maui gets a dose of myth & magic

this past sunday hale makua health services held its 22nd annual luau, mythical magical maui, at the wailea marriott resort & spa. it was such a pleasure to have attended this extraordinary event, the first of its kind for the organization, which previously held its annual luau at the kihei community center. upon entering the ballroom guests were greeted by volunteers in pāʻū (wrapped skirt) with a lei made by a resident.

the formal program consisted of four performances by 'ulalena; guest speakers, tony krieg, CEO of hale makua health services; joe thomas, former resident of hale makua; nancy kawamura, current hale makua resident; and teresa lopes, hale makua activities director and employee of over 30 years. walter hester, CEO of maui jim sunglasses was honored and recognized for his generous contributions and support over the years, from becoming this luau's first principle sponsor and continued sponsor for seven years, to serving on the board of directors.

'ulalena's performances were exquisite and spellbinding, combining traditional hawaiian dance with aerial acrobatics, tantalizing vocals, and instrumentals consisting of drums and a nose flute. 'ulaleana donated their time and talents for this event, performing the vignettes of kumulipo, makahiki, hina, and 'ulalena.

30 years of photojournalism on maui

last week saturday i had the pleasure of attending the opening reception of the newest exhibit at maui arts & culture center's schaefer international gallery - matthew thayer and the maui news: thirty years of photojournalism. over the last thirty years matthew thayer has been chronicling moments of maui's history with vivid imagery, and to see highlights of it all in one place was simply amazing.

as somewhat of a newbie to maui, this exhibit took me through some of the major changes that have helped to shape maui's history over the last three decades. from the island economy's dependence on agriculture to the departure of pineapple and the current reliance on tourism. photos depicting mom and pop stores that i always hear about, but have long since closed. one of matt's most well-know photos was taken in 1988 of the miracle landing of aloha airlines flight 243 with a gaping hole where the upper fuselage ripped from the plane, pictured on the cover of the maui news below. this story put maui at the hub of the media's attention, and the associated press was clamoring to get photo coverage of it. a rotary transmitter (brand new technology at the time) was sent to matt at the maui news, and the now famous photo was sent over the wire (taking a mere 40 minutes to transmit), making the cover of every major newspaper in the united states. you can even see the rotary transmitter live at this exhibit!


this enthralling exhibit features matt's film and digital photos, but also gives a brief glimpse into the influence technology has had on photo techniques and even how the newspaper is published today. a flat screen tv displays hundreds of additional photos shot by matthew thayer, including sporting events, concerts, cultural events, and everyday moments that we sometimes miss during our busy lives. you can also take a look at matt's actual newsroom desk, and a life-sized dark room where you take a spin in the oscillating dark room door (definitely one of the highlights for my four year old niece).

this exhibition is free to the public and will be on display until october 23rd, so there's no good reason why you shouldn't see it. the schaefer international gallery at the maui arts & cultural center is open from wednesday through sunday, 11am to 5pm and before castle theater shows. mahalo to mary c. sanford, the kent and polli smith family fund at the hawai'i community foundation, alexander & baldwin foundation, hawai'i tourism authority, and the county of maui, office of economic development for helping to make this exhibition possible.

hana relay detoured

the morning started before the sunrise with the first leg of the hana relay. my sister-in-law and i ran the first two legs for team "The Runs", and then detoured on our own double marathon of shopping and eating.


we were the first in the door at cafe des amis in paia town. yummy breakfast of savory crepes and cafe. the breakfast of hana relay wannabe finishers.


shopping for some fresh local produce at mana foods...



















looked for treasures and unique finds at paia trading company...



















super cute clothes at imrie boutique. lovely bohemian haute couture pieces ranging from swimsuits and undergarments to blouses, skirts and dresses, plus an assortment of shoes and accessories!

puka puka in paia opened about nine months ago, but i had yet to check it out. it's such a gem of a store and gallery with unique pieces not to found anywhere else. especially loved the clean, contemporary interiors in a plantation style building from the 1910s.

my sister-in-law turned my on to kerry cassill with her line of super soft, cotton garments and bedding with the most amazing, colorful prints. lilikoi boutique primarily sells organic, natural skincare products, but i stumbled upon a small selection of kerry cassill bedding and kitchen linens as well. this is the first store i've seen on maui that carries kerry cassill.

a little beach breather...

back into town for lunch at my favorite saturday lunch spot. side order of kim chee adds some nice spice to my large dry min. my sister-in-law opted for a small dry min with a deluxe cheeseburger.

quick stop at native intelligence to pick-up some beautiful leis. so far it's the only place that i've found on maui that regularly stocks hilo maile and pakalana leis. such a beautiful store with great gift ideas.

a blue & brown bridal shower

i was thrilled to help plan a bridal shower for my only girl cousin on the maternal side of my family. i was in charge of all of my most favorite things... centerpieces, favors, and the invitations! the color theme was blue of undetermined hue and chocolate brown. the challenge, my cousin isn't one of those girls who loves going shopping for wedding gowns and matching strapy heels, or choosing flowers for bouquets and centerpieces. She's not super frilly where flowery invites would seem right. has anyone ever noticed that almost all bridal invitations have flowers on them?!! i found the perfect invites online at wedding paper divas. baby blue background with contemporary cutlery in brown.


invites down, now for the favors. i was initially thinking macaroons, but switched back to cupcakes because it was easier to stick to the color theme. cupcakes are so versatile because there are so many flavors to choose from, and any color can easily be brought in with the decorations on the frosting. the chocolate cupcakes with blue cups and sprinkles were custom ordered from my favorite cupcake place on oahu, cupcake couture. i also ordered transparent white cup-a-cake cupcake holders online so that guests could take their sweet treat home. lastly the cupcake holders were topped off with a pool blue circle sticker hand-stamped with the contemporary cutlery in chocolate brown.

i was thinking that the centerpieces were going to be more of a challenge with a blue and brown color theme since there aren't any great blue flowers, and how to integrate the brown? of course leave it to martha stewart to provide inspiration! a blue vase would be perfect, and glazed ceramic matched the look and feel of the invitations! a single white spider mum with three short curly willow branches made for a simple, easy to assemble flower arrangement. very japanese ikebana-esque.

summery sunday brunch baby

this past sunday we paid homage to the end of summer with a delicious breakfast with berries, peaches, and a little bit-o-bacon. i was having a craving for a family favorite, a dutch baby, topped with sun-ripened berries and a zesty, citrusy sugar. a dutch baby is like a crepe, popover hybrid. the lemon zest sugar really makes the dutch baby and gives it a nice texture. it's a super easy to make, and makes for a wonderful sunday brunch! below is the recipe that i like to use.

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup sugar
zest from 1 lemon
3 large eggs at room temperature
2/3 cup milk at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces

INSTRUCTIONS

• put a 10" cast iron skillet on the middle rack of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees
• stir together the sugar and lemon zest in a bowl
• beat the eggs with an electric mixer on high until pale and frothy, then beat in milk, flour, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt and continue to beat until smooth, about a minute (batter will be thin)
• add butter to the skillet and melt, swirling to coat
• add the batter immediately and place the skillet back in the oven
• baked until puffy and golden brown, about 15 - 18 minutes, checking periodically to see if the edges are browning (as you can see, the one pictured above is a bit burnt at 18 minutes in the oven)
• cut into eighths (like a pizza) and serve while hot topped with berries and/or mango and the lemon sugar

derived from a Gourmet magazine, April 2009, recipe

a 25-year tradition at hale makua

This past Friday Hale Makua Kahului celebrated its 25th annual Bon Odori. Simply put Bon Odori means Bon Dance, the type of dance that is performed during Obon, traditionally the Buddhist custom to honor the departed sprits of one's ancestors. Hale Makua's Bon Dance isn't a religious celebration, but rather a gathering with good music, good dancing, good food, and great company. Residents, staff and the public enjoyed performances by the United Buddhist Women’s Association, Nakayama Minyo Kai, Maui Taiko, and even a special dance performed by staff.

lana'i love

garden of the gods

moloka'i across the channel

beautiful, white sand polihua beach

weekend water rations

nothing beats a gorgeous sunset on a deserted beach

fading sun, and dog

kaiolohia shipwreck beach

check out the tidepools at kaunolu

seaside treasures