Post #241157 by Tikiwahine on Wed, Jul 5, 2006 1:57 PM

My Grammie also got me interested in tiki.

She loved Tahiti, Hawaii, and everything tropical. My Grandaddy was a base Captain so their family moved from base to base, all across Canada. I think this way of life is what catapulted her into the exotic mindset; a getaway, from the everyday. I've heard stories about the wonderful Hawaiian shirt collection my Grandaddy had. He passed away before this photo was taken (that's her friend Ted). Even in this picture, you can see the tan she loved to have all year long. She used to bring me back puka shell necklaces and shell mobiles from her trips abroad.

Ten years ago, at age 18 I discovered drink mixing(discovered the drinking part at about 14 but don't tell my Mum).
I found that bringing bottles to parties and mixing for friends was a heck of a lot of fun. Everyone was willing to by-pass their bottled boredom and try something new, made especially for them.

With my husband often away with the military, and my mundane desk job, my life is perfectly suited for a tropical escape. As soon as I leave this desk my mind drifts to my happy place.

Tiki is my happy place.

It's dark and relaxing, soothing, comfortable, interesting smells of dank wood, exotic flowers, and big tropical foliage, a little bit of naughty thrown in there. Nude wahine velvet paintings and tapa cloth, carved posts, beams, tikis; big, thick bamboo forming railings and posts, lamps created using found nautical objects, some cage like, glowing softly in a rainbow of colours and textures.

Tiki is an assault on the senses. It gets you thinking and looking at everything, everywhere. You can incorporate it into every aspect of your life, and I believe I've almost accomplished that. It keeps my mind off the fact that I miss my husband dearly, and it forces me to get creative, something I can always do more of. In the winter when I can't be out gardening, tiki is a cozy inside hobby. I can work on room and lamp projects, or simply mix myself a drink and imagine it's hot and sunny outside.

Tiki friends are good friends indeed. When I'm in a rut or feeling a little sad, silly, or even drunk, I can hop online and have a good old chat with those that understand what it is I have such a passion for. I wish I had some like minded people living a little closer to me, I don't know of anyone else on my whole island that shares the same deep interest that I do.

We open our arms and our doors to complete strangers, give everyone the benefit of the doubt, and invite people over to join us in a drink or six. Everyday we seem to be spreading carving, painting, or creating tips, drink recipes, shirt and mug collections, postcards & paper a plenty, music files and best of all, happy tiki thoughts, for the most part.

I would say that tiki is, indeed, very important to me. It's my life, in fact! I think the world would be a very drab place without the establishments that live on, the memory of those past, and the creation of exotic spaces, be they bars, rooms, homes, gardens, closets, or wherever else you choose to create your own little piece of heaven.

Thanks for bumping this thread Monkeyman.
I love to read aboot what tiki means to so many different people, and why it's important to them.