More Maui Bits And Pieces

There are no more dairies on Maui and now the last dairy in the State of Hawaii, which is on Oahu, is about to close. So all of our milk now has to be flown in.

It would be so good if we could be self-reliant on Maui as far as food goes. Whenever there is a rumor of a longshoremen's strike on the Mainland, there is panic in the Islands. Folks rush to the stores to stock up on groceries as fast as they can. The first thing they go for (me,too!) is toilet paper! I wonder what the Ancient Hawaiians did for that crucial commodity. I, myself, absolutely  can't live without it...

The U. S. Census Bureau just released data that tells us that folks in Hawaii eat more fast foods than is eaten in any other state. We average $609 per year per person. In Vermont, the average person only spends $263. I bet they are a lot healthier in Vermont. But even if they are not good for you, the fast foods do taste so good and the drive-thrus are so convenient... We have on Maui every kind of fast food that there is: Wendy's, McDonalds, KFC. You name it and we've got it. And we eat it...

Bits And Pieces

I see by The Maui News this morning that it really was cold the other night. The road to the Haleakla summit was closed above the 7000 foot elevation on Monday due to ice and to high winds. But they opened the road later in the day. Maybe the ice melted.

Gasoline prices here are hovering just above the $3.85 mark now. That's nearly four bucks, folks! Where will it end?

A windsurfer had to be rescued on Sunday. Her mast had broken and she was adrift about a mile out. A helicopter found her and directed a "personal watercraft" to the windsurfer which towed her back in. I'll bet she was glad to see her rescuers! Thank God they found her. If that were me, I would be worrying about hungry sharks. Heck, if that were me, I wouldn't be windsurfing in the first place, coward that I am...!

Winter On Maui

Yes, Folks! It's winter on Maui and I, for one, am freezing to death. A few nights ago, the cold woke me up at three a.m. I discovered that the temperature was only 56 degrees... I jumped out of bed, grabbed another quilt and put it on top of the two that were already there. I was shivering by the time I'd jumped back in bed. And where I live in Haiku, we are only about 500 feet above sea level.

A few miles farther up the Haleakala Highway in the town of Kula it must be really, really cold. They are about 3200 feet above sea level and they all have fireplaces and woodstoves. The people who live in Kula love the area. They say it's very cozy in the winter.

However, winter is a great time to visit Lahaina. I find it too hot in July and August. "Lahaina" means "cruel sun" and that's just what the sun is in the summer. Right now, the temps hover around 80 degrees, give or take. You don't even break a sweat. Perfect!

They say that the difference between winter and summer temperatures in Hawaii is only ten degrees, but what a difference those ten degrees make! I can't wait for spring!