Hukilau memories - Other Events

F Formikahini Tiki Socialite Houston, Texotica Joined: Aug 22, 2002 Posts: 1514	F Formikahini Posted posted on Mon, Oct 16, 2006 2:25 PM My Hukilau memories As usual, the bulk of the best ones for me are the unplanned. This is not to say that the Friday night show, or the Mai Kai, or the Jetsetter were ANYthing but spectacular. But you expect those to be great. And they were (THREE firedancers! And the new one was cu-YUTE). Personal Highlights: Sitting with the Heelgrinders, my darling roomie Sandra, and Chip&Andy watching Bre-Ari-Elle the Mermaid through the windows of The Wreck Bar. Better than Cirque de Soleil, cuz she was REAL! At least, it sure looked that way to me. Enchantment Under the Sea. The offshore after-party, passing around the bottles of whatever. Someone asked, “Who decided The Party would be 50 feet offshore, right here in the ocean?!” I laughed and laughed. And returned the next night. The company, the water, the light from the full moon(s) :wink: – all perfect. Watching the bronco – I mean igloo-busting competition in the hottub. Another favorite quote, courtesy of Swanky, after someone yelled to send in the rodeo clowns (to distract the wayward igloo): “You mean Scottish Rodeo Clown Doctors.” (It really was miraculous that nobody lost any teeth.) The Beachbum’s lecture. I learned SO MUCH. As Tikibars handed me yet another sample of the de-LI-cious Nui Nui (reading my mind that I wanted another), I laughed at my – well – ALL our nerdiness. “You realize what this must look like to the hotel staff; here we are listening to lectures about the ‘diaspora of Polynesian drinks,’ and earlier we’re oohing and aahing at slides of matchbooks and swizzle sticks!!” [Thanks KailuaGeoff!] “Yeah,” added Tikibars, “all the energy, research, and the money we spend on coming to things like this – if we put all that to other purposes, we could cure cancer! Or solve world hunger!” I laughed – and grabbed another Nui Nui. Yummieeee. Getting to sing in the Mai Kai with my four favorite husbands in the village of Okonkuluku (where polygamy is allowed). I’m still trying to figure out HOW those guys put away SO MANY DRINKS. And still stand. And still PLAY. And play WELL! Sitting next to The Joke Butcher on the bus to the JetSetter. The JB didn’t give up – kept right on going with great jokes, even if the delivery was, um, imperfect. I love that woman. Lying on the beach Monday with Paul and Deborah Munktiki, Vern, James T, Otto and Karen (I’m so glad you came to Hukilau, Karen!). The sun was hot, the water was PERfect, Deborah (aka the JB) provided tinto verano, and Vern made a sandwich run. We had umbrellas, comfy chairs, huge towels, and perfect company – some of my favorite people in the world. All we lacked was a National Geographic Special Presentation. And then we had it. The magical spectacle at the beach started with pelicans – LOTSA pelicans (just when you left, James and Otto!). When I approached the water to snap a shot, I heard everyone scream and what sounded like hard rain hitting the water. I looked from behind my camera to see a bajillion fish jumping – great churning waves of flying silver, shimmering in the bright Florida sun. That’s why the pelicans were hanging around. And why were the fish jumping? To sacrifice themselves as a tasty treat for the hungry birds, now swooping in for the kill? Ha! To avoid being shark bait! We didn’t see the underwater predators, but a woman with whom I spoke earlier said she’d seen a few there. Nurse sharks, 2 or 2&1/2 feet long. Coooool. They did it again and again, but smaller waves each time. (I guess the sharks were getting full.) What a GREAT last Hukilau event. (Even better than the octopus that PearlyShell, Mean Gene and I found last year!) Only Hukilau 2006 complaint – that I didn’t get to spend decent time with so many people. I wasn’t avoiding you, anyone, I swear! I mean, where WAS I? Oddly enough, I kinda wish there weren’t so many wonderful day events so that I could have just hung out with the ohana. Instead, I felt guilty – like I was missing out on something – if I missed any planned event. And I STILL missed out on planned events, either because they were running late but I couldn’t change my schedule, or I’m a f**ing idiot who can’t read a schedule, or because I was helping out a lost performer. And I look at people’s pictures, and I’m like, “when did THAT happen? Where was I?!” Yeah, whine whine whine, Alice. “Waah! There was too much fun to be had! Boo hoo!” :roll: Other happy little moments: finding out that I FI-nally had a Bahia Cabana room in the main part of the hotel, and right under the Italians’ penthouse. I wasn’t in my room more than 5 minutes before two GORgeous Italian boys knocked! (OK, they were looking for my cute roommate Sandra/Betty Rubble, but STILL! HANDsome!) getting Finkdaddy’s beautiful Maori style bone fishhook while enjoying a burger at the Cabana bar with JTD and Gary. seeing Basement Special K and Nikki still so happy together. Yay :) meeting the amazing Thayer. I soooo have to get out to Alameda and see you and the Martikis again! seeing Denny, Hilary, and Baby makes three. She is SO CUTE. Oh, the kid's cute too. meeting and dancing with Nancy, Syd, and Phreddie from NYC at the JetSetter. Good luck with your college choices, Sydney! seeing again the wonderfully talented and darling Mr. and Mrs. ChiselSlinger (6 years after their fine fine after-Kahiki-closing-backyard-luau, because of which I came to know Vern, Mr Smiley, Patrick the Silver Fox, Otto and Baby Doe, Sven and others!). Y'all will always be The Standard of hospitality to me. meeting fellow tiki Texan Kenike. Can’t wait ‘til Trader Vic’s Dallas! Marina the Fire-Breathing Orion Slave Girl dancing for the table of old ladies in purple dresses and red hats (huh?). And she’s gonna be the next Wreck Bar mermaid: cool! lunch with Holden (did you find your glasses?), the Bamboo Bens and other fellow hangover-ees. I’ve GOTTA get back out to the West Coast! Kern’s invite to sip rum and sign his poster in the back office. How sweet to see him SO into our* being into the Mai Kai! sitting right at the stage at the Mai Kai, across from Casey and surrounded by some of the nicest, sharpest people I know. Does a girl get any luckier?! Thankyouthankyouthankyou Tiki Kiliki (how DO you do it, year after year!), the always dapper Casey, TikiPugs, BK, Humu2, Gary, King Kuke (who always holds it together), all the performers, all the vendors, ALL the people without whom Hukilau is not possible. Counting the days ‘til June 14, 2007! (Pictures forthcoming - finishing the last roll before I take 'em into the developer, non-digital Luddite that I am!) "Zazz captivates felt." [ Edited by: Formikahini 2006-10-17 07:57 ]

My Hukilau memories

As usual, the bulk of the best ones for me are the unplanned. This is not to say that the Friday night show, or the Mai Kai, or the Jetsetter were ANYthing but spectacular. But you expect those to be great. And they were (THREE firedancers! And the new one was cu-YUTE).

Personal Highlights:

Sitting with the Heelgrinders, my darling roomie Sandra, and Chip&Andy watching Bre-Ari-Elle the Mermaid through the windows of The Wreck Bar. Better than Cirque de Soleil, cuz she was REAL! At least, it sure looked that way to me. Enchantment Under the Sea.
The offshore after-party, passing around the bottles of whatever. Someone asked, “Who decided The Party would be 50 feet offshore, right here in the ocean?!” I laughed and laughed. And returned the next night. The company, the water, the light from the full moon(s) :wink: – all perfect.
Watching the bronco – I mean igloo-busting competition in the hottub. Another favorite quote, courtesy of Swanky, after someone yelled to send in the rodeo clowns (to distract the wayward igloo): “You mean Scottish Rodeo Clown Doctors.” (It really was miraculous that nobody lost any teeth.)
The Beachbum’s lecture. I learned SO MUCH. As Tikibars handed me yet another sample of the de-LI-cious Nui Nui (reading my mind that I wanted another), I laughed at my – well – ALL our nerdiness. “You realize what this must look like to the hotel staff; here we are listening to lectures about the ‘diaspora of Polynesian drinks,’ and earlier we’re oohing and aahing at slides of matchbooks and swizzle sticks!!” [Thanks KailuaGeoff!] “Yeah,” added Tikibars, “all the energy, research, and the money we spend on coming to things like this – if we put all that to other purposes, we could cure cancer! Or solve world hunger!” I laughed – and grabbed another Nui Nui. Yummieeee.
Getting to sing in the Mai Kai with my four favorite husbands in the village of Okonkuluku (where polygamy is allowed). I’m still trying to figure out HOW those guys put away SO MANY DRINKS. And still stand. And still PLAY. And play WELL!
Sitting next to The Joke Butcher on the bus to the JetSetter. The JB didn’t give up – kept right on going with great jokes, even if the delivery was, um, imperfect. I love that woman.
Lying on the beach Monday with Paul and Deborah Munktiki, Vern, James T, Otto and Karen (I’m so glad you came to Hukilau, Karen!). The sun was hot, the water was PERfect, Deborah (aka the JB) provided tinto verano, and Vern made a sandwich run. We had umbrellas, comfy chairs, huge towels, and perfect company – some of my favorite people in the world. All we lacked was a National Geographic Special Presentation.

And then we had it.

The magical spectacle at the beach started with pelicans – LOTSA pelicans (just when you left, James and Otto!). When I approached the water to snap a shot, I heard everyone scream and what sounded like hard rain hitting the water. I looked from behind my camera to see a bajillion fish jumping – great churning waves of flying silver, shimmering in the bright Florida sun. That’s why the pelicans were hanging around. And why were the fish jumping? To sacrifice themselves as a tasty treat for the hungry birds, now swooping in for the kill? Ha! To avoid being shark bait! We didn’t see the underwater predators, but a woman with whom I spoke earlier said she’d seen a few there. Nurse sharks, 2 or 2&1/2 feet long. Coooool. They did it again and again, but smaller waves each time. (I guess the sharks were getting full.) What a GREAT last Hukilau event. (Even better than the octopus that PearlyShell, Mean Gene and I found last year!)

Only Hukilau 2006 complaint – that I didn’t get to spend decent time with so many people. I wasn’t avoiding you, anyone, I swear! I mean, where WAS I? Oddly enough, I kinda wish there weren’t so many wonderful day events so that I could have just hung out with the ohana. Instead, I felt guilty – like I was missing out on something – if I missed any planned event. And I STILL missed out on planned events, either because they were running late but I couldn’t change my schedule, or I’m a f***ing idiot who can’t read a schedule, or because I was helping out a lost performer. And I look at people’s pictures, and I’m like, “when did THAT happen? Where was I?!”

Yeah, whine whine whine, Alice. “Waah! There was too much fun to be had! Boo hoo!” :roll:

Other happy little moments:

finding out that I FI-nally had a Bahia Cabana room in the main part of the hotel, and right under the Italians’ penthouse. I wasn’t in my room more than 5 minutes before two GORgeous Italian boys knocked! (OK, they were looking for my cute roommate Sandra/Betty Rubble, but STILL! HANDsome!)
getting Finkdaddy’s beautiful Maori style bone fishhook while enjoying a burger at the Cabana bar with JTD and Gary.
seeing Basement Special K and Nikki still so happy together. Yay :)
meeting the amazing Thayer. I soooo have to get out to Alameda and see you and the Martikis again!
seeing Denny, Hilary, and Baby makes three. She is SO CUTE. Oh, the kid's cute too.
meeting and dancing with Nancy, Syd, and Phreddie from NYC at the JetSetter. Good luck with your college choices, Sydney!
seeing again the wonderfully talented and darling Mr. and Mrs. ChiselSlinger (6 years after their fine fine after-Kahiki-closing-backyard-luau, because of which I came to know Vern, Mr Smiley, Patrick the Silver Fox, Otto and Baby Doe, Sven and others!). Y'all will always be The Standard of hospitality to me.
meeting fellow tiki Texan Kenike. Can’t wait ‘til Trader Vic’s Dallas!
Marina the Fire-Breathing Orion Slave Girl dancing for the table of old ladies in purple dresses and red hats (huh?). And she’s gonna be the next Wreck Bar mermaid: cool!
lunch with Holden (did you find your glasses?), the Bamboo Bens and other fellow hangover-ees. I’ve GOTTA get back out to the West Coast!
Kern’s invite to sip rum and sign his poster in the back office. How sweet to see him SO into our being into the Mai Kai!
sitting right at the stage at the Mai Kai, across from Casey and surrounded by some of the nicest, sharpest people I know. Does a girl get any luckier?!

Thankyouthankyouthankyou Tiki Kiliki (how DO you do it, year after year!), the always dapper Casey, TikiPugs, BK, Humu2, Gary, King Kuke (who always holds it together), all the performers, all the vendors, ALL the people without whom Hukilau is not possible.

Counting the days ‘til June 14, 2007!
(Pictures forthcoming - finishing the last roll before I take 'em into the developer, non-digital Luddite that I am!)

"Zazz captivates felt."

[ Edited by: Formikahini 2006-10-17 07:57 ]

Post #261100 by Formikahini on Mon, Oct 16, 2006 2:25 PM