Tutu and Tuttie’s Baileys. Tutu is Hawaiian for grandmother aka Pat. Tuttie is Pat’s sister and the origin of this recipe.

2 cups vodka
2 cups half and half
1 can sweetened condensed milk
3 tablespoons chocolate syrup

Blend. Chill. Enjoy.

Every morning, except Wednesdays, Pat and I walked a brisk 2 miles. One of many amazing sunrises:

Boat-related business followed, some of it is quite unpleasant. Here are some highlights of the fun times. Gigantic poinsettias used as a landscape focal point:

We walked one day on the very long bicycling/walking trail in Kapaa.

We had lunch almost everyday at Costco. Truly a bargain on an island where food is expensive.

One day, we ran into some of my hula friends from a year ago or so. Hua telling Pat and I a story. At left Eleanor, Mochi, and Alma look at pictures from a friend visiting from upstate New York.

Another view from a ‘hood lanai:

OMG! The best grilled ribs by Pat’s neighbor. Is that a quarter in his mouth? No, the end of a good cigar.

If it’s Tuesday, there’s only one place to be at 4 pm.

Kalapaki Beach at Duke’s Canoe Club.

It’s Taco Tuesday of course.

Later, we met neighbors from Pat’s ‘hood at Kilohana Plantation for a drink.

Happy New Year to all. May 2014 be better for all of us.

Today I went out to the boat for the last time. I think Cuatro de Mayo has found a loving home. Chad, a recently-licensed captain, wanted a boat he could get to know from the inside out, every square inch, understand all systems and be able to fix anything. Bonnie remodeled her home herself in Kentucky and is willing to learn whatever is needed. Bonnie, “Chad said he’d take me to see all the islands.” Perfect.

Today’s “Bravest Woman of the Day” award also goes to Bonnie. It was time to go back to shore. Pat was going to pick me up and Chad was on his way to the airport. He had to return to Maui for a few days. We climbed into the dinghy and Chad gave his mom a knot-tying lesson – how to securely keep the dinghy tied to the boat or dock. Then Bonnie rowed for the first time. I coached her from the stern, Chad from the bow. My best advice (?) was something a woman in La Paz MX said to me one time, “If you can’t tie a knot, tie a lot,” The brave part: after dropping off Chad, Bonnie was going to row back to the boat, alone, in the dark, and spend the night on the boat by herself.

Hurray! Chad and Bonnie arrived today and headed out to the boat. Phil had tied the dinghy to a small dock, taken his small motor off, but left our oars on the boat. A nearby kayak tour company loaned Bonnie and Chad a couple of paddles. Phil also had the boat key in his pocket. A quick phone call solved that problem without any drama, thankfully.

Well, it’s still floating. When Chad flew over from Maui on Dec 15 and went out to look at the boat, Phil called me and threatened to sink it if I continued to work with him. I had no idea what I would find when I got here. Phil also informed me he wanted $6000 for all the help he gave me, he would settle for $4500 however.

Pat and I went to the Coast Guard office to report the threats – they were great, took a brief report, assured us they would keep an eye on the boat, suggested what our next steps should be, and walked us over to the DLNR office. The harbor agent’s first question, “Are you going to pay Phil?” Hmmm.

Next stop, Kauai Police Department, who essentially told us to “pound sand” and sent us packing. The officer’s parting words, “Welcome to Kauai.”

This wasn’t going so well.

This is my wish for everyone this holiday season. And I wish it for myself too, please let this boat nightmare come to an end.

This was also travel day 2. Dick drove me early this morning to the San Jose airport. I had a layover in Los Angeles, a busy travel day for many.

Hurray for good friends! I met Pat in October 2012, we were both taking hula at Kauai Athletic Club.

This will be the most Christmas with family I get this year: dropping off gifts and Thais and Lenin’s on my way out of town.

Oops, I touched the elf, he fell over, and Grandma got in trouble. Apparently the elf moves around the house each day and reports to Santa if Sophia and Avery have been good. House rule: do NOT touch the elf. You should have seen the look on Sophia’s face.

I drove to San Francisco and picked up Dick at Greg/Nicole’s house. We drove to Palo Alto, had dinner, and spent the night at Carolyn/Mark’s house.