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Standing on Maui looking toward Lana'i

Poetical Journal © by Bob Casey

Mission: To provide poetical and thoughtful comments on life

VOLUME XI – Issue 2: Sunday, March 25, 2012 (127th Issue)

Enjoy our visit to Maui.
Next month is the Road to Hana and St. Patrick's, Hawaiian Style

CONTENT

  • Welcome & Online Version
  • Opening Comments from Bob
  • Three Poems: Tai Chi in Paradise, Wisdom, and Today
  • Support my efforts for this publication by donating or purchasing merchandise
  • Vignette: Entering Uke Heaven
  • Recommendations
  • Quotable Quotes
  • A Bit of Humor
  • Contest Winners from the Past
  • Pay It Forward
  • PJ Forum
  • Reminder: If you are filtering...
  • PJ Demographics – All 50 states and 72 countries
  • PJ Online
  • PJ Policies
  • Subscription information

Welcome

I am pleased to have you as a reader. If you enjoy the PJ, please encourage others to subscribe. If your country is not listed in the demographic section at the end, please let me know so I can update the list.


The next issue of the Poetical Journal will be out on Sunday, April 29, 2012.

Flowerpot of protea
Opening Comments from Bob

Return to Maui: This web issue as well as the first poem focuses on our recent trip to Maui. Though we didn't spend the amount of time that was originally intended, the three+ weeks was what I needed to heal. I recovered much of my strength and laughed a lot. However, my sisters also laughed as the weather was extremely mild in Ohio during most of my stay in paradise. In fact, one day it was warmer there than on Maui. But as I told my sister Pat, there were no palm trees or ocean views back home. _______________________

Next Month: The April web issue will take you back to Hawaii to the magnificent Hana Highway and then to the St. Patrick's Parade, Hawaiian style.

re...................
Along the road, in the distance Haleakala covered in cloud
Condos on a cove along the southwestern Napili Coast
Walking the dog along a back street
Three Poems this Month

Tai Chi in Paradise

Foaming white waves
....crash against the barrier reef
....before easing their way
....onto small Kaua Beach.
Though small by world standards,
....it offers an oasis of solitude and peace.
Rocks like bookends
....incase the mere forty yards of sand.
Mama’s* rests on the grassy knoll
....where the hand-hewn war canoe is poised
....to launch at a moments notice.
Year after year, day after day,
....I return to this small bit of paradise
....to do morning tai chi.

*Mama's Fish House, a world class restaurant on Maui

Comments: Self-explanatory. The pictures on the right are of Kaua Beach where I practiced daily.


Wisdom

Glancing, glancing,
....no images sharp
....no fine lines visible.
Has blindness
....finally conquered
....the eyes
....that often do not see?
How often have they failed
....to recognize the unseen?
Evidence here, evidence there,
....blindly stumbling,
....tripping over the obvious,
....oblivious to what lies before.
Stare more into the blur.
Let go of the finite.
Peer into the infinite
....where blindness disappears
....and clarity awaits.

Comment: Please interpret, and let me know your thoughts.


Today

Spin, spin,
....the thoughts whirl.
Do this, do that,
....what should one do?

Noise,
....incessant music
....wherever one goes.

Flashing screens
....and diatribes,
....there is no escape.

Welcome, welcome,
....to modern America.

Comment: None needed.

Small sand area and shallow wading water at Kaua Beach
Part of my tai chi view (notice the protective break wall)
Tides is out on Kaua Beach
Where I practice tai chi in front of Mama's Fish House
Hand-hewn canoe at Mama's

My books and products are purchasable online.
They make great gifts.

My work currently appears in five books. They are offered for sale on line. To order any of the five, click here.

  • Lit Bit (2011) is the most recent. It is a small anthology that includes three of my poems and three of my photographs. The cover photo is also mine. The cost is $10 plus shipping.
  • A Slice from the Apple with the Taste of Poetry (2010) is an anthology of poems written by members of the Apple Valley Poets, a very talented group that formed almost eleven years ago. This book contains a wide variety of poetical genres and will appeal to all lovers of poetry. The cost is $10 plus shipping. To order, click here.
  • An Oasis in a Cluttered World (2006) is a book that allows you chapter by chapter to immerse yourself in a quiet refuge as you forget the chaos of the world. Through poems, vignettes, and recommendations it beckons you to let go, relax, and savor life’s many riches. The cost is $11 for paperback and $18 for hardcover. To order, click here.
  • Wisdom from the Journey (2004) As stated on the cover leaf, “My wish is that this reading journey will provide you with a bit of respite from everyday life, generate a few laughs, cause good feelings about yourself and humanity, encourage introspection, and at certain times twinge your conscience on critical issues and thoughts. Upon reading the last page, I hope you will smile and say, That felt good!" The cost is $10 for paperback and $17 for hardcover. To order, click here.
  • The Wanderer: A Poetical Journey (2002) is my first book. You join me on my around the world trip that I took in 2001. The cost is $5.50 for paperback and $14 for hardcover. To order, click here.
  • Enjoy the convenience of shopping online.

Supporting the efforts of the Poetical Journal is greatly appreciated! To support, click here.

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Storm clouds near Baldwin Beach
Mom reassuring, "Don't be afraid." (A very common sight on the beaches)
We received a nightly visit from this parrot.
We were watching the muscian at the Whale Festival in
Lahaina when this beautiful woman performed an
impromptu hula. Wonderful!
Cleaning up the strawberry patch at Kula Country Farms
Enjoy brick oven pizza at Kula Lodge.
A basket of "giant" hiscus
Entrance to the Maui Swap Meet (happens every Saturday)
BabyBeach (part of Baldwin) – the reef protects against the waves
Interior of the small Iao Congregational Church
Practing tai chi every Monday and Thursday at the state
office building in Wailuku (Only part of the class shown)
More wind farms are appearing on the mountain tops of Maui
Young man getting air on his boogie board
Surfboard fence in Kaua, Maui
Vignette: Entering Uke Heaven

My ukulele accompanied me on the long journey from Ohio to Maui. Last year while visiting Maui for four weeks I took several private lessons, using a practice ukulele that I purchased for about $40 at Bounty Music. During the year I attempted to practice with minimal progress. During my time this year on the island I made a commitment. I would seriously pursue improving my uke skills. Of all unlikely places, I discovered a learning recommendation on Trip Advisor. A writer recommended attending jam sessions at Keolahou Congregational Church in Kihei (177 S. Kihei St.) on Thursday evenings from 7 to 9 P.M. Other than an initial $20 for copies of music and a practice DVD, the jam sessions are free. I couldn’t believe my luck! I emailed Kumu Kealoha, the instructor and organizer, to double-check on times and even called the church to verify. Yes! Both responded in the positive. Per Kumu’s directions on his web site I emailed him to reserve my DVD and music packet.

On next Thursday evening, I drove with trepidation but also excitement to the small Hawaiian style church and waited in the parking lot for the appointed time. I resisted the urge to leave, being a bit nervous regarding my limited playing skills and also fitting in with a group of strangers. Upon entering, I quickly spotted Kumu Kealoha and introduced myself. He offered me a warm Hawaiian welcome, and I immediately began to relax. Since he had a number vying for his attention, I found a seat in the second pew row, wanting to hide toward the back. To my surprise, more kept arriving so I moved to row four. And more… and more… I finally ended near the rear of the sanctuary with some of the spectators who had entered through the rear door. A quick count provided an estimate of 60+ players. Following the opening Hawaiian chant, the Lord’s Prayer in Hawaiian, and a few announcements, the music began. I quickly discovered that the teaching method might be described as total immersion. My strumming fingers became possessed, as if they had played the ukulele for years. Alas, my chord fingers did not have the same experience. I furiously hunted for familiar and unfamiliar chords, faked it on most occasions, even managed to hit one or two. Nevertheless, I officially entered the gates of Ukulele Heaven. While I was barely able to follow the Hawaiian language in the songs we played, those around me sang, as if they had spoken the language for decades. Several of the men and women performed the hula where appropriate. Oh my, whether to watch the notes or the dancers became a challenge!

Two hours later, my strumming finger worn to the bone, and my chord fingers having begun to work, I headed back to my Paia condo elated with my short sojourn in Uke Heaven.

(Based on my experience last year and this.) To learn more about Kumu, click on 808 Uke Jams.

One of the Jam Sessions (Kumu in the middle - hula in back)
Having fun playing


If you have a guest vignette you would like to submit, please do so. Not only will I enjoy reading it, but if agreeable with you and space permitting, I will print it in a future issue. The vignette should be written in paragraph form and relate a personal story or event. Equally important, it should fit the overall tenor of this newsletter. Ideally, it should not exceed twenty lines. Please send to bob@poeticaljourneys.com.


Recommendations


Hawaii - New Recs

New Maui Restaurants: To read my complete list, click here. In this issue of the PJ, I am suggesting a series of restaurants which I have enjoyed for the first time on this trip. Warning: The recs are based on one time experiences. They will be tested further in the future.

  • Tasty Crust in Wailuku is the place if you love pancakes. The restaurant advertises itself featuring "World Famous Pancakes." I do not know about the accuracy of the hyperbole, but they are good. The batter is a family secret. Worth a stop for breakfast!
  • Penne Pasta in Lahaina was a surprise. The interior, order at the counter process, was not impressive. But when the food arrived, any doubts turned into taste delights. If you enjoy Italian, especially flatbread, be sure to stop by.
  • Maui Bake Shop and Cafe in Wailuku has pastries that taste as good as they look. We enjoyed lunch there; the fresh ono sandwich is hard to beat.
  • Kula Bistro in Kula was an accidental visit. We were headed to 808 Bistro, a highly suggested restaurant in previous issues, and discovered that it had moved to the Wailuku area. In its place was the newly opened Kula Bistro. The food was excellent and the service outstanding. It was a real find.
  • Monsoon India in Kihei is the place for excellent Indian dishes along with friendly service.

Waikiki Place to Stay: Waikiki can be an expensive place to stay, especially along the beach. However, there are a number of hotels below the $200 marker that are a block or two from the beach. One of the more reasonably priced is the newly renovated Doubletree Alana. The rooms are large and the service fantastic. Staff go out of their way to make your stay an enjoyable one. I especially want to mention two, Kino and Ewa, who handle check in. They are exceptionally efficient and helpful. If you decide to stay there, tell them Bob sent you. The beach is a block and half away through the Hawaiian Hilton. A very reasonable place to eat with large servings is a half of block from the Doubletree. Wailana Coffee House with a longtime staff is a favorite among locals. Nothing fancy. The food is above average in taste with traditional as well as Hawaiian dishes.

Please take a look at the online book and gift page.

Delicious Italian at Penne Pasta in Lahaina
Monsoon India, Kihei – What a view, delicious food,
superb service!

Baldwin Beach - waves receding

The largest Buddha outside of Japan is located in Lahaina.
Quotable Quotes

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a little better; whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived." – Ralph Waldo Emerson

"You can't change the past, but you can ruin a perfectly good present by worrying about the future." – Anonymous

"And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." – Abraham Lincoln

"It often takes more courage to change ones opinion than to keep it." – Willy Brandt

"One kind word can warm three winter months." – Chinese Proverb

"It's hard to fight an enemy who has outposts in your head." – Sally Kempton

Driving Upcountry on Maui - note the Jacaranda tree (purple), an import from Brazil –
by early April the entire road is aligned with these trees.
Upcountry Vista
Iao Needle (2700+ ft. tall) – last great battle between Hawaiians occurred here – thousands died.
The top of the Needle was used as lookout point.
Humpback whale saying, "Goodbye."
A Bit of Humor
A bit of laughter is healthy for the soul.

A male frog goes to a psychic. The psychic tells him, "You are going to meet a beautiful young girl who will want to know everything about you."

The frog becomes excited, "This is great! Will I meet her at a party?"

"No," says the psychic, "in her biology class."


Delivered to my email by  JokeADay.---


Contest Winners from the Past

By clicking on this link you can see winners from earlier contests. Anyone who has won a poet print in the past and would like to be pictured on the Grand Winners Page, please send via email a jpg of you holding the print.

Part of the Iao Valley
Wailuku River along the walkway
Wailuku River running into the valley below

PJ Forum

If you have comments, recommendations, or suggestions for the PJ, please email them to bob@poeticaljourneys.com. While I often cannot print all of the comments, I personally respond to all.

_______________________________________________

A special thanks goes out to Adelle from Lexington who sent a generous gift of financial support for the
publishing of the PJ. Much obliged! If you want to support the PJ, please click here.

________________________

"I have thoroughly enjoyed receiving the Poetical Journal. I must apologize for not responding sooner to let you know. I have been writing and submitting poems to Poetry Soup, the website Bob ________ and I belong to. I am remiss in corresponding with you to let you know how much I enjoy getting the journal. Thanks!" AND "I was privileged to spend 3 years in Hawaii during my Air Force career. What a beautiful state! It defies description. One must see it for oneself. Looking forward to the March issue of the newsletter. I'm sure the pictures will be absolutely stupendous. Plenty of plumeria, hibiscus, pineapple (Dole has a great stretch of pineapple fields on Oahu), banana trees, etc. It will certainly evoke memories for me. I pray you and Jan will have a safe and enjoyable (I know the enjoyable part will be outstanding) trip." – Curtis from Dublin, GA (Ed.: How kind of you to share your comments. Yes, Hawaii is a place to savor and love. Interestingly, Dole no longer has the vast expanse of pineapple fields. However, on Maui, the pineapple crop is making a resurgence in a special pineapple called "Maui Gold" which we have really enjoyed. By the way, each day we find a few of the plumeria blooms that have fallen from the trees and place them in a bowl of water. Adds beauty and fragrance to the room.)

________________________

"Happy Anniversary! So glad to have been enjoying your poetry for these years. Wishing you many more to come." – Freda from Hamilton, ON (Thank you Freda. She is one of my earliest subscribers.)

________________________

"Love the Florida pics! I love Florida - haven't visited there for a long time. I loved also the Heart Cath poem. Even tho' it was a serious procedure I chuckled when you mentioned the BP as you were going into the OR - I can imagine! But you sound so much better in today's issue, and I'm happy that you're on the sunshine road!" – Bobbie from Texas (Ed.: Thanks Bobbie. Yes, I hear you on your narrative regarding the poem. Yes, life is going much better. Bobbie is also a long time subscriber.)

________________________

"Congratulations on Ten Great Years! Plus, great issue, thanks for sharing the warmth of Florida. Love the pics on the web edition." – Andy from Mass (Ed.: Much appreciated! Andy sees many newsletters. I am always pleased when he sends comments.)

_______________________

"Congratulations on 10 years! I know that this has been a labor of love for you and a gift to your subscribers. The photographs are awesome. The poem Circle brought _____ to mind. I would love to see your meditation room . . . Drink in the sunny chi!" – Mary from Bellville, OH (Ed.: Mary, again thank you for your kind comments. I am pleased that the poem touched something within you.)



Reader Demographics

Geographically, subscribers reside in all U.S. states. Subscribers also live in Albania, Argentina, Australia (New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania, Victoria, South Australia, & Western Australia), Austria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Canada (Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, & Quebec), Chile, Croatia, Denmark, Egypt, England, Estonia, Fiji, France, French Polynesia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guyana, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica - W.I., Japan, Kenya, Korea, Lithuania, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, New Zealand, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Scotland, Serbia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Trinidad - W.I., Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Venezuela, Vietnam, Wales, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

If your state, province, or country is not mentioned, please let me know.


PJ Online

To read some of the back issues of the PJ, go to.

The next issue will be out on April 29, 2012.

Until next time - joy and peace,

Bob


PJ Policies

Guest Poetry: Often readers send me a poem stating they would like it included in the PJ. Many of the poems are well written. Although I enjoy reading them, at this time I do not include guest poetry as part of this newsletter. Instead, I suggest that they submit them for inclusion in the Guest Poet section of my web site. A number have chosen to do so. However, time limitations and quality govern the number that will be accepted. I currently am not accepting poetry from minors.
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Guest Vignettes: On occasion, I publish guest vignettes submitted by one of my readers. If a guest vignette is submitted and selected, the author understands that there is no remuneration provided; the vignette will be included in the e-mailed and web site versions; and will remain posted until I choose to remove it from the site. In all cases, the guest vignette remains the property of the guest author who has given permission for its usage as described in sentences one and two.
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Privacy: I take it very seriously. Your name will never be sold to a third party nor will we disclose at any time your subscription information.
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Unsolicited Mailing: The PJ is never sent unless requested. If you believe you received the PJ unsolicited, please notify me. I will unsubscribe you.
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Reproduction and Forwarding: While the material is copyrighted, you have permission to forward all or part of this newsletter. You may also quote from it. Out of common courtesy (We will forget all the legal jargon and requirements.), I would appreciate at least a mention or a footnote. -- Much appreciated!
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Recommendations: All recommendations are personal ones offered for your information. I receive no remuneration of any kind from the sources or individuals being recommended – other than when I recommend purchasing my books. Actually, many are never aware of their listing. One may ask, "Why do you provide recommendations for specific establishments or locations, especially since many of your readers are worldwide and may never be able to use the information?" The key word is "may." When I travel, I plan much of the itinerary myself. This planning includes reading and listening to recommendations from professional and personal sources. My wish is that any suggestions provided will assist some readers as they make their plans. (Incidentally, I have already received feedback that readers use them.)



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Bob Casey
Poetical Journeys
P.O. Box 319
Fredericktown, OH 43019

bob@poeticaljourneys.com

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