to try it.  He did.  We had our eggs over medium and they came on so much white rice we took it home for dinner.  The simplicity of this meal is where it’s brilliance lies.  The ladies by the door told us the chef is one of the best in the area, had been to China to train other chefs.  We should come back for the noodles she said.  We will!  Not only was the food simple and delicious, it is outrageously affordable by Maui standards. 

Onward we wandered.  We checked out the dive shop, stopped into the fish market, and browsed a beachwear shop.  We packed very light and I’m finding that I wish I had more flowy loungewear.  Something that could take me to the BBQ grill and out to sunset with a modicum of modesty but in turn be cool and light enough for the sticky weather.  Haven’t found what I’m looking for yet. 

Back at the condo our day passed in this fashion.  Read by the pool, eat, nap, read by the pool, play ukulele, nap, eat, and chill.  We may finally be figuring out the island rhythm and it is a slow, slow beat. 

The Bus, the bus, the B-U-S

In our attempt to experience Maui, especially our West Maui neighborhood, from a more local point of view, we opted to only get a rental car for the first week.  We knew we would want to cruise around the island, stock up on groceries and get some running around out of our system the first week.  Now that we are car-less, we’ve enjoyed short walks to the farmer’s market and local restaurants.  Everything we need is in less than a mile radius of the condo.  But this afternoon we wanted to seek out some entertainment for the evening.  I had managed my morning run and despite some rather large surf our daily snorkeling was already under our belt.  We could have opted for a quiet evening at home but I convinced Greg that a trip to Lahaina was in order. 

So we decided to try the bus system. A bus stop just a 1- minute walk from our front door would take us to Whaler’s village where a half hour later a bus would come to take us to Lahaina.  Sounded easy enough.  In fact it was, though the bus was a few minutes late in arriving it actually got us to Whaler’s Village where the transfer bus (also behind schedule) was waiting, so no bus layover was necessary.  We arrived in Lahaina 3-hours before the concert we wanted to attend but not to worry, there is plenty to do and see in Lahaina.

Our bus stop was the Wharf Cinema, none of the films playing struck our fancy but we enjoyed looking at the shops in the center.  Among the businesses nearby, was one called Dan’s Greenhouse.  At first I walked past it, I had seen the sign, but couldn’t find an entrance.  As we backtracked, we found a funky staircase that led to a musty shop with a dozen or so birds on perches, bonsai trees and one teeny tiny adorable pig in the corner.  It was a very strange store, but entertaining!  Back down stairs we walked past the Banyan tree, more shops, and several restaurants advertising happy hour.  We decide to try one called Sugar Cane because their upstairs balcony looked right out at Lahaina harbor which was producing some pretty nice sized waves and the surfers were having tons of fun with them.  I had a coconut passion fruit margarita and Greg had the Lahaina Tea we shared a platter of pupus and watch the surfers shred.  After dinner we grabbed some gelato, macadamia coffee crunch, and walked a half-mile to a neighborhood near the cemetery.  Here we found the Jodo Mission, a Buddhist Temple, which was the venue for another free concert. 

The Guitar Extravaganza at the college that we had gone to see last week, had another concert in their series. Another great chance to hear guitar and ukulele!  We took off our shoes and shuffled into the tiny temple, sitting in the pews, fans spinning, humid air forcing all occupants of the small room to sweat furiously.  Though we were very damp, we enjoyed the music.  The temple was also very beautiful, with a Koa wood and golden altar at the front and a wood paneled ceiling with botanicals hand painted on each frame.

After the concert, we took a short 5-minute walk to the Lahaina Cannery Mall.  We browsed some more shops and then headed to the bus stop for the last bus of the evening back to Whaler’s Village.  The bus doesn’t run back to our neighborhood at night, we knew this in advance, so after exploring Whaler’s Village for a bit, we started out on the beach path toward home.  It was a nice walk in the evening, comfortable air temperature, not at all crowded, with excellent stargazing.  Greg and I had a nice chance to chat, as we walked but close to two miles in, he was eager for a little break.  We found some lounge chairs outside of Duke’s Restaurant and sat for a few minutes looking at the stars and cooling our heals.  Soon we were back in our neighborhood. Walking back from Whaler’s had taken us 75 minutes, which struck me as odd because I had run there in 30.  No matter, we made it and found that we have options when it comes to traveling beyond our little neighborhood. 

The New Routine

This morning the rooster alarms sent us stalking down the beach to see if the sea turtle had spent the night.  All that remained of her were massive scrapes in the sand, where her carapace had plowed the beach and streaks where her fins had pushed her back into the ocean.  After a brief stretch, we took our short two-mile jog up lower H. and back and decided to give snorkeling another chance.  First we each ate an apple banana, just the perfect size for a post-run, pre-swim snack.  I had mine smeared with peanut butter for a little extra protein, thank you generous neighbors Paula and Paige who donated their groceries to us before they left!  We had just enough time to digest as we slapped on our waterproof sun block and swimsuits. Glad we did, it was sunny today and it was the best visibility we’ve had so far. 

The ocean was pretty calm to start and we easily made it to the second reef.  We decided to try for the third reef.  The ocean floor drops away quickly and only white sand blankets the ever deepening bottom.  We swam out past where the paddle boarders cross, past the outriggers. We stopped when Greg saw a sailboat only slightly beyond our plane.  The sea floor was coming up again and we could barely see a reef materializing.  We were floating so far above the reef it was hard to see any fish, the vastness of it made me feel so tiny!  Greg motioned at a ghost like shadow, in the shape of a giant sea turtle.  It seemed he was as big as me!  The dark shape seemed to be hovering just above the sandy bottom; he was way down there. 

After swimming around for a bit, it was clear we weren’t going to get too good of a look at anything out there with the reef being so far below.  We decided to make our way back to the second reef, where the fish would be closer to us.  As we crossed the ocean desert again, it dawned on me how far out we had gone, it seemed to take more effort to get back, as the wind was starting to pick up; just Greg and I, lots of sand far below and plenty of blue water.  I found myself checking the surface often, to make sure no boats or paddle boarders were upon us as we swam back to shallower water and to make sure that Greg was indeed still behind me.  After one of these quick glances up, when I put my head back down, just below me, flippers spread wide, was one of those nearly as big as me sea turtles.  I feel like he was just checking in, “What you doing all the way out here? You okay?”  I could feel him asking. He looked us over curiously for a few moments and we him.   Satisfied we were strong swimmers; he headed back out to that 3^rd reef, where we have heard the Sea Turtles make their home. 

As the ocean floor came back up and coral started punctuating the open expanse again, we saw another large turtle, wedged under a rock, just chilling.  Back in the shallows, we enjoyed following schools Surgeonfish and Unicorn Fish galore.  We saw Trumpet Fish, Needle Fish, some sort of red spiny thing, lots of urchins, Butterflies, a few Puffers, tons of Picasso Triggerfish and Parrot Fish.  Greg also glimpsed a snake like thing, but it had gone when he went to show it to me, so we haven’t been able to identify it yet.  The water got choppier and we decided to head back. 

A cup of coffee and a shower were enough to get us on our way to the farmer’s market; after which we came back to make hot cereal with mango and passion fruit.  All of the morning’s physical activity made us ready for a mid morning nap, followed by a quick quesadilla for lunch before we started the main event for the day, laundry!  We arrived last Sunday and in that time I have sweated through all of my running clothes, befouled my towels and generally rendered many other articles of clothing unwearable.  Greg needed to do some laundry, as well.  It made me feel like I was in college to do laundry in the Laundromat style laundry room behind the office (though to be truthful I probably imposed on my parents who lived only 10 miles from my college to do most of my laundry when I visited on Taco Tuesday, but I occasionally needed some quarters to do a load at the dorm).  We used the dryer for the bath towels and socks, but most of our clothes we just hung around the house and the trade winds dried them as they blew through this afternoon. 

We let the Fish Market cook for us tonight; two generously laden Baja style fish tacos with pico de gallo, cabbage and a creamy yet tangy special sauce.  Greg also enjoyed the shredded pork taco.  The sun is dipping low, so our evening walk and visit with neighbors is near and I’ve snuck into the kitchen to make Greg a surprise dessert.  I layered slices of pineapple bread with vanilla ice cream and pineapple slices to make a quasi tropical ice cream sandwich/ pineapple upside down cake.  No doubt we’ll dig into that before we retire for the night.

Part of what I dreamed about when planning to spend a month in Maui was falling into a routine. I hoped it would go something like this: yoga, run, eat, snorkel, eat, nap, eat, something, eat, walk on the beach, eat?, sleep!  It seems we are approaching this ideal.  I know that unforeseen circumstances will sometimes prevail; rough seas, insect invasions and the like.  That is okay; the unpredictable aspect is part of what makes travel exciting. But if we are doomed to spend the rest of our stay in a regular routine that follows today’s protocol, I wouldn’t be at all disappointed.

Rude Awakening, Pleasant Parting

No, not the rooster.  We don’t mind him so far.  This was rather a silent invasion of our morning.  When I walked groggily to my yoga mat to complete my first sun salutation of the day, as I bent, a small white inchworm-type being crept across my mat, and then another.  As I spun around on the spot and scanned the dim floor, more creepy crawlers seemed to be making a random journey across the tile.  I needed some light to see where they were coming from.  I informed Greg, still sleeping, that I was going to turn on the lights because some insects had come to visit, he was up in a flash. 

Spreading out in a fan, seemingly from the kitchen the larvae crawled toward the glass slider, into the bathroom, but not yet the bedroom.  We methodically plucked them up disposing of the apparently newly hatched visitors.  We couldn’t find the source, except perhaps a crack under the kitchen counter. They weren’t coming from the garbage, or behind the fridge or stove.  When only a few loaners remained, we let the manager know we had been combating a bug issue and she called for the grounds keeper.  He came a while later and unscrewed the cabinet, looking for the source, he found some crumbs but no nest or hive.  We still don’t know who these wriggly white visitors were, but other than being a bit gross, they were harmless and we don’t see any more.  None-the-less an exterminator will visit tomorrow, just to be sure we don’t have anymore unexpected visitors in the early morning. 

The other event for today was returning the car.  Before we could do so we had to stock up.  We went to the Times Market and made sure we had plenty of water, wine and rum.  Just the essentials, you know.  We dropped the car at the Budget location about a mile away and walked to the beach path to make our journey home.  The midday sun made it a sweaty journey so we stopped into the fish market to get the daily catch for dinner and to cool off a bit.  No cooler, but with dinner in hand we headed home to drink mass quantities of ice water. We spent a lazy afternoon reading, sometimes peeking a wary eye over the page to make sure no buggies were creeping toward us, luckily the floor remained clean. 

Our creepy crawly morning had given us little appetite throughout the day, we subsisted on kefir, granola, fruit and some eggs and toast at midday.  So by dinnertime, I knew we needed a real meal.  Greg and I worked together to pull this off.  I prepped in the kitchen and he tended the grill outside following my timing instructions to a T.  We had some farmer’s market Yukon gold potatoes, quartered, with roasted garlic, rosemary, and cultured butter, spicy garlic green beans, and miso marinated Yellow-spot Papio. We ate our meal on the lanai.  New neighbors snapped photos of the sunset.  We brought our dishes inside and met new friends at the sea wall. 

Then a phenomenon ensued which I can only compare to what happens in high school when news of a fight travels.  At my high school, as stupid as it may seems, when a fight started, you only knew because students randomly started running at top speed across campus to see it.  We were fairly certain a fight was not starting at the north side of the condo complex, so why were so many inhabitants rushing out of their rooms toward the north beach?  It turns out a sea turtle was coming ashore and everyone was perching on the sea wall to take photos.  Sadly the turtle was put off by the crowd and headed back to sea.  Only 5 minutes later another neighbor let us know the turtle had come ashore just south of us.  She had found a quieter place with more sand and thankfully less attention and those who gathered around kept a much more respectful distance.  Seeing the girth of this creature, as she hauled herself up the onto the sand and left a ruddered trail from her fins behind, was utterly impressive.  We bonded with yet another set of neighbors over the event but in the dim light and from a safe distance we didn’t manage to capture any photos.  We left this lumbering giant on the shore to rest and headed back to our home to do the same.

We capped the evening with locally made vanilla ice cream topped with grilled pineapple, chopped coconut candy and crushed macadamia nuts. This was certainly a unique day on the island. Sometimes strange beginnings make for sweet endings.  

That’s new

That old familiar crow broke the silence just before dawn.  At first it seemed the same song, but for the first time we heard a chorus of back-up singers issuing low clucks.  “That’s new,” Greg declared brightly and then promptly fell back asleep.  I dozed a bit but kept an eye on the clock, I wanted to get out for a run by 6, but it wasn’t quite light yet.  I stretched and took my time, not wanting to run in a new area in the dark.  The sky was overcast, but it was clearly daylight when I headed out the door at 6:15.

Maui is not new to us, yet it is delightful to discover that we can still find novelty in the familiar.  One example is the beach walk, we’ve walked it a few times during our previous trips, I hold certain stretches in my memory but running it this morning was a whole new experience.  My first mile is usually my slowest.  Back home it is also uphill so I use it to warm up and normally run it in 10 or 11 minutes.  Today’s first mile was over level ground through our Honokowai neighborhood and was in the 9 minute range.  I was feeling unstoppable when I came to the beach walk.  Before I knew it I was at the Ka’anapali beach park, where Greg and I have snorkeled on previous trips, I had no idea it was that close, only 1.62 miles from our condo. We’ll be able to walk there once we turn in the car, if we want a different snorkeling experience than what the waters in front of the condo.  Another delight of the beach park, drinking fountain!  I have yet to carry water with me on a run.  I am of the opinion that if I have to carry food or water with me on a run then it is too far!  We’ll see if my opinion shifts on that as time goes by.  However I have started to seek out runs during the summertime, that offer one or two water fountains.  In Claremont, the Thompson Creek Trail run I’ve been doing offers two glorious water stops.  So I was delighted to find one early-on during this jaunt.

Most of the path was along the beach, glorious views of the ocean stretched out to my right and stunning resorts to my left.  There were some wet spots where over active sprinklers made the path a bit slippery, but I slowed to accommodate the slick surface. Few fellow runners were out at this time, but a few brisk walkers did share the path.  As I passed one lady, she made the face that I commonly see someone dawn if I’m about to step in dog poo, so when I looked from her face to my stride and saw a very large toad about to be squashed by my shoe, I managed to give my bent knee some hang time and kick my back leg forward, effectively playing leap frog and leaving my amphibian friend unharmed.  (When I recounted this tale to Greg later, he commented, “How Crouching Tiger of you!”)  I kept a more careful eye on my path, but with all the beautiful scenery it was hard to keep my busy eyes on the ground. 

At times the shore was cliffy, so the beach path cut up through golf courses and at times through communities of cottages, condos and even through the Sheraton.  It was here when the path wove through some breezeways, past the tennis courts and in front of the hotel, I lost it (the path that is).  I saw no further signs (The previous 2.5 miles had been littered with signs that said, “Beach Walk” with arrows that fatefully pointed me in the right direction).  No matter I was on a sidewalk running parallel with the beach and eventually I would find my way back.  Right at the 3-mile mark, I stumbled onto Whaler’s Village, which was about how far I though I should go today.  I had hoped I would find another drinking fountain here, I am almost sure there should be one, but it is a large shopping area with lots of nooks and crannies, all of which I did not explore.  It was eerie to see these usually bustling shops, all locked up in the early morning, only one speed walking lady window-shopped the deserted center.  I was tempted to do the same but I was rushing to keep up with the first other runner I had seen this morning just ahead of me who looked like she knew where she was going, in fact she did and I emerged from the shopping center back on the beach walk.  This is where I made my u-turn and headed back.  At this point, I encountered more runners, most just starting out, this must be the running rush hour.  This is also where I was met with a headwind, increasingly humid and hot weather, and a growing thirst.  The 3 miles home were thus slower.  Though I found where the beach bath slinked past the Sheraton through a narrow breezeway, I cursed this new route as it went right past the kitchens, which pumped out scents of caramelized sugar, maple syrup, and smoky bacon.  A primal hunger stirred and I swear I could have chewed right threw the chain link fence that separated me from the delightful smells, but I kept jogging. 

It kept getting hotter and I was slick with sweat as I passed through the cottage community again.  Guests taking leisurely morning walks with their coffee smiled at me, whether they pitied or envied my sweat soaked state, I could not tell.  I saw an ice machine that didn’t appear to require a keycard to operate and I momentarily considered filling my sports bra with ice to cool off.  I decided that would be crude and continued on. Back at the beach park, I stopped for water.  Salvation!  The final mile crawled by.  As I cracked open the door the condo, Greg sat straight up in bed, “You’re back!”  I made a b-line for the fridge and the large bottle of cold water I knew to be inside. “I’m going to drink water and walk around the block,” I explained and headed back out the door. The sweat had begun to pour in earnest in our cozy little condo.  Slightly cooled and hydrated, I returned home for a cold shower and a well earned breakfast of banana bread, lilikoi cream cheese, and fresh passion fruit pulp accompanied by a big old cup of coffee consumed on the lanai.

Lessons learned;

1. Next time start the long run before it is light and it might stay cooler and they’ll be less runner traffic on the return trip. 

2. Do reconnaissance on water fountains in Whaler’s Village, there must be at least one.

3. Avoid the Sheraton during the breakfast hours; curse you French toast aroma!

4. Purchase a sweatband.  (I swear I packed one, but I can’t seem to find it.)

5. Watch out for frogs!

Such an eventful morning should be followed by a slow paced day.  A lazy morning (those winds I encountered made for rough seas, so yet again we skipped snorkeling) was spent by the pool reading and was followed by about 15 minutes of house keeping. We swept, wiped down the kitchen and the bathroom and put away our dirty towels, introducing our last set of clean ones.  Laundry is on the horizon but while we still had the car for the afternoon and as temps were reaching the low 90s, we decided to go into Lahaina for some shave ice.  Before we left though, we had to say goodbye to our kind next door neighbors, Paula and Paige (mother and daughter) who kindly donated their unused groceries to us, we wound up with a beautiful watermelon I can’t wait to cut into, among other treasures!  We wish our neighbors safe travels back to British Columbia and are curious to see who will live next door in the coming weeks.  We haven’t had neighbors to our south yet, but we imagine some will arrive any day.

Back on the quest for a cool treat, we decided to go to the much-heralded Ululani's Shave Ice in Lahaina.  Greg got the pineapple and coconut with vanilla ice cream on the bottom; I had passion fruit and mango with coconut ice cream.  The tropical flavors at Ululani's are all made from local fruit juices, so this was a delicious and refreshing afternoon treat.  After our snack, we toured the town window-shopping until dinnertime.  Dinner was at Aloha Mixed Plate, an old favorite.  We both knew what we would order (vegetarian friends, plug your years) I had the coconut shrimp served with a spicy pineapple dipping sauce and Greg ordered the Lau Lau pork wrapped in a taro leaf, wrapped in a banana leaf, wrapped in an enigma! (Sorry, I couldn’t help myself!)  I must mention we made it to dinner during their happy hour so a few $3.50 Mai Tais graced the meal, as well.  

None of this was new, but it was a welcome reminiscence of our previous visits.  One new friend did grace the scene though; we were eating near the lava rock wall which partitions the restaurant from the shore, and a graceful and slender mongoose popped out of the bushes on top of the wall.  I was delighted, I had been looking to see a mongoose on the island ever since I purchased a book called Hawai’i’s Invasive Species on our first trip here.  I had read that mongooses (or mongeese?...again couldn’t help myself…) had been brought to the island to control the rat population in the sugar cane fields.  Of course, then the mongoose population got out of control; they sure are cute though.  This one in particular was hunting geckos and would run back into her bush, rustle around and then search for more food.  She seemed hungry, we soon learned why when she emerged with three little babies right at her heels.  Dinner and a Show!  Thanks Mama Mongoose for showing us your little ones.  That was a new experience and an old favorite all rolled into a fun evening. 

First Friday

Woke up this morning to Greg trying to emulate the rooster’s crow.  “He’s singing,” he swore, “It is an actual song!”  Either the island sun is getting to Greg’s head, or perhaps the beauty and relaxation is just kicking him into creative musician mode. Either way, we were up and moving with plenty of time to try out breakfast at Leodah’s Kitchen and Pie Shop.  You may recall that establishment which provided a chocolate Mac nut pie for our first night’s dessert.  Well, they offer you a 10% discount if you bring your receipt back within a week and we were heading that way today anyhow.  So we skipped the morning snorkeling in an attempt to let the ocean calm down and took a rest day from running to eat a giant breakfast.  Hey, this is a vacation after all!

Greg got the French toast, which is made from the bakery’s coconut crusted bread and served with coconut crème anglaise and seasonal fresh fruit.  It turned out fresh strawberries topped it (Greg is sensitive to strawberries) so I was rewarded with a side of fruit!  On top of that I ordered the veggie patty benedict.  Two poached eggs atop zucchini mushrooms patties on crisp rye bread with tomatoes, sprouts, hollandaise AND breakfast potatoes. Sufficed to say, we were stuffed!  We took a walk to a fruit stand down the way, just to walk of some of that humungous breakfast and found mangoes for sale (haven’t seen any yet at our neighborhood stand) so we stocked up for later. 

Back on the road, we were headed toward our destination, which was Maui College in Kahului.  Those of you who know Greg, know that he works for Scripps College as their concert manager and organizes the Friday Noon Concert series there.  In my pre-trip research I found out that Maui College was hosting a group of expert guitarists and presenting their performances in a Friday Noon Concert setting.  I knew Greg just had to see it.  We found the college and were nearly an hour early, but scoped out the location of the performance, then explored the campus.  We stumbled onto their community garden, which was being tended by a friendly fellow, who invited us to come in to explore and even pick some passion fruit. 

With time left before the concert we drove to the nearby Maui Arts and Cultural Center.  The MACC will be hosting a Reggae fest for the next two evenings, we considered going but tickets are expensive and some locals warned us there are so many acts and they are really rushed through.  But we wanted to check out the venue anyway, it looks like it will be a big deal.  Tons of port-a-potties, tons of EZ ups to house the food trucks, and apparently tons of crowds expected. We got to hear a sound check while we were there, it also seems like it has the potential to be really loud.  Think we’ll opt for the company of our fellow Kulakane guests at the Friday Night PuPu Party instead.   

Back at the college, we got to hear 3 excellent musicians, all studying at Yale’s music school but traveling with their professor as part of a yearly program where he teaches a master class on guitar.  We heard two classical guitarists and ukulele player.  It was a lovely afternoon of free music! 

Later at the condo, I prepared our shared appetizer for the Pupu Party. I wanted something with a Hawaiian theme but a trademark dish that I could prepare with ease. I decided on a variation of my stuffed mushrooms (which are usually filled with sharp cheddar, onions and a secret sauce).  I thought I’d do a Hawaiian pizza twist on them, stuffing them with mozzarella, pineapple, tomato, red onion and peppers.  It ended up being a super easy recipe because I had leftover pineapple salsa, so I just needed to mix it with the grated mozzarella and stuff it into the sautéed mushroom crowns then heat it in the oven to melt the cheese. They were quickly devoured.  Neighbors set out a variety of treats and we visited well past sunset. 

Confessions

The rooster snore, we ignore. 

The birds do call, asleep we fall.

The dogs did yap, still we nap.

When we were finally roused this morning, it was thanks to a barnyard cacophony in the neighborhood.  A layer of clouds were hiding the sun, thus we were a bit slow to wake this morning.  Plus we may have been a little tired from rocking out last night.  “What?” you ask.  You thought we were having a quiet night in after our vegetarian supper.  Well, it just so happens that we found out about an open mic night about a mile away at RB Black Angus bar and we went to check it out at 10pm.  Things didn’t really get moving until 10:30 but the local musicians sang a mix of covers and originals and it was fun to see what Maui’s young talent had to offer.  Apparently they could read on Greg’s face that he was itching to play and invited him up for a song.  With a loaner guitar in hand, Greg rocked out to Plush.  The crowd and the musicians were pleasantly surprised eliciting responses like, “F@$%ing Yah, brah!” and “Who IS that?”  “Heard his name Greg.”  The house band encouraged Greg to play a few more and after he played some Tom Petty and Bob Marley, an audience member asked, “You got any originals?” The house band secure in Greg’s skills as a performer, walked off to drink with their friends, “You got this, brah!” the guitarist called.  I am well aware that Greg is a talented musician, but it is always fun to travel someplace new and see an unsuspecting audience respond to him for the first time.  He rocked!  As he was finishing up a few more covers, our Canadian neighbors from the condo walked in.  They too were impressed and though they planned to leave early in the morning to drive to Hana they stayed for several songs and to visit with Greg when he passed the mic over to other performers and the house band returned to the stage.  As the bassist kept wandering back to the bar, Greg asked if he could play bass for a bit.  The bass players seemed happy to drink and visit and was pleased to have Greg strum along and sing back ups for a few other local artists.  Greg met a new friend playing Sympathy for the Devil.  A young woman completely nailed an India Irie song.  It was a great night for music, so I confess it was a slower start to the day.

None-the-less, we did squeeze in a run down lower H. and found the footpath that leads to the boardwalk.  The walking path is just about a mile from our place and the boardwalk stretches about 4 miles along the beach in front of the major resorts all the way to the Hyatt. Some day, I hope to run the whole stretch but today we just walked about a half mile of it and turned around and ran home.  Our jog was breezy but the ocean looked okay, so we decided to snorkel again.  Once in the water we realized it was a bit rough due to the wind.  We gave it a whirl anyway, swimming out past the waves but visibility was poor with sand churning up from the bottom.  Clown fish wobbled wildly around their anenome homes and unicorn fish and triggerfish darted past in the cloudy water.  Knowing poor visibility and rough surf are not the safest for snorkeling, we headed back to shore.  We spent a few minutes warming up in the sun by the pool, then headed inside to rinse off.

Breakfast consisted of those farm fresh eggs we bought yesterday, sunny side up.  Fresh Maui multigrain bread, toasted and spread with cultured butter and local honey.  The ocean remained choppy but the sun did finally come out, we amused ourselves with walking along the beach and spotting starfish tumbling toward us in the surf.  After a mid morning nap on the couch then a little sea turtle viewing from the sea wall, 3-4  of them were feeding on the rocks, we were in need of some liquid refreshment.  We tried our first POG today.  For those unfamiliar with this term, POG stands for passion fruit orange and guava juices.  If you’ve ever flown Hawaiian on an island hopper, you’ve probably tried it. Another visit to the sea wall to watch the turtles, Greg heard other guests spotted up to 8 different individuals at one time.  We had a light lunch of some pineapple salsa, guacamole and corn chips.  We were saving room for tonight’s dinner at Sansei, perhaps Maui’s best-known sushi restaurant.  The line for the early seating was already 20 people deep at 5pm and the doors don’t open until 5:30 and that’s not counting folks with reservations.  While the sauces at dinner were very tasty and rich (ginger lime chili butter and cilantro pesto topped of the shrimp cakes served with crisp noodles), we missed our old favorites from home, where the quality fish and classic dishes don’t need fancy sauces to stand out.  I confess the first pang of homesickness we’ve felt was for our favorite sushi stop in Upland, it is only week one and we miss you, Kishi!  Back at the condo we participated in the nightly conch blowing tradition to send the sun below the skyline, the sunsets are phenomenal here on the west side.

Coconut Woman

I hit the snooze button on Mr. Rooster this morning.  Do not fear, animal lovers; no birds were injured during this wake up call!  Our rooster quietly called out two half –hearted cock-a-doodle-doos at about 4:30 and it was still very dark out.  Knowing the first thing I wanted to do this morning was go for a run and also knowing I needed a little daylight to run in an area that is relatively new for me, I rolled over and went back to sleep. Luckily Mr. Rooster trumpeted a more enthusiastic call around 6:00 am and I hopped out of bed eager to go.  The Mynah Bird had to give a few obnoxious shrieks to get Greg out of bed, but we both managed to be stretched and out the door by 6:30.  We ran a mile up to Kahana, paused to explore the grounds at the Sands of Kahana, where Greg had stayed previously with his family, then jogged back to our room. 

Running in Maui, even before 7am, is a guaranteed recipe for sweat.  We both returned to the condo dripping.  Greg threw on his trunks and took a dunk in the ocean while I rinsed off in the shower. He was able to observe that the tropical storm seemed to have subsided.  The water was as smooth as we had seen it during our stay.  We decided today was the day to test out the snorkeling in front of the condo.  Greg and I split an apple banana, just so we weren’t venturing out completely out of fuel.  (We have found two varieties of bananas at the fruit stands, apple bananas which are shorter and chubbier than the ones we are used to at home.  The flavor is similar but a bit more complex and fruity and the texture is a bit denser.  I don’t get an apple vibe from them at all, but they are mighty tasty.  The other variety is called a honey banana and that is synonymous with regular banana.  We haven’t tried those yet).  Anyhow, stomachs somewhat settled, we slapped on the sunscreen and grabbed our snorkeling gear and headed for the beach.  We walked a few steps down the beach to where we saw a more sandy entry point in front of the condo to the south

of us, the Nohonani.  After the initially shocking dunk, the water seemed cool but not cold.  By the time we had our flippers and masks in place, the water temp was comfortable.  We negotiated our way out past the first set of rocks, hovered above a sandy expanse and found our first reef; Unicorn Fish, Parrot Fish, Sea Urchins, Brain Coral, plenty to look at.  The wind picked up a bit and the water started to get a bit choppy, so we decided to swim back before we got tired or the waves got too large.  Also, being that it was our first real sun exposure on the island, we wanted to keep this swim relatively brief.  As we headed back we found another reef; Trigger Fish, Butterfly Fish, Wrasses, Trumpet Fish and schools of Tangs. It was here we spotted our first honu while in the water.  He was a little guy about half of the size of the larger ones we’ve been seeing from the shore.  He swam with us for a few minutes then disappeared under a coral formation. 

Back in the room we cleaned up a bit and decided after our early morning jog and swim, we had earned a trip to the farmer’s market to gather some breakfast treats.  This time we got some banana bread to go with the lilikoi cream cheese and gave into the temptation of having a vendor cut a fresh coconut for us.  He gave us the coconut with two straws and said to bring it back when we were done drinking.  Obviously this was the freshest, purest coconut water we had ever tried.  When we passed him back the liquid-less shell, he chopped it in two with his machete, then lopped of a couple of hunks of shell for each of us to use as a spoon to scrape the flesh from the half shell.  Greg and I happily carved up our coconuts, devouring the sashimi like flesh, as we walked back to the condo.  When I was little I remember eating a raw coconut and thinking it tasted like chewy mayonnaise, EW!  I can’t believe how different this fresh meat was.  I am becoming such a coconut fan! We took our coffee, banana bread and coconut meat out on the lanai and reflected that it wasn’t even 10 o’clock but we had already had a full day! 

At about 11:30 the uke store called and let Greg know that his ukulele was ready to be picked up! As we drove into Wailuku, we saw a sign for eggs.  We hadn’t found any eggs at our health food store or street market and we are used to getting very fresh pastured eggs from our farmer’s market at home.  We pulled up to the gate of this borderlands house and found the business license and health department documents posted.  We followed the directions and rang the large bell outside the gate. First a large friendly German Shepard came running to greet us closely followed by his farmer friend, who warmly welcomed us and sold us two dozen eggs, very fresh and enough to last us through the next several weeks.  We snuggled them into the cooler and headed into town. We grabbed another sandwich to share from our favorite bakery, Stillwell’s.  This time Greg couldn’t resist ordering a slice of their daily pie special, a chocolate silk slice, lucky us!  Greg played his beautiful new ukulele through the amplifier at the shop. It sounded amazing!  While in town, we decided to visit the record store to grab some local Reggae CDs for the drive home. 

We decided we would drive back along the north shore giving us a chance to see another part of the island on the way home!  I adore this drive.  Yes there are some one lane challenges (thanks for driving carefully and patiently, Greg!) much like in Hana, but the open view of the ocean and the towering green mountains and foliage above make it so worthwhile.  Sometimes you just have to say, “Is this real?”  It seems like a beautiful dream. We stopped at mountain top farm stand, a stop we had made years ago and found very charming.  We spoke with the owner about his products and received free samples of everything; very moist banana bread, coconut candy, dried mango, and coconut cashews.  We opted to get some coconut candy and dried mango for the road (Yes more coconut, is it possible I’m becoming addicted?)  After we made a purchase, our host invited us to choose one fruit for free, I was drawn to the passion fruit, I hadn’t had one yet today.  He pointed out a purple passion fruit, which he claimed we wouldn’t find at stands on other parts of the island, it only grows on the mountain.

Back on the west side, we decided to celebrate the events of the ukulele joining our family and surviving yet another set of narrow winding roads.  Maui Brewing Company welcomed us for a Coconut Porter (It is official, I have consumed illegal amounts of coconut today!) and a sampler of their many tasty beers.  Later in the condo, Greg played his ukulele and we visited with neighbors over the sunset.  We capped the evening with a vegetarian meal. I know with all the fresh fish available we’ll be indulging much more often than we usually do at home, so I’m aiming to give us at least one veggie meal per week.  This week it was organic Fusili pasta with a macadamia nut pesto and sautéed mushrooms.  For dessert I’ll probably have another piece of coconut candy, I’m not going to lie, I have a serious problem!

A long and winding road

The rooster crowed early this morning, but indeed we were hoping he would.  Greg and I discussed in the dark of predawn, since we were both awake we may as well attempt the Road to Hana.  The tropical storm still churned the waters in front of our condo, no snorkeling today anyway.  We have visited Maui twice before together and hadn’t yet undertaken the journey. Greg remembered pieces of the drive from when he had traveled here with his parents in his early twenties.  I had never been.  Tales of hairpin turns and slow traffic on a narrow highway had kept us from spending one of our precious few days on this journey in the past, but with several weeks remaining in our trip and a competent rental car at our disposal, we decided today was the day.  We threw some supplies into bags, tossed on some travel clothes and left the condo before six o’clock without even a cup of coffee to fuel us.  Luckily among the items I had tossed into the bags, were some snacks and the makings for brunch on the go.  By the time we got to Kahului, we were hungry and gratefully nibbled on the apple bananas we bought at the farmer’s market yesterday.

Paia town and Haiku weren’t awake yet, as we started down the road to Hana at about 7:30 in the morning, the road was entirely ours.  Each waterfall and patch of tropical green foliage seemed to exist for our eyes alone.  Each vine that hung from the towering trees entreated us with the temptation to swing from it like Tarzan, as we went whizzing by.  

We stopped only at a park to use the restroom and arrived in Hana Bay by 9:30.  We enjoyed a breakfast of vanilla yogurt that I had jammed in a cooler with some ice on the way out the door, some papaya and of course the remaining pineapple bread spread with lilikoi cream cheese.  Enjoying the view of Hana Bay from our picnic table, we watched a team of young boys gather near the community center and haul a giant canoe to the shoreline.  Either a team captain, coach, or otherwise responsible adult stood on the pier shouting encouragement and instructions.  It was amazing to watch these young men in the rough water, completely at ease, working together in unison.  The speed with which that canoe cut across the bay was impressive.  As we visited the restrooms at the community center, we got to peak in on local hula class in session.  At first glance Hana seemed a rather understated anti-climatic end to our drive, but I was quickly enchanted by seeing a glimpse of the real Hawaii.  Local folks proud of their cultural traditions, organizing the youngsters during the summer time, keeping them busy while keeping the culture. 

Before getting back on the road, we followed the directions in our guidebook to a hidden spot.  A precarious but short path led from the pier to a pocket-sized red sand beach.  Just a tiny cove, completely hidden from the road.  You get the feeling that Hana hides numerous little treasure like this one.  We took our time on the way back, stopping at a stand for vegan coconut ice cream, and following a small road to the airport and ending up in a beautiful neighborhood.  It was noon when we emerged in Paia town again.  We had planned to have lunch there, but it was swarming with tourists…who were no doubt just about to be descending on the Hana road.  Pleased that we had started our journey so early and that we had beaten the crowds, we decided not to join them in Paia where there was no parking anyway and we drove back to Lahaina for lunch. 

Excited to try a restaurant we had long drooled over from afar, we stopped at Star Noodle and ate delicious bowls of steamy ramen. Back at the condo we crashed hard, late afternoon naps led to a lazy evening of cooking at home and relaxing after a long journey. 

Music to our ears

I didn’t wake up to the sound of a conventional alarm clock this morning. With the time change I was stirring at 4am, but decided to sleep in and felt well rested at sunrise when that intoxicating smell of Plummeria flowers wafted in our window along with a gentle bird song punctuated by the crows of a distant rooster.  That is my kind of wake up call! 

Greg and I went for a quick one-mile run up Lower Honoapil’ilani and found many other runners on the road at this hour of the morning.  It was balmy and we were sweaty but the humidity wasn’t too oppressive at 6:30 am.  After a quick breakfast of coconut vanilla crème kefir and coconut almond granola, we were walking south on Lower H to the farmer’s market which opens at 7am.  We filled our cloth bags with Maui onion, butter lettuce, ginger, avocado, yams, papaya, pineapple, and more.  We even bought some locally made mustard and macadamia nut oil to make our own salad dressing with. 

After all the rain yesterday the water was choppy, so no snorkeling today, but we wanted to rent our flippers so we’ll be ready to go when the weather clears. We saw our first honu (Hawaiian Sea Turtle) before we headed off to the dive shop this morning.  I spotted some dark flippers in the water while gazing out our sliding glass doors, we walked the 20 paces to the sea wall and couldn’t quite tell what we were seeing 50 yards off shore, but when we looked down at the first reef, less than 5 yards off shore, there was a big old honu munching on some seaweed.

Back from Boss Frog’s dive shop, flippers in hand, we decided to clean up and get ready to hit the road. Since we wouldn’t be going in the ocean today and we have the rental car this week, we decided to drive into Wailuku and shop for a ukulele for Greg.  After my shower, I found Greg at the sea wall chatting with some of our neighbors.  4 honus were having their mid- morning snack right off our shore! Inspired by the turtles enjoying their mid-morning snack, we noshed on some farmer’s market pineapple bread spread with passion fruit cream cheese. Freshly bathed and groomed for travel, we were off!

After the beautiful drive to Wailuku, our mid-morning snack was wearing off, so we stopped into one of our favorite places, Stillwell’s, to spilt a sandwich on their fresh baked bread and admired the pastry case as we ate.  Apparently the ocean air makes us hungry!

The uke shop was just next-door.  The helpful luthier showed us many options, Koa wood, Mahogany, concert size or tenor.  I think both Greg and I knew when we saw THE ONE.  We kept looking at all the options and there were so many beautiful choices and all of the instruments sounded amazing.  In the end, the highly figured Koa that captured our eyes with its beauty and our ears with its tone won out.  We took some photos but left it to have a pick up installed and then snuck back next door to grab a mini lilikoi (passion fruit) cheesecake to take home for desert. 

On the ride back to the west side, the way our rental lurched in 1^st gear was getting concerning to Greg, so we stopped at the local Budget location to see if they could put our fears to rest.  The helpful woman on duty explained that the Ford Focus tends to be a bit jerky but when Greg described how it was driving, she graciously offered, “I’m gonna put you in a Chevy.”   So now were driving a dark grey Sonic!  It is a much smoother ride! 

Back in our neighborhood we visited the Fish Market and got some Monchong and a honey soy marinade.  We visited with neighbors and observed 5 more honus from the sea wall.  We grilled our fish and ate it with a butter lettuce salad with crushed macadamia nuts and a the dressing I dreamed up earlier today along with baked yams with a pat of cultured butter.  We ate on the lanai as the sun set and took a brief walk on the beach as the clouds turned pink; just another day in paradise.  

Trials and Tribulations vs. Elation and Exaltation

While eating our first dinner in Maui on our beautiful ocean front lanai, I made the analogy to my husband, that travel and running are one in the same; both have a balance of pleasure and pain.  There are parts you grunt through and labor past to get to the good stuff.  When you run, you push past the muscle aches, the cramps, the side stitches, the nausea, breathlessness; to get to that feeling of accomplishment, the fitness, the runner’s high.  Traveling is much the same; there are obstacles and challenges that you must pass through to arrive at your destination. 

Such was our travel day yesterday.  Though we began with a very easy security check.  We didn’t have to take our shoes off, remove any liquids, turn on our electronic devices, or participate in body scans, (well they did swab Greg’s fingers with some sort of liquid to check for explosive residue, but as far as TSA is concerned this was our least invasive encounter over the last few years.)  We enjoyed the lilting Hawaiian guitar music that played as we boarded our flight, which was on time!  But, it was not all smooth sailing. Though the flight started out gently, we were in for a rather bumpy ride.  The turbulence was dubbed moderate, but we didn’t let the rough weather dampen our spirits. So what, if the one-year-old in the seat in front of us cried non-stop and uncontrollably for the last hour of the flight?  So what, if the plane lurched and shook each time I almost dozed off for a nap?  So what, if the baggage claim conveyer belt broke and our luggage had to be re-routed resulting in a 45 minute delay in leaving the airport?  And so what, that we got soaked by sideways rain in a tropical storm while bolting for the rental car shuttle? 

All of these mild inconveniences of travel are what make a trip memorable.  And the frayed nerves, knotted stomachs, over-tired irritated feelings immediately evaporated as soon as we were on the road in our silver Ford Focus driving to the Westside down a beautiful highway that wound around to reveal blue ocean and verdant hillsides.  Just before Lahaina, We stopped at a roadside restaurant that I recognized from my pre-trip research, Leoda’s Kitchen and Pie Shop.  We purchased a delicious chocolate crusted, chocolate cream and caramel mini pie, mounded with whip cream and macadamia nuts for dessert later in the evening.  Our condo is all that we hoped for and more.   Maybe 20 steps to the sea wall, perhaps 30 steps to the ocean, our view is superb.  Our condo is decorated in modern island style, colorful and cute.  Small but clean, the living/dining area looks out on the ocean, the tiny but well equip kitchen peeks out on the view, as well.  Our bedroom and bath are tucked into the back, where we can still hear the waves, but have more privacy. 

After stocking up at the local health food store, we hit the fish market to grab a few prepared items; we were too hungry to cook.  For our first meal we each enjoyed a Cajun rubbed Mahi Mahi taco and fish of the day crusted in Mac nuts with pineapple salsa, and the traditional white rice and macaroni salad sides.  We enjoyed our meal on the lanai, with my first attempt at making a Jack Sparrow: Coconut Water, Coconut Rum, Ginger Ale and a squeeze of lime on the rocks.   Pretty good!  

We took a walk around the condo grounds after dinner, met a neighbor, some geckos, a banana tree and the laundry room.  Back in the room, we enjoyed our dessert, then we realized we had a few more minutes before the pool hours ended for the evening, we took a quick dip in the pint-sized pool, and found it quite refreshing.   Once I changed into my pjs I realized just how tired I was.  Perfumed by a breeze scented with Plummerias, I drifted off to sleep on a cloud.

A Dream Fulfilled

  

The history behind our most recent adventure, and the topic of our blog for the next several weeks, relates to a dream we have nurtured for many years.  Greg and I spent our honeymoon in Maui.  We had a hard time leaving and vowed to return, which we did a few years later.  These10 day trips were amazing but we agreed that the next time we visited it would be for a longer stay.  Maui for a month, that was the dream.  We have saved and we have planned.  As we embark on this adventure, we invite you to listen in.  I have plans to shop and cook local, no doubt delicious meals will be described. Opportunities to swim and snorkel, run and practice yoga abound.  Greg will no doubt find opportunities to be musical.  We both hope to expand our abilities to  “live peaceful” as we spend a month in Maui!

Verb vs. Noun (Do you run? Or are you a runner?)

Often you will be subjected to a tangent my mind followed on my morning run.  This is one such train of thought. How long did it take for me to think of myself as a runner?  Well let’s see.  I frolicked, chased, and played at running as a child.  I would venture to say most of us did, but I doubt we would use that experience alone to classify ourselves as runners.  I ran while playing games on the playground; kickball, dodge ball, and the like but that didn’t make me a runner.  I even went out for the track team in high school, but everyone was so much faster than me and I was more focused on academics, so I quit.  That certainly didn’t make me a runner.  About 4 years ago, I was feeling stressed at work and was venting to my husband one afternoon.  “Why don’t you go for a run around the block?” he recommended.  “What an odd suggestion!”  I thought.  But for whatever reason it sounded good to me and I went.  I ran, but I was not yet a runner. 

At first, I found that returning to running as an adult was much more difficult than it had been as a child.  As a kid, you could not run for many weeks, then easily join in a game of tag and not even be winded.  As a grown-up of 30 something, my reintroduction to running was much more gradual.  At first I would walk swiftly to a track near my house, then I would jog the straight-aways of the track, huffing and puffing, only to slow to a walk at the curves.  Eventually I got so I could run a whole lap without stopping, then several.  After many weeks, I was running to the track, around it a few times, then back home.  I estimated it was about a mile.  But I still didn’t call myself a runner.  Running was just something I did at least once a week, to blow off some steam.  

After the first spring of running laps, I found a few cool summer morning to run each week and continued the trend in the fall and through the winter.  I was running 2-3 times a week.  Still not a runner…

I found that when we traveled to Europe for the first time, I couldn’t conceive of going the whole 50 days without running at all.  I found locations where I could squeeze in a run.  Around the dirt roads that traced the circumference of the farm we stayed on in Tuscany and by the shore of the North Sea in Germany, I ran while on vacation.  Was I a runner?

I became interested in other runners, how did they run, I learned a bit about posture and technique.  Could I actually be considered a runner?

When my husband and I traveled to Europe with my mom for her 6oth birthday last summer, I ran 3 miles through the countryside as they lounged in the common room of the villa in Italy.  I ran until a thunderstorm threatened.  I found random paths around Lake Lucerne and ran on trails to the shore.  I even ran through the cobbled streets of

Colmar, France.  I might have been on my way to becoming a runner…

I became fascinated with running gear.  I have special shoes, socks, and shorts that I put on before I go running.  I have the equipment, does that make me a runner?

I ran in my first race as an adult this past fall.  I learned that I am not destined to be a competitive runner.  Not because I had a poor time, in fact for me it was PR.  I killed it on the uphill passing folks left and right, but that wasn’t because I desired a certain place, it was because I saw a past student of mine running with his dad and I wanted to catch up and say hello!  After we shared a few words, due to my peaceful demeanor I even slowed down, hoping they wouldn’t feel self conscious or distracted with me right behind them.  As I approached the finish line, I could feel runners make the final push, to pass just one more person or to get a few seconds closer to their desired time.  I moved to the side and slowed to a jog as I heard a person wheezing and coughing behind me.  Perhaps she had trained like hell for this race and at the last minute came down with a cold.  Or maybe she had quit smoking, and this race was a step toward a healthier life.  I made up stories in my mind about why my fellow runners should have the right of way.  So racing might not be for me, but does that make me less of a runner? 

Even as I learned that racing probably wasn’t for me, I hit another milestone.  I ran with another runner.  (Sure I had run with my husband before, mainly because I persuaded him to keep me company on a few of my short European runs, but he certainly doesn’t consider himself a runner).  As I ran with my friend Kaytee over winter break, I shared that I had only ever run a bit over 3 miles at a time.  I highly doubted that I could run further than that in one session.  As I kept pace with Kaytee, she assured me that I could run a 10k.  “If I can do it, you can,” she encouraged.  “Yeah, but she’s a runner,” I thought doubtfully to myself.  But she was right, over the next few weeks I tried running 4 miles, then 5, then 6 and half.  I didn’t have any desire to run a race that long, but still I loved playing with these longer distances.  I was running between 10-15 miles a week.  Was I finally a runner? 

So why was it so hard for me to admit I was a runner?  I think it is in the semantics.  If I say, I run.  That is something I do.  I do a lot of things from time to time.  Sometimes I do the dishes, but I wouldn’t say I’m a dishwasher.   I think when someone declares, “I am a runner.”  We come to understand that they identify that as an essential part of who they are.  It doesn’t have anything to do with how fast you are, how far you go, if you race, what you wear or even how often you do it.  You may even have a love hate relationship with running, as many of us do.  When you transition from someone who runs, to being a runner, it is a very personal and individual revelation.  I cannot tell you the exact moment in time when I came to think of myself as a runner.  But being on the other side of this philosophical question,  does bring me peace.  Just because I didn’t run for two days in a row, doesn’t change my identity.  For runners who get injured or take a planned break from running, their status is not revoked.  Once a runner, always a runner.   For me, the freedom in my body and the focus of my mind that I experience during a run, uplifts my soul in such a way that a time and a space for growth and reflection is created.  This is just another way that I like to “Live Peaceful.”

Live Peaceful

I might be hard to grasp why a teacher would choose a blog title so grammatically incorrect, but it all started with a license plate. Upon purchasing our first car together, my husband and I desired to mark the occasion by getting personalized plates. We didn’t want to express a hobby or a profession to the drivers behind us, but a philosophical approach, one that could be shared with others, something universal.  Peace is a quality we both strive for in our lives, so live peacefully seemed an apt sentiment for us to express.  Of all the ways to express this in concept in 7 letters and have it still be comprehendible by our readers, LIVPCFL, were the letters we chose to get the point across.  We knew that the phrase Live Peacefully would have been the optimal expression of this thought.  (How do you wish to live your life? Peacefully! The adverb is the ideal choice in this situation) However LIVPCFLY would not fit and LVPCFLY could be misconstrued.  (Love PC Fly? Huh??? Live Pacifically? What??? Love peacefully? Okay, not bad!)  After much debate, LIVPCFL won out despite the grammatical repercussions. 

Another possibly irksome quality of this wording is the sentence type.  Imperative.  The way the verb is grouped with this adjective assumes the command form.  Yet we are not demanding that our fellow humans assume a Zen state.  Be peaceful, dammit!  It is merely a suggestion, one of those things that makes you go hmmm at the stoplight.  Considering ramming the back of my car because I am an out of practice driver?  (I choose to walk to most of my destinations in our small town whenever possible), LIVPCFL.  Perhaps that road raged driver would think twice and choose a more tolerant path.  Sometimes we don’t even know what an individual whom we share the road of life with is experiencing in a given moment.  I once had a woman follow me into a parking lot, get out of her car and inquire, “Excuse me, Live Peaceful?  Is that what your car says.”   I smiled, hoping she wasn’t some how offended. “Yes, that’s right,” I confirmed.  “Thank you,” she breathed, “I needed that.”  Then she got back in her car and drove away.  Believe me, I’ve wondered about the circumstances of this stranger’s life and why she needed this message on that particular day.  Was she stressed at work and thinking of yelling at her boss or coworkers and decided to take the high road?  Perhaps she was in a bad relationship in which her partner was unkind or violent toward her and she needed a sign it was time to move on?  Maybe she just got up on the wrong side of the bed and needed a nudge to shift her thinking in the right direction.  Whatever the reason, our belief had a positive effect on at least one other being, and that was the reason for choosing those words. 

So when deciding to write a blog about my life alongside my husband, Greg, those words personify what I want to write about.  We have written many other blogs together.  I have been the primary writer with my husband occasionally writing a guest piece, editing, and serving as tech support.  Up until now, our blogs have been so specific.  We wrote about a trip we took to Europe, where we traveled abroad for 50 nights.  Another journey where we took my mom abroad for the first time was also featured.  I wrote about real foods and making as much of our food as possible from scratch, and we’ve written several cookbooks for our family and friends each with a particular focus; home gardening, vegetarian foods, holiday recipes, farmer’s market fare, and travel inspired dishes.  While these are all topics we are passionate about, we wanted a forum where we could share the various ways we try to “Live Peaceful” together all under one roof.  I love to cook and preparing meals with quality ingredients from our garden or local farmer’s market is something I want to write about from time to time.  I also want to talk about how we’ve transformed our front and back yards into edible landscaping.  Beyond finding peace in the nourishment we put into our bodies, I want to write about how we move our bodies.  Greg and I started practicing yoga more than 14 years ago.  We began with Kundalini and moved on to study Iyengar.  One summer we took classes four times a week; sometimes we only found time to practice at home.   So yoga is a peaceful practice, I would like to explore.  Beyond that, I have discovered that running is a peaceful practice for me.  Greg’s talents in music bring us both a sense of peace. From a very young age, writing has always been my outlet. Not only does it give me a release, but it offers reflection and growth opportunities as well. Our love of travel, discovering new places, learning about other cultures and meeting new friends will always grace our page.

What will be the topic of this blog?  Peaceful living.  What does that encompass?  I guess the question should be, what doesn’t it include?  Negativity, gossip, mean-spiritedness, judgment, these qualities would obstruct our purpose.  So it is with a light-hearted desire to teach and learn, to share and interact, that we move forward.  Peace be with you!