Kimberly A. Cook

Military Romance Author

Maui

Ready For Any Sun Break?

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by Kimberly A. Cook              (Twitter@    WarriorTales)

It’s March. It’s still raining. In buckets. There’ve been some limited reports of seeing sun breaks, but they are few, like leprechaun sightings. Gray is the current outside color. So besides buying bright spring color clothes I can’t wear due to the cold and wet, thought we might all like to be reminded of what the sun looks like.

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Sun on Suttle Lake.

 

There is also a request from my gardenia bush. I moved it into the garage to protect it from the cold for about a month, then finally put it back outside. It’s requesting to go back in the garage; it’s accusing me of waterboarding. Not me, Mother Nature!

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How cute is this sleeping baby alpaca in the sun? Cuddles!

So to give us all a perk up, here are a few favorite past photos which actually contain sun. Try to identify it!

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Heading out on the road again to the thunderegg beds! Luckily I’d just put new tires on Subie. Gorgeous scenery.

Sun in Eastern Oregon above, outside of Madras. They are under a Winter Storm warning right now. Sigh.

And last but not least!

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Sugar Beach, Maui, Hawaii. A vacation favorite.

Sun on my favorite beach in Maui. I checked and they have sun right now. With showers. But it’s 81 degrees! Let’s go to Maui. If only in our minds.

Might be time to start looking for some green beer. St. Patrick’s Day isn’t far away! Happy almost Spring?

How About A Beach?

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by Kimberly A. Cook                    (Twitter@  WarriorTales)

Time to head to Maui. Thought I’d take you all with me! On video that is. It’s going to be a snow/sleet/ice/freezing rain/locusts and/or zombies invasion this weeeknd; weathercasters haven’t figured out which. So let’s go to Maui!

Have a Happy Quirky Friday and don’t forget to put on sunscreen!

Have You Seen Elvis In Maui?

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by Kimberly A. Cook              (Twitter@    WarriorTales)

Back from a Girls Road Trip to Maui with my Mom and Sister. We had a great time, beautiful weather and we got to see Elvis! Now before you think the humidity turned my brain to mush, we saw Darren Lee as Elvis in the Burn’ N Love Show in Lahaina.

Elvis or Darren Lee in Maui?
Elvis or Darren Lee in Maui?

I’m a HUGE Elvis fan, always have been. I try to have no regrets in life, but the one I do have is giving up my tickets to see Elvis in Portland on April 27, 1973 because I would have been booted out of our High School musical. His concert was the same date as dress rehearsal for “Hello Dolly.” The choir director, alias Attila the Hun, insisted that if I missed the rehearsal I was out of the show. (I was only a chorus crowd and marching band member, but in high school teachers word was law. Quit choir the next year anyway for journalism and the yearbook staff.)

Two high school friends went with my Mom and Dad and four years later Elvis was gone. Several years ago I went to the Elvis concert with his actual band playing to the films of Elvis performing and that was pretty great. But Darren Lee knows Elvis.

Lee has been performing Elvis since the young age of 15. After winning the 1997 World Elvis Competition in Memphis, Tennessee, he went on to perform as Elvis in Las Vegas for eleven years. A couple of years ago he and his wife visited Maui for the first time and fell in love with the island. He thought it would be great to bring an Elvis show to Maui. Luck, timing, support and perhaps a little help from Elvis himself and the show started in 2013 in Lahaina. A portion of all ticket sales benefit the Maui Food Bank – 100,000 meals so far!

Lee concentrates on Elvis from 1957 through his comeback tv special in 1968 – yes, the black leather – OMG – through 1973. He pays special attention to Elvis’s Hawaii concerts and films too. It’s 90-minutes of amazing fun, showmanship, dancers and true entertainment. We were  singing along and dancing and clapping to the beat.

If you get to Maui you’ve got to see Darren Lee as Elvis. I don’t know how he does half of the moves with the microphone, his hips, knees and ankles, but he must have a chiropractor and masseuse on call 24/7.  The show is rated the number one attraction in Maui and with very good reason.

The quotes which run before the show are wonderful from all the entertainers inspired by Elvis. I can’t make up for missing my one Elvis concert, but Darren Lee made me feel I’d seen a glimpse of the King.

https://youtu.be/YankZkK6u-4

Have You Hugged A Goat Today?

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by Kimberly A. Cook           (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

One of my favorite industries is agri-tourism; visiting locations where food products are made. While in Maui we visited the Surfing Goat Dairy upcountry and had a great time.

These talented goats practice their water moves on surfboards in their play area, plus they produce amazing milk which is used for fabulous cheese and truffles! We took the tour of the grounds and got to feed the goats and taste a wide variety of cheeses. Heaven!

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Boy goat and his girls at Surfing Goat Dairy – their surfboards in the back!

Of course, I had to buy several items in the gift shop and came home with a special Surfing Goat Dairy apron to use in my own cooking adventures. One can only imagine the trouble I can get myself into if I try to surf and cook; goats are better balanced in all areas than moi.

Besides the nirvana of one day hoping to tour the Hershey factories back East, there are many chances for all of us to support local farmers and growers while filling our tummies. Right now is harvest time so check around and see what food adventures you can have in your own backyard.

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Goat milk truffle heaven on Maui….just leave me here…..

Support your local goats!

Link to the dairy: www.surfinggoatdairy.com

Last but not least: A 10 minute video about the Surfing Goat Dairy, in case you can’t wait to get to Maui. There is a part 2 on YouTube for my fellow cheese making freaks! Hug a goat today!

http://youtu.be/q3noMg1SW-I

Do You Know Where Your Favorite Author Likes To Travel?

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by Kimberly A. Cook                       (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Writers get around. The world. Literally. Seems us scribes are vagabond souls who have to see, hear and experience many different scenes and lands to keep our muses happy. One of the items I spied on the archive list before I went to Maui this month was a letter from Samuel Clemens. Whoa. Mark Twain!

Picture of copy of Mark Twain letter in the archive file of the Maui Historical Society.
Picture of copy of Mark Twain letter in the archive file of the Maui Historical Society.

It was the first file I looked at in the basement of the Bailey House Museum of the Maui Historical Society. Now, even decked out in my white cotton archive gloves, I got to handle copies of the letter, not the original.

This is because the original letter was found in the papers of Rodney C. Heaton’s grandfather’s effects. Being the chairman of the Harvard Historical Commission, he felt the Society would like a copy to learn more about Mark Twain’s visit to Maui.

Imagine! I have yet to closely read the copy I had made, but it is so fun to look at. Dated April 26, 1866, Twain writes about making sure they don’t hike Haleakala without him.

Twain spent four months in Maui in 1866 as a correspondent for the Sacramento “Union” newspaper at the ripe age of 31. He had just started using his pen name of Mark Twain.

A great little book I picked up at the Museum Gift Shop, “Mark Twain in Hawaii – Roughing It In The Sandwich Islands,” is my current reading material. Seems Twain never returned to the islands after his trip, but he always loved and remembered them.

When I consider the ship travel and the time period, it all amazes me. Gives one cause to pause since both Mark Twain and I were in the same town on Maui, many years apart. How cool is that?

Any idea where your favorite authors might have travelled? Have you visited their creative spaces? Road trip!

Have You Checked Out A Local Historical Society?

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by Kimberly A. Cook                  (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

The only thing I like better than going on vacation to Maui is to do book research while there. My passion for hunting the quirky was indulged this past week while on the beautiful Valley Isle, even though Mother Nature provided a heat wave too.

The Maui Historical Society has a list of their archive items online on their website. I checked it out a couple of months ago while getting ready for the trip. I spied a group of documents titled World War II and a gem about one Navy ship. Decided I had to check out the file.

Bailey House Museum of the Maui Historical Society in Wailuku.
Bailey House Museum of the Maui Historical Society in Wailuku.

Called the Society when we arrived and made an appointment later in the week to review the file plus two others. Can’t wait to tell you about those gems later this Fall. (I keep saying Fall because I’m not ready for it.)

I felt so official, having my appointment, my notepad and camera along. They provided white cotton gloves to view the items, so not only did I feel like Mickey Mouse, but I was in hog heaven for a good hour. Paid for copies to be made of the items I wanted to take home. Took some non-flash photos of others.

Discovered a gem in the file about the Navy ship and some hand written letters which related to it too. Score! To me there is nothing like original research and archival documents. In this age of digital everything, for me there is true romance in touching paper other human hands used to write letters and communicate.

In the Museum basement reviewing archive documents with my fabulous white gloves. Hair explained by heat wave.
In the Museum basement reviewing archive documents with my fabulous white gloves. Hair explained by heat wave.

Call me old school, but it really gives you a feel for the person and the times when you can touch the photos, see the loops of their hand writing and bond with history.

If you have a certain area of interest, genre or passion, check it out at your local historical society. You may be excited with new inspiration and support the local keepers of the past. It’s a win for everyone!

Are you a history detective? Explore your local historical societies and museums today.

www.mauimuseum.org