Hawaiian Snow in June

Aloha!
Nope, it’s probably not what you think.
Hawaiian Snow is what the locals call the ash from the sugarcane burn. Makes a mess, gets all over everything… your car, your driveway… Inside on your garage floor, on your porch furniture, your sidewalk….your clean laundry on the line. Then if it’s on your car and you open the car door, it blows inside and now it’s on everything inside your car: the seats, the dash, the car mats.
It’s black and greasy and sticks like a son of a gun.

We had Hawaiian snow today. I had to get Mike to the airport, and we didn’t have time to scrub the porches or wash the car before leaving. So as I ran errands after dropping him off, the ash continued to blow inside the car every time I opened the doors. It actually stained the seats. Grrrr.

The snow I pictured in Hawaii was white and you could ski on it, on the Big Island. Not black, tar-like and all over my stuff.

This email arrived today in my inbox:

image

Summer school, anyone?

This notice appeared in “Maui Time,” which bills itself as “Maui’s only locally owned independent newspaper” this week:

image

They’re getting ready to burn the sugarcane field behind our house in the next few weeks– then we’ll really notice the fallout. Stay tuned for photos of the burn. It’s really quite something to see.

A hui hou! If you’d like to stay in the loop, please click the “Follow” button to the right, or on the Homepage.

Aloha, Jamaica

You Know You Live in Hawaii When….

Aloha!

You know you live in Hawaii when….

The wedding reception you attend for your coworker likely takes place in a backyard, and involves a goat on a spit and a karaoke machine. Saying no to singing is not an option.

No matter how old the workers in your office are, they call their supervisors Auntie or Uncle.

You never leave home without a cooler in your trunk in case you decide to stop at the store. It’s so hot, the food is history otherwise.

You know they burn sugarcane February through December and that’s been the schedule for well over 130 years.

You hear word of a dock strike and immediately head to Costco to stock up on toilet paper and rice.

You give directions by saying “mauka” (mountain) or “makai” (water).

You serve both potatoes and rice at a dinner party because someone might get offended if there’s no rice.

When you’re invited to someone’s home you take food, and lots of it, even if they tell you not to.

You wouldn’t dream of entering someone’s home with your shoes on.

You know what an opihi picker does, and why it’s dangerous.

You’ve seen a Moonbow and can explain what it is.

A hui hou! If you’d like to stay in the loop, please click the “Follow” button to the right, or on the Homepage.

Aloha, Jamaica