Today was our last full day in Hawaii. Unfortunately, Mother woke up a little under the weather. She stayed in bed all day long bundled up in several outfits so she could stay warm. I ran around the island some but stayed close by and checked up on her throughout the day.
Like most local businesses in Hawaii, Penny, the owner of the lovely B&B we called our Maui home, doesn't work on Sunday. I think it goes back to the missionary history of the island -- Sunday is a day of rest. The touring company we sailed with to Lana'i works on Sunday but out of respect to the locals, they do not go ashore on Sundays. Penny had several recommendations for breakfast so I Yelped her top picks and decided to go to Gazebo, a restaurant nestled within the Napili Shore Condos right on the coast. The restaurant looks like it has 15 tables and according to the reviews you always have to wait. When I got there at 8:15am the restaurant was full and I was maybe the 10th person on line. While waiting on line my inner New Yorker surged to the surface and I called the restaurant to see if I could place an order to go. To my complete surprise the woman who answered the phone said, "Sure thing." My breakfast burrito was ready five minutes later. The gazebo that holds the restaurant and gives it its name is poolside and surrounded by patio tables so I just sat down and ate my to go breakfast right there. There was free coffee for guests and an amazing ocean view with windsurfers, snorkelers and whales. All that and no tipping required! All good by me.
I was hoping Mother would rebound in time for church but she was officially down for the count. I went to Lahaina United Methodist Church without her. Penny is a member and invited us when we asked about nearby churches. The church is built like a house, a very large house, and it sits across the street from the ocean. All the stained glass has tropical flowers. The front doors and most of the windows were left open. It was nice to hear the ocean and birds throughout the service. When I walked in, a woman greeted me with a plumeria lei. If Hawaii had a state scent, it would definitely be plumeria. The call to worship was performed by the preacher blowing a conch shell outside. It sounded like a ship's horn. When we sang the first hymn, Penny leaned over and told me that the organist is Maui's state senator. All the men wore Aloha shirts and all the women wore lovely floral print dresses or blouses. Some men wore shorts, most slacks, one a man skirt. I thought it was interesting that the only people wearing real shoes (not sandals or flip flops) were natives. They did the Lord's Prayer in English but said a Hawaiian prayer afterward. The sermon was nice. It was about understanding that God has a purpose for everything. During the offering, a "Tongan Choir" sang a very familiar hymn in their native tongue as beautiful koa bowls were passed from row to row. According to the church bulletin, the service ended with "Circle of Ohana." This entailed the entire congregation forming a circle inside the church, holding hands and singing "Hawaii Aloha" as the minister played the ukelele. Interestingly enough, this is the song that Mother and I learned during our ukelele lesson on the Big Island. Honestly, the whole experience ranks pretty close to the highlight of my entire trip. I was very sad that Mother couldn't be there with me because I felt like I was having a Hawaiian experience that was very personal and earnest.
I spent the afternoon hunting down good coffee and bumming around from beach to beach.
At some point in the day, I bought some ginger ale and some crackers and rented a movie to take back to Mom. She was in and out and the movie was terrible but I tried.
I ended up going out at sunset. I wanted to watch the sea turtles come ashore and feed on the seaweed. I watched them for close to an hour before returning to Ma La, the place we first ate on Lahaina. I sat at the bar, ate a small Greek salad and chatted with a couple from Monterey, California.
It was a lazy last day for me. I enjoyed myself as much as I could but it was not nearly as much fun without my traveling companion.
Mother's Highlight: The lei. (Penny gave me her lei at the end of the church service and told me to give it to Mother. She knew how much Mom liked the plumeria.)
Julia's Highlight: Church. It was a perfect morning. At one point two birds flew in, hung out for a bit then left. I really feel the beauty and reverence of both God and nature here on the islands.
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