Little Coffee Beans

special delivery

Steve's birthday was a few weeks ago, but his present just showed up over the weekend. In trying to answer the question of what to get the man who doesn't need or want anything, I found myself daydreaming of our favorite Pacific island, Maui. I was swept away - in daydream - by the smells, sounds and sights of the ocean and lush forests when it came it me: Lilikoi. What if I could find our favorite Maui treat and have it sent here?

Don't you love the internet? Within a few minutes of searching on-line I found an exotic fruit exporter (these are from Florida, I think) selling passion fruit (aka lilikoi). Special delivery - one case please. 

Zinnia was as excited as Dada as he opened the box. Her high pitched squeals were followed by a mouth watering grin as she exclaimed, "Li-li-oy!" It's been four months since her last bite of lilikoi, yet she still remembers. 

For the last two days we've smelled of Maui. I catch a hint of the sweetness as I nestle in Zinnia's neck or hug Steve. I smell the scent on my fingers as I brush my hair from my face. That sweet, tangy, intoxicating smell of jungle fruit lingers. If only we could take a deep breath of damp, salty air, too, the daydream might just seem real.

If you need me today you may want to snap your fingers, talk loudly or let the phone ring several times to snap me out of the daydream.

This is where I'll be ::

Happy Monday friends.

a little trip

It's been more than a month since we returned from Maui. Our tans are fading and I'm feeling a little nostalgic about our second "home", way out there in the Pacific ocean. Last night I was looking through some old photos and videos and felt drawn to share with you one of my favorite places on earth.

This beach is a 15 minute hike through the jungle, just below our house-swap house. When I feel stressed or anxious this is one of the spots that I conjure up. The video doesn't capture the awesomeness - the sound of the water receding through the rocks is a full body sensory experience. It's hard to articulate that, but it is pure magic.

Here's a glimpse ::

I hope you enjoy this little one minute trip to Maui.

Breathe it in.

mahalo maui

Thank you, oh thank you dear Maui. You're always such a gracious host, providing us with perfect weather,  aqua blue water and ever-friendly shores. Your welcoming Aloha nature fills our spirits time and time again.

Mahalo Maui. Until we meet again...

black and blue

Haleakala is Maui's active volcano, rising over the island at a mighty 10,000 ft. It's not active in the lava-still-flowing sense, but the most recent flow came down roughly 500 years ago. And in this park, where the volcano meets the sea, the contrast of green, black, blue and white is breathtaking. And those waves rolling in may not look big but they were rising up at least eight feet.

When we hiked here last year Zinnia was barely five months old and slept through most of our trek. This year, however, she loved it. She counts the waves as they roll in: one, two, three...boom!

Love, from Maui

ox

hide-n-seek

I'm sure when she's older she'll enjoy the hunt, but for now my girl loves to be found. The nightly game between she and Dada goes something like this ::

She crouches up to the palm trees, eagerly waiting to be found. She'll peer out to get a glimpse of Dada, then get easily distracted by a bug, a gecko, a bird, the wind or a song in her mind...la la laaaa laaa la. 

When Dada gets close enough, the squeals of laughter give her away in an instant. But that's okay because the next best thing to being found is jumping up into Dada's warm embrace. These two are pure love I tell you. Pure love.

Love, from Maui

ox

 

{this moment}

in three frames...

Joining Amanda at SouleMama

in her words... {this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, {extra}ordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

 

 

 

the sound of sunshine

Sometimes you just have to turn the music up. Way up. And dance. And around here, we love us some Michael Franti.

You're the one I want to be with when the sun goes down... 

Love, from Maui

ox

feeling it

We do know how lucky we are to spend the better part of a month here in paradise. We are thankful beyond words that we have a life that allows us to travel and explore together.

And this girl... I can sense that she intuitively knows how amazing it is. I watch her quietly staring out at the ocean, taking it all in. Breathing the moist air. Feeling the surge of the waves. Watching the clouds float by. I know that she knows that this island is one of our spots. 

And after a little quiet time in the morning contemplating the goodness of it all...

It is, of course, time to play!

Love, from Maui

ox

foraging maui

We're eating pretty much 100% local here on Maui. It's easy to do with all the fruit and veg coming out of Kula and Haiku. The market is full of local foods and up on the little country roads of Haiku there are dozens of honor-system-self-serve farm stands at the end of driveways. These are just regular folks who maybe have a few fruit trees in their yard, or like Steve and I, they're people who get crazy planting all the space they have with kale, chard and tomatoes. Love, love, love supporting these people!

The foraging is super-fun as well. Every where we look fruit is falling off the trees into our eager and appreciative hands. The avocados are amazing. They are the size of baseballs and so nut-buttery, sweet and creamy. We're eating them on everything. I want an avocado tree when I grow up! And while I'm wishing, I'll take a mango tree too.

This lovely fruit is known locally as lilikoi and other wise called passion fruit. It's sweet, tangy, tart and crunchy due to all those black seeds. It grows on vines that drape the jungle and can also be found in the brush on most roadsides. We're each eating at least three daily. 

We've met a dirt-road neighbor out here who's been sharing her vast supply of coconuts. Fresh juice from the young ones and meaty goodness from the mature ones. Bonus: Steve gets to use a machete.

And then there's the guava. It is everywhere. It's actually an invasive species here on the island. It takes over and crowds out native plants but, it does deliver a sweet, tasty snack while on a hike. 

Oh, and the apple bananas. They are the most banana tasting banana you've ever had. Not at all like the mealy 8 inch-ers you see at the grocery store. These are almost tangy and a bit orange on the inside. We picked up this bunch for $2 at a driveway farm stand. And the chard we bought from the same place is just as beautiful as what we grow at home.

Last but not least are the pineapples. We had the opportunity to covertly explore some pineapple fields here and we came away with a backpack full of them. These are so different from what you'll get at grocery stores on the mainland. Fresh from the field, eaten Hawaiian style with a bit of salt sprinkled on top, and you've got yourself one of the most tender and fruity snacks ever. Delicious. 

All is well in the land of fruit and rainbows!

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This blog entry was brought to you by a Dada on a run, a napping baby, and a nice parking spot with wireless connectivity for Mama. 

Here's my sleeping babe...

and my view from the back of the truck...

Love, from Maui

ox

 

catching up with a {this moment}

Hello friends! Wow, a break from the internet, cell phone and all that connects us from here to there. It's been a nice break but I thought it time I drag the chair out to the one little corner of the yard that our wireless card works to say a quick hello.

Our days revolve around the beach, lunch, beers and foraged and locally grown food (more on that soon) and we couldn't be happier. This is paradise after all. I'm losing track of days and time and we're trying to just follow our own little island rhythm. 

Here's a little glimpse into last night's end-of-day love fest...

Joining Amanda at SouleMama

in her words... {this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, {extra}ordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Love, from Maui

ox