Moody Maui

      With its temperate clime and ocean-kissing caresses, Hawaii has always called me. Having been raised on the East Coast, the lush archipelago felt remote and fantastical as the only reference I had of Hawaii as a kid was when the Brady Bunch, in 1972, jumped the shark and encountered a lot of bad juju there. Still I appreciated the fact that our youngest U.S. state is the most geographically isolated string of rock on the globe and has a cultural and racial diversity that gives most alpha cities reason to pause. I just could not foresee going to one of the most beautiful places in the world in a state of shock, more like one of suspended belief, following my dad's death.

 Baldwin Beach on Maui's North Coast

      Dennis Kilduff died on March 2nd and I flew home the next morning and was thrown into the heady whirlwinds of funeral planning, greeting family, friends and guests and "catching up." As anyone who has been through this before, this adrenaline carries you somewhat through the 3 days, producing an almost ecstatic-like state. It felt like we were required to be hushed in our excitement as if we were going to spring a surprise birthday party on the deceased. Boston at that time was still plagued everywhere by six foot mounds of browning snow, enough of a jolt for this drought-stricken California guy. The harsh bite of a lasting winter was tempered greatly by the warmth of all my people back home and Dad would have been pleased. One friend said jokingly, "For a man who never left the house, he had a huge turnout for his funeral." It was true. 300 folks showed up for a guy who felt little kinship with the rough and unforgiving pace of the city, the shopping mall, the parking lot or any structure or locale that never allowed one to fully relax. This makes me wonder if he was a bit agoraphobic or if he just really enjoyed being king of his own castle.
      At the end of the festivities (I hate to use so buoyant a term but that's what it felt like especially in contrast to the emotional aftermath), I met Mauricio in California on Friday evening and off we flew to Maui on Saturday morning. It was a trip we had long-ago-planned and one that most everyone recommended I take.

 Hawaiian idol at Ulupalakua Vineyards

      Visual stimuli is one of the best parts of travel and for this I welcomed Maui with open arms. Known as the Valley Isle, Maui is about half the size of Rhode Island with a population of 100,000. Even in my state of emotional suspension, I did notice a thing or two. First off, the people do seem more relaxed there although they have no qualms about separating a tourist from his money. There are at least two overriding philosophies that embody warm and multi-cultural Hawaii. One is Aloha, a term that implies everything to do with hospitality and the proper exchange of energy and the proper reverence of all things. The second is Mahalo, a one-stop-term for gratitude and anything related.
      There was a cold front in Hawaii which felt fitting considering my emotional state. Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea actually received a blizzard each during our stay. We sought accommodations in the wetter, windier north and east, seeking contrast with the dry and sunny conditions of struggling California. In the north we stayed a bit up-country near the town of Haiku. Up-Country is where they grow lavender and fruits that they turn into wines. It's less populated up here, feeling what I imagine to be the highlands of France or Ireland.

 Buddha Statue at Alii Kula Lavender Farm

      Maui is one of the younger islands, geologically, and can be roughly separated into four parts:

• West: Good sun, fun nightlife, historic development, good surfing, good whalewatching

• South: Good sun, decent nighlife, more recent development, superb for snorkeling and swimming

• North: Moodier clime, good access to other parts of the island, superb for windsailing and other "wind" water sports

• East: Moodier clime, remote location, superb for hiking and waterfalls, good for boogie-boarding

      Although, we stayed in those corners of the islands exposed to the trade winds, we did have a great day of snorkeling in the southern part of the island at Maluaka Beach and Big Beach. Coincidentally, a lady was killed in the latter two weeks ago by a rogue shark.
      My hope was to witness at least one green sea turtle swimming but that never came to pass. Instead I saw a humpback whale completely breach out of the water from where I was sitting at Hamoa Beach - a place James Michener called the most beautiful beach in the world. It was a truly spectacular sight for us and probably the highlight of the trip.

      The food was nothing to write home about with the exception of the delectable roadside fruits (like pineapple, fresh ginger, papaya, bread bananas, passion fruit and mango) that we often whipped into smoothies. Four Sisters Bakery, a hole-in-the-wall cafe in working class Wailuku had the most delicious coconut buns and chicken buns. Mama's Fish House, the island's most famous restaurant, set us back quite a bit but had divine seafood medleys.
      Everything else was limited and over-priced. If you thought San Francisco was bad in the unaffordable department, just wait until you get to Hawaii.

 Mama's Fish House Menu

      Our favorite place we ventured is a rather under-the-radar destination in upcountry Maui. Ali'i Kula Lavender Farm has sundry trails and acres and acres of lovely gardens overlooking a mist-filled valley. It was here among 3 other spots over the island where I had my shamanic encounters with the Northern Cardinal, Dad's bird, who was introduced to Hawaii in 1929. Beyond the bird encounters, the lavender farm is a great place to check out Hawaii's native and introduced flower specimens.

 One of many types of lavender featured at Ali'i Kula                                                                                                                Lavender Farm

 King Protea Flower

 Red Hibiscus Flower

      My dad, I firmly believe, would have enjoyed Hawaii. I will say that people we met really were quite relaxed. Operating on Hawaii-time, there was little to get stressed out about. It was probably Dennis's spiritual home even if he didn't know it.