Halloween is a ​REALLY BIG DEAL in Lahaina.  They close Front Street to cars from 3:30 to Midnight, and the street is full of people in costumes parading up and down.  From 4:30 to 6 is the children's hour, and the street is full of children parading in costume.  This is my favorite part, as this is very different from Halloween at home, there are hundreds of children.  Many of the businesses along front street are giving out candy, and the smaller children are wide-eyed at seeing so many kids in costumes.  From 6 to midnight is adult time, with costume prizes announced at 9:​30.  The adult portion is somewhat tamer than it was in the past, so participants are required to wear as much clothing as would be the minimum on the beach, and there are plenty of police to make sure nobody gets out of hand.  If you are here on Halloween, be sure to bring a costume, particularly for any children you have with you.  It is a fun evening.

I spent October in Hawaii this year.  On the flight to Maui, I had as seatmates two young men who were going to compete in the world famous Iron Man race on the Big Island.  They were going to Maui to train for a week before the race.   They were going to swim for 2.4 miles, bicycle for 112 miles, and then run for 26.2 miles!  Needless to say, they were very fit.  It was fun to talk to them, they were so excited to do this.  I did remind them of the fate of the original marathoner, Philippides, who ran 26.2 miles from Marathon to Athens to announce that the Athenian army had defeated the Persians at the battle of Marathon.  The Athenians were anxious, because if their army had lost the Persians were coming to Athens to sack it. Philippides had fought in the battle, then was sent to run 26.2 miles to Athens to let the worried Athenians know that it would be OK.  He got to Athens, said  "Joy to you, we've won", collapsed and died.  Of course, he had fought a battle first, but these two men would swim 2.4 miles and bicycle 112 miles, which is pretty strenuous.  They assured me that they would be OK.

We are back home in the Midwest now, and somebody else is enjoying our condos in Maui.  There is still a lot happening in Maui, so I thought I would post a few items so that you can see the variety of special events that there are to do in addition to the year-round and seasonal activities.

​Zenshin Daiko’s 17th annual taiko festival is a wonderful presentation of Japanese percussion instruments that can give you an appreciation of music from another culture.

​The Kapalua Wine and Food Festival (June 9-12) is a great opportunity to taste the cooking of award-winning chefs in a beautiful setting.

​The Maui Triathlon (June 12) is not as well known as its cousin on the Big Island, the Iron Man Triathlon, but these competitors still undergo a grueling test of endurance. 

​Mele Mei Slack Key Guitar Festival (June 26) - you will instantly recognize slack key guitar music as traditional Hawaiian music. This free outdoor concert series will feature some of Hawai‘i’s best slack key guitar players in an afternoon of beautiful Hawaiian music. The event also features an array of crafts and food booths to explore.

We went upcountry last weekend - to the slopes of Haleakala.  Our primary purpose was that an artist friend has a showing in Viewpoints Art Gallery in the quaint town of Makawao, and we wanted to see his paintings.  A side benefit was that we get to experience a bit cooler weather.

​On our way to the road to Haleakala, we saw a lot of sea turtles gathering near the shore.  The sea turtles are one of our favorite things to see in Maui.  Years ago, it was pretty rare to see them, as they are very tasty and easy to catch and kill.  It used to be a common thing to do to go scuba diving, catch a turtle, and roast it over a bonfire on the beach.   Now, sea turtles are an endangered species and are protected, so they are making a comeback.   At left is a picture we took of a sea turtle playing in the ocean next to the roadway.  He seems to be enjoying himself, doesn't he?

We stopped for lunch at a restaurant that is very popular with the Maui locals, Da Kitchen.  The food is delicious, but the portions are enormous.  Well fortified for the rest of our trip, we continued upcountry.  Sure enough, we did see Jacaranda trees.  The season seems to be a bit early this year, so a few trees were starting to lose their blooms, while others were still in full bloom.  These trees line both sides of the road, and in places it looks like you are driving through a purple tunnel as the trees arch over the road until they meet.  Our artist friend is Michael Clements.  He is a very well known artist on Maui.  We works in pastels and oils.  His art exhibit was very nice, and several of his paintings on display had the Jacaranda trees in them.  He lives upcountry, and at this time of year lots of the scenes he wants to paint will have Jacarandas in them.   There were a couple of other artists that we know who were also showing their work there, so we had a very enjoyable afternoon.