Richard and JoAnn back to the mainland on a high note, with a Willie K. dinner/concert the night before and a lunch at Mama’s Fish House the day of departure.

For the Willie K show, our seats were SO good, feet away from the stage. It was just him and his bass player for two hours of music ranging from IZ, bluegrass, opera, cliché Hawaiian, Jewish chanting, and rock. He ended with Halleluiah (Karen’s favorite song) and Danny Boy.

The next day we went to my favorite restaurant in the world: Mama’s Fish House. Right on the beach (and on the north side of the island so the waves can be monstrous), they are obviously known for their fish dishes. The restaurant honors the fisherpersons by listing who caught the fish, and where it was caught, and sometimes how.

After lunch we reluctantly dropped Richard at the airport and then Karen, JoAnn and I headed upcountry to the Lavender Farm. We have been there many times but it has changed a lot since our last visit and we were disappointed. The original owner and creative spirit behind it died five years ago and his son has taken it in a new direction with more edible plants and fruit trees. What we had enjoyed were the tropical plants at every turn in the trail, but now most are gone. There were a few flowers to photograph but it is no longer on our recommended list.

Before taking JoAnn to the airport we stopped at our favorite pizza place on the island, Flatbread in Paia. Karen loved the bags of flour stacked up with the wood burning oven in the background.

Early one morning we saw two boats working together to set their net in front of our condo. Never having seen this before, we were fascinated. In the last shot you can see the fish being hauled into the boat off the net.

This morning we went to the swap meet in Kahalui but didn’t find any treasures—just some beautiful flowers. Then across the street at the Maui Cultural Center, there was an exhibit of silk works done by a 70-year-old Japanese artist. Melissa you might want to add this to your list to see when you come in March. Last but not least, we stopped at a Huli Huli chicken stand and picked up our dinner. Blair, I wish you’d been here so you could talk to the cooking guy. He looked like he’d have enjoyed a chat with you. Also, and you may remember, it is close to Leoda’s … and her pies. ☺