Maui Day 3

Thanks to everyone for your many emails and comments. I feel like you are all here with me and I can't tell you how much that means to me :)

Well the Warren and Annabelle show was amazing. I would highly, highly recommend it to anyone traveling to Maui. I first had dinner and drinks in a parlor where Annabelle, a ghost, played requests on the piano. The food was good, especially the chocolate truffle pie I had for dessert. It turned out there was another woman at the show solo, so Susan and I enjoyed sitting together and chatting. She is from San Carlos, so we talked a bit about the Bay Area. And it turns out she was flying this morning to visit her son in San Diego!

Next, the group was escorted into a small theater (about 70 people), where Warren performed his show. It was a magic show, but was very close up and all based on slight of hand (card tricks and such). It was absolutely unbelievable. I am still puzzling over his tricks. Warren interacted quite freely with the audience and there was a lot of comedy. I laughed so hard and had a fantastic time. If you're coming to Maui, go see this show! And make reservations early, because they fill up.

This morning, I had my surf lesson - the wild card moment of my vacation. When I arrived, I was fitted for booties and a long-sleeved rash guard. The photographer asked me if I'd ever surfed before. I let him know I had snowboarded a little bit, but that was all. He responded by saying it's just like snowboarding, and very similar to driving my SUV. "You drive an SUV, don't you?" he asked knowingly. "No." I replied. I was a little insulted. Never mind that I did drive an SUV for six or seven years. I interpreted his question to mean I have a certain look that screams "SUV driver" and probably also yells "suburban good girl elementary school teacher never surfed in her life mainlander!!" Sigh . . . Can't fight who you are, I guess.

Surfing is a hard sport!! All that paddling . . . I was in a group of 5, and our instructor Tim was very helpful and patient. With the help of Tim and a 12-foot longboard, I was able to stand up a couple times. I also got a little friendly with the reef and have a couple small scratches as souvenirs. I really loved it though. It was frightening out where the waves were breaking, trying to make sure I was ahead of the wave and not sideways with the board. I was jittery and nervous, trying to remember to go slow, balance, stand in the correct spot, and look forward at the horizon. But once I got going and was actually riding the wave, it was exhilarating. And these waves were teensy. I can only imagine what it must feel like to "really" surf.
After surfing, I was ravenous, so I polished off some huevos rancheros at the Pioneer Inn Grill and Bar, just a couple blocks from my hotel. Now, it's time for a little nap, then I'm off to Ka'anapali, just north of here, where I'll be attending a Luau tonight. Never been to one before, so I'm interested to see what it's like. And I'll finally get to try taro, the purple sweet potato that was a staple for the early Hawaiians.