Hide and Seek

Well, I just discovered where my little lizard friend is hiding during the day. 

It's 6:31 PM and still quite light out. For the sake of the blog, I am going to call it the "powder room" -- where there is a cabinet mounted on the wall. Now in the powder room, I just discovered my little gecko peeking out from behind the cabinet -- this is where he must be taking refuge during the daylight hours. He doesn't use utilities nor the water which I pay for... hmmm,I wonder how much should I charge him for rent?

Did You Know A Gecko Can Poop On A Vertical Surface?

Well, I didn't until this little fella took up residence in the vanity/sink area of the master bathroom (I turned the master bedroom into my office.)

He showed up about ten days ago and I am assuming, resides somewhere in the cabinets below the sink and bathroom countertop. He appears after dusk, and disappears around dawn. It must be an ideal environment for him, since I don't believe he'd hang around if it wasn't to his little lizard liking.

But... it wasn't until yesterday that I noticed small spots on the walls near the juncture of the wall and ceiling. I'm guessing (and I am not going to pursue closer inspection) that the marks are gecko poops. Trying to catch a gecko is nearly impossible as they are quite fast and will jump off of the wall or ceiling to scurry quickly away, but they will also drop their tails in their attempt for escape (if you don't believe me, ask Dana... we've some first hand experience with this.)

I guess I am just going to have to happily commune with nature, and learn to curb my gecko!

Promises, promises (I promise not to be such a stranger!!!)

Hello all!!

WOW! It's been a productive summer. 

I checked out my last post, dated 07/06 and I cannot believe 2 months have flown by. It's been a busy and productive summer!

My sister Dana was here for about 10 days the beginning of July, and my dear friend (and very talented artist/designer) Hoodie and her son Zento were here at the end of July. In between the two visits, I was still -- and continue -- to acclimate myself to my new home. By home I do not just mean house -- but my entire surroundings. Day by day, week by week, I discover more reasons I am so happy that I have made the move to Maui...

Anyway...

The day after Hoodie and Zento continued on with their trip to Japan, I jumped into hyperdrive with creativity. I have been continually sewing this, or glueing that, stripping, painting, drilling, screwing or nailing (oh my!) something.  I have been photo-documenting my projects and I'll share them with you in the coming weeks... but first yet another wonderful delight of having moved to this marvelous place.

My neighbors have a couple of papaya trees near their residence on the small strip of property between our houses. As the papayas ripen, naturally they are harvested... but just last week they were ripening faster than they could be consumed... at least by we humans.

Hopefully another post before the week is up!

The Sky Was on Fire

It seems belittling to say that sunsets are usually uneventful in Upcountry Maui since the days clear up so nicely and it's mostly bright and sunny. Last night was an exception though. The evening became cloudy, giving the setting sun a marvelous canvas to paint in the twilight sky.

This is the second such evening I have witnessed since I have been here and I look forward to many more of the beautifully rare occasions!

Later this week I'll post pics from the Makawao 4th of July Paniolo (Cowboy) Parade!

Getting caught up in life

So, I have finally settled into life on Maui - no more daily trips to Home Depot, K-Mart, Lowes and Costco to purchase stuff for the house -- that'll continue in time. Now it's searching out an art supply store, Office Max and Ben Franklin for work related supplies... I have gotten swayed by life and neglected to post anything in over a week. Here's something to tide you over...

This is a bloom on my Kaffir lime tree. The limes are apparently very sour (I'll let you know exactly how they are when Dana and I have our first vodka and tonic with a fresh lime) but the leaves are used in many Thai dishes and the reason I bought the tree. The lime flower has a very delicate fragrance and yes, the little green orb in the center of the flower will eventually become a lime!

This is a pink plumeria on the ground of my house... 

It was early in the morning and looking out the window over the bed I saw new shell ginger in bloom. I went outside to take a few photos and found this bee on one cluster of blooms. It apparently slept there all night (it's quite cool overnight) in a state of dormancy. When the sun hit the flowers he started to stir and when I went back about an hour later... he had flown away.

You can see why this is called shell ginger as it looks like a conch shell (the pointed portion is on top).

Paradise Found

My apologies for being a stranger. Time and getting the house ready for pending guests to arrive has kept me busy, not to mention I finally organized my office/studio and shall be starting the cre8ive process soon. I'll keep you advised of how my artistic sensibilities are affected by being here on Maui.

I went outside to the back (private) garden off of the office and my bedroom to get a breath of air (the winds have been BLOWING like nobody's business since yesterday) and I spotted a little visitor on the underside of the deck above. I ran to get my camera and he took cover, but couldn't elude the voyeuristic eye of my lens. I flipped the photo 90 degrees counter clockwise so it's easier to view. I only saw roaches and rats in NYC, the occasional wino and a cadaver being carted out of the building across the street (that's a whole other blog!) -- this is a true gift!

Welcome to Paradise

Maui is primarily supported by agriculture, mainly sugarcane. As I look down the slopes of Haleakala (the volcano) toward the sea, it is green with sugarcane fields. In the distance are the smoke stacks of the sugar refinery and all in all, it's really comforting that the economy of the island is based upon a very simplistic industry.

Yesterday I was downstairs in my office working at the computer (okay, I confess, I wasn't working but I am on a writing kick for my next book--a collection of short horror stories) when I realized there was this noise from outside. It was a crackling and hissing, and of considerable volume. I looked out the back of the house and my entire line of sight was a wall of billowing brownish and white smoke. Apparently the sugarcane industry implements the practice of burning crop residue after they are harvested.

Although it was a sight to see, once the fires were doused the air was a haze of smokey fog, and after, black cinders were sifting down in the breeze.