At Pike Place Market, the oldest farmers market in America, it's as if someone tipped the city and diverted all of the color here.

If you’re looking for a unique dining experience in Hawaii, make reservations for dinner at the Shore Bird Restaurant and Beach Bar. The open air, oceanfront restaurant located in the Outrigger Reef on the Beach Waikiki affords a gorgeous sunset view from Waikiki Beach, making this a great spot for a romantic interlude. But it’s not your usual restaurant meal. Once you’ve placed your order, your server will bring your fresh meat or seafood entrée to the table – for you to cook. You’ll be instructed on suggested cooking time for your entrée and sent off to the community grill. The grilling area features a professional grill and is equipped with various cooking sauces, spices, and barbecue utensils as well as a large clock with which to keep track of cooking time. It’s a fun and festive atmosphere as diners mingle over the grill awaiting their entrées. Mai tai optional.

Hawaii. Sun, sand, and…wine tasting? The islands may not be your first thought when you think of wine tasting, but oenophiles visiting Hawaii will be happy to note that the beach isn’t the only place to check for great legs. The state of Hawaii boasts two wineries with unique vintages, as well as an assortment of shops that offer wine tasting and special events. OAHU The Wine Stop – This shop offers complimentary wine tasting a couple times a week, along with a variety of special events and seminars. HASR Wine Co. – Featuring an assortment of premiere Napa Valley auction wines, HASR Wine Co is the place to go if you’re looking for something unique. They represent a number of boutique wineries whose wines are normally available only at the source. Located in Honolulu’s arts district. The Wine Stop and HASR Wine Co. are just a short drive from hotels like the Hawaii Prince Oahu or the Aqua Palms and Spa Oahu. SWAM – Shiroma’s Wine and More offers free wine tasting every Thursday from 5-8 pm. You’ll find an assortment of wines, spirits, and gifts at this shop run by a petite Gen Xer. They offer 10% off on [...]

Amateur musicians intent on learning to play the ‘ukulele or traditional Hawaiian ki ho‘alu, or slack-key guitar, have the opportunity to do so from the best of the best every year at the Kahumoku Ohana Hawaiian Music and Lifestyle Workshop on the Big Island of Hawai‘i. The workshop is organized by Keoki Kahumoku, a five-time Grammy Award winner in the Hawaiian music category. Keoki shares his music and knowledge of the Hawaiian culture from the heart, warmly welcoming students to the workshop.

This November, schoolchildren all over America will don black construction paper pilgrim hats in honor of the first Thanksgiving. But are they hearing the real story?

As a Hawaii-based author and nationally published writer I’ve savored traditional island fare like kalua pig, poke (po-kay), and lilikoi in every form imaginable. I’ve sampled (note: not savored) other island delicacies that are probably best left to the people who love them. Writing about topics as diverse as hiking Hawaii trails and traditional Hawaiian music gives me the opportunity to explore new adventures right in my backyard. When I do leave my backyard behind, I am usually accompanied by malasadas from nearby Tex Drive-in making me a very popular guest – so long as the malasadas last. I primarily cover family, fun, and travel, though I’ve been known to tackle topics such as home decor, wine, and real estate. There’s more about what I do on the about page, as well as throughout the site. Thanks for stopping by.

If you're all about homemade costumes for Halloween, head over to Blogher where I share instructions on how to make this cute duck costume.

Oh, you grammar mavens are cringing over the possibility of an ‘ukulele, I just know it. But while you’ve probably known this tiny four-stringed instrument as a you-ka-lay-lee, that’s an anglified version of a Hawaiian word. The Hawaiian pronunciation is oo-koo-ley-ley. Pronounce it Hawaiian style, and “an oo-koo-ley-ley” sounds just fine. It’s a problem for someone like me, who writes frequently about Hawaii. If I write it so that it feels comfortable to me, my editor will likely think I’ve skipped Grammar 101. When I do write about ukuleles* I present the issue of pronunciation to my editor. Invariably, ‘an ‘ukulele’ is trashed for the more common ‘a ‘ukulele.’ Editorial license trumps my comfort zone.

Otherwise known as passion fruit, liliko‘i is Mother Nature's answer to a SweeTart. The first sour bite of a liliko‘i will jangle all the way back to your jawbone. Stick with it though and you'll catch the tropical sweet undertones if this much-loved fruit.

Ever wondered what it would be like to live in Hawai‘i? I found this list I wrote some time back and thought it would be fun to share here. The fact that I live in Hawai‘i is always a conversation starter with people - they're curious!

One of the quirky, fun things about Hawai‘i is its abundance of roadside fruit stands. These stands offer a variety of  fruits in season, like mango, liliko‘i (passion fruit), papaya, avocado, and more. Just about all of the island roadside stands have one thing in common: the honor system. Customers are invited to take the fruit they like, so long as they deposit the correct amount of cash in the box or can left explicitly for that purpose. Here’s a recently discovered roadside stand. They only have avocado, but it is tasty avocado!

On a recent weekend I had the opportunity to watch Benjamin at work making tapa (or kapa) cloth. Benjamin talked about the process of making tapa as he carefully pounded a work in progress. Made from the bark of the paper mulberry tree (wauke in Hawai‘i) the resulting cloth was traditionally used for clothing and bedding.

Florence Avenue boasts the charming turn-of-the-century homes typical to the original neighborhoods of downtown Sebastopol, with front porches slightly askew from age and gardens gone just a bit wild. But the first thing visitors will notice is the giant caveman.

My friend Kristen over at My Kids Eat Squid, is hosting a giveaway (for bison!) and in her post she asks readers to share one of the most unusual things they’ve eaten. I didn’t have to think back too far for my answer. On a recent youth group camping trip along the Kohala Coast of the Big Island, Hawaii’s rocky shoreline offered up a chance to try something new and unexpected. “You want to try?” Lanakila asked, holding his knife out to me. On it was a bit of yellow…something. Looking past his knife to where he’d been working I could see the cracked remains of a haukiuki, a type of sea urchin. Several kids stood around the campsite, lightly dusted with drying sea salt, hair still wet from swimming in the ocean. They clearly expected me to give this one a pass, none more so than my own 17 year old. I reached out and took the bit of yellow from his knife and put it in my mouth. Salty. Mushy. Meh. I wouldn’t go clambering over rocks to find more for dinner, but if there was no dinner? Good to know this creature’s innards are palatable. Auntie Maile, [...]

At the base of a hill, the entrance to the ho‘ike site, stood a man lifting his voice in spine tingling chant. Very few of the people on hand were fluent in Hawaiian, but it was clear that this chant was one of greeting, with the visitor asking permission to enter the site.

Following a morning of paddling up the Wailua River, Monico’s Taqueria was a spontaneous choice for lunch. Tucked away in the Kinipopo Shopping Center in Kapa‘a it’s an easy place to miss. I recommend you don’t. For weeks following our simple meal, I was tempted to hop back on a plane just to taste the fish tacos one more time. Since my budget isn’t set up for such frivolity, I settled for telling people about it. You’re planning a trip to Kauai? Oh, you MUST get to Monico’s for fish tacos! Mind you, I’d never been a fish taco person. Fish? Yes. Tacos? Yes. But together? Not so much. Monico’s fish tacos, made with the day’s fresh catch and topped with a creamy jalapeno sauce, have changed the way I read a menu. Whereas in the past I would dismiss the fish tacos without a second glance, now I ponder the possibilities. Could these fish tacos be as good as those from Monico’s? Is that possible? And more importantly, dare I risk being disappointed if they’re not? While I’ve found some decent fish tacos in my quest, I’ve resigned myself to the fact that I’ll simply have to get to [...]

About an hour's drive from the famed Kohala Coast resort area and beaches, Kalopa State Recreation Area and Forest Reserve offers visitors a different view of the island.

If you’re one of those people who seek out microbreweries wherever you go, you’ll be happy to know that even way out here in the Pacific you can find a good brew. Whether your trip brings you to Oahu, the Big Island, Maui, or Kauai, seek out locally flavored ales, IPAs, and porters at these island brew pubs. Kona Brewing Co. – With locations on the Big Island and Oahu, you’ve got two chances to try the fine brews from the folks at Kona Brewing Co while you’re in Hawaii. The brewery is located at the Kona facility where free tours are available. The pub on Oahu is outside of the bustling Waikiki area in the Koko Marina Center. The Pipeline Porter is a must-try if dark beer is your thing: brewed with 100% Kona coffee grown on the Big Island, the distinct coffee flavor might tempt you to switch up your morning routine. Big Aloha Brewery – Famed island restaurateur Sam Choy brings plenty of aloha to his dining establishments, but you might be surprised to learn that he does beer, too. Big Aloha Brewery situated within Sam Choy’s Breakfast, Lunch and Crab location, features a variety of beers [...]

Every Thursday morning, volunteers light a fire in the forno in the wee hours, and by 10 am the action begins as more volunteers help to prepare the dough for pao doce, a traditional Portuguese sweet bread.

This is probably not making the news where you live, so I thought I’d share it here. If you’ve got kids who are interested in aviation, this will wow them. Even if your kids are not interested in aviation it will wow them. It wowed me! The 294-seat Airbus was parked alongside Hawaiian’s 1929 6-seater [...]

So, remember when I vowed to use fewer Ziploc bags? I’ve done fairly well with that, though this project was never quite finished. Another project I’ve been wanting to attempt? Making my own reusable produce bags. It drives me batty to corral my fruits and veggies in disposable plastic at the store because it’s so [...]

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The History Channel is giving away a free DVD of America The Story of US. Homeschoolers are included in this offer. © paradisefound for Paradise Found, 2010. | Permalink | No comment Add to del.icio.us Search blogs linking this post with Technorati Want more on these topics ? Browse the archive of posts filed under education. [...]

I can’t recall if I’ve mention iTunes U here or not? It’s a large collection of free lectures and educational videos downloadable for free via iTunes. No need to have an iContraption – you can watch them right on your computer. I thought that was a great find. Today, I ran across Academic Earth. Free online [...]

© paradisefound for Paradise Found, 2010. | Permalink | No comment Add to del.icio.us Search blogs linking this post with Technorati Want more on these topics ? Browse the archive of posts filed under island life. If you are reading this without feed reader, then the above content has [...]