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| I hope I might need to buy one of these lawn chairs to sit on in my new empty apartment after tomorrow |
I whipped up a pineapple-laden breakfast and sipped my tea. I added a third mission to my life - find an oven mitt! Today was the last straw. The steam from the tea kettle is simply too much heat on my hand when I'm pouring the water.
After breakfast, knowing I was dealing with a 6-hour time difference, I called the probate court back east again. Voicemail. Left another message. I'd like to get this taken care of but, as The Hubby says, worst case scenario is we get married again - in Hawaii!
Giving up on the marriage license for the day, I remembered my 11am appointment with the investment banker at my new bank, Bank of Hawaii. Talk about a nice person! She is definitely one of the nicest people I have spoken to here, and that is saying a lot since almost everyone here seems genuinely nice as it is. We talked about the investment questions The Hubby wanted me to check on, and then we talked about life in general - mostly job and house hunting, and my experiences so far here on Maui. She even took time out of her day to send some emails to people whom she she thought might have an Ohana to rent, or know of an Ohana to rent.
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| Water splashes off the rocks along the shore in Lahaina |
Banking taken care of, I popped in a gift shop between the bank and the apartment in my quest for an oven mitt. The only option they had was sold as a set with a matching pot holder and towel. I have pot holders and towels galore that will be here in October. I only want a cheap oven mitt. I moved on.
Around the corner, I decided to stop in the grocery store. They apparently don't even stock oven mitts at all. I started missing the 99-cent stores that seem to be everywhere in Vegas.
Being in the neighborhood, I decided to check my PO Box. I doubted I would find anything but I was nearby. I opened the box and found a local newspaper, The Lahaina News. I scooped it up to take home and look over later.
I stopped in Cilantro to grab a bite to eat. My third day in town, I ate some pretty decent Flautas here. Today, I chose the Spinach Mushroom and Poblano Enchilada. The enchilada was really good, living up to what I'd been told about it being voted best something or the other in Taste of Lahaina for so many years. The Habanero Cream Salsa that I picked up off the salsa bar? It might have been good but I couldn't tell once my mouth burst into flames after eating it. That stuff is hot! The Hubby will love it, I'm sure. I will stick to something with a little less heat.
While I ate, I browsed a web site The Hubby sent that claimed to list 34 apartment complexes on west Maui that were dog friendly. I had called a few of them last night, and a few more this morning. I began to this this web site might be worthless as a lot of the places weren't even apartment complexes but were simply short-term vacation rentals instead.
After lunch, I popped in another gift shop. I would find an oven mitt, today, if it was the last thing I did. It wouldn't be in this gift shop though. They also only had sets. My effort wasn't completely wasted though. I saw something I've never had so I picked up a bag of Cassava Chips before continuing my quest.
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| The sign for Building B in the apartment complex I hope to be living in after tomorrow |
As I made my way back towards the apartment, I found myself strolling by a complex where I have a visit scheduled for Saturday. I decided to walk through the complex and get an idea of what it was like. If The Hubby had his way, we would already have an apartment in this complex. We both saw ads for an apartment here on craigslist. He had written it off because the unit is on the second floor, worried our blind dog would have issues with the stairs. I called anyway, as I think she'll be fine. She doesn't even know she's blind!
This complex takes dogs, even as big as ours. I told The Hubby. He suggested I call the guy back and tell him we'd take the apartment sight unseen, that we'd sign a 2-year lease, and that we'd do it within the hour if the guy wanted. The gentleman who owns the building said he wanted to honor the commitments he already had to show the property, and that he wouldn't feel comfortable renting something to us without us looking at, but he seemed very interested in the 2-year lease part. I know I have until September to find a place, but with the results we've had so far, I feel a little nervous about finding a dog-friendly place.
On my way out of the complex, I spotted a golden retriever watching me from a window. That dog is bigger than either of ours, I thought, a good sign. Speaking of signs, I love the signs they used to identify the buildings - nautical ships!
I cooled off at home for a while, browsing for apartments. The Hubby pointed out that I hadn't taken many photos today. Remembering I still hadn't found my oven mitt, I slipped my shoes back on and headed out the door. Surely I'd find something to take a picture of walking to the store.
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| Sacred ground |
Sure enough, I came across a short road that looked like it led to something interesting. I could see some type of structure but couldn't make out what it was. About halfway down the road, I realized I was no longer walking on pavement. There was only sand. I started looking around and realized I was near a graveyard. A group of headstones poked up from the sand - sacred ground. I veered away from the graveyard towards the structure I was searching for.
I soon discovered the structure I had seen was part of a pagoda. I found myself on the beautiful grounds of the Lahaina Jodo Mission, a buddhist temple. Standing just feet from the beach I found a bell tower, a temple, a pagoda, and - of course - a large Buddha. I wandered the grounds in awe.
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Looking to the beach, I saw groups of people sitting around talking story, listening to island music. The ocean tempted me, calling me to walk out and enjoy the water, but I wasn't dressed for that. Knowing I could get easy access to the water here gives me a good reason for a return trip soon.
I continued on my oven mitt quest, ending up at Longs. Sure enough, they had oven mitts and, sure enough, they were only sold in sets. What is it with these sets?!? I picked up one of the Marley teas like I had seen yesterday and another bottle of macadamia nut honey for my morning tea.
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| The bell tower at the Lahaina Jodo Mission |
I browsed through the mall - Longs is conveniently part of the Cannery Mall - and was pleasantly surprised when one of the clerks in a shop remembered me from a previous visit. We talked story for a while. She seemed genuinely happy for me that I had found a job. I think I might have mentioned before how great it is living somewhere with people who are just so...nice!
I let Wendy get back to work and I moved on. Seeing the ABC store, I stopped in. You'll never guess what I found. Oven mitts. In sets! I finally caved in. The sets here were less expensive than those I'd seen elsewhere, AND they nearly matched the coffee cup I used for my tea every morning. Tomorrow, my hand will not feel the heat of the steam when I make my tea.
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| The pagoda at the Lahaina Jodo Mission |
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| Buddha Lahaina Jodo Mission |
Tonight will be full of Cassava Chips, Marley Tea, and a new TV show - Orange Is the New Black.
Aloha!
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