When we finally got going yesterday, it was decided we'd walk to the village shops and look around.

It's a tough economy as everybody knows, and I was sad to see Moonbow Tropics half it's former size, the candle and soap shop gone, and several empty spaces awaiting leases. The Maalaea Grill is doing well. It's had some starts and stops. The original owners sell it, then repossess and restore it, and sell it again.

Fran bought a very pretty palm tree pendant from the jeweler. We had ice cream cones for lunch. You have to work fast on your ice cream in Maalaea. With the winds convecting the 85 degree heat, you must turn it as you eat it. Quickly now, or it's running down your hand in rivelets.

We might as well ride the bus to Lahaina. There it is. It's $1 each way, no worries about parking, and if we have a mai tai, no worries about Maui's favorite local revenue raiser.

Not alot to say about the shopping in Lahaina. Retail dominates the scene, but there are still historical sites you can spend a day exploring if you choose. My favorite is the Wo Hing Museum. It was sort of a men's social club and religious temple, all-in-one. It was closed yesterday, so I didn't get to walk through it, but I think the history of the Chinese immigrants is one of the most interesting

They came as laborers, but put their highest priority on educating their children. As the generations passed, there were fewer Chinese in the lower classes and more in business and leadership. In the earliest days when Chinese women were few in the islands, the Chinese men intermarried with Hawaiian women, and their cultures have blended in subtile ways

The stories of the whalers and the missionaries are well-documented. The old church buildings, some constructed of lava bricks, are worth walking through. Some hymnals are in two languages; English and Hawaiian. It seems the old language is kept alive in the old Congregational (or Anglican) services, even if it has not been conversational language for many years. You can hear some Hawaiian words in the local "pigeonspeak" if you listen closely.

But this trio of ladies was in Lahaina to shop. We left no stone unturned, but only bought a few ounces of goods (not pakalolo, silly reader... clothing items!).


My big thrill was a hula demonstration in the courtyard under Moose McGillicudy's. A man played percussion while groupings of different ages danced. Looking closely at the man, I recognized him as Keali'i Reichel, one of my very favorite Hawaiian musical artists. Hey, Fran and Judy: that guy is a big star here! Not appearing as a big star today, but as kuma hulu, or teacher. His pride of the day was showing his students off, and he did not introduce himself. I did not blow his cover, of course.

There was some confusion and desperate thinking as it got dark and no one knew when the last bus back to Maalaea was. But there was no finger pointing, and we were able to get a schedule that reassured us we had not missed the last ride.

As I write this, Judy and Fran are on the lanai. I made cowboy coffee again, and they sip it and smoke their Marlboros, huddled together. They look like two little girls in a sandbox.

There is nothing so valuable in this world as good friends. I love the way I look reflected in their eyes. At this time in my life, with the major changes in progress, it's such comfort to be far away from home and so well-cared for. It's just a week, but it's a therapy that will keep me strong enough to tackle some hard work in the weeks or months ahead.

We've seen the eagle ray and the monk seal perform in the harbor these mornings. I don't see them every visit, and maybe I can believe they are here just for us. The local fishermen cast their lines into the water, the canoe club paddles by, and the tour boats come and go. "Freight Trains," a southern ocean swell famous for it's speed, is coming up and there will be surfers to watch in the next hour or so. It's just outside the breakwater, and we have the prime seats.

I invited Tim over for dinner. He has a new love interest who is very pretty and nice. When he introduced me to her, we chatted awhile and talked about getting together, and I told her to be sure and feel welcome. He called me the next morning and said, "Thank you for that. You made me look good and this one is real special to me."

Glad I could help!

I'm off to enjoy an abundance of nothing to do. If you can imagine such a thing, it does exist here.