I have to give Brendan credit for finding this. Really amazing what this guy can do with his bike. There are a few videos of Danny on youtube, but I like this one. It’s like he’s a parkour traceur on a bike! (Parkour is something for another blog, perhaps) Nice camera work and editing, as well.

If this loads too slowly or not at all, here is the link

Some of you may know of a place called Holy Guacamole. It’s on Main St. in Santa Monica. If you don’t know it and you live in LA, you should. It’s just a little joint. You have to order and pick up at the cashier, but damn, their food is good.

Being a vegetarian, I’ve been restricted to a few menu items. A few years ago, I had an idea. In an instant, I was ordering all of the makings of my favorite Mexican meal. Veggie tamale, side of beans, side of rice, guacamole, and a flour tortilla. Brendan looked quizzically at me as I created the masterpiece. BTW, he’s made claim to the creation, but don’t listen to him. So, take half a side of beans, half a side of rice, a veggie tamale (broken up), guac and salsa rolled up in a giant tortilla and wrapped in foil. Voila. The best burrito, ever.

It has to do with the awesome tamale sauce (hold the cheese for me) that Holy Guacamole uses. All the ingredients are great, actually. I wrote a detailed note to the owner, Joe, a couple of months ago. I explained that he had to try it and put it on the menu, but alas it is not there. I am forced to prepare it myself. Feel free to recommend that they offer it. I think it could put them on the map. “Home of the Tamale Burrito!”

Listen to my very great friend, Angela Howe, talk about what Surfrider is doing and accomplishing. She is the legal director for the National Chapter of Surfrider Foundation. There’s a link to listen to the show on this site for Treehuggers International on 94/9

It’s a great conversation about the many battles that Surfrider is fighting such as offshore drilling, beach fills, Saving Trestles, plastic bag legislation, and smoking bans on beaches.

Find out more. Be the change.

www.surfrider.org/legal
www.nottheanswer.org

These are from our trip to Maui for Jen and Albert’s wedding. We only stayed a few days, but we really soaked it in. We stayed on the Napili Shore at Napili Sunset. It was Right near the beach, and we loved having a kitchen.

The wedding was on Friday at the Olowalu Plantation House. Frickin’ perfect. We danced through the night and recovered on the beach the next day. Saturday night we went into Lahaina for drinks and dinner. It’s very touristy, but they do have a lot of restaurants on the water.

Sunday we took off exploring. First, we drove North a little ways to Honolua Bay. It’s known for its snorkling and good surf when there is a swell. Luckily it was good conditions for snorkeling. It was beautiful, lots of fish, and a bay surrounded by cliffs and the rain forest. After some debate, we decided to go back to the hotel and get a late check out and eat lunch.

Then, we were off to find a hike. Mind you, we kind of knew where they were, but after not being able to find the hike close by, we decided to throw caution to the wind and go in search of the acclaimed 13 Crossings hike. I had conveniently left all the maps and directions in the condo, but we didn’t think twice about stopping to get them. Luckily, I did “remember” that the hike was 7/10 of a mile past mile marker 7 on hwy 340. We kind of pointed ourselves in the general direction and just took what roads would get us there. We drove right past the trail, but realized that it had to be the stream inlet that had barbed wire and a “NO TRESPASSING” sign. Apparently, you should ignore these types of signs because they are just to prevent lawsuits. Anyway, it was indeed the right hike. It was so fun, and we had it all to ourselves! I’m so glad we went for it. 13 crossings across a stream to a tiered waterfall. Too bad it was too chilly to dive in. Next time.

We also ate dinner in Paia, twice. It’s such a cute town. We want to go back there. The first night we ate at a vegetarian thai/vietnamese place called Fresh Mint. The waiter loved telling jokes, and the food was great. Then before we flew home, we ate at Cafe Mambo. We shared the falafel and the tofu fajitas. I really liked the teriyaki tofu with caramelized onions combined with the traditional Mexican toppings. Definitely want to make that sometime. Note to self.

My friend, Tamela, has a son, Rowan, and she just showed me a cup that he got from P.F. Chang’s. It has the traditional white, good luck cat with its paw up. Totally reminded me of a little statue I had as a kid that my mom gave me. It sat on a little red velveteen pillow until one day I decided to break it. I definitely remember dropping it and even how the little ear broke and the head completely came off.

Why did I break it? I think I wanted to see what would happen. Consequence wasn’t something I considered. The fact that it would change it forever didn’t cross my mind.
I felt that I was supposed to break it and hear it and see it happen. So, I felt no remorse when I broke it, but I did bring it to my nanny, Fay. She promptly said that we could fix it, and we glued it back together. Purrrfect.

Was the cat lucky? Sure. I can’t complain, and it stayed on my shelf for many years. Upon realizing that I HAD broken it intentionally, I called my mom to see if she still had it. She doesn’t. Why would she keep a broken lucky cat?

I want to explore the innocence and curiosity that lead me to break it. I would like to do a painting of it. I don’t think I can express that feeling as easily in words, but I’ve tried here. For most people, the sound of porcelain makes them cringe. I love the grittiness that it has combined with the initial “ting”. Not to mention the ability to transform something so swiftly! Frickin Awesome! Makes me want to break something. hmmmm.

On another note, we named our cat, Niko, because we thought that it was Japanese for “cat”. It is actually translated as Neko. My dad’s mother used to call the cats like this…

Heeere… Neko, Neko, Neko.

I guess Niko is evidence that I don’t speak Japanese. That’s ok. She likes the name.