Dragon's Teeth

You've been asking if I'd posted all the Maui pics...so I'll take the hint. There are tons more...plus all the Italy pictures. I'll try to get them all up eventually.

On our second day on Maui, Nana and I started exploring with our trusty guide book. One early destination were the "Dragon's Teeth."
It was harder to find than we thought. Over in Kapalua with a path along the Ritz golf course. You'd think that would be easy to find.
So we braved being beaned by errant golf balls on a beautiful but windy day.
This was early in our adventures, so Nana was a little nervous, thinking she wouldn't be able to get down to the teeth. I assured her that I could carry her down and carry her back. She seemed unconvinced, but walked all the way down with me - and back!
These pictures are off the end of the little peninsula. Gorgeous caves, big waves, and breathtaking views. Still very windy, but worth the scrabbling over volcanic rock.




Here are some of the Dragon's Teeth themselves.
I was so proud of Nana and impressed by her trust (mind you...this was BEFORE the injury). Here is how the formation of the Dragon's Teeth is explained on one tourism site:

Dragon’s Teeth is a good example of what can happen when forces of nature collide. As the lava from the West Mau‘i Volcano poured into the ocean, fierce wind and waves forced it back and it cooled into a formation that resembles great black teeth. Makalua-puna Point was created from one of the last lava flows on Maui. However, the lava is a little different from the rest of the lava on Maui - it is much lighter, denser, and fine-grained. The wind sweeping over the point caused the lava to harden in an upward fashion.

Another site has more pictures.

A Visit to the Winery at La Grange

It was a perfect day for a visit to a local winery. Fantastic weather, our favorite folks available to join us....and we'd recently met winemaker Chris Pearmund and confirmed that he could use our wine boxes and crates (Reduce! REUSE! Recycle!).

So a few wine consultants headed out to Haymarket on a conservation mission - and to drink some Virginia wine! We were packed in so tight with our collection of cardboard that by the end we had stacks on our laps and were sharing seats.


Gerald at the Winery at La Grange seemed grateful, but surprised by the size of the delivery.

We gathered round to taste 11 wines and selected our picnic foods, which was of prime importance. It was time for lunch.
Melanie poured the wines, told us about them, and kept smiling and pouring despite our silliness and the focus on the lunch choices. As is often the case with Virginia wines, the whites were best. We particularly enjoyed the Pinot Gris and the Chardonnay.

None of the regular reds hit the spot for any of us, but they did have a delicious Port-style wine (named Snort, to get around the appelation requirements) that was super yummy. We grabbed a couple of bottles of the Snort, a Pinot Gris, and went out back to the picnic tables to nosh and laugh.

We were grateful we'd brought a designated driver. Though...he probably preferred the drive out when we were all squished in with - and the sound was muffled by - the boxes.

Jenny & Geoff Loved their Custom Label Wines!

Don't they look gorgeous and deliriously happy? Just wait until they taste that Cava. It's fantastic bubbly.

The brilliant and generous Brigette hit a homerun once again. At the shower she gave the happy couple a three-month membership to our fab wine club. It's reported that they love that, too!

For their wedding gift, Brigette ordered a case of wine personalized with the engagement photo. They said that the custom-label wine was one of their favorite wedding gifts.

Nana Visits Honolua Bay

On our first day exploring the island, we headed north to see the sites. We followed the guidebook so closely that we were using the Tripometer to make sure that we didn't miss things like "the small dirt trail to the left, .3 miles past the Bell Rock."

The first stop was this overlook near Honolua Bay. Though I'd worn my bathing suit, convinced I'd be jumping in somewhere, we'd already decided we wouldn't be hiking down to any beaches. It was enough to pull over, see them, and move on to view the next breathtaking vista.
I'd be lying if I didn't say I was experiencing serious kayak and rafting envy as we observed folks down on the bay. It was still quite early, maybe not even 9 am, but there were cars parked along the road next to paths that beach hunters have forged over the years.
There was hooting and hollering in sections - and then you'd look elsewhere and there would be singles and couples just floating quietly. Serenity!
As we stood overlooking the bay and appreciating the view to the open ocean on the other side, group after group pulled into the little jug handle, climbed out, did the same thing, and went on their way. It was clear that this photo op wasn't really a "secret" after all.

We Met the Nicest People

This kind family from New York insisted that we turn that convertible around and visit the Garden of Eden; we had passed it on the Road to Hana thinking it wasn't worth the admission price. It actually was gorgeous and we were grateful to have run into them, even if they were Yankees fans.
Could that dress be any shorter? I had no idea and, since you know me, I am pretty sure I didn't handle myself in the most ladylike of manners all night. Which means there was probably a ton of accidental underwear flashing. No wonder these guys are smiling and encouraging me to show off my shaka. These gentlemen were playing music throughout our opening reception and were absolutely darling and fun. I wanted a picture with them -and the bassist in particular - for Keane.

Needless to say, Keane's not impressed.
In Paia at the Fish Market, we ran into this adorable couple on their honeymoon from Germany. They'd actually gotten married in Hawaii, which I still don't quite understand. (Of course, you know that marriage isn't my specialty.) Claus and Nadia live about 30 minutes from Munich. We'll probably hook up with them when I take Keane to Europe next summer. Nadia is Swiss.

The Paia Fish Market was the first place I drove more than an hour to just for fish tacos with a good reputation. I had them as often as I could while in Maui. Most were mahi fish tacos, and most were grilled. They weren't San Diego/Baja style, but were still awesome.

I have actually had two (!!) dreams about them since I got home. Dreaming about food is just one of the many reasons I'm not a size 4.

This is Dave. He is the friend I will visit in Melbourne, soon enough. He's in hospitality, liquor, restaurants, and bars. Food and booze...no wonder I got along so well with him! I honestly could have hung out and talked with he and his wife all afternoon - except that we both were on a mission to get some banana bread down the road.

We met them at the shave ice place. This is the shave ice ladies back yard. Dave owes me my picture, but hasn't e-mailed it to me yet. Later, I will add it. (I'm counting on you, Dave.)

We ran into Dave and his family again back in Ka'anapali, which was cool, but I was running to catch the boat for parasailing and by the time we got back they were done with their Hula Grill meal. We were bummed! You know how I love a fun (foodie and boozy) Australian family.
I feel awful because I have forgotten this young lady's name. She sold me an adorable dress - not the too-short black one; I clearly purchased that one without any professional assistance. Thanks a lot, Nana!

She was working at this boutique for the summer, but goes to school in Washington. She hopes to get a job at a tasting room when she returns to school in the fall! Loves wine. Eliminates any need for me to shop for myself. We need her on the team!
Possibly my favorite picture from the whole trip. We didn't encounter a single staff member at the Sheraton who wasn't cheerful, friendly, funny, and kind. We bonded especially with the maids in our section. We would see them piling onto the elevator each morning...and one day we hopped on with them. It was that morning that we snapped this picture.

Pay Phones

All over the island. So cute with tropical flowers. When was the last time you saw a working pay phone at home?
I have a crush on adorable Hawaiian Telcom. Honestly...I just kept taking pictures of them. The top on was in Napili, the one just above and below here is near the Starbucks in Kahului (in the same shopping center as the Borders and the liquor "super mart"!
This one was....oh, I don't remember. Probably Lahaina.
And, this last one, I saw in Paia. Later I'll write about the excellent fish tacos at Paia Fish Market, show you the place Nana selected for her tattoo, and blog about the darling future wine consultant I met when I bought my white eyelet dress. All in gorgeous Paia!

What I'm Drinking: Sunfish! Sunfish! Sunfish Syrah!

Mmm...it's good! I finally picked up my wine club and I really wanted to try the Sunfish 2006 Syrah. There are a few reasons, not the least of which is that my awesome cousin called today and ordered some when neither of us had even tasted it yet!

I'm a four-bottle wine club member, because I like to try all four new wines each month. The Sunfish was the only one I hadn't ever tasted before, so the decision had been made. TWO reasons to drink it.

Third reason? (Ryan P. can vouch for this.) Fishing for fresh water sunnies - off a dock or standing in the water - is one of my favorite catch-and-release activities. I'm pretty good at it, if I do say so myself. It's the hunter in me, I think.

So, as you know, each of the wines come with a cool card with pairing suggestions, winemakers notes, and a recipe, often specially created for pairing with that particular wine. The Sunfish was no exception and the recommendations included turkey dishes, smoked cheeses, or vegetables prepared in sesame oil. The recipe was for a delectable looking Grilled Turkey Sandwich with Smoked Gouda. YUM!

Without going to Giant, the only things I had handy were the avocados, tomato, garlic, mayo and romaine lettuce. Not even close to being able to make the sandwich, which is embarrassing. It's a "work" night, so I couldn't spare the hour to run out for groceries.

But, I did have grilled chicken in the fridge and some zucchini and summer squash, so I tossed the veggies with some sesame oil, cut up the chicken, tossed the whole thing together and opened the bottle.

The agonizing over the food was unnecessary. This wine is FANTASTIC on its own. It's what I would call a "T.V. wine." You can enjoy it on its own, watching T.V. No need to pair it, it's still good.

Of course, it was still great with the veggies and chicken, but I'm so excited to find another yummy, easy wine I can stock up on and open up at any time.

This is one that the Fog Zinfandel lovers (sold out, folks) and the Broadmoore Merlot fans will really enjoy. If you liked the Villa Encantado Malbec, you'd appreciate this one, too.