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| Monday, 21-Jul-2003 00:00 |
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Maui: Eating 'Oama
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T batters the 'oama with Bisquick.
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'Oama sashimi, down J's hatch with some beer. Just kidding.
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While the 'oama fry, you gather 'round the 'puter
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First, you catch 'em. Then you eat 'em.
Dear Dean, Lei, and Carissa,
One day of being jet-lagged zombies, and we're up and about, back with the living with such sweet memories of this past weekend. Actually, it seems like a surreal dream. Those four days on Maui zipped by in a flash.
The Maui Gang did such a bang-up job of putting together a memorable and eventful family reunion. Was HOT in Kihei as to be expected, but the Kamaole Sands condos were pleasantly air-conditioned. Not like our "hanabata days" family reunions at the swelteringly hot Puako beachhouse and the stiflingly humid Kona Sunset motel. Back then, no fans, no a/c.
Thank you for ALL you did to make the reunion so successful. The `ohana made it back from the Big Island, O`ahu, San Francisco and LA to get back together again. With more aches and pains, perhaps, but basically everyone's healthy and the family keeps growing. More good times were had; more wonderful memories, created.
The Kula lavender field trip and shorefishing with you, Dean, were the super highlights of the trip. The warm sun on our faces. The blue, clear water. Ocean breezes. Sand between our toes. Seeing the fishes in the water. Gorgeous scenery: Kahakuloa in the distance, Wailuku and West Maui mountains as a backdrop, and Pai`a with its surfers off to the side.
Friendly island people scrunched together in a line in knee-deep water. Mellow dog on the beach. Talking story in hushed tones. The thrill and admiring "oohs and ahhs" at the sight of mamo, rock crab, baby flounder, papio, hinalea and `oama at the end of fishing lines.
Jes' hanging out with each other, just like our kid days in Kapoho. Except way mo' nice da beach. Get plenny sand! Not jus' lava rock. Blue skies, fleecy clouds; blue ocean, whitecaps outside the reef. Wide, open spaces. Miles of white sandy beaches. We can see why Maui is being loved to death. It is beautiful.
No rush. No fuss. Just pure and simple enjoyment. Bliss.
I can see that I am flowing into stream of consciousness writing. This is how I make pa`a (solid) my memories... Take a break. Read this in snatches.
Dean, mahalo for getting up so early, scouting then staking out the fishing site, gearing all of us with poles, lines and shrimp for bait, getting us "unstuck" from the rocks, teaching us the art and technique of `oama fishing (next time, we catch `em, too) and bringing that cooler full of ice-cold drinks.
Too, thank all of you for your Hawaiian hospitality. The shower in your fragrance-filled bathroom was refreshing. Kalika, your comfy bed in your starry bedroom for our little nap was perfect after a full morning of fishing, mid-day beer and tacos at Polli's and window-shopping in Makawao, which reminds me so much of our kid days in Pahoa.
And thank you for the deep-friend `oama as brok' da mout' pupu and the `ono steak dinner at your house. The `oama were as delicious as I remembered them all those many years ago. Actually, they were even better this time, since we washed them down with that premium beer. And ohhhh, dat tako poke...mm-mmm!
I especially enjoyed the tour of the tribute to the almighty `ulua (aka: giant trevally -- I took mental notes) all over your house -- and on Dean. The rows and rows of huge fishing trophies. The `ulua art work. The `ulua jewelry. The `ulua drapery. The `ulua magnets. And the `ulua decals, license plate and frame on Dean's car. The `ulua-themed clothes: tee-shirt and shorts! The `ulua albums filled with `ulua newspaper clippings and photos of you with your close to 100 `ulua catches. And that state-record barracuda on the wall -- AWEsome.
As few are so blessed to do, you are living the life you were born to live, Dean! And in Lei, you found the perfect and rare wife who is copacetic with your (stunningly) huge fishing passion. If that wasn't enough, she goes fishing with you and is quite the fisherwoman, herself. Life is good.
And your Japanese neko (cat) collection is something too, Lei! Who knew there was such a variety! Our favorite were the ones with the `ukulele. Also, we fell in love with your real animals, little Lani and precious Poppy. They are the sweetest and most lovable dogs. And those turtles -- cute! Some things never change. We remain a family of animal lovers.
The other highlight was all of us gathering around your dinner table afterward, browsing through those precious, time-faded pictures of our parents' youth, as well as our own. Swapping our Twilight Zone stories -- your friends' creepy and terrifying nightmarcher experience, as well as the spooky obake lady at the bottom of the ledge tugging on the fishing line, and those spinning bentos at Kaupo -- was hair-raisingly fun.
Just thinking of your spinning transistor radio at Kaupo gives me chiiicken skin. Dean, all I can say is you one brave buggah for going out there camping by yourself.
Too, the two UFO sightings by Dad and Joan, and years later, by Mom were intriguing and credible. Mom's farewell early morning visitation by her old flame, signaled by a thud downstairs, and my later sighting of him in the downstairs bedroom. Ojichan's reassuring visit with Joan at the Kalo Place condo. The night marchers that cousin Gary and his friends heard noisily running on the pebble-lined walk in circles around our beach house. Thank goodness, we were spared that experience ourselves during all those years there.
We are quite the unique family when it comes to our spate of "unexplainable, mysterious experiences." Poor Taro. No one in his family has ever seen a ghost or anything remotely paranormal. (I asked) Yup, he married into a bunch of weirdos. And so we are.
As for Kalika's visit, we would love to have her (and the rest of you, too) join us at Christmas break (instead of spring vacation). Maybe Mark will join us. Also, Alana, Samara, Jonathan and Sue will likely join us for the holiday and skiing too. Not to worry about clothes. We have lots of extra gear and clothes.
Spring break is a bit iffy, as we are contemplating spring in Florence if things work out with the new cabin building.
As for the reunion in San Francisco, Mom expressed her desire that it be in two years (2005), not three. And she does have a point. She'll be in her eighties and every year counts. So, I made sure I passed this on to Michael and Wendy, and they thought two years worked out better for them, as they are planning a family trip to Japan in 2006. They thought early to mid August, 2005 would be better, weather-wise.
Two years will fly by, just as it did since our last reunion in Vegas. In no time it will be here, and in the meantime, we'll have our terrific memories of Maui, 2003.
Again, thank you to the H's of Maui. You are no ka `oi!
Love,
D&T
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| Sunday, 20-Jul-2003 00:00 |
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Maui: 'Oama Fishing
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We find the beach. That's Kahakuloa in the distance.
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We hit the beach, hot on catching 'oama.
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Sandy and David get ready to seriously fish.
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Dean set up a Sunday day of fishing with his sisters and cousin Michael and his family from San Francisco.
We had flashbacks of our kid-time shore fishing in Kapoho. Maui sand is much kinder on the feet than Kapoho lava rock...
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| Saturday, 19-Jul-2003 00:00 |
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Maui: Kula Morning Tea, Lavender, BigDog & Hana, & Photo Session
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Joan had a great idea...
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morning tea up at a lavender farm...
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in her neck of the woods, Kula...
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I write about our beautiful lavender morning here: http://www.geocities.com/mauilavender/
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| Friday, 18-Jul-2003 00:00 |
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Maui: 'Ohana (Family) Reunion
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Reunion: 1974, 29 years ago!
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2003: 3 generations gathered at Kama'ole Sands, Kihei.
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Joan organized an unbelievable dinner!
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| Sunday, 13-Jul-2003 00:00 |
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Meeting MTT Weekend
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Ben, Clint, and Karen
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A Lei for Lovely Susan
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Class of '83: Ben, D, Clint
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| Wednesday, 2-Jul-2003 00:00 |
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26 Things: the photographic scavenger hunt: July 2003
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love - what/who I love (T, O, F)
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animal - wild, sea, small, rare (sea dragon)
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Food - (papayas --food of the gods)
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"26 Things is a fun photographic game - no winners list, no prizes handed out. On a given date, 26 items are posted on the website and participants set out to photograph each item in their own interpretation."
26 Things Site: http://sh1ft.org/26things/
Descriptions of the 26 items: http://www.sh1ft.org/26things/descriptions.html
This is a better-late-than-never posting.
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| Friday, 27-Jun-2003 00:00 |
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Graduation Party
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We went to a graduation party of one of T's students. What an outstanding student she is!
Her college years werepacked with activities and achievements. She was on two academic competitive teams, chaired many events, served as club president, completed an internship, "acquired great friendships with colleagues and wonderful relationships with (her) professors," did well with her studies and won $10,000 in scholarships, traveled with the club to Canada, Hawai'i, Japan, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Belize, as well as many states, and graduated with honors.
Young people like her keep us optomistic about the future.
This is what she wrote about her professor, T:
"You have always been a great instructor and friend. Thanks for your help with my senior project of the year. I look forward to having you as my advisor in graduate school."
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| Sunday, 15-Jun-2003 00:00 |
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Parents' Day, 2003 & Alana's Homecoming from Europe @ S&J's
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| Wednesday, 4-Jun-2003 00:00 |
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Read-Aloud and Hawaiian Culture Day at the local school
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Gylene's third grade class...
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listened attentively to the story...
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then joined in song.
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| Saturday, 24-May-2003 00:00 |
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The Brothers Cazimero
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Robert & Roland played their hits
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and completely captivated their audience.
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Leina`ala Heine, hula dancer extraordinaire & kumu hula, danced
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