somewhere between hawaii and montreal

Caught briefly in LA for a couple of days, between Hawaii and Montreal. Go Go Gadget JetSetter…

It’s the end of September, and we get one last black kite practice tonite before hitting the Pop Montreal stage on Friday night. A little nervous, but mostly in a good way.

September moved by pretty fast – some good times and some bad bad times. Like the black kites playing a show in Modesto with the Solar Powered People – and the Foreign Resort from Denmark.

We played a nice set at a well attended show, so everything seemed alright, but that was Saturday evening… Sunday morning getting ready to head back, we noticed Alan’s car, broken glass, and that was bad. Guitars and other gear stolen. Luckily they didn’t get everything, but still there was some heavy value, sentimental and financial, attached to what was gone, and it kinda put a big cloud of depression on everyone’s day. For whatever reason – this happens a lot in the modesto area, but nobody bothered to mention that to us, which kinda sucked.

Shelley hadn’t been feeling too well the whole weekend, and then around 2 am on Tuesday morning, it was suddenly really bad, and we went to the emergency room, where we sat and waited until about 6 am or so – when she finally got a little doctor time – we were there until 10 am, and they weren’t sure what exactly was wrong, so we went home, and just let whatever it was slowly get better… luckily it didn’t get worse.

So Shelley stayed home for a couple of days, I bussed to work for a couple of days, and then a few more days… and then Nick Cave.

Nothing like a Nick Cave concert to make a shitty week a whole lot better.

The Hollywood Bowl was packed, but not full, as we got there about halfway through the Spiritualized set. We sat in sound, and waited… and then the Bad Seeds hit the stage, full of thunder and fire and proceeded to just hit everything just right. Nick Cave in his western bad man moustache, Warren Ellis and his scary beard, lights and guitars and rock. The hit most of the new material, throwing in some nice moves and banter along the way, and managing to pull out some songs from Murder Ballads, Your Funeral, My Trial, Henry’s Dream, The Firstborn Is Dead, Tender Prey, Let Love In… so yeah. No complaints here.

Then it was my turn to get sick, and I’m still nursing a little chest cold – nothing like hanging out in Hawaii and coughing constantly…

We had a nice Daichan dinner with Audra and Brennan, did some band practices, did some el pollo loco… and then on the 24^th we took off a little early from work and headed straight for LAX and a pre-flight Bloody Mary.

Restless sleepless airplane flight to the island Oahu, and then it’s 4 days of the Best Blueberry Cream cheese scones ever, sunshine and sunsets… beaches, oceans, rainbows, palm trees, and tuna poke. We even ventured into Costco, where it was huge and empty and wonderful – and a poke bar. Found our Shabu Shabu place, had ramen in Waikiki in a little hole in the wall ramen house, went to Hanauma Bay – where Shelley went snorkeling and I sat and watched, Shark’s cove, same thing, and then – off on a boat – three miles off shore, where Shelley jumped in a cage with three other people and got lowered into the water to watch the Sharks Swarm. I would’ve gone in the water if I hadn’t felt all chest constricted – coughing the entire time. I do love being on a boat so much more than being in the water though. I could boat for days….

We found some interesting little thrift stores, got some great Hawaiian shirts in the goodwill, rummaged thru the salvation army, and then – more scones!

Hit the Pali Lookout, chased a rainbow, argued with the GPS, went to see Kirk and Lani and the kids on Friday night, and then again on Sunday for Angels birthday # 2. perhaps it’ll be another year before we hit the island again, but really, if it was sooner than that, I wouldn’t mind. I’m surprised at how much I enjoy the island life, but yeah – I do. K-POI Rocks. So a short, but full visit.

Then an even more restless and tiring airplane ride home – getting in to LA late Monday afternoon.

Tuesday, a last pre-canada practice, and then now – it’s Wednesday. It’s October. It’s Falling straight into Winter.

We take Diesel in to the vet at 8 am for her to get a little dental work done, and then it’s afternoon, and the vet calls Shelley, saying that the anesthetic triggered something, causing diesel’s heart to slow to almost a stop, and they had to quickly revive her. So everything is all of a sudden a little bit sadder and worry is in the air. The trip to Montreal is still happening, but unfortunately it looks like it’ll just be me, traveling alone and then crashing with the rest of the band when I get there. The show must go on, eh?

Shelley is going to stay at home and monitor little Dee, both of us hoping all will be well, and she will be her fine bratty self…

And now I finish up another day, and get ready for a bus ride home, and hope that the next time I write there will be more of that good, less of that bad, and maybe you won’t have to wait for another month for the next little entry…. and maybe canada will love them black kites…

Maybe.

Hawaiian Sights, Angels, and Oishii Eats

Lessee… it all started on Wednesday the 26th. Hit the airport, a couple of drinks in the red carpet club, then on a plane to the island of Oahu. We’re staying at the New Otani Hotel, at the very end of the Waikiki strip. Diamond Head area. So we have a beach right outside our window, but it’s much more peaceful then the beaches that are just a quick walk away. After check-in we walk down Kalakaua Ave and find a little conveyor belt sushi place for dinner. Run Sushi. Then it’s back and bedtime.
Early Thursday morning we go down to our little beach and Shelley goes right in for a pre-breakfast swim. I’m not quite ready for the water, so I just sit on the sand and watch. Shelley’s got her list of places she wants to hit, mostly good food places that she discovered on the Oishii Eats Blog (definitely a good find for people who love good food) and I’ve got a couple of sight requests of my own (like Gilligan’s Island and the Magnum P.I. House). So, first, we hit the Diamondhead Market & grill for some of the best blueberry cream cheese scones ever, and coffee… as well as some amazing Ahi Tuna Wasabi sandwiches. The scones and the coffee (from the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf across the street) become our morning ritual for the week. Wake up & walk for Scones. After our brunch, we hit Wal-Mart for some supplies, and then head off to Sandy Beach. We had gotten little boogie-boards, so we decided to jump in and give the big waves a shot. By big, I mean too small for surfers, but kinda big for us mainlanders. We hit the waves, get thrown around a little, salt water and sand snacks for the both of us, and later we learn that Sandy Beach was voted “Best Place to get Drilled Into the Sand”. After that we drove a little further and just took some shots around Makapuu Beach.
One of the first things we noticed about driving around the Island was the speed… it was slow. Kinda frustrating after L.A. driving, with the top speed on the highway being 45, and most people sticking to that or slower, but after awhile you just get into the flow of it. Another couple of things… there is Spam everywhere. Not the email kind, but the processed ham kind. Spiced Ham, in a can. Shortened to… Spam. And this year is it’s 70th anniversary… a Hawaiian food treat. At the markets, at the 7-11’s. Little sushi rice bars with spam and seaweed. Amazing the things you learn when you travel. Also, there is a noticeable lack of good music on the airwaves. We find the local “indie” station, KTUH, which is pretty good at times, but for the most part we find ourselves tuning into Hawaii’s classic rock station… K-POI. Fun times, and Alice Cooper, to boot.

Friday the 28th we go to Hilo Hattie’s, and get some Hawaiian supplies for the Saturday party, and I get me a nice red & white Magnum PI style shirt. Then it’s more driving around and looking at the waters, the beaches, the green mountains that wouldn’t be out of place in a king kong movie, with the clouds rolling down… lush and tropical, bursts of rain mixing with palm trees and sunlight. We hit a little garden park and take pictures of flowers (Queen Kapiolani Gardens); we find Leonard’s Bakery and get some amazingly good Malasadas, and then drive across to the island to hit the North Shore. On the way, we sort of stumble across the Dole Plantation, so of course – we stop and run around the pineapple paradise. Continuing on our way, we end up taking another detour into the town of Hale’iwa, and find a small Hawaiian Cemetery. More pics, more sun, and we’re using up the sunscreen like crazy. We almost go to get some shave ice at Aoki’s, but instead decide to skip it and get some quick soda and hit more North Shore sights… Waimea Bay, Shark’s Cove, Sunset Beach, Turtle Bay (we didn’t see any turtles… or sharks for that matter) and we were mainly heading towards La’ie. We find the McDonald’s in La’ie that has a little tropical rainforest inside, and they also occasionally do Karaoke. Karaoke in McDonald’s. These Hawaiians are crazy. Then off to La’ie point. This point heads off into the ocean, and then there is a little island outcropping of rock with a huge hole punched through it, evidently from a 1946 Tsunami.

From there it was off to Kualoa Park, at the edge of Kane’ohe Bay to see the “Chinaman’s Hat”. This is a little tiny cone shaped island about 614 yards offshore, actually named Mokoli’I. In front of us the ocean and horizon, behind us the mountains, and everywhere we went was touched with a feeling of paradise. The crowds were minimal, the weather was perfect, even when it rained. There will be photographs of many of these sights I’ve been describing, but I kind of have to edit down the 1000 photos I took into a more manageable number.

After the Kualoa stop, we passed by the remains of a Sugar Mill that has been standing, now crumbling, since the Civil War. Then we drove over the beautiful H-3 highway that runs over the Hai’ku Valley, elevated and curving and into the mountain through the Tetsuo Harano Tunnel. Going in it had started to rain, and as we exited, we were hit by sunshine and behind us, a huge rainbow stretching over half the island. Even things ordinary have such a different glow. The buildings, the streets, the trees, the skies. We drove back to the hotel for a quick change and then out again to the Historic Honolulu / Chinatown area where we found Sam Choy’s. The sign reads “Breakfast, Lunch, and Crab”. So we had a great meal, good drinks, and then hit the post-sunset beach, and then bed. Getting up at around 7 am every day, and exhausted by 9 pm. Sleep was good.

Saturday the 29th. Birthday Party day. Diamond Head Market, of course, and then a little stop at Kaiona Beach Park before heading around to Waimanalo area for the party. The Magnum PI house (the Robin’s Nest) is around here somewhere… we just haven’t found it yet. We did manage to find Kane’ohe Bay, where there is a little island called Moku-o-Lo’e, or Coconut Island, just off the shore. We had to stop on a highway side scenic lookout point to take pictures, because this was the little island used to represent Gilligan’s Island back in the 60’s. Looks a lot different now.

The party, Angel Ray’s very first, was great. Shelley and I got there a little early so we could hang out with Kirk and Lani a bit before all the other guests arrived, and it was a nice not too hot day, with little Angel crawling around and hiding and laughing and playing. A very happy one year old he was. The party was catered, so, of course, the food was excellent. Fish and salad and more fish and Poi. My first time eating the Poi, and it really wasn’t that bad. We had brought a bunch of malasadas for everyone, and they were a big hit. Then just hung out for 8 or 9 hours, talking and chatting and meeting and re-meeting people, and drinking beers and champagne from a drink filled canoe. Everyone was in good spirits, especially Angel. There was a makeshift stage, where first a Hawaiian dancer came out and did a couple of traditional dances for the crowd, Angel laughing and loving it and attempting to dance along, and then a nice and smooth loungey band who played the evening away. Kirk has become a fan of the TV show Lost recently, and being on Hawaii, where the show is filmed, he of course ended up meeting some of them Lost People. Mostly members of the Crew, who we met one of, with his wife and totally adorable kid, Milo, who Shelley adored, but as the party moved into the evening, we also got to meet a couple of the Cast members, which was very cool. First Jorge Garcia (Hurley) and then later, Josh Holloway (Sawyer) and his wife arrive. Eventually we are all hanging around the dessert table, talking about good food and good chocolate and strange kids running around and chatting and joking… it was very nice, pleasant, and totally casual conversation. The best way to meet people. No celebrity pressures, just friends hanging out and sharing stories. A great midpoint to our week in Hawaii, and then as the party started to fade away into the tropical night, we said our good-byes and headed hotelwards.

Sunday hit and both of us without those champagne hangovers, which was nice. Especially since Shelley had ended up drinking some strange drink, which she named “the Magic Lamp”. It was like, a little Tequila, some champagne, and cranberry juice. But we were fine, and got our breakfast, and then for lunch, brunch, snack… it was the Fort Rutger Market for some of the most amazing Tuna Poke ever. Fresh and seasoned and oh so good, at this little tiny corner market & grocery store in Honolulu. Amazing. Wish we could ship that stuff home… that and those scones. We decided to attempt to find the Magnum House again, which was near Kirk and Lani’s place – so I grabbed my Magnum shirt, and off we went – and we found it. Very unassuming and hidden from the street, we had to wade out and around the beach from the little Kaiona park, and there it was. Not all high excitement and glamour, but for me – where some people think of Hawaii 5-0, I always think of Magnum. So a little swim in the calm waters, no waves here as there’s a little semi-circular wavebreaking wall of rocks built around the cove – making it into more of a pool than ocean, but it was easy and calm and great for a relaxing swim. Then we went back over to see Kirk and Lani and Angel. Kirk was off surfing all day, but we just relaxed at their house for a bit, then went with Jay, the last night’s lounge singer, who was also post-party hanging out, to the Valley of the Temples, where wandered around the majestic and beautiful Byodo-In Temple. It was like suddenly we were in Japan again. The temple was perfect and ornate, the stone gardens, the ponds with Koi swimming, the quiet and tranquility, the surrounding lush green hills and mountains, and a small hillside Japanese style cemetery. The Byodo-In is a replica of a 950-year-old Buddhist temple in Uji, Japan, but here it was placed in front of the Ko’olau Mountain range. Ray rung the huge bell at the entrance, and then we went in. Afterwards we found our way back to the Waimanalo house, said our good-byes, and then off to the Shabu Shabu House on Kapiolani Blvd. for a nice dinner. Back to the hotel, sunset, frothy drinks at the hotel bar, and then it was into Sunday.

October 1st. Just a couple of days left, and still so much to see and do. We head off and walk the Waikiki strip, taking pictures of surfers and statues of surfers and we get accosted by a crazy parrot holding woman who hands us her parrots, takes pictures of us, and then asks for 10 dollars. We are stupid tourists for just five minutes, but that’s ok… then we go to Duke’s, which is pretty much right between the majestic Sheraton Moana Surfrider and the Big Pink Royal Hawaiian Hotel. A buffet breakfast right on the beachfront. We ran into friends from the party, hung out and chatted with them a little, and then we wandered back along the strip, through the International Market Place, and then decided to go to Hanauma Bay. A nature preserve, a coral reef, a beach, an old crater that thousands of years ago filled with water, and a snorkeling hot-spot… all rolled into one. We’ve got our beachwear, our cheap disposable underwater camera, and we head down the hillside to pick a spot, rent some flippers and a snorkel, and we head under the waters. Fish everywhere. It’s a little murky, but definitely a cool experience. Shelley almost gets attacked by a huge Eel (it’s true! She managed to get a photo!) and we lie in the sun, we snorkel, chase fish, repeat… Then it’s back to the hotel for another gold and purple palm tree ocean side sunset, and then to Taishoken for a great ramen dinner.

Then it’s Tuesday, and we leave at 9 pm. So it’s morning scones, some Waikiki walking, we pick up our underwater photos, take some more surfing action shots and wander the beach before going back to Hale’iwa for a little lunch. From there we find our way through the countryside and the twist and turn of the Hawaiian Highways up to the Pali Lookout. The scene of the last great Hawaiian battle between King Kamehameha and the O’ahu army in 1795, this mountainside pass has an amazing view and high winds. The ocean, the city, the mountains, the highways, and the valleys… it’s all just flowing out from this point.

Then we leave, and drive down to the Honolulu Airport, turn in our car, check our bags, and have our traditional airport Bloody Marys’ before the plane ride home.

We arrive in L.A. around 5 am, exhausted, and already missing the island, but happy to be home, and anxious to see the dogs, who are very very happy to see us.