Day 10: My Second Friday

Holy wow, I've been an islander for TEN DAYS! It still seems a bit like a dream at this point. Speaking of dreams, and sleep, I must really sleep well on the pile of foam on the floor. I woke over an hour later than I have been today.

Plumeria blooms spell out a
welcome at Second Friday

Of course, I started my day with tea and checking in with The Hubby. He was already out and about on errands, and he needed my help tracking down a rabies certification for Ricky. We need to send the state of Hawaii nearly $1,100 in fees, none of which is refundable. I panicked a bit, worried that any missing medical information would lead to a rejection letter from Hawaii. Thankfully, a couple phone calls later, I scored copies of his medical records from before we acquired him and, more importantly, that all important original signed-in-ink rabies vaccination certification we were missing. I let The Hubby know so he could drive across town and pick it up while he was out.

As I was getting ready for my day, I pulled out a shirt I have not work in quite some time. It simply fit too snugly to be comfortable. Knowing that I would be walking and biking and getting all sorts of exercise, I expected to continue my weight loss on the island, so I brought the shirt with me. I held it up for a once over, and then slid it on. Surprise! It fit, which made me pretty happy. I still have weight I want to lose, but feedback of my efforts such as this give me motivation. It was a good start to the day.

I meant for today to be a casual day, but I needed to get some chores out of the way before I could relax completely. First on the agenda, of course, was the meeting with the notary. Not only did she notarize my closing paperwork for me, but she gave me 2 job leads as well - one at a vitamin store and one at an ocean rafting tour company.

After the notary, I drove straight to the Fedex drop in Office Max - I think I might have been referring to it as Office Depot in all my stories the past 10 days. Oops.

Next came the most important chore of the day, a stop at an apartment complex in Honokowai to check it out. Finding an apartment in Maui is pretty easy - there are tons of apartments, ohana, and condos for rent all over the island. Finding one of those that accepts 2 medium dogs, on the other hand, is proving to be a nightmare. I hope this one works out. The Hubby had to provide a bit of help for this application, but that's a story for another time.

Finally, I called Captain Gene to see if he booked a cruise for the evening. No cruise. I wouldn't be sailing tonight.

I mentioned before about the First Friday type events that happen on the island. There's one every week - First Friday, Second Friday, Third Friday, etc. This being Friday, and the second of the month, meant that Second Friday is tonight in Lahaina town. Of course, it's my second Friday on the island as well. How could I pass up this party?

Suspecting a food truck, I stopped at the bank on my way into town to replenish my funds. I looked forward to seeing all the galleries with their special showings, especially the gallery showing the work of Anthony Hopkins whom I just recently learned was an artist. I wanted to see what he paints. I always wanted to paint. My grandmother painted, but I never had the opportunity to really learn more from her. Maybe I will get to take some watercolor classes here on the island.

Besides the galleries, many places have live music scheduled, and there are bands scheduled for Campbell Park. It was going to be a great night.

Reaching town, as I neared Longhi's someone on the sidewalk invited me in. I discovered that at least a third of the dining area had been converted into a mini arts and crafts fair. I ogled quite a few things, talked story with some of the booth operators, and somehow resisted the urge to buy everything that appealed to me. I learned a lot about sea glass, soy wax, and a few other mediums that people had used to create their goods. I headed back out to the street after making note of the sea glass earrings, the painted starfish, the sea salt cooking rubs, and all the other things I would have snatched up if I were already receiving regular paychecks. Next month!

My next stop found me walking through the gallery displaying the Anthony Hopkins works. I thought they were very colorful and intriguing. Next door was a gallery displaying works by Christoper Egan. While talking story with the lady tending the gallery, she offered me a glass of wine. Of course, what other wine would fit an event like this than a Pineapple wine from Hawaii's only winery, Tedeschi's (which is lovated upcountry here on Maui, by the way).

While enjoying my wine, I started talking to a gentleman who turned out to be Chris Egan himself - very cool. I pointed out a photo that looked really familiar to me. He said that it was shot at Antelope Canyon, which I'd visited a few years ago when The Hubby took his Mom and me there one summer. Such a beautiful and enchanting place!

I continued along Front Street, stopping in each gallery, enchanted to find a lot of the artists present. Some of them were even painting as people watched.

Teriyaki Chicken plate lunch

Reaching Campbell Park, I located the food truck. This was my second event in town, and it was the second time I have been baffled by the method of payment expected. Scrips. There is a booth where you can convert your cash into Scrips, which you can then use as payment at places during the event. I had never heard of Scrips and wondered if there was some history there. I made mental note to check when I got home.

My plate lunch dinner, Teriyaki Chicken, tasted a hundred times better than the horrible kalua pork from yesterday!

After dinner, I visited the Banyan Tree Park. I love to see it at night with the lanterns lighting up the roots and the walkways underneath the canopy. As I made my way beneath the tree, an older Rastafarian gentleman greeted me with "Aloha" and then followed up with "Blessings, beautiful" and a kiss blown my way, all while playing a very large angelic harp. I tried to snap a photo but my phone simply couldn't handle the subtle lighting of the lanterns. The Hubby will get a photo of him, I'm sure, when he gets here.

On the other side of the park, I found a collection of Plumeria flowers laid on on the ground to spell ALOHA.

Wyland painting a new piece
in his gallery on Front St

Next, I made my way back down Front St. I passed Captain Jack's where I could hear a live jazz band playing on the deck. I glanced in the Wyland gallery and suddenly realized that Wyland was sitting there just a few feet from the sidewalk painting a new picture! I stood and watched with 5 or 6 other people who realized what was going on - amazing and inspiring. I love his paintings.

As I pressed on in my quest to see what other experiences I could find, I paused to admire the harbor lights on the ocean. I spied a charity group lined up along the railing of the boardwalk singing together for donations. A ways down, a young man sat on the railing strumming his guitar and singing randomly - he looked very familiar but I failed to place where I'd seen him before.

I heard some 70s-era rock in the air and glanced up to see a live band playing on the rooftop at Fleetwood's. I passed a women's clothing boutique and saw a Hawaiian couple, him playing the ukulele while she performed a hula dance to his tune. Cheeseburger in Paradise - why haven't they called me yet?!? - offered up a live band that could be heard from the sidewalk too.

Reaching the north end of the street, I headed back to the apartment. I looked up Scrips and learned that a scrip is simply a form of legal tender and has a history going back at least to the 1800s. The More You Know.

I wish The Hubby were here to experience all of this with me. I think he would really enjoy it...after he got over the large number of people around him. After all, it's Art, Music, Food, MAUI!