Fruits of my labor.

Yahoo-it’s happening. In my on going quest for the perfect tomato, the seeds Giampaolo brought back from Italy are starting to germinate (I just love that word!).
And while this little fellow might not be the handsomest papaya of them all, he is mine! Breakfast of champions, along with a cuppa of course.

Beauty or beast?

These Kahili Ginger are actually native to India; they are stunning, large (note spify hand shot to prove my point!) & fragrant but it's actually an invasive species. I’m not sure (given its origins) why it has a Hawaiian name, perhaps because kahilis are the long ceremonial poles decorated with feathers and plumes used by Hawaiian royals. Anyway-this pest forms dense clumps in native forests, smothering young plants and preventing native seedlings from establishing. Bummer......

These are invading my garden right now and wild weed or not, I like’um!

I was sitting at work a few weeks ago watching this little chappy (or chapette) hanging out on the railing and just had to test the macro.....I still don't quite have it sussed. Note to self: Must go & butter up Uncle Ulli with a new copy of "Hello" & make him spill his secrets!

Catching?

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What can I say-there are burpers, farters, nose pickers, and a myriad of other bodily function categories, but we all have our specialty! Here’s a preview of mine.

Look what I saw!

I feel like beginning "Are you sitting comfortably,then I'll begin. Once upon a time......" anyway-here's my little story in pictures. Rush hour pau hana....so deceptively mellow.
All that traffic can cause a few close encounters....good job she's cute!
At the risk of stating the obvious, you've got to be good to surf here....but on a long board....bloody hell, nothing but respect.
I rest my case....here's GP going in on a small warm up wave for the double overhead beauty he caught a few sets later. To read his unique take on this close encounter go to http://mauisurfreport.blogspot.com/

Buddah makes an enlightened drop.....
A little artsy-fartsy visual for the non surf inclined (ugh Mum that's you)!
Dump: "to plunge, throw down, or throw out roughly, empty out as a heap or mass"....well that pretty much says it! This spot is powerful and it was a total treat to see it going off.

Tubular bells.

This young dude pulls a Mike Oldfield. Fuck me, it seems every one had a personal best day at dumps.....me included with this pici!

Bliss.

When you grow up in the industrial north of England, images like these are just dreams. I love the fact that after all these years I am still often mesmerized and genuinely enraptured by such moments. It's hard to say who's having the most fun.....it could even be me taking the photos! Bliss indeed.

Head case.....

When you’re last in and first out of the water there’s just way too much time to throw yourself under the bus for the laugh…..I rest my case with this little gem!

Feeling crabby?

Not half as much as this little chap! How about natures camoflage....it's what all the fashionable crustaceans are wearing this season, at least those that want to live.

Pau hana Thursday.

I believe this is day 2 of a nice big 10 day summer south swell. I had fun after work at 1000 peaks surfing the very inside ripple and catching the white water of the bigger sets. That's all my fear would let me handle! Once out of the water the light was beautiful and whilst patiently waiting for the sets, I snapped this pleasing shot.

Ull's takes the big banana walkabout on a neck high wave - dude - like it or not, you are a bona fide long boarder! Your wife was snapping all over the place on her fish....wish I had a photo of that, but not to worry, it's embossed in my memory as I was in her way a few times!

How knot to surf.

Beginner mistake #89: When borrowing a board always make sure you have a leash to go with it!
As Gemma & I were waxing our boards I realized my (still on land) kook maneuver……too late to go back & get one & too crap of a surfer to go without. So, I was really excited with my improvised strap-on leash! However, it only took one good take off to go from elation to deflation as I figured out why leashes are short, tubular & plastic! Good grief it was like surfing with the break on…shit…not so clever now missy! What the hell-it was too beautiful and fun to go in, so I made a big tangled mess and wadayaknow, it sort of worked!

Homework.

On a clear day.

I was pulled to take this pici on the way to work today, as prior to leaving I'd looked at the weather map and it was close to cloudless. http://radar.weather.gov/Conus/hawaii_loop.php The West Maui mountains aren't often this clean......I like it.

I'm a natural.....

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I posted this to remind myself I can stand up! Today I flailed around for 50 minutes and didn’t catch shit. However, whilst paddling around missing the peaks, I did conjugate some oddly appropriate verbs in Italian (I can, I must, I want)! I appreciated the view in the ocean and toward the mountains and had that moment for the gazionionth time that I can’t believe how good my life is. BTW-that wasn't me walking to the nose, just a little happy hip shake!

Catama-Kayak

Just 5 minutes down the road and in complete and utter contrast to the post below, history was in the making with the maiden voyage of the “catama-kayak”.

You can do anything with a nail gun and an overactive imagination! Between them, Simon, Tony, Ian & Danny downed a few beers and committed to their voyage. This bastard (I mean the Puamana Princess) weighed a ton and as they waded in, bets were still being taken on the beach…..

With little & large at the helm.....it became apparent (that while successful) a bailer on Simon’s side was overlooked in the design process!

Head high is a relative term.....

Prototype #2.....what the fuck....just shove another kayak in the middle, that oughta do it, and it did!
Cheap entertainment at it's best....

The sea of tranquility.

Canoe paddlers gone wild!

Just another Sunday at Launiopoko. This was a blast to watch-incredible canoe paddlers having fun and pulling off some ridiculous tricks that would blow your mind. It takes great water people to play in good sized surf and make such antics look easy.

1am ramblings....

Bloody hell-a blast from the past. I was reminded of this pici having just seen Danny (aka Asterix the Gaul) tonight. This was at a kick-ass Valentines party given by Jerry & Martina and the night before Danny's wedding! My-my young man, what big feet you've got......!

On another note-fuck me- another extremely fun night of dancing with the dynamic duo at Casagroovies. So much fun.........but I am going to be severely punished from my body for rolling in at 1am. Where's my youth......when I need him?!

This mornings random commute moments.

I saw two men sitting & laughing by a roadside memorial-it was tender irony.

A butterfly flew straight for my car and didn’t dodge my bonnet as it was supposed to. I didn’t see it flying away in my rear view mirror….

I experienced a slight pang of disappointment passing the sugar mill as a stack of sugar cane was not piled up on a palate. Randomly they appear and I had wanted them to be there this morning so I could snap a quick image.

Two dragon flies physically connected were flying together, dancing in tandem with the wind & that made me smile.

A minor thrill when “storycorp” came on NPR….it’s a Friday routine on my commute & I am never disappointed by the human experiences shared on the air. Today was no exception.

Playing with the big kids.

Oh boy do I ever know how Diego feels.....got your board & ready to go-but it's just too big. Can you say pouty?

It doesn't show it here, but Puamana was cranking yesterday. Michelle & Ulli make it look so easy. Reality check-it took me 35 minutes just to catch my first wave yesterday!!

Morning routine.

It’s an unusual day when I don’t wake up with a song in my head. This morning it was Diana Ross & the Supremes “Baby I need your loving-got-to have all your lovin”.

Skip to the shower scene. Me-belting it out at the top of my voice-definitely sounding the best I ever have-hitting the high notes perfectly 1-2-3-4 ‘Baby I need your lovin’-got to have all you’re lovin (repeat as I’ve inexplicably come in at the chorus) Baby I need your lovin’-got to have all you’re lovin' ooooooo ooooooo oooooo” my shower has fantastic acoustics and some how naked under the water I always sound absolutely fabulous!

Post shower, the song lingered until my internal juke box skipped to UB40“Breakfast in bed-do-be-do-kisses for me-dobedo-la-dah-dah-sei la vi”

Where the hell do these selections come from?

Priceless.

In an effort to restore his knee back to full health, the Italian came up with the above ingenious method. Take one soft handled evening bag, place a 3lb weight inside and hey presto-a home gym in front of the world cup. Effective-yes, attractive-sort of, time efficiency-excellent, cost-zero, humor value-priceless!

Italy V Germany

Fuck me - what a game.....
Ok-Ok this was a fake photo shoot at half time. Still it was a good warm up for the last 2 minutes of overtime, the only difference being the tears in Giampaolo's eyes! Just kidding (not really)...

Birthday boy.

Here's our birthday boy-Ulli-handsome bugger.

And here's Michelle's equally handsome boob with an interestingly placed stain....!
Sacré bleu! Frankie takes a stylish little tumble.
Ah yes, the birthday prezzie. Giampaolo & I made a blog for Ulli , which included making the address public for his friends and for those that weren't at the beach here it is! www.mynameisulli.blogspot.com Dude-you are such a good sport.

Does two make a crop?

Well, not exactly a bumper harvest, but at least one looks like a carrot!