Gecko eggs!

And here are two gecko eggs found in that giant bird of paradise. They are about the size of a very large pea.

Our mangoes, our mango tree, and our papayas

Some flowers from our yard

Luau!

A few days ago we went to a picnic style luau, a scholarship benefit for the Kihei Canoe Club. We had expected a dinner of plate lunch, but there was music and dancing as well. the plate lunch was all the usual suspects -- kalua pig (my favorite), chicken laulau, tuna poke, lomi lomi salmon, rice, cake and haupia (gelatin made with coconut milk -- yum!).

Kalua pig traditionally is a whole pig wrapped in ti leaves and roasted in a pit in the ground lined with stones that have been heated red hot in a fire. The pig is left all day, then opened for the luau. Chicken laulau is chicken meat wrapped in a little package, sometimes with other vegetables, and cooked or steamed with coconut milk. Poke is a ceviche-type dish, with chunks of fish (here it was ahi, or tuna), onions, seaweed and other flavorings. Lomi lomi salmon is also a ceviche-type dish, with tomatoes and onions along with salmon, all cut into the same size chunks.

The event started with a traditional blessing, with all participants -- over a hundred -- holding hands in a giant circle, after which we made a beeline to the dinner line. The musicians played local music, asking their friends, daughters and cousins to come up and dance in their shorts and jeans. I have not been able to figure out how to attach the music to the photos, so just hum something Hawaiian to yourself as you browse the photos....

another sunset.....

Our Green Geckos

We have a small tea house near our pool, which Tom is currently renovating, including a new deck, and new shoji screens. Just outside the teahouse is a patch of giant bird of paradise. We have discovered that the bird of paradise are home to at least a half-dozen brilliant green geckos. So if we can see a half dozen, there must be at least twice that number. We have dozens of the sand-colored geckos all over the house, including inside, and we often see small ones inside, and even their tiny eggs that have hatched. We are told that the green ones come from Big Island, and arrived here on nursery plants.

They are interesting for a variety of reasons. For those unfamiliar with geckos, they eat bugs and are welcome in any house. They bark at night, making a noise quite loud for such a tiny critter. They crawl around, particularly upside down, hanging onto ceilings and eaves. Although it appears they have suction cups on their toes, they actually hold on with millions of tiny hairs that they release as they move, and they move fast. The green ones appear to be out in the daytime, while the sand-colored ones usually appear late in the day and we can hear them bark into the night. Notice these charmers drinking from the blossom of the bird of paradise....

By popular demand....

Seems I forgot to put in views of the celebrated kitchen remodel....stay tuned for views of the master bath (almost but not quite finished)....

Another sunset photo taken from our lanai...

and the island in the distance is Lanai.

National Trail Day

Little did we know that June 7 is National Trail Day. On Maui, the local group put on a special hike to inaugurate a new path in Kapalua, complete with free T shirts, water bottles, rides to the trailhead, refreshments along the way, and a knowledgeable guide, Randy, who stopped to show us various plants and trees, and talk about the trail system. 2.5 miles in an hour and a half -- and done in time for lunch in Lahaina!

Poi

have you ever wondered how they make poi? Here it is -- the raw material -- cooked taro, and the guys pounding it into a thick paste. It comes in different consistencies for different purposes, and we always seems to have a shortage around graduation time as families and groups gather for celebrations.

Festival of the Canoes

And now for something completely different, the annual Festival of the Canoes in Lahaina. Each year for the past 12 or so, master canoe builders from all over the Pacific have come to Lahaina to "compete" in the building of canoes in traditional styles. They use modern tools, and non-traditional wood, but they produce sometimes lovely canoes, using the opportunity not only to pass long their skills to the next generation, but also to show the rest of us how it is done. In traditional societies, subsistence economies meant that the whole community had to set aside enough food to feed the canoe builders and themselves for however long it took to build the canoe -- sometimes a year. So since it was not an everyday event, or even an every year event, it meant that canoe-building skills were not often passed on. And now that the canoes themselves are not necessary to everyday life, it is even less often that builders have the time and materials to practice their craft.

Here are a few views of this year's festival.

A few more views of Paris

The Rodin museum, a wonderful restaurant near Anne's apartment, and the Grand Palais, this last after a late afternoon visit to the Marie Antoinette exhibit....

Paris 2008

A year ago when Tom started thinking about taking a trip to Japan on his own, I started thinking about going to Paris to take French classes. I have no idea why, it seemed like a good idea at the time. So when his trip started taking shape, and elderhostel took him off the waiting list and asked for money, it was time for me to follow through. While I took plenty of time and energy second-guessing my decision, it turned out to be a wonderful trip.

It was a terrific experience for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, our friend Anne invited me to stay with her at her apartment in Montmartre. I loved every minute with Anne, even when her French broke the sound barrier, leaving my comprehension in the dust. She was so very generous and thoughtful, including me in dinners with her friends and family, chauffeuring me to her home in the country on the weekends -- it was more than I ever could have asked or dreamed of. And, of course, her fluent English was very helpful as I tried to decipher the finer points of my French lessons.

I enrolled at L'Atelier 9, a small school in the 9th. It claimed to be relaxed, small, inexpensive and fun. It was all of that and more. It was also 4 metro stops from the apartment, an added bonus. I took the 32.5 hours a week immersion class, and was placed in the highest level that was being taught at the time. Our class included three Germans, three Americans, an Italian, a Brazilain, a New Zealander, and a Brit. It varied a bit as students came and went over the three weeks, but it never exceeded the maximum 9 students. Classes were challenging (sometimes more than challenging), and although I feel that I have forgotten 99% of what we were taught, it was still quite beneficial. I came home with a suitcase full of Inspector Maigret books, a kindle full of public domain French classics that I may even be able to read, and a head full of new vocabulary and grammar. And a heart full of gratitude to Anne for her hospitality and friendship.

And, yes, that is snow on the rooftops of Paris....

The outside