Kona Pipeline Coffee Porter

Hello to a new very favorite thing: Kona Pipeline Coffee Porter. This beer will be one of the enduring memories of our trip to Molokai. It was (happily) available in just about every store on the island, and Jay and I singlehandedly supported the Hawaiian economy for a week by drinking as much as possible. Jay has since found that the bottles are actually produced somewhere in Portland since there are no bottling facilities in the islands, and I have asked our beerman in Battle Ground to order us 2 cases of the limited release stuff (which we should be able to pick up tonight).

Coffee. Porter. Together. I'm thinking it's the perfect Hawaiian definition of multi-tasking.

Molokai - Day Four (Monday)

Col: Mags made it until about 5:30 in the morning, so not so bad. She is now watching Looney Tunes - and although it's mindless entertainment - it is giving me a chance to read on the deck and watch the sun rise over Maui. I just came in for another cup of coffee and she said, "Mama, do you know who I'm going to marry today? Bugs Bunny. Or Prince Eric." Bugs has reached the upper echelon.




Drove to Big Wind Kite Factory on the west end in Maunaloa. I had read in a Wondertime magazine a long time ago that this store was one of THE BEST factory tours you could take kids on. When we got to "town," it was pretty much deserted - like there should have been little Hawaiian sagebrush rolling down the street. But, we found the kite store and its adjoining gift shop open. There was a woman in the gift shop who told us to let her know if we needed help, and a man wandering around. There were no free kite flying lessons. There was no tour of any kind of kite factory. There were some really cool kites, though, and we bought a pink one with a yellow gecko.






Then we drove to the "third biggest beach in all of Hawaii!" - and the most deserted: Papohaku Beach. Although you are supposed to be able to go there and see "not another footprint!" we did see a few other people, but along the nearly three mile stretch, the density of people was truly sparse.







You can't actually SWIM at this beach because the military at some point buried all their spare barbed wire and other sharp nasties right off shore - and it's a little rocky/dicey in the surf, but there are some nice shells and the sand is beautiful. (Not planning to swim, we didn't have suits, but of course both girls ended up wet. I was able to fashion Mags a pink dress from a sarong we had with us. When we got into town to buy some supplies a few friendly people remarked on how pretty she looked. She just buried herself in my leg and let out a wimper like an abused puppy. We walked the streets of Kaunakakai practicing this drill: "When someone says you look nice, you need to say 'thank you.' Let's try: Maggie, you look very pretty today." "NO I DON'T!!" We then tried to convince her that "Mahalo" meant "No I don't!" in Hawaiian, but she didn't buy it. We're still working on this particular issue.





SCORE one for the parents. It took us a few days, but we have figured out how to have a conversation and relax while the kids are awake. Step 1: Open chilled beverage of choice. Step 2: Dress kids in swimsuits. Step 3: Take chairs to fishpond. Step 4: Instruct kids to "go play." Step 5: Sit. Drink. Relax. Observe children having fun.

Two Little Monkeys

...jumpin' on the bed. One fell off and bumped her head. Mama called the doctor and the doctor said, "NO MORE MONKEYS JUMPING ON THE BED!!" Got that, Ellie?

She's fine. Just a big black and blue bump on her noggin'...

One Mama's Thoughts

Dear Mags and Ellie,

I wanted to write a little entry here because I think (along with lots and lots and lots of other people in this country and around the world) that something monumentally important happened last night. We elected a new president named Barack Obama. (Mags, I know you already know how to say his name, but we really still need to work on the fact that he is going to be the President. He is not, as you keep saying, going to be Pregnant.)

Now, we don't talk much at all about politics in our house because you are from "a house divided" as far as much of that stuff goes, and Papa and I tend to vote for different people. We love each other dearly, and I totally respect that your papa has alot of information and knowledge about tons of stuff that I don't take the time to read thoroughly or internalize completely. BUT, I will tell you that I feel really good about having voted for this man. He will be the first African American president, and that is really saying something. With his election, lots of people who have felt like their voices haven't been heard and who believed that their possibilities in life were limited have been given reason to believe that perhaps they, too, CAN achieve their dreams. And, as a mom, it brings a tear to my eye when I realize that you will grow up in a world where it will be a matter of fact that a black person can be elected to the highest office in the land. To paraphrase something he said in his big speech in Chicago last night - "We are the UNITED States of America" - red, blue, black, white, gay, straight, city, country... UNITED. And, for the first time in a long time, it felt really good deep down inside me to be a part of that. I felt proud - and excited.

The other thing I'm feeling is HOPE. Hope for the future. Our country's in a bit of a bad way now (to put it mildly), and Barack Obama will have a job to do that I don't envy even a little bit. I don't know how he'll go about it or how successful he'll be, but I know this: MILLIONS of people are feeling that same hope. People are engaged. People are talking. People care. And, people want things to be better. I believe that with that much of a positive force behind him - and with so much of the world willing him to succeed - Barack Obama will be able not only to do great things, but also to inspire others among us to dream big, work hard and maintain a persistent belief in our ability to make a better world.

I don't think I've ever before invoked God on this blog, but I feel like saying "God Bless America," and I think I might just say a prayer for our president-elect's good judgement, wise counsel and personal fortitude.

Love, Mama

Molokai - Day Three (Sunday)

Col: Drove to the end of the Halawa Road (I think I read somewhere that Halawa means curvy) today and found a nearly deserted black sand beach. Aside from being a little worried about the security of our car - especially when Ellie was asleep in it for a while - and when Mags and Jay had gone off swimming at an adjacent beach and left Ellie and I stranded on the beach watching a group of large Hawaiians surrounding our car as they drank soda and made merry - it was awesome. Jay and Mags went in the water for long enough to cause Mags to crash at about 6:30 at night before dinner. I introduced Ellie to the fine art of shell collecting - lots of limpits, some cowries - even a small olive shell - and a multicolored lobster shell.

When we got back, naps were a trouble again, so eventually we all went in the water out back in the fish pond (yes, those pictures below are really from our "back yard" beach). It was seriously like a bathtub - warm water and no surf, although a little tough on the feet with all the coral. Really glad to get Ellie in the water. Mags has some sort of cold sore or something on her tongue which occupies her mind whenever nothing more interesting does - mostly when we're just riding in the car. It does not make for pleasant conversation - "Maamaaa, my tongue hurts...." That Halawa Road was freaky.

I have been up alone for over an hour and a half - and it is just 9 PM. We've now finished 3 days of cooking completely for ourselves - tonight was a nice piece of beef and some lemon garlic shrimp and baked potatoes - but not for Mags. I wonder what time she will wake up crying from hunger. I'd best get to bed.

Molokai - Day Two

Col: A rainy start to the day meant heading to town early for the farmer's market (the take: 3 papayas - I think - green onions, unripe tomatoes, "apple bananas", a truly unidentifiable green thing that is supposed to break apart and be sweet, 2 loaves of bread from the famous 10:30 PM bread run bakery - since we will never be up that late, and two free stuffed animals that Ellie selected from a basketful a kind lady had put out on the street.)



Still rainy on this end of the island when we got back so we read a bit and - alas - put on a movie.



The kids were tired and Jay took Ellie into the kids' room to nap at about noon. It's now nearly 3, and I have finally won the battle of wills with Maggie (see the photo of her sleeping feet in the bedroom). I wonder how long her nap will last being that it was three hours in the making? Regardless, getting naptime to work properly (or even improperly) is key to this vacation working well. It's the only way we'll be able to get the girls on island time, and I personally do not want to spend the next 8 days getting up at 4:45 AM.


One more thing on that - we got the kids to sleep all right last night, but I am a parent in a state of constant unease. While our proximity to the crashing surf is lulling Jay to sleep like a baby, to me it is nothing other than a potential siren song calling our babies outside to the sea. We have no way to lock the front door so the kids can't escape. Mags does not like the sound of the surf, and Ellie doesn't like the water, but both are fascinated by the new surroundings (a road is about 10 feet outside the front door in the opposite direction). Last night, I finally piled suitcases across the hallway in the hopes that if anyone wanted out, we'd hear them trying to break through. So, basically, I haven't gotten any good sleep since I must maintain my role as sentry. Jay says I'm like a CIA agent who can hear the sound of a pin dropping from 30 feet away.

Ellie and Cinderella

When I was uploading photos into the "Molokai - Day One" post, I took another look at this video and decided it was worth the pain in the ass of putting the video on YouTube and embedding it. This child cracks me up every single day, and I need to share. I love how she oh-so-carefully puts her hands in the correct position when she grabs Cinderella.