Stand Up Paddle

Aloha Folks,

Ku Hoe He'e Nalu...Stand Up Paddle..

A new water sport was born in the early 2000's. Some surfers scoff at it, others really enjoy the freedom of being out on the water, even with no waves. They say, necessity is the mother of invention. Maui's own Laird Hamilton and other big wave riders developed this sport as a means of training when waves were down.

I have yet to try this sport, but there are a couple of things that are apealing to me. This is a surface water sport. From the stand up perspective, the paddler has a great view down into the water.

I also like being able to cruise on calm, no wind, no wave days. I spent alot of years racing outrigger canoes. Having a paddle in my hand is a lovely and familiar feeling.


Last week I was able to jump into a canoe and have a leisure afternoon paddle I was so happy, it had been way too long. I just wanted to paddle off into the sunset. Hawaii has Outrigger Canoe and Paddleboard races interisland.

I have crossed the channel a few times in the Outrigger canoe races. A lot ot training was involved, and it was wild, challenging and alot of fun. There is now a division for the Stand Up Paddle as well in some of these races.

My suggestion for stand up paddlers who are new to the sport, pick calm days and areas that are not crowded to get the hang of it, and maybe stay in those uncrowded areas until you really know what you are doing, and can do it well.. These boards are huge, and nobody wants to be on the receiving end of one.

Above all, have fun and be safe.

Summer is officially over, ahh, it was a nice summer, not too hot, some really gorgeous days.

As the days start shortening, and our thoughts turn inward, may you all enjoy this season of harvest.

Aloha for now,
Cherie

End O' Summer Special! Save 10% to 20%!

Aloha Folks,

Call me crazy, but I was just sitting out by the pond, pre-dawn soaking up the moon and star shine. The big koi are gently floating around reflecting the moon, all is quiet. The birds are still snoozing, a few roosters in the distance, even the crickets are asleep.

Summer is coming to a close. It is dark by 7 pm, we really do not have much of a "dusk" in Hawaii. It's only about 15 minutes loooonnggg..............then..... , bam, dark. Next comes the part I love, watching the moon come up over Haleakala. My garden has a few night blooming plants. The night blooming Jasmine, when covered in blossoms, perfumes the entire garden. Last week, the mock orange was in bloom, and all of Makawao smelled of mock orange blossoms for a few days. It was delicious.

It is not quite fall yet, summer is still lingering, but we all realize that the subtle season change is coming into view. The first north swell of the season is pounding our shores this weekend.

This really is a great time to visit the islands. Parking is available everywhere. Folks are offering specials everywhere...(the fish are jumping and the cotton is high.).... not really, but the waves are rolling in, and the sun is warm.

In celebration of the End O' Summer, I am offering a SPECIAL as well. For folks on the fence, or waiting for a special, take 20% OFF of a lovely room at Hale Ho'okipa from now until the end of Oct, and 10% off of future bookings if confirmed by the end of Oct.

So, Yoga students, roll up your mats and come to Maui, hikers, pack your boots, volunteers, do your homework, relaxers, find a great book.....What ever warms your heart and puts a smile on your face, Maui no ka oi( da best) has it going on.

The birds are waking up, the day is dawning, really glad I could share it with all of you.

May you have a wonderful weekend.

Mahalo and Aloha,

Cherie

Malama Wao Akua 2009

Aloha,

Recently, I had one of the best days I can remember. I had the great fortune of combining two of my favorite passions: art and nature.

The art was a plein air session with a wonderful watercolor teacher, Connie Adams. Connie helps me to loosen up, get bold and better understand the movement of paint and water. She is positive, a great teacher and alot of fun to work with.

The nature part of the day was sublime. I do not remember ever feeling as connected to nature as I did on this day. We were taken up into the Waikamoi Preserve with East Maui Watershed Partnership. Our lovely guide, Cat, was a fountain of knowledge. I was able to ask a lot of questions to identify plants and took notes as we hiked.

At one point, we all found our quiet zone to observe and experience the amazing native forests of Hawaii. I felt ancient, like I had gone back in time. Nothing else existed on this peaceful and sunny day in the forest of Old Hawaii. I heard and saw the Apapani bird flitting around in the Ohia trees with the forest floor covered in inches thick of brilliant colored moss. The only sounds were the buzzing of the insects and bird songs. This rich experience really brought home why so many folks dedicate themselves to protecting our forest preserves. I do understand this passion and want to do what I can to support these efforts.



The East Maui Watershed Partnership sponsors an art show every year, the "Malama Wao Akua " show. It hangs at the wonderful Viewpoints Gallery in Makawao. The theme and subject matter is "the protection of Maui County's native species and native habitats from ridge to reef and the efforts to protect them."

I am inspired and have been working on a piece for a few weeks now. A small group of artists were taken up into the Waikamoi Preserve for inspiration and to experience the forest. I feel very grateful and privileged to have participated in this day.

The native forests of Hawaii need our help and protection. Remember all the volunteer opportunities available to preserve our unique aina. Visitors to Hawaii will be able to go to places few can go in these environmental volunteer programs.

I hope to be able to go and paint in another special gem of Hawaii's flora and fauna this coming weekend.

Here's to finding your passion!!!, and making the most of it.........

Aloha for now,

Cherie

Maui Tahiti Fete '09

Aloha!

Heiva I Maui was even more fun that I thought it would be. I had a great time at the 12th Annual Tahaitian Dance and Drumming Competition held in Wailuku this past weekend. The dancers, adorable age 3 to elegant Kupuna over 50, were vibrant and very entertaining.

Costumes of the competitors were captivating and colorful with peacock feathers, flowers, and bright prints. The headress were over the top with the shredded Niu, coconut fibers crowning long and wild flowing hair.

One of the dancers looked like she was standing under a waterfall with her headress fibers. I especailly enjoyed her beautful smile and ocean colors.

The beating drums and wild hip shaking certainly set the mood for good time. Tahitian dancers must be quite strong, the blur of hip shaking while raising and lowering is not something everyone can do. I imagine a fair amount of training is involved.

I don't know all the critera for judging, maybe how much you smiled and blushed? The male dancers do a lot of jumping and chest thumping, and they were pretty easy on the eyes. The solo competitors were rivetting, and I really enjoyed the music for the groups. It was exciting and uplifting. I'm going music hunting as soon as I get a chance.

Polynesian crafters were selling their wares outside the competition. Wooden drums, Tahitian black pearls, shell belts, coconut earings and beautiful Polynesian clothing enticed everyone to pull out their wallets. Unique quality crafts at excellent prices were certainly crowd pleasers at this event.

I had a great time, and I know I'll make it a point to come down to next year's Tahiti Fete.

We're moving towards the close of summer....seems to be flying by now. Here's to enjoying the last few weeks of soft summer season. Hope the weather is beautiful, wherever you are!

Aloha for now,
Cherie

Protea Flowers

Aloha,

Protea flowers are some of the wildest looking and longest lasting flowers grown in the islands. Today I want to share some photos and information about my favorite protea farmers from Anuhea Farms.

The woody stems and hardy blossoms of the Protea flower will also dry well for longer lasting arrangements. I sometimes use them in holiday wreaths. These are the flowers to bring or send home when you want to make a good impression.

The soil and weather conditions of upcountry Maui, much like their native habitat of South Africa, is ideal for growing crops of protea. Dry, windswept slopes of Mt.Haleakala, from Kula through Makawao to Olinda are dotted with the explosive pinks, oranges and yellows of these other-wordly flowers.

Bill and Judy Mertins have been farming proteas in Olinda on the slopes of Haleakala since 1993. Their farm is 15 acres, with over 30 varieties of protea. Judy runs a sweet little retail shop called Anuhea Flowers in Makawao. Their flowers are also available on line, they ship all over, and Hale Ho'okipa Inn site has a link for ordering flowers as well.

My favorite are the bright pink Minks, called Duchess, talk about a sexy flower!! I also like the Maui Gold of the Pincushion variety. Their color is so vibrant, they really brighten up an arrangement...and look great standing alone. These are the King variety, the largest blossom.

Aunhea Farms has offered a farm tour in the past, including a historical presentation by Dorothy Pyle, professor of history at MCC. Dorothy is a treasure trove of local historical information. They are prepared to offer a tour if a group of 12 or more are interested with advance notice. It's a great tour.

Many wonderful books are available on the flowers of Hawaii. Proteas in Hawaii by Paul Wood and Ron Dahlquist is an amazing photo journal and story of these colorful wonders. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in botanicals.

It's evident I love promoting our local farmers, merchants, authors and artists... Maui produces the "cream of the crop" and Anuhea Farms is another fine example of "All Things Maui"!

So, brighten up your day, several actually, with some protea from the sunny slopes of Maui.


Aloha for now...the trade winds are blowing today, keeping it fresh!

Cherie

Volunteer on Vacation while in Hawaii

Aloha Folks,

Today my new web site was launched, and I am excited to share it with everyone. Volunteer-on-vacation-hawaii.com is part of my latest effort in preservation of our special environment here in Hawaii.

After meeting great visitors out on the trail or up in the mountains, I was inspired to create this new site with added incentive on booking accommodations at Hale Ho'okipa Inn for those who volunteer (get a 5% discount on your stay, with another 5% donated to the organization for which you volunteer) This new site will continue to grow. Right now, the focus is mainly environmental restoration and preservation through eradication of invasive species and replanting the native forest and coastal dunes.

The last service day I had was with the Maui Coastal Land Trust. We gathered Naupaka seeds from the native Naupaka plant. This shrub grows in the mountains and by the ocean. There are several species of this plant, the most remarkable thing is the flower appears to be torn in half, with petals missing.

There are a few legends that are spurned by this half flower...with the theme being two lovers who cannot be together, resulting in one living in the mountains, and the other by the ocean...hence the half flower.

The seeds when ripe are white and round. When we picked them,, we had to squeeze the seed out of the pulpy white outer layer. Mehana, my granddaughter and I , ended up picking a couple of hundred seeds. Nice to know these are now growing into new plants.

It's a little bit sticky to pick the seeds, my grandson Aukai was not too impressed with this job. He really perked up when it was time to plant the Naupaka plants in the afternoon. He liked digging the holes with the shovel. I had to protect the plants so they would not end up chopped in half by his enthusiatic shovel swinging.

The Diaz family, 7 of them from Texas ,also worked with us. Their 13 year old, John, enjoyed the experience with his family. They were a fun group, and it was great to pick and plant along side this family on the wonderful Maui Coastal Land Trust sand dunes.

This area is some of the only sand dunes remaining on Maui. A small inland pond in the ancient fish pond , is where the Hawaiian Stilt birds nest .

Please visit the new site. Anyone interested in sponsorship of the site to help , please contact me. I am happy to add your link to the site.

Volunteering on vacation, or in your home area, is a great way to meet great folks, share your skills and learn new ones, and feel good about your efforts.

Dig in, help out, lend a hand. You'll be glad you did.

Much Aloha and Mahalo to all who make a difference!!!

Cherie

Kuka' emoku... Iao Valley

Aloha, One of my favorite places to visit, especially when my grandchildren are with me, is the spectacular and spiritual Iao valley. We enjoy bathing in the cold river and listening to the sound of the rushing water. Today we ate our sushi on the river bank, happy to cool down on this sticky hot Kona weather day. Iao is considered very sacred because remains of high chiefs are buried in secret hiding places in the valley. Much of the valley is a Hawaii State Park, and protected. I am only Hawaiian at heart, my bloodline is not tied to this land. Maybe because I spend so much time in nature, I do feel very respectful of the areas that I visit. At times I have asked the waters of this river to wash my cares to the ocean. I always come away feeling refreshed , clean, and grateful. The Iao Needle, 2,250 feet high, was created by erosion. Looking towards the north shore, the Needle, often shrouded in clouds, was considered the phallic stone of Kanaloa, the Hawaiian god of the ocean. The word Iao refers to "cloud supreme" for the constant bank of clouds that covers the peaks of the mountains spilling into the valley. It is rare to see the spectacular West Maui mountains without clouds. I am ever thankful for the lush beauty and bounty of this land. May you all have a special place in nature where your balance is restored. Much Aloha, Cherie

Bottlenose Dolphins

Aloha,

Today's post features the Bottlenose Dolphins that some friends recently encountered while out snorkeling.

These playful creatures are intelligent and known for their friendly dispostion and agility. In one of the photos, the dolphin is "catching" a floating leaf on it's fin, and also swimming with the leaf on its nose.

My friends were dropping the leaves for them to play with. They did not approach or follow this pod as people are not supposed to get close to the dolphins, as tempting as it may be.


They live in social groups called pods. A pod can vary in size, 5 to 100 dolphins in the group. Dolphins communicate through a complicated series of squeaks and whistles.

The dolphins enjoy bow-swimming with boats, playing in the wake and waves. I have seen them many times racing around along side the boat and trying to keep in front of it as well. It's a wonderful site, these playful creatures diving and leaping along side the boat.

The dolphins can swim up to 18 miles per hour. Their size is up to 10 feet in length and weight is approx. 1,100 #. The Bottlenose Dolphin's life span is 45-50 years.

They eat small fish and squid, and sometimes follow fishing boats looking for leftovers. The dolphin's greatest danger is getting entangled in fishing nets and gear, and boating traffic.

Many programs and organizations work tirelessly to protect these wonderful creatures. The Pacific Whale Foundation is one great organization that promotes awareness of the ocean's creatures through education.

Enjoy the photos, I sure did!

Aloha for now,
Cherie

July 4, 2009, Makawao, Maui, Hawaii

Aloha ...

The 4th of July parade was as colorful as ever this year. People go all out, and everyone loves it.

Politicians unveil their aspirations for the upcoming terms, the Peace marchers and Samba bands are in full force, the big rig truckers blow out everybody's eardrums with their air horns, and, I even learned where I can whiten my teeth for $99.

I enjoyed the MISC float (Maui Invasive Species Committee) "Defending the Aina," with the big snake wrapped around the truck going after a native bird. These folks were making a point: we don't have snakes in Hawaii, and we all want to keep it that way.

The big longhorn bull was a huge hit! He was so calm strolling down the street. The hoots and hollers did not seem to bother him at all. I was a bit nervous, thoughts of the bulls throwing their riders sky high kept coming to my mind.

The Piiholo Ranch folks put some major effort into their parade horses... the horses were blue (!) with red skirted pa'u riders.

Wow.


They also put together a crazy float with a mini Zipline. The zipline is the latest craze for folks looking to fly through the tree tops. Check them out when you are making upcountry plans. I am waiting until my grandson is old enough to go with me.


My paniolo guests, Hui and Russ, are shown here. Russ is a saddle maker, check him out at Murray Saddle Shop. Hui is the colorful cowboy in the styling red boots and beautiful horse. He won an award in the parade for the coolest looking... I am sure they have a different title for it, though. They have been good fun to have around, I am learning a lot about cowboy stuff from them.

The parade always starts with the vintage cars. A young boy sitting next to me gave me a running commentary on the year, model and makes of these show stopping automobiles. He was impressive. I used to have a 56 Chevy pick up with wrap around windows that I really loved. There was a teal colored one in the parade that gave me a thrill.

Watching the crowd is almost as much fun. There was lots of laughter, shakas and jokes all around. I like this tradition... it's a good feeling to be a part of a great community.

Aloha for now....

Cherie

4th of July

Aloha Folks!

The 4th of July is almost here. Makawao is always the place to be on the 4th.

Our Hawaiian rodeo starts on Friday afternoon, and continues throughout the weekend.

I often have rodeo contestants stay at the b&b for this holiday. Paniolo come from off island and the mainland to test their skills and try their luck.

The greatest Hawaiian-style parade, you have ever had the pleasure of seeing, starts Sat morning at 9 a.m. Parade festivities being with a stick-horse race up Baldwin Ave, for the keiki.

Seeing the horses with their beautiful lei and braided manes and tails prancing down the street is a highlight!

The regal pa'u riders are always my favorite. Women of Old Hawaii preferred riding their mounts astride rather than side saddle. They wore long skirts (pa'u), crowned with beautiful flowers.

Everybody enjoys seeing these striking women ride into town.

Another big crowd-pleaser is the Maui Isle Pipe Band. The soulful bagpipes can be heard from a few blocks away, and I always look forward to them.

The strong Celtic-Hawaiian connection is evident in the handsome kilted bagpipers.

I can do without all the smiley waving politicians riding in convertibles, however. They do as much for me as the smelly and loud semi trucks that dominate the end of the parade.

When they show up, I start the walk home.

All in all, the 4th is a good time, and I am looking forward to it. So, come on upcountry and have yourself a great weekend.

I am posting a few nice photos of previous parades. Enjoy.

Be sure to stop into the Viewpoints Gallery in Makawao to see all the amazing art from "Painting a Volcano from Crater to Coast." The show opens on the 4th of July after the Makawao "Quick Draw."

Aloha...see you upcountry!

Cherie

Maui Film Festival

Aloha,

All year we look forward to the Maui Film Festival. It's five nights of quality entertainment Maui style. It is in full swing right now. If you are on island, do yourself a favor and get out to the movies. June is a nice time to visit for next year, and the bonus to your trip, would be the Maui Film Festival.

Going to the outdoor Celestial Cinema in Wailea is really a treat. It's wonderful to sit under the stars on a balmy Maui evening with good friends, experiencing great cinema.

The smaller McCoy theater at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center usually features documentary short films. Independent film makers are showcased and really shine at this venue. Many films are followed by a question-and-answer forum.

Last night I saw one of the very best films I have ever seen. I thought about it often today. Departures won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. This delightful and moving film is a journey into Japan's cultural heritage. The film offered laugh-out-loud humor, haunting music, beautiful landscape, and life cloaked in dignity with a profound reverence. I laughed, cried and will always remember Departures. I wanted to do my part in spreading the word about this great film, and the Maui Film Festival.

Aloha, see ya at the movies!!

Cherie