Aloha all,
I hope some day this blog will help Sandra and me remembering our life when we are old and senile. In that case, I want leave proof that we were not complete nomads: We actually do have a home...and it's a very special place! So here is a summary of our winter at home on still magical Maui:
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Home, Sweet Home, Kahana Villa
seen from the ocean |
Sandra went back to work at the Maui Brewing Company. She enjoys that place so much that she does not even mind that they interpret her offer to work “up to 3 or 4 days” to mean “up to 5 days of double shifts when needed”. I am equally surprised how much I enjoy my job as Uber driver and sometimes wish I could do it more. I get such a kick out of the variety of people I get to drive around the island. I assume the fact that we are gone so long every year has something to do with our enthusiastic work attitude.
Twice this winter we had friends from Germany visit us: In January, Achim came with his nephews and in April Sandra’s hanai sister Claudia came with her husband Jan. They are the ones whose wedding we crashed in Germany three years ago. Apparently, they have forgiven us. It’s always good to have visitors to remind us how lucky we are to live here.
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| Sunset in Lahaina with Achim, Lucas & Marco |
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| At the summit of Haleakala with Claudi & Jan |
We also had some friends who have moved off island come home for a visit. To celebrate Nick & Katie’s visit (and Joe & Becca’s departure!), we had a little Goaltimate frisbee tournament. For Greg’s, Ovick’s & Karine’s homecoming and Matt, Laura & Laura's visit, the old tradition of post-golf Happy Hour at Rich & Missy was revived. Good Times! It’s good to see that we don’t lose friends just because they move away.
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| Goaltimate tournament for Joe & Nick |
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| Truly Happy Hours at Rich & Missy |
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| Golf can't ruin a fun day with friends |
I also got to play in my very first pickle ball tournament. The mixed doubles with Dao were particularly fun. It’s so much more fun winning a tournament after losing the first three matches in a row. The pickle ball tournament was almost as fun as ultimate tournaments. Obviously not quite as much fun, because it’s missing the wild parties, the impromptu dance breaks and the occasional naked point.
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| My very first pickle ball tournament |
We were lucky to snag reservations for the cabins at Waianapanapa twice: Once with Ute, Jill and Bern and once with Claudia & Jan. As much as the rest of Maui has changed over the past 28 years, it’s nice to see that Hana looks pretty much the same as we have always known it. I mean, how do you improve on this:
Waianapanapa with Claudi & Jan
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| Breadfruit at Kahanu Garden in Hana |
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| Keanae Peninsula |
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| Red Sand Beach with Ute & Bern |
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| Have you ever seen Oheo Gulch like this? |
The Tuesday Night tradition continues. It’s in the same location, but otherwise very much changed. Jill & Bern do a great job being as welcoming as Bunt & Ann have always been. Turns out, you don’t need a house for friends to get together. Tuesday Nights are now a gathering of former and hopefully future Lahaina residents, building community and building their homes back…whenever the County of Maui gets out of the way.
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| Tuesday Nights on Front Street live on! |
I'm not gonna write about every tennis match, Vitticulture game or luncheon we had, but here are some more random highlights of our time on Maui:
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Jackson's Chameleon spotted by Jill
on a round of disc golf upcountry |
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Sandra with Barbara
on a snorkel trip |
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| Dolphins on the same trip |
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| Finally made it up Waihee Ridge trail again |
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Not a highlight, but luckily Sandra's very first
hospital visit turned out harmless |
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Welcome Home, Mindy!
See you in a few months! |
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At the Culinary School's 'Class Act': Best meal
...until we make it back to Les Alpages |
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| National TV premiere for our friend Ute |
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| Dao's 80's themed pickle ball birthday party |
As much as we are looking forward to seeing our friends & family in Germany and getting back on the road with Joy, we feel our time at home was too short this year. What a luxury first world problem to have: If you spend two month in Europe and three months on the road , there is not enough time left to enjoy your home on Maui...
We almost feel guilty enjoying our life so much while the America we know and love is being dismantled by a selfish, authoritarian madman. Maybe it’s good we became US citizens, so we don’t have to worry so much about being allowed to come back from Europe. And maybe it’s good we kept our German citizenship, so we can flee if he gets elected a third time.
And that’s the news from Lake Maui, where all of the island is beautiful, all our friends are good looking and the time flies by faster than average.
Aloha,
Chris & Sandra
