Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Picked up Mike P at his home on Richards Street. Did a drive around the island of Oahu with Mike P as our guide. Mokuleia Beach, got shave ice at Matsumoto's (no line on a Tuesday morning around 10:00 AM)—$2.00 for a small cone with ice cream. Bought a souvenir at Strong Current (808-637-3410, 66-208 Kamehameha Highway, Haleiwa). I was looking for something that had the words "Strong Current" on it but they didn't seem to have anything like that, so I had to get something that didn't say "Strong Current" on it. Bought bottled water at Haleiwa Super Market (808-637-5004, 66-197 Kamehameha Highway, Haleiwa). Stopped at Sunset Beach, then ate at Giovanni's Shrimp Shack—$12.00 for 12 shrimp with rice. Patrick and Mike had garlic shrimp. I had lemon and butter. (The garlic shrimp was better, I thought.) Patrick got a coconut juice drink served from a fresh coconut (with a plastic red cup as a holder). A bee bothered us while we ate. Continued driving. Stopped at Valley of the Temples Memorial Park to visit the Byodo-In Temple (808-239-8811, 47-200 Kahekili Highway, Kaneohe). Patrick continued driving since I was really tired. Stopped at Lanikai beach. Discovered that my sunglasses had broken because of a missing screw. Stopped at Pali Lookout. Dropped off Mike P at home. Bought gas. Got a bite to eat at Ono Hawaiian: chicken combo plate and pork lau lau, strawberry soda, iced tea. Stopped at Long's for more alcohol treatment supplies. Home. Relaxed a short while. Patrick did an alcohol treatment on his ankle. Halekulani with Chris, Nate, Jim, Celeste, and Patrick. Music tonight was by—I believe—Po'okela, and the hula dancer tonight was Kanoe Miller. She's perfection. Chris and Nate had met her previously at the party of common friends, so she took a moment to chat with us a few minutes in between sets describing her method of hula as a kind of a new traditionalist. Patrick, Jim, and Celeste had mai tais, Nate had gin and tonic, Chris had a Hawaiian Sunset, I had coffee toffee something. Random notes in my dead tree journal at this point (grocery shopping and other advice from Nate): "Kokua Market Natural Foods Co-Op (808-941-1922, 2643 S King St, Honolulu, HI 96826) has free-range chicken. Don't go to Good Earth because it's run by fascist Christians. Don't go to the Polynesian Cultural Center (800-367-7060 or 808-293-3333, 55-370 Kamehameha Highway, Laie, HI 96762) because it's run by Mormons."