"Did You Hear Any Rain Last Night?"

Apparently we all slept quite soundly through last night's rainstorm that caused all kinds of flooding in Kihei, and the middle-of-the-night evacuation of a condo complex to the south of us.

Didn't know anything was up until we went into Kihei this morning. Our normal route along S Kihei Rd was blocked by a Maui Police car and barricades. So we took the highway down to the Pi'ilani exit.

I dropped Jorge and Ally at the gym and was going to run a couple errands, but found the intersection flooded. So I parked the car and got out to take some pics. This section of the road was also blocked by police -- one blockade just at the McDonalds, and the other at the intersection by the church. The roadway was covered with water. The few cars that got through splashed up a lot of reddish-brown water. Saw a guy on a bike try to peddle through...he was going so slow that I don't know how he kept upright.

We went back to the condo and our usual routine of pool and tanning. We don't know why, but there were no kids at the pool today. Not a one. After-Christmas sales? It was nice. We had the pool to ourselves the entire time we were in it -- planted in our Old spot, of course.

The only bummer was the closure of the hot tub. We'd noticed that it was closed last night when we went down to the barbecues. One of the other barbecuers told us that the hot tub had been packed with people a bit earlier, and one of the maintenance guys came and took a water sample...then ordered everybody out and closed it down. Speculation is high that it's the result of all the little kids peeing in there. Not only was the hot tub closed, it had been drained. Sad face from Ally.

After lunch, we decided to walk south down the beach (we normally walk north) and see if there was any damage to the condos that had to be evacuated. Surprise - the beach was full of debris and so much of the sand had been eroded. Pretty grodey looking.

We even found a dead fish...about 6 inches long and colorful...that had gotten caught up in the debris and stranded high and dry. It's expression looked a bit like the "Dramatic Squirrel."

"Don't Forget the Junior Mints!"

Our Christmas Day continued at the movies. We did get tickets to see True Grit at the theater in Kihei. Once we got there, we remembered that we didn't like this theater a bit. Old-fashioned, flat floor with low-backed seats. Very uncomfortable low-backed seats.

Not many people in the theater, so we took seats on the aisle, in the middle. So with all of the empty seats in the theater, these three women decide to plomp down right in front of us.

Not only do they compromise our view, but they were annoying (read with an outrageous NY Jewish accent):

Woman #1: "I need money for CANDY!"
Woman #2: (handing her money) "Don't forget the Joon-yur Mints!"
Women #3: "...and the Snow Caps! And maybe a Nestle Crunch Bar."

So we moved back a row. Then just before the movie started, two people wandered in and picked the seats in front of us. Geez. And he was really tall. So we were up and moving again. This time we went further down front, and sat against the wall. Movie was good...an old-fashioned western.

We went back to the condo and decided to enjoy the Christmas Day sunset on the deck with a bottle of champagne...and some whale watching. Gramme insists the whales should be leaping and frolicking right off the beach. We watched for an hour, sipping our bubbly, no whales seen.

It was a really nice time, chilling on the deck with our champagne and wasabi peas, talking about Ally's upcoming graduation and and such.

Then it was time to head down to the barbecues and see if our second Azeka marinade recipe was legit. We were barbecuing pork and some Maui onions. Jorge threw them on the grill, and we settled in for some good conversation with others at the barbecues. It's always fun to see what others are making. We shared a grill with a guy from Calgary who was fixing three lobster tails (procured from Eskimo Candy). There was chicken, shish-ke-bobs, hamburger patties, sweat potato fries, zucchini, and shrimp.

Food done, it was back upstairs to add the sticky rice and plate everything up. It would have looked better on something other than a plain white plate. Wish I had thought to drizzle some sauce on the plate first.

But most importantly, the recipe was right on! This is the Azeka marinade! It was excellent on the pork, and we still have chicken marinading for another night. For those who want the recipe for the Most Excellent Azeka Marinade...here it is:

In a bowl, mix the following ingredients:
2 cups soy sauce (prefer the Aloha brand of sauce)
1.5 cups water
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 Tbsp sesame oil
4 to 6 inch piece of fresh ginger, minced
4 to 6 large cloves of fresh garlic, minced
4 cups dark brown sugar

Mix well in the bowl until sugar is dissolved. Place the meat (beef short ribs, chicken, pork, etc) in a large ziplock bag and pour in the marinade and seal. The recipe calls for marination for 4 days in the refigerator, mixing and shaking and bag twice a day. (We marinated for 24 hours, and it was fine).

Grill over medium heat. Don't cook too fast or the sugar in the marinade will burn. You want the sugar to give you nice toasty edges without the meat being too hammered. Enjoy!

Had a very pleasant dinner to end a very pleasant day in paradise.

Merry Christmas!

Nothing like walking the beach on Christmas morning! We had great weather for the walk, but we could see a big dark cloud brewing in the distance. Now, a couple hours later, that dark cloud is pretty much taking over the horizon. No rain yet...but it's coming.

Must be more people here, as all of the lounges were taken by the time we got there. of course, most were taken by kids who laid out their stuff and then disappeared into the pool. First time ever at Sugar Beach that we've not been able to get a lounge. :( So we just went into the pool and hung out, then went back to the condo. We'd gotten good sun on our walk, so no suntanning loss for Ally.

We're heading out to the movies. Hoping to see True Grit.

What? No Shepherds!

That's right. After the big build-up...no shepherds. No kids' pageant at church tonight. Ally thinks I sold her a bill of goods. There was a kids choir. They tried really hard, but... And as those things go, the kid with the worst voice had the loudest voice.

This picture is the altar after they lit the lights on the trees.

One other thing that has always bugged me about mass at Christmas and Easter. The church is packed. It's always packed. Yet people still show up 5 minutes before mass is to start and act shocked that there are no seats left. So they wander up and down the aisles...then try to jam themselves into a row that's already full of people who arrived early enough to get a seat. Hey, late comers -- stand in the back.

Came back to the condo where we dined on what we like to call "Mexican Teriyaki Fusion" cooking -- leftover teriyaki chicken re-cooked fajita style with onions and green pepper, tortillas, rice, beans. That does mark the last of the Great Chicken Barbecue from earlier this week.

Merry Christmas to all...and to all, a good night!

Sure Doesn't Feel Like Christmas Eve

Really nice, sunny day today...only a couple of puffy clouds in the sky for the sun to duck behind.

We actually got moving earlier than usual today. I dropped Jorge and Ally off at Powerhouse Gym in Kihei, then braved the crowds (and I mean crowds) at the nearby Safeway.

As you can see, store shelves were already getting a bit thin. This usually happens between Christmas and New Year's, when the regular food shipments take a "hang loose" approach to arriving. I grabbed the next-to-last jug of POG, and there wasn't a panettone in sight. Fortunately we still have one left, plus one that's squirreled away in the locked cabinet for Gramme.

I stocked up on things we'd been needing for the next couple of days because of weird holiday hours and such. We're going to try the second Azeka recipe, this time on pork. The second recipe uses dark brown sugar instead of white sugar. The recipe says the meat needs to marinate for four days. I think we'll give it about 24 hours.

We made it to the pool by 11am...not bad for us. More than half of the lounges were still available, which we like...but it's not typical for this time of year. Jorge and Ally decided their first stop was the hot tub. Their theory is to sit in the hot water, then they will be cold when they get out, and the less-warm pool water will feel great by comparison. Yeah.

Here is a trio of photos showing their hot tub action. In the first, they are employing the same trepidation and freaked-out looks that they have when they enter the swimming pool. Not sure what that's all about.

In the second, Ally realizes that I'm taking pictures...so she gives me that two-finger acknowledgment that really says "I love you, mom!" Or so she says.

Finally, they are all settled in for the duration. After the wussies got warmed up, it was time for all of us to hit the pool. There were several kids in the pool already, but we headed to our Old spot. While we were standing there, this 8-9 year oldish girl started swimming underwater and she swam right through the middle of us. Ally thought this was horrendously rude. She did this a couple more times, with Ally's indignation rising. Jorge said it was fine for the girl the swim through us, and added that as a young Peruvian he had swum through strangers' legs many times. "As long as she doesn't kick me in the nuts, it's fine," he said. Then thinking about what he'd just said, he added "maybe it's not so fine. Let's close up the circle."

We spent about 45 minutes doing nothing in the pool. (click on the photo of the pool to enlarge it, and you'll see our Old spot) I remarked how my mom and aunt had done the same standing around the in pool when I was a kid...but they usually stood by the edge of the pool instead of in the middle, as we were doing. Ally wondered why, and I said it was so they didn't get their hair wet by us kids being idiots and splashing. Did have to laugh when no sooner had we left the pool, two old ladies took over our Old spot.

Sunbathing was the usual...iPods, headphones, reading material. Ally's tan is coming along quite nicely, which is what she's all about when in Maui. She does help her darkness along by wearing white t-shirts.

In case anyone is wondering...no, we have not yet seen a whale. Jorge did walk briefly onto the deck, look right and left, and declared "no whales."

It's now the afternoon calm. Jorge is back to his beloved Kindle. Ally is on the sofa watching something on her computer. I'm blogging. Ally has promised to go to Xmas Eve mass with me tonight. We're going to the kids mass at 6pm. It's usually amusing, what with the kid's acting out the Christmas pageant in their little shepherd costumes and all. Then it's back to the condo for yet another variation of the leftover chicken -- this time fajitas.

Merry early Christmas, everyone!

Lots of Sun. Lots of Rain.

Decent day this morning...other than the hordes of kids at the pool. Funny how sunshine brings everyone out of the woodwork and down to the pool. I had to return to the SPF 50...got a little bright pink on the SPF 30. Ally seems to be doing fine with the SPF 8. Jorge, of course, uses nothing. I don't think you could burn him with a blow torch.

Interesting cast of characters at the pool. Ally was amused by a very fat baby. There was the skinny kid with Alfred E. Newman ears. The white dude too old to be wearing the Samuel L. Jackson-style hat. And our old friend the "Frasshole" was back for another big dive into the pool followed by a few laps. Once again he almost plowed into Jorge while we were bobbing in the Old spot...but at least this time he muttered "sorry, man".

We decided to combine a late lunch and early dinner at the Sports Page...a sports bar in Kihei...where they'd be showing the Thursday night NFL game. Of course, that game started at 3:30 Maui time.

Typical sports bar, though a bonus that it was a smoke-free bar. Lots of pennants and team memorabilia around; Ally laughed at the lack of any Pepperdine pennants. Place was full, so we shared a table with an old dude. We appeared to be the only people there not rabidly rooting for the Steelers.

Did I mention the place was full -- and there was only one waitress? It didn't bode well for fast service...but we didn't have anything else to do, so why not? The menu was fun - all of the dishes were named after athletes or sports teams. Had to laugh at the "Lance Armstrong" which was a French Dip sandwich. Also something kind of gay about the "Tom Brady" being tuna.

It took a while to get our order taken, but the food came surprisingly fast. Ally had the "LA Kings" - a barbecue pork sandwich; Jorge had the "NY Giants" - a burger with mushrooms; I stuck with the home team (even though they suck this year), the "Seattle Seahawks" - a burger with barbecue sauce. The chow was actually quite good. All-in-all, a pretty good time...even though the game didn't end up going the way we'd hoped (Ben Rothlesberger is a jerk).

As we were eating, people were coming in commenting on how much it was raining outside. Yep...it was pouring! It was a downpour even by Seattle standards. of course, we'd parked a block or so away because the bar parking lot had been small and full. Ally's gaze turned to Jorge...and comments were made about his having the least hair to get wet.

We waited around and caught a break in the storm -- scurrying to the car in a light rain. We made it just in time before the storm started dumping again. I shot a few picks as we were driving back to show how much water there was.

One last picture...just what would make Ally brave the downpour? This shot shows the southbound end of a northbound Ally heading quickly to the gelato store at Azeka Place. The only thing that would get her willingly out in the rain.

Sunset...by Jorge

Jorge shot this last night...and we've been trying since last night to get it to load to the blog without any luck. Enjoy!