"Maui'd Forever" in Hawaii

We found this memorable, heart-shaped opening in the lava rock
 formation 100 yards from the Nakelele Blowhole

Click on arrow to view clip of blowhole activity

On Wednesdays we work in the morning only, and have the afternoons free.  Another volunteer couple invited us to travel with them last week about an hour’s drive north of our town of Kehei to see a seaside wonder of nature—the surf-created, Nakelele Blowhole.  Here, the pounding surf along this black, lava-rock coastline has carved out a perfect, 4-foot diameter hole about 15 feet above the ocean level.  And when the waves come rushing in, a water spout, sometimes up to 70 feet high with the sound of a jet engine is forced up through the hole.  Almost the Pacific’s version of Yellowstone’s “Old Faithful”!

The quaint country chapel with ocean view, setting of the Thursday eve Uke jam session

Click on photo to experience a bit 

of the Uke jam session (turn sound up)

Thursday night we were invited to accompany another fellow volunteer who is a ukulele aficionado to a weekly Thursday night impromptu gathering of 20-30 other Uke enthusiasts at the Keolahou Congregational Church about 15 minutes from the Institute.  This is a quaint-looking, small wood-frame church structure facing the ocean with its origin dating back to around 1900.  A perfect setting for the melodic strains of a diverse group of individuals and instruments serenading the glorious hues of a typical Hawaiian sunset.   The ukulele originated in the 19^th century as a Hawaiian adaptation of the Portuguese machete de braga, a small guitar-like instrument, which was introduced to Hawaii by Portuguese immigrants.  Ukelele is the Hawaiian expression literally meaning “jumping flea”. 

 Speaking of insects .  .  . here where we are there are almost NO bugs or insects to speak of, at least in my experience.  However, I did see one wasp when I was cleaning the outside fire escape stairs the other day and had to admit that God made even the wasps in Hawaii (“the Paradise of the Pacific”), a thing of beauty!

 This rewarding view of the ocean from the 6th floor fire escape landing is why I enjoy sweeping and mopping them

15 steps to properly service each of the 12 public restrooms 

I (Leon) continue to enjoy the, at times, very physically-demanding aspects of my volunteer work.  A few days ago I was assigned to sweep down all four, 7-floors’ fire escape stairs, part of them, carpeted, meaning the use of a portable backpack, electric sweeper.  It’s refreshing to be the one being assigned rather than doing the assigning, for a change :)  

Required, proper toilet paper "presentation"
in each stall

Where each morning, as they say at Indy, "Gentlemen, start your engines"

 Last Friday night a small group of us volunteers set our alarms for 1 AM to go up on the rooftop of our building, away from the city lights below to observe the Perseid Meteor Shower.   We were rewarded with seeing 22 in the hour we were watching.  Some were with dramatic long tails.

Forty-six years ago, little did we know when we said, “I do”, in a little chapel in Harrisonburg, VA, that one day we would love being able to say, “Maui’d Forever”, in Hawaii!  (A phrase coined by one of Maui's many "designation wedding" planners.)

This Sunday's fresh, (no, not plastic!) tropical, floral bouquet
at our church's welcome center