I got laid on Maui....

Something doesn't look quite right about that title.

Hmmm. Maybe if I changed the "a" to "e" and it came out looking like this: I got leid on Maui. Whoops! There it is, that's the right spelling.

(Sorry, just couldn't resist that old tee shirt joke.)

"What a diff'rence an "a" makes,
Twenty-six little letters....."

(Do I owe my apology to Sarah Vaughn, or was it Ella who sang that song?)


So, when Bruce and Betsey met me at the Kahului airport Saturday afternoon, Betsey lei-d me in white tuberose and purple somethings. This was the real thing, not the plastic or fabric flower leis from the gift shop at the airport. These were heavy, succulent, intensely aromatic tropical flowers.



No, these are not my new Sarah Palin glasses. This is to show you my real lei.

I gladly turned over the hand-carry satchel containing nine pounds of frozen reindeer sausage to Bruce, and off we went to.............Costco. Maui Costco: pineapples $2.47 cents EACH! Not per pound. Each!

Other than the equine bonding workshop yesterday with the sleeping beauty Makane, below is where I've spent most of my hours the past two days, reading a trashy mystery novel, and soaking up some Vitamin D. That yellow file next to the Coke Zero? That's what I am supposed to be studying. It's full of printed lessons from The Pioneer Woman's blog--lessons on aperture, ISO and all that stuff that I want to know about my Nikon DSLR before I go into the crater. I haven't opened it yet.

And this is the timeshare condo where I'm staying in Kihei.

This afternoon I went for a walk along the road that hugs the coastline.

These egrets are shy about having their pictures taken. There's one here at the condo that disappears when I pull out my camera. This one was several blocks away, and also made for the bushes when I paused.

Oh, yeah, forgot this was here. This was a glass of light draft beer. $3.95. I swear it looked like a gallon. When I left the cafe, it was down only an inch.



This is why there wasn't much beer consumed. The three taco combo for $13.95, with fresh pico de gallo and fresh cilantro, and tender, tender soft flour tortillas. I ate the carne asada taco first, as it's my favorite. I made it halfway though the mahi-mahi and shredded cabbage taco, then picked out the last piece of fish and left the rest. I felt like I owed the pollo (chicken) taco a taste. It, too, was good, but by then I was so full, I needed to escape the presence of food. You can tell by the full basket of chips that I hadn't ruined my appetite with them.

I'd eaten a couple spoons of the frijoles negro and the ....is it arroz? I think it's arroz--rice. So, I pushed them around on the plate to make it look like I'd eaten more. The whole thing was very good, but heat and a full stomach don't mix well in me. Anyway, if you're ever in Kihei, go to Fred's for Mexican food.

And, I did NOT eat that huge green chili in the center of the plate. Or maybe it's a pepper, which tells you how much I know about peppers/chilis, other than I don't like them.

Before I give you today's sunset (surprise, you get two photos tonight), I need to leave a message for Ranger Ted.

Dear Ranger Ted,

I am sorry I ruined your joke last night. I had forgotten how I had worded my promise to you. A little later, when I was thinking about it, I realized I had promised to work my "tail off" in the crater if I could join the work party and go on the trip. Last night at Bruce and Betsey's, when you asked me if I'd brought my tail with me, I remembered the promise, not the wording. Sorry about the joke gone flat.

Nevertheless, I hereby renew my promise. I will work my tail off in the crater--all of it that the horse doesn't pound off me on the ten mile trip in. And, yes, I think the pillow on the saddle is a very good idea.

Thank you again for allowing me to go,

Gully

PS: I really don't think the three mango margaritas had anything at all to do with spoiling your clever joke. Not at all... Maybe it was the salt. I'd forgotten the doc said to back off on the salt.

And now for tonight's sunset....

And a little later....



Tomorrow I leave the hot coast and drive upland to Kula where it's cooler. (Yes, it's cooler in Kula, ...la dee dee, dee-dee.... There's a song for Arthur Godfrey in there somewhere.)

Kula, I'm told, is where the best sweet onions are grown, and they have to be grown above the lower Kula road. The others are called Maui onions. As with Kona coffee, it's all about elevation.


Coming soon: naked sugar, fresh from Maui.

Aloho for now.