Aloha picnic

This is it – our last night in Maui. Chris said we should write a top ten list of things we’ve learned since being here. Aside from all he has studied about world economy, the market, and Web 2.0, there’s also the unexpected education. For example, it takes about 40 flowers to make a lei, but it’s a good idea to pick 45 so you’re sure to get enough good ones. Also, it’s great to have a pool in the backyard, but it’s not refreshing on a hot day when the water temperature is 90 degrees or higher. That clicking sound I’ve been hearing in the trees after dark is neither birds nor rats, but geckos. And those birds that start singing like a car alarm at the crack of dawn are called francolins. Chris has become quite skilled at reading waves, although he confessed to me yesterday, after several hours of boogie boarding, that he realizes he’s probably just lucky he hasn’t gotten dumped on his head more often.

It turns out we do like tropical living, despite the bugs and the heat. It’s going to be a shock to start wearing shoes, and thinking about whether I’ve combed my hair when I got out in public. There is a casualness here that even surpasses Boulder’s laid-back vibe. Now that we’ve settled in, it’s time to leave. Our tennis friends had an aloha picnic for us tonight at Waipuilani Park, behind Maui Sunset condos. The setting was as picturesque as you would imagine – sunset, palm trees, ocean, green grass. We played some tennis, had dinner, and exchanged stories about hosting friends who assume that anyone who lives in Maui spends all their time at the beach. We agreed it’s good to have people come over, because it makes you get out there when you might not otherwise do it. And we all learned that as the sun sets, the sprinklers start. And even if you relocated to a place where you don’t see sprinker heads, if there’s green grass, the water is going to come on sooner or later.

What’s next? Jazz is already back in Colorado, waiting for us. Last week Chris started getting calls about jobs in Boulder. My job is ramping up again, with a business trip scheduled for later in June. We’ve put our names out to the Boulder tennis community to get on teams for the summer. And our friends have started our garden, so we’ll have sprouts ready when we return. We’re looking forward to reuniting with friends, and getting back to our “usual” life, whatever that is.

Click the link to see some photos of our last days.

A hui hou (until we meet again)…

I’ve gotten a few emails from our Colorado friends lately, asking whether we’re still here, and when we’re coming home. Today marks the beginning of our last two weeks. We know we’re close to rounding out a full year because the weather is getting back to the way it was when we arrived — hot enough to close the blinds during the day to keep the heat out, and open them at night to let the breeze in.  We’ve even turned on the AC a couple of times.

What do we do when it’s so hot? Play tennis, of course. Maybe that’s the sign that we’re approaching “local” status. We don’t camp out at the beach on these beautiful sunny days. This weekend we participated in the Wailea Grand Prix tennis tournament. We didn’t win any grand prix, but we did have a good time. For those of you who are not up on tennis lingo, “having a good time” is code for “losing.”

Our free time

Chris is happy to announce that he is scuba certified, at last! He slogged through the entire textbook, passed his quizzes and tests, and made it through the underwater skills test.  He’ll be heading out to the wall at Molokini in the next couple of weeks. As for boogie boarding, he hasn’t seen much action this month, but he will be prioritizing the search for waves in our final days. I’ve been awarded 40% more free time in my work weeks until the end of June. I wanted to be frustrated and worried about it, but everyone says I should relax, since I can’t do anything to change it. That means more time for playing tennis and playing at the beach.

Back on the home front, we’ve shipped five boxes so far, and anticipate we’ll need to send one or two more before we leave. We still have a few things to sell (boogie board, mountain bike), a few things to give away (basil and rosemary plants, tennis basket and balls), and more than a few things to bequeath to someone else’s yard sale (clock, fans, lamps, white board).

We also have a few touristy activities to take care of: Haleakala, Seven pools and bamboo forest, bikeride to La Perouse bay, more snorkeling, more beach and more ocean.

Click the link to see our photos from May.

Nest just outside our door

One of my favorite signs of spring in Colorado is seeing the tulips and grape hyacinths coming up in our backyard. I wasn’t sure what to expect here on Maui, since flowers always seem to be in bloom. Last night I got it, and I’m getting it again right now–the smell of plumeria in the nighttime. At first I thought I was imagining it, but each time I inhale, there it is. We’re noticing that the flowers are brighter and fuller these days. We’re also seeing our favorite tropical fruit, mangoes, hanging tantalizingly from the trees as we walk to the beach. I think it’s not too late for us to introduce ourselves to a few certain neighbors and offer to help them with their harvest.

Sunday night as we left for our walk I noticed a nest in the tree in the front yard. Chris looked closer than I did and captured the inhabitants on camera. We thought it might be a hummingbird, but we learned there are no hummingbirds in Hawaii, so it’s some other tiny bird. Other signs of spring here, that are usually signs of summer for us in Colorado – the almost-daily sound of the blender making ice cold smoothies, the need to shower more than once a day, and the warm nights that warrant turning up the ceiling fan, opening the windows and the blinds, and kicking off the bedspread in the middle of the night.

Still finding new activities

It was a warm weekend with gentle Kona winds and no trade winds. That means a little bit of vog (volcano fog), and heavy, humid air. We took advantage of the stillness yesterday and went paddling in a kayak off Polo Beach, thanks to our Maui friends Joni and Gary. We headed straight for a reef where a dive boat was parked, and snorkeled around the area. The coral was so beautiful, and the water crystal clear. I can’t believe we haven’t done it before now. Later, when we were paddling around before coming in to shore, a huge sea turtle swam within two feet of our kayak.

A break for Grandpa Mojo
In other boating news, Chris was recently contacted by Soul Fabric Films in Boulder about using one of the new Grandpa Mojo songs in their documentary about outrigger canoeing and Polynesian traditions. The crazy part about the offer is that the woman who contacted Chris did not know he lives in Boulder, nor did she know he’s currently in Maui and a member of the Kihei Canoe Club–the club they filmed for the movie. As Max Ehrmann says in Desiderata, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

As I swim in the backyard pool after a few hours at the beach, I still can’t believe how well this whole experiment has worked out. Next weekend: Hana!

Click the link to see some photos from the past couple of weeks.

My local boyfriend

The first time it happened, I thought it was just a fluke. But it keeps happening, so there must be something to it. We’ve had five different friends who haven’t seen Chris for awhile mistake him for a local guy. I don’t know if it’s his unruly, long, sun-bleached hair, his tan skin, or the boogie board under his arm, but there’s something about this island living that agrees with him. If only we could bring the vibe back along with all the other stuff we’ll be packing up.

How to undo a house swap

When we tell people we’re doing a 10-month house swap, we get mixed reactions, from “Do people really do that? Wasn’t there a movie about that?” to “I’ve always thought that sounded like a good idea.” Some people ask about logistics like cars and bills. My favorite was the woman who asked , “So, you let them use your towels?” I don’t even want to imagine what guests experience at her house. As of today, we have eight more Mondays here. In addition to all the fun “Hey look, we’re on Maui!” things we’d like to do during our final weeks here, we have a few other things to do. For those who are curious about the logistics of what it really takes to live in another place for 10 months and then go back home, here are some of the lists we’re working through:

Sell/give away

• Tennis basket and balls
• Lawn mower
• Clock
• Lamps – 4
• Bike
• Kitchen stuff
• Night stand
• Lawn chairs – 4
• Christmas ornaments
• Reef shoes
• Chris’s boogie board
• Whiteboard and markers
• Air mattresses
• Fans – 3
• Grill and gas
• Plants
• Clothespins
• Umbrella
• Paddle ball
• Maui books and maps
• Hawaii gardening books

Take home

• Ipod player
• Computer speakers
• Office papers
• Fit ball
• Chris’s fins
• Radio
• Coffee mug
• Water bottle
• Chopsticks
• Coconut mobile
• Placemats and napkins
• Maui football
• Bike helmets
• Coasters – 8

House to-do’s

• Repair screen door
• Call Carlos about lawn
• Ship boxes
• Replace wine glasses
• Replace light bulbs
• Replace VW key
• Take down outside lights – backyard
• Take down clothesline
• Throw away Little Tyke basketball hoop
• Bring down big basketball net
• Throw/give away wood platform in office
• Empty office storage containers
• Clean and change oil in cars
• Clean garage and house
• Ship Ellie’s snorkel gear
• Repair snorkel mask
• Pack Chris’s pillow
• Change mail forwarding
• Finish scuba certification
• Change address on bank accounts
• Return small picnic table to lanai
• Put plastic protectors back in outlets

Maui bucket list

• Pacific ‘O restaurant
• Hana overnight
• Paia Bay boogie boarding
• Kauai?
• Snorkeling – Ulua, then kayak
• Paddling – non-visitor?
• Haleakala sunrise
• Waihee Ridge hike
• MACC film fest
• Poli Poli?
• Dinner with friends

Our last visitors

Steve, Cole, and Sue

We had a great time hosting Chris’s family from Idaho. Even though they’re used to spending their spring breaks on the slopes, I think they all appreciated the beaches and hiking trails of Maui. Chris got them fully acclimated as soon as they arrived, setting them up with snorkel gear to test out in the pool, and then taking them to the Sunday sunset drumming ceremony at Little Beach. I think Cole is well on his way to following proudly in his hippie parents’ footsteps.

They spent the rest of the week making the usual rounds – Banyan tree in Lahaina, Nakalele blowhole, Hana, Haleakala (not recommended in the afternoon), Molokini for snorkeling and whale watching, paddling with the canoe club, dinner out on the town, and the Saturday morning swap meet. I think Cole’s highlight was learning to boogie board from Uncle Chris. Steve’s highlight was probably his solo hike at Haleakala. As for Sue, I’d say her most memorable moment was peeling dry skin off my back from my sunburn. Either that or swimming with the turtles.

The count
We spent nine weeks here before we had our first overnight visitor. Bob Hanson came for one night in October to show us the sights and teach us how to surf. We felt a bit lonely after he left, and we started the countdown to the holiday visitor season. We were so happy when people started arriving.

Between Liza and Mark’s visit in November, through our last guests, we hosted 18 people over 20 weeks, which equated to nine weeks of visitors. During that time, Chris was in Wyoming for two of the “down” weeks, and I was with him there for five days.

What’s next
I find that after eight months here I am still trying to figure out how to work mainland time and live island time. Now that visitor season is over, it’s time to prepare for our return to Boulder. The other day we sat down to write our “bucket list” of things we want to do before we leave Maui. After we had written two things, we started talking about logistics and wrote our “to sell,” “to fix,” “to ship,” and “to pack” lists instead. Before you start feeling too sorry for us, we did finish the bucket list while we watched the sun set on Keawakapu beach. More on that in another blog entry.

Click the link for the latest pics.

Many of our guests did a lot of sightseeing while they were here. Others chose to lie low and focus on the sand and surf. We do have more visitors arriving today, but so far the award for most sights and most distance traveled in one week goes to Nicole and Drew. Witness:

• Nakalele blowhole – through Lahaina, around the west and north sides of the island
• Hana hikes, bamboo forests, waterfalls and beaches – road to Hana, the farthest point one can drive on the east side of the island
• Haleakala sunrise – 10,000 ft elevation gain, 1:30am departure from home, the highest destination on the island
• Molokini snorkeling – 6am departure from home, boat ride, two snorkel dives
• La Perouse Bay – afternoon drive from our house, ending at the farthest point one can drive on the west side of the island

What was their inspiration? How did they do it? I’d have to say the clouds and cold weather could have played a part in their decision to go for drives and hikes more often than spending time at the beach. Happily, they did get some beach time in too. Nicole got her first taste of the ocean. Her evaluation? “Nice. Salty.”

Be sure to view Drew’s awesome pics.

Chris is picking up our last visitors at this moment, which means I have met my goal of updating our blog after every visitor, and before the next group arrives. Susan, Steve and Cole are coming from Idaho, where they skiied yesterday, and had to wait for their plane to be de-iced this morning. I think they’re going to like it here.

The other day Chris started looking at the calendar and announced  we had only 15 weekends left here. How can that be? we wondered. How does a 10-month adventure whittle away so quickly? I wrote to one of my girlfriends about it, lamenting that our journey was almost over. Later, I got some perspective. Really, a 15-week stay in Maui is not a bad deal. There’s still plenty of time to walk the beaches, hike the trails, perfect Chris’s bodyboarding techniques, and soak in the hot tub in the backyard.

We’ve had a couple of good adventures lately. Linda and Robert McKenna entertained us for a week. Chris had a buddy to bodyboard with and an excuse to frequent Little Beach. (Apparently that’s where the best waves are.) Their vacation plan was to have no plan, and they executed it brilliantly. They went for a drive one day, and other than that they spent every day at the beach.

Dinner time at the luau

Linda celebrated her birthday on February 13th by treating us to a luau. The show was a story about the history of Hawaii. I was interested to learn about how the Hawaiians had to subvert their traditions when the missionaries came. Apparently the hula dances and other customs were not acceptable for the newcomers. Things turned around eventually, and now we pay people to put their costumes on and dance for us.

Last weekend was Whale Day in Kihei. The parade featured most of the entries we expected to see – lots of local businesses, interspersed with kids in costumes throwing candy. The one thing I hoped for but didn’t see was a high school marching band. Still, we did see a walking totem pole and the princesses of whales. Check out the photos here.

Going home

Matriarchs are rarely the tallest

When we first contemplated moving to Hawaii for ten months, we considered what might happen in our absence that would make us wish we were in Colorado. A primary concern was Chris’s dad’s health, as he was 86 and suffering from Alzheimer’s and leukemia. As we feared, Ken did grow weaker, and ended up in hospice in early January. Chris went back to Wyoming to be with his family and got to spend some time with Ken before he passed on January 25th. All the siblings (Susan from Idaho, Julie from Lander, and David from Boston) had a chance to be together at the hospice and at home with their mom, Gladys.

I flew back for the funeral, and Jamie joined me for the flight from Denver, CO to Riverton, WY. What an emotional time. As I think back on it, I’m filled with pride and sadness. As a pilot in World War II, Ken shot down five enemy planes and was awarded the distinguished flying cross. You wouldn’t know about his war hero status by talking to him, as he was quiet and reserved. I knew Ken was a reliable, hard-working farmer who was born in the same house where he and Gladys later raised their kids, on the Wind River Indian Reservation. I’ve heard stories about how he would ride his horse to school, fending off bullies as all school kids do, but using a rock tied to the end of a leather whip as protection. Talk about the wild west! In his adult life he was very involved in the community, and those who worked with him appreciated his integrity and sense of fairness.

During the visitation, Ken’s casket was positioned in front of a bank of windows looking out over the mountain range. I was struck by how much he belonged there, and how important it is to have a place that is “home.” The community filled the church the next day for the funeral, including the balcony and several extra rows of seats in the back. I still get choked up when I remember walking down the aisle with the family and seeing men put their hands over their hearts as Ken’s flag-draped casket went by. The American Legion met us at the grave site and did another tribute, including playing bagpipes when Ken’s body was transferred from the hearse, and offering a 21-gun salute. As one of the pall bearers, Jamie held the flag over Ken’s casket during the ceremony. He said he felt very proud and honored to have been asked to participate in the funeral.

Other people Chris met along the way
Chris’s trip back to Wyoming took him through Boulder. He took the bus from the Denver airport to our house to pick up our vehicle and some winter clothes. At long last, he met the Augustines! They are as kind and friendly in person as they have been in emails and phone calls. He visited the family again on his way back through Colorado. Unfortunately, both visits were brief as he was on a tight schedule.

In another strange turn of events, we also met professional sled dog racers. It turns out the International Pedigree Stage Stop Sled Dog Race embarked from Lander on February 1st. On January 31st, the night before I returned to Maui, Chris and I went out for drinks and met some of the mushers and dog trainers. One of the men who was there has won the Iditarod eight times. Another participant is a four-time winner.  As I listened to the dog trainers and mushers answer Chris’s questions about their jobs, I thought, “What strange world do we live in?” Once we finally get into the groove of life in Maui, we find ourselves in Wyoming for a funeral, and then in a bar talking to sled dog racers. It was almost more than I could process.

You can link here to see a few photos from Chris’s trip.

Doing what we do best

I can’t believe we’re already on the other side of Christmas. We had a lot of anticipation about December and January because we were so looking forward to hosting our friends and family. We knew we were pushing the envelope, ramping up from four guests with the Messeroles, to five with Bret, then six with Allan, and seven with David. I have to say it all went very well. What was our secret? Two blow-up mattresses, one couch, lots of dinners on the lanai and free-flowing spirits. Oh yeah, and sending four of the boys away to Hana after everyone spent one night here.

Memories

Our Christmas extravaganza started on December 22 and lasted until January 13. Here’s what’s in my mental photo album:

• Anna and Adam improvising a hula dance on Christmas eve
• Adam skim boarding all day long at the beach
• Me working side-by-side with Julie in the kitchen, especially the night we sang along with Patsy Cline
• Julie assisting Mike with hair removal in the backyard
• Allan, Bret, Chris, and David lounging on the lanai with morning coffee, crosswords, and magazines
• All the boys playing a fierce game of basketball in the pool in the backyard
• Late-night pontifications in the hot tub
• Anna in the hammock, Adam in the hammock, Mike in the hammock
• Adam enduring his mom’s tan lines and his uncle’s Speedo

The things they left behind

In addition to building memories, we’re also getting a colorful collection of items that our guests are leaving behind. For anyone who’s scheduled to come this spring, here are some of the treats you may enjoy:

• Mama football for playing at the beach (companion to the baby football we had here)
• Snorkel gear (on loan)
• Lotion (especially good for sunburns)
• Spray-on sunscreen (especially good for heads without hair)
• Nair (especially good for backs with hair)
• Vanity Fair, O, In Style, and New York Times magazines
• An assortment of band aids, bandages, gauze, and athletic tape (good for cuts aquired in the pool or on the beach, sprained ankles, and pulled muscles)
• Corona, Newcastle, Pepsi, red wine, white wine

Click here for photos our group’s adventures.

New Christmas outfits for the kiddos

Ah, Christmas in Hawaii. It’s everything we hoped it would be–sunny, warm, and full of laughter with friends and family. As I write this, my sister’s family is at church, Chris is practicing wii bowling so he can beat Adam later, and Jazz is resting up so she can resume backyard play as soon as anyone sets foot out the door.

Julie, Mike, Anna, and Adam managed to skip through Omaha, Denver, and LA on Monday while most travelers were delayed due to winter weather. Their luggage was not as fortunate; it arrived about 14 hours later.

While Julie and I went back to the airport on Tuesday, the rest of the gang played in the backyard pool. Adam got the Fred Sanford award for the day, for having noticed the night before that our neighbors had set out a used L’il Tyke basketball hoop. Chris rode his bike down the street, confirmed that indeed there was a hoop available for free, rode back home with it over his shoulder, and set it up next to the pool.

We’re enjoying all the typical Hawaiian Christmas activities–having meals on the lanai, digging our toes in the sand, putting lotion on sunburned skin, and calling everyone we know on the mainland to talk about the weather.

Here’s a link to some photos.