ELIZABETH’S FAREWELL TO MAUI

Ever since we moved to Maui in 2009, Elizabeth has been talking about how she would like to open up a B&B (bed and breakfast) at this spot in northeast Maui – Kahakuloa.

Well, that has not happened. But today we did return to Kahakuloa during Elizabeth’s farewell tour of West Maui (she leaves for Arizona in a few days).

For me, this spot resembles Maui’s Rock of Gibraltar.

“Only smaller,” Elizabeth added as we continued our drive up in El Jeepo and around the wild and beautiful northeast coast of Maui.

This may well be also our farewell drive in El Jeepo. I have just put it up for sale after he served us faithfully for seven years.

Our next stop was this pretty lonesome cove.

We have been here before. Around Labor Day 2012, I think.

Only now, the beach seems to be rougher. The ocean had thrown up more debris on it. We have had quite a few storms this year. Which is probably why.

After that stop, we continued on to Kapalua and Lahaina, and returned home along the northwest coast of Maui.

A nice outing, we both agreed.

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MAUI’S FAREWELL TO ELIZABETH: ANOTHER FLASH FLOOD, OR THREE…

Foot bridge washed away for a second time in 8 years!

Also for the first time ever, the flash flood had overflowed the big Giraffe Bridge, ripping out some of the wooden boards in the process, nails and all.

By this morning, the creek appeared meek and mild back in its riverbed.

“Who me? I didn’t do that,” I almost heard Goddess Namaka’s pleading voice emerge from the murmuring stream (Namaka is Hawaiian goddess of water and oceans). 🙂

Well, it must have been Maui then, the mythical God of Fire and Fishermen. It was his powerful farewell to Elizabeth who leaves for Arizona early tomorrow morning.

As for me, I will be staying to clean up and repair the damage once the rain finally stops. Which is does not look like it’s going to happen before the weekend.

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NOTE: In Polynesian mythology, Maui was a powerful trickster god best known for creating the Pacific islands. A son of the god Tangaroa and a woman, he performed many deeds to improve the lives of humans, such as making the sky higher and the day longer. Endowed with magical powers, this small but exceedingly strong god and culture hero tried but did not succeed in achieving immortality.

Maui created the islands while out on a fishing trip with his brothers. First he fashioned a magic fishing hook from his grandmother’s jawbone. Then, as his brothers looked on, Maui cast the hook into the water and began to pull up from the ocean floor the islands on which the Polynesians now live.

Read more: http://www.mythencyclopedia.com/Le-Me/Maui.html#ixzz4KAwH1N1c

UPDATE SEP 13, 2016 – 1:15 PM

This is what the Rainbow Shower looks like at the moment, from the ground – my office window – and from high up – radar/satellite view.

Just now, 1:15 PM, I got an emergency alert from the National Weather Service, warning of another flash flood this afternoon.

Just like last night, when they sent us a similar message, they are closing the barn door after the horse is already gone.

“That’s a National CYA Service for us,” I joked with Elizabeth. “As if we can’t see this deluge with our own eyes.” 🙂

Flash flood of Sep 13, 2016 – Round 2 – PM

Here are the latest shots from Elizabeth’s send off “gift” from Maui.  Bottom line” (so far).  This has been the worst flood I have seen in years. Worse than any that even the recent hurricanes had brought to Maui.

My neighbors’ property (the brown terraced hill in the bottom right shot), which used to be mine until early 2016, is practically washing away into the creek. They are in a process of building an orchard but have cut the terraces to slope downhill, instead of into the hill (as I had suggested to them a couple of months ago). And so now they are suffering the consequences. By comparison, the damage at the Rainbow Shower is relatively minor.

ELIZABETH’S “FAREWELL TO MAUI” PICTURES

On our way back to the house from Elizabeth’s final tour of the Rainbow Shower, she asked me to take a picture of her on “her” bench.  I took two.

Why is this “Elizabeth’s bench?”

Because in early 2015, when I decided to put the 5-acre part of the Rainbow Shower on the market, Elizabeth asked me to move one of the two 250-benches to this spot. It’s about half way up from the bottom of the gulch (an 80-ft elevation difference). So she figured she could rest here and catch her breath, while enjoying  a lovely view across the gulch to the west. And also sunsets if she timed it right.

That was quite a project. Because it entailed moving two 250-pound benches down and up 50-foot hillsides half a mile apart. “Elizabeth’s bench” is the one on the right – the longer route. And there she is now.

She leaves for Arizona first thing tomorrow morning.

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FLASH FLOOD UPDATE SEP 14, 2016

HARD LABOR IN LULL BETWEEN THE STORMS: BRIDGES ARE BACK UP IN OPERATION

After taking Elizabeth to the airport, I used this morning’s lull between the two storms and three flash floods to clear the flood debris and repair the Giraffe bridge.  Look at the map to see how Spirit has been kind to us after all these floods. The Rainbow Shower, one of the wettest spots on Maui, has been the only dry one this morning.

During this calm between the storms, I was even able to retrieve, drag and reinstall the footbridge.

The latter was a Herculean task (for me, anyway) as it weighs probably over 200 pounds. I had to drag it up and down and across the two river banks and through ankle-deep mud to reach its original mooring spot. Then “cast it” across the creek to the other anchoring end.

To give you an idea of the physical effort required for all this – I lost 5.5 pounds in 1.5 hrs doing it. 🙂

UPDATE SEP 17, 2016

Perhaps I should stop using the term “rare” in reference to clear sky rainbows here, at the Rainbow Shower. For nowadays, they seem to come several times a year, usually during or right after my morning prayers and invocations.

That’s what happened at 8:08 this morning. As usual, I finished the opening of the sacred space with these words:

“I now invoke the light of the Rainbow Ray to guard, balance and protect Elizabeth and me, and our families, and our extended families around the world (you) in all time frames and realms.”

I opened my eyes expecting to see nothing but blue sky. Instead, there it was… a beautiful clear sky rainbow in all its splendor, looking like a giant heavenly smile.

But the Spirit realm were not done with me yet. When I walked out to the lanai some 40 minutes later (8:55), there was another rainbow of a smaller arc (2nd photo).

[FYI – rainbow arcs get smaller as the sun rises]

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