2/4/2010 -- Maui, Hawaii

Great day of kiting. Not too far from everyone's mind on the beach was Stephen Howard Schafer.

Sad, Scary Stuff

2/03/2010 -- Kitebeach, Maui

Kitebeach experienced a very northerly, smooth, light wind today. The lack of east in it meant an easy launch, no gusts and one could keep a kite stationed at noon standing on the beach without getting rocketed like Superman into the surrounding trees.

Also, the northerly direction meant riding parallel to shore which makes for interesting wave riding. At one point, heading back towards Pro Beach, a large man kiting behind me caught my eye. He was the kind of guy that looks very amicable on most occasions. The kind of guy that enjoys an alcoholic beverage or three, while watching Sunday football. I instantly pictured him yelling at a TV while men fight over a ball; the hint of a beer gut and a rounder face being the key factors for this decision. Except in this instance he looked extremely concerned, I think he was holding his breath, as he teetered seesaw style on top of a wave. A wave he was going to descend in a matter of seconds. I knew that looked. Having worn it many times in my life, the look of please let me make it down this wave without crashing my kite on the person in front of me. In this instance though, I was the one in front. Holy crap I thought to myself, please hold on dude. I kept pushing forward. Five-seconds later, I heard the undeniable smack of a kite crashing in the Pacific Ocean. A quick peak over my shoulder verified what I already knew. He was down. Turning around, I cut upwind and away from him.I know exactly how untrustworthy those newbies are.

2/3/2010 -- Maui, HI

I have been working on my video skills. Not great but there is progress.

2/2/201 - Maui, HI

Light Frustration

A few days ago, standing in the parking lot at Kitebeach a loud voice broke through the constant, internal, yacking of my own mind. I quickly registered the voice sounded hyper, masculine and unhappy. Shaking loose from my own thoughts, I identified 5 words, "I woke up this morning". Looking around, I located the origin of the conversation, a young, lanky 20 something. He was talking excitedly to another guy. Girlfriend troubles I thought eagerly to myself. This should be good. I find 20ish male attitudes about dating and women highly entertaining. Who am I kidding, I have met 50-year old men with humorous viewpoints. Most of them are single of course. He had my full attention. Listening closely, I realized he woke up this morning eager to kite and boom, it was a light wind day. "Wind? But what about the girl? Wind? ?? Huh?Really???" I thought incredulously. Especially since there was wind. Light wind.... My favorite. Walking towards his car, he yelled over his shoulder to the guy now standing about 20-feet away, "I hate Maui sometimes". He jumped in his car, rapidly backed out of his parking space and floored it to the road, sending a shower of pebbles and red dirt flying in the air.

Every time I remember the incident I laugh. I guess because he yelled out in the parking lot what I sometimes scream in the confines of my head. "Wind, Maui damn you." Interesting, but I would have preferred relationship drama.

1/31/2010 -- Maui, HI

After showing our Va. friends around the past few days, John and I discussed the difference between meeting people on Maui and the people in Va. (Va. friends on the left.)

In my experiences, I have found the people on Maui easy to meet, transient, warm and creative. Due to this interesting mix, most have fun stories from the adventures they have pursued.. It is a double-edged sword. They come here, know no one and they are eager to meet others. Unfortunately, just as you hope you are making a cool, new friend, they leave the island. For example, three times this month we hit a yard sale held by a young couple moving back to Washington State after 7-years on island. She is going to study glass blowing. Within three visits, I am perfectly comfortable chatting with them and I regret that a potential friendship is ending so soon. She is hilarious. Petite with wild, curly, light blond hair escaping from a knit hippie hat, she is chatty and animated. Yesterday, she described catching the large toads on Maui, bring them in her house for observation and then returning them to the great outdoors called her backyard. A backyard complete with an in-ground sprinkler system that the toads love. Today, she discussed her senile neighbor that likes to raid her recycling bin. "I live with 2 alcoholic roommates" the future glass blower proclaimed, "so there is plenty to be found in the bin."

1/29/2010 --600 Maui, Hawaii

We had some friends from Richmond in town, so we decided to show them around. Scooter style.

Gunning our mopeds, we spun around curve after curve. Water, sheer cliffs, green vegetation and red clay embankments met our eyes. The wind whipped through my hair. Born to be wild was playing in my head. We were wild. We were free.

Well, maybe the wind whipped over my helmet. Or, I should say, my large visor and then my helmet. And maybe there were times I wondered if my little machine would make it up the hill, but it was still darn fun.

It felt wonderful showing our friends this wonderful coast. What living here part of the year allows one to do. Show others the ropes. We were in the know.

As it turned out, karma quickly came back to us. They included us in a bonfire outing that evening. I have never experienced a bonfire on Maui. It was something completely new and an unexpected treat.

My honey hanging out. Literally.

I had grandiose ideas about showing them parts of the island and it never occurred to me they would do the same for us.

If you are going to have a bonfire,

1/28/2010 -- Kihei, Maui

It was windy on both sides of the island. It was the Maui trades which blow northeast. After wrapping around the island it tends to be gusty in Kihei.

1/28/2009 Read in Maui, Hawaii

I have a new love right now. It is "The Happy Isles of Oceania". Based in the Pacific Ocean, Paul Theroux island hops, soaking up the local atmosphere as he goes. While I am only a third into it, I can say this is an extremely good book. I can't decide what I find more fascinating. The Yam Festival in the Trobriands, basically a two-month orgy or natives on the island of Kaileuna rarely living past their forties, despite their very healthy diets, due to bacterial infections.

1/26/2010 -- Kihei, Maui

Kona Wind

Not much to say, just loved the sweet, sweet, SWEET Kona wind.

I am on the blue kite. John is riding the red and white one.

I got it.

Before we headed out.... Pumping up the kites.

Mike thought it was great that I was doing all the pumping.