Blowfish Bar – Flagler Beach, FL

A Blowfish Bar toast is due in honor of TornadoTiki for her big win at the recent Melbourne Independent Filmmaker's Festival for Best Documentary (see Chris Kridler's blog at http://www.chriskridler.com/2011/09/chasing-reality-in-melbourne-film-fest-this-weekend/)!

Keylo Lewis transferred the new Blowfish Bar logo he created to a wood sign for the front door entryway. Here is the rough-out...

And here it is nearly finished, with clear-coat weatherproofing to go...

At the Blowfish Bar last night, we tried out the Islander Special cocktail recipe from the long extinct Moon Islander (see http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=26860&forum=1&vpost=487552)...

We used freshly squeezed lemon juice, Publix Old Fashioned Premium Orange Juice in a carton, Dole Pineapple Juice in a carton, Trader Vic’s Orgeat Syrup, Kamora Coffee Liqueur (a leftover we had, imported from Mexico) and Myers’s Original Dark Rum, instead of the light rum called out by recipe. We like that smokey flavor of Myers's.

It was pretty good, but too sweet for our tastes, so we dropped the Orgeat Syrup and minimized the ice for another round, yielding a unique cocktail that was a perfect sundowner. It was indeed another day in Paradise.

-Tom

The Blowfish Bar is celebrating the arrival of two new paintings by El Gato Gomez, created using gouache, acrylic, and colored pencil on poplar wood panels. I am a big fan of this artist’s retro style, especially her futuristic (1950’s sci-fi) creations (see http://www.elgatogomezarts.com/).

Here they are, framing the great room sliding glass door next to the bar...

I spent some time at the Flagler Beach Historical Museum this morning pursuing the origins of the Flagler Beach Pier A-frame structure. I found out that Bernie Wilson, the late husband of the Museum’s current President, Catherine Wilson, actually constructed the A-frame, completing it in 1963. Ms Wilson could not recall any details, and the Museum file on the Pier didn’t address my question. So, I’m still left with an elusive tie-in to an extinct Polynesian restaurant, Beyond the Reef, that was located a few miles south along Hwy A1A in Ormond Beach during the early 1960s...

Daytona Beach Morning Journal November 4, 1962

My next stop will be at the Ormond Beach Historical Society to see if they have images or information regarding the Beyond the Reef Restaurant. All I have to go on is the obituary of the former restaurant owner...

Daytona Beach Morning Journal February 17, 1980

While still in the Flagler Beach Historical Museum, I had an opportunity to look over its latest gift, the skeletal remains of a 1940’s era Tom Blake hollow surfboard, quite a treasure...

Here are several web sites that provide the historical context...

http://www.surfmuseum.org/html/tom_blake.html

http://www.woodsurfboards.com/blake.htm

http://www.surfresearch.com.au/00000315.html

With bright sunny skies, low humidity (very rare) and moderate temperatures in the upper 70s, it was too perfect a day to stay immersed in museum dust, so we headed to Hurricane Patty’s for a cocktail and lunch on the Intracoastal Waterway...

-Tom

Finally got around to hanging the retro Blowfish Bar sign that Keylo Lewis of HakaTiki created; here it is above the beach house main entry door...

And, per a suggestion from Tigertail777, I sent Keylo’s logo design to Perfect Imprints (http://perfectimprints.com/) of Shalimar, Florida, where Jean-Paul Tamayo transferred the artwork to a custom layout for matchbooks and drink coasters, undoubtedly manufactured elsewhere...

The coasters are Vynex textured polymer on a heavy duty rubber base, with a total thickness of 1.5 mm (1/16 in).

As an aside, Shalimar is a small town located in the Panhandle of Florida near to Fort Walton Beach and Destin. In June of 1950, its brand-new 280-car capacity Florida Drive-In Theatre opened with the 1948 Esther Williams picture, "On an Island with You"...

Here’s the movie trailer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-3ohJWd0oU&NR=1 where Esther initially walks out of a lake in a scene shot at Cypress Gardens, Florida (now defunct but just reopened yesterday as Legoland Florida).

The Florida Drive-In Theatre closed in the fall of 1973.

-Tom

Oh those matchbooks and coasters turned out awesome! It was an offhand suggestion I never really thought you would actually do it, but I am glad you did. Big fan of matchbooks: been collecting them for a few years now, and find them a never ending source of design inspiration. I was actually quite surprised how widespread of a hobby it is, and particularly the role they play on this site in the documentation of defunct Tiki temples.

Love the placement of the sign too, goes great with the aqua color paint. And those new art pieces are very cool looking I really like how vertical the boards are and how the artist incorporated that into the work.

So now what is left for the Blowfish? Custom stir sticks? A Blowfish drink? I am still dying to see photos of people partying in your beautiful bar. :wink:

[ Edited by: tigertail777 2011-10-18 00:03 ]

Check out page 3 of this thread. Pictures prove I was there, although the Mai Tais have prevented me from remembering most of it!!!

Yes, I saw those and forgot about them. Looks like you were having one swell time there Tikihardbop! :wink:
I think it's time for more pictures of party goers with all the new additions is kinda what I meant to say. So get on over there Tikihardbop and get sloshed with the mural and use those new coasters! :lol:

Just waiting on an invite. I'll be seeing TikiTom next weekend I hope, at The Storm Shelter and I'm sure that will be one of the topics of conversation, right behind what exactly is "tiki music".

I was thinking that the question is a no brainer.....Jimmy Buffet = Tiki music...

Runs

Ah, McTiki, you uttered the name of the Dark Lord of Margaritaville here. Lucas and emspace may already be ordering up a drone strike on the Blowfish Bar.

At the Blowfish Bar, we actually prefer classical Exotica (e.g., Martin Denny and Arthur Lyman) and Hapa Haole (e.g., Alfred Apaka and Hawaii Calls), although we are also partial to the Tikiyaki Orchestra, Lisa Ono (especially her Bossa Hula Nova album), Stolen Idols (have a few digital recordings from a demo CD) and several other contemporary bands. TikiHardBop can attest, if he remembers anything through the Mai Tai haze, that we were playing Swanky’s Vinyl Exotica I and Vinyl Exotica II when he arrived at the Blowfish Bar back in September. Heck, should Lucas deem us worthy of a CDR, we’ll loop the Smokin Menehunes at our upcoming soirée, as I like what I’ve heard on the Myspace site, but can’t seem to buy or download anything. TikiHardBop, we’ll see you at the Storm Shelter next weekend and make some plans.

Sure hope those Hellfire missiles harmlessly detonate over the ocean, perhaps diverted a bit southward by the sounds coming from High Tides @ Snack Jack (http://www.snackjacks.com/), a Surf bar. I’d hate to see them take a hit, however, as their fish tacos are excellent!

-Tom

Who is Lisa Ono? Never heard of her? Sounds like I might like her based on your other musical tastes.

Aloha, Tigertail777...

I was turned on to Lisa Ono by Mark Riddle of DigiTiki.com (aka Marty Lush of the Tikiyaki Orchestra), who played selections from the Bossa Hula Nova album on The Quiet Village Podcast Episodes 25 and 33 (http://www.digitiki.com/podcast.htm)... “Swingtime in Honolulu” is a personal favorite from that album. The album itself is cited as “a beautiful marriage of Hawaiian and Bossa Nova music.” I suppose the accuracy of that statement varies with the listener, but I happen to agree...

Lisa’s bio is here: http://www.onolisa.com/english/biography.html. Some of her albums are now hard to get and/or expensive, although iTunes carries a limited selection that you can sample, but currently none from that album. The only place I know that you can purchase a reissue of Bossa Hula Nova is at CD Japan (http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/search3.html?r=any&exact=&q=lisa+ono+bossa+hula+nova&order=score&media=&step=20), though it’s possible that you might be able to order it through Amazon.com.

I have these albums, all really great, but only the one has a Hawai’i focus:

Cerenato Carioca (1992)

Rio Bossa (1996)

Bossa Hula Nova (2001)

The Music of Antonio Carlos Jobim “Ipanema” (2007)

-Tom

And heck, the last time we were over, TikiTom had imported a musical act from a whole 2 blocks over to come and play for us! Nothing but the best!

While Keylo is having a good time torching the hair off the new Tiki he created for my beach house front yard (see Keylo Carving at http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?mode=viewtopic&topic=41417&forum=7&start=0), I’ve acquired an earlier carving of his that underwent a much less traumatic birth, though it’s hard to be sure. This one went to the master bedroom, only a few steps from the bar...

We’ve extended the Polynesian Pop and Hawaiiana décor from the bar throughout the upper level of the beach house. Next to the Keylo Tiki is this prized antique publicity photo of the two Dukes (John “Duke” Wayne and Duke Kahanamoku) from the 1948 movie, Wake of the Red Witch, acquired from Mauna Kea Galleries in Hilo, Hawai’i more than a decade ago...

Looking from the bed to the dresser...

A closer view of the Hawaiian girl busts...

Several signed Michael Van Dorn prints we acquired directly from the artist while strolling along the Monsarrat Avenue weekend art show near the Honolulu Zoo in 1998...

Looking toward one corner of the headboard...

This signed print was acquired on Kaua’i years ago...

Looking toward the opposite corner...

These two vintage hula girl photos from near the turn of the past century also came from Mauna Kea Galleries where we spotted them while vacationing on The Big Island...

Clearly, the missionaries had not yet gotten around to enforcing their sensibilities on all the native culture.

-Tom

My dear god I have to see this place....it has collectibles.

Mahalo

Meet you soon!

McTiki

My wife calls it "tiki creep" where the decor begins in a corner or a room & then spreads....
Nice digs!

WOW, I love all your wonderful Tiki stuff! Those photos are very cool, love the topless hula gals. Thanks for the links etc about Lisa Ono. That one Poly themed album is a bit out of my budget right now, but it looks pretty cool.

Aloha, McTiki, Holler Waller and tigertail777; appreciate the visits and comments! Hope you're enjoying this fine weekend!

Keylo Plants a Tiki

Today Keylo (aka Ramay Lewis) delivered a newly carved Tiki that he refers to as “Ben Chard the Yard Guardian.” You can learn a bit about his birthing pains at these TC threads: http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=41402&forum=7&11 http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=41417&forum=7&31

This Tiki is positioned to guard the exterior entry to the Blowfish Bar. To plant him, Keylo centered a piece of pipe in a concrete-filled bucket which he then buried in the ground...

A hole was drilled through the center of the Tiki to allow him to slip over the pipe...

Keylo then used his cordless driver to insert a self-tapping set screw through the side of the Tiki into the pipe at the center. Two set screws were inserted, one on each side of the Tiki, offset vertically so they did not intersect at the same place on the pipe in the center...

Keylo then applied some wood putty to the countersunk screw heads...

At this point, we all had a bit of lunch and a Margarita or two at Hurricane Patty’s along the Intracoastal Waterway to give the wood putty time to dry. Some good time later, we returned and Keylo sanded the wood putty smooth, then applied black acrylic paint. At a future date, this will be top-coated with polyurethane...

Mahalo to Keylo for another awesome Tiki creation!

-Tom

Tom,

It was a real treat to read through this thread of yours! Such an amazing place you've been putting together in your home. I'm quite honored to know my sketch and print will amongst that mural, the mugs and even some El Gato Gomez!

Robert

Robert, I’m looking forward to the arrival of “Lava Falls,” in the form of both its original conceptual sketch and as the finished art print. Maori Tikis are a personal favorite, and the detail and setting of your newest creation are exceptional. The features depicted in your art are faithful to an original museum article that Sven posted earlier in this thread, as can be seen in this side-by-side comparison...

Our beach house is limited in available wall space, so I must choose carefully among the many talented artists and their art here at Tiki Central. It’s a real challenge, as I like so much of what I see. We’re beyond what Holler Waller’s wife refers to as “Tiki creep,” somewhere on the road to, but hopefully short of, “Tiki clutter.”

An earlier post showed some of the Tiki and Hawaiiana items that we have in our master bedroom. In the hallway adjacent to the Blowfish Bar, we have a Derek Yaniger print, a Hukilau 2010 poster and Hawaiian art calendar...

The hallway bathroom was not spared...

Tiki Joe’s Ocean album art print signed by Tiki tONy and Andy Nazzal

Hukilau 2010 poster acquired at Hukilau 2011 and signed by as many participants as I could snag between events, including Ron Licudine, son of Mario Licudine, the original Mai-Kai mixologist

Moving to the sun room next to the master bedroom...

An Ed’s Heads Tiki totem

Hawaiian lamp atop roll top desk

Caricature of me done at the LA Zoo in 2003, an appropriate setting if I may say so

A favorite watercolor of Space Shuttle night launch done by Brenda Wallis, a talented lady who never let MS keep her from creating art, including beautiful murals

And finally, back to the bar area...

Mermaid acquired years ago from the gift shop at the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse, tallest lighthouse in Florida and the second tallest masonry lighthouse in the nation, located about 27 miles south of the Blowfish Bar

-Tom

Wow! Impressive stuff! I especially like the Derek and Tiki Tony prints!

I shipped the art out on Friday morning. I'm fully expecting it arrives to you safe and sound on Monday!

Wonderful new tiki Keylo planted there amongst all your other tiki treasures. I really like the mermaid with dolphins sculpture.

Oh and thanks again for the Blowfish Bar swag I am putting the coasters to good use as we speak. :wink:

Mahalo for your recent visit here, tigertail777. 'A'ole pilikia on the swag.

We're hosting a Luau Party at the Blowfish Bar on Saturday, December 3. Here's the invitation...

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=41597&forum=4&0

The Chief from Ohana Luau at the Hawaiian Inn in Daytona Beach will greet and entertain with his ukulele or guitar for a couple of hours before heading to a wedding party in the evening. I realize that many of the folks would rather be lei'd by one of the hula girls, but they're unavailable...

BTW, there's actually a shop on A1A (the coastal highway) in Flagler Beach that sells and gives lessons on ukuleles called Grampa's Uke Joint (http://www.grampasukejoint.com/).

-Tom

Patti at the Hawaiian Inn's Ohana Luau sent me a couple of photos of the Chief. These were taken by their show's professional photographer...

The Chief is second from the left

I think we'll forego this inside, else we'll become the Burned Fish Bar and activate all of the talking fire alarms; looks like the Chief could team up with Marina the Fire-Eating Mermaid

'Tis the season

-Tom

Now gracing the Blowfish Bar is the art of Robert Jiménez (Tiki Central’s zerostreet). His creation, “Lava Falls,” hangs above the sliding doors next to the bar in the form of both the fine art print and the original concept sketch...

See Robert’s Tiki Central thread (http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?mode=viewtopic&topic=35444&forum=18&start=0) and his web site (http://tikitower.com/).

-Tom

Terrific bar with great art, Wendy

Tom! Thanks so much for the mention and the pics of the framed art! Again, I'm so happy to see my work adorning the Blowfish Bar!

Wendy, mahalo for your visit. I hope someday to capture a mug of your creation!

Robert, if I have anything to do with it, "Lava Falls" won't be the last of your art to adorn the Blowfish Bar...

It's the day after the Luau party, and it started with a beautiful sunrise over the ocean...

Feeling great after a terrific party, from the host's perspective. More than thirty guests joined us, starting just before 3 pm yesterday afternoon, and the last departed about 8 hours later. A successful party for that many folks requires a fair amount of planning, acquisition and timing. By far the most important ingredient is, however, the guests themselves. By that measure, we were fortunate to have had the best. While it's fun to create a home tiki bar, and it's great to enjoy it on a personal basis every day, the real reward comes from seeing your guests mixing it up and having fun.

To keep the workload manageable, we asked the Ohana Luau folks at the Hawaiian Inn in Daytona Beach to prepare the Luau main course. That consisted of:

Teriyaki Chicken

Hawaiian Kalua Pulled Pork

Vegetable Stir Fry

Candied Yams

Fried Rice

My wife then supplemented that with desserts of her own making:

Chocolate Mochi (Japanese rice cake made from sweet rice flour)

Macadamia Nut Pie

Our neighbors also brought some desserts:

Key Lime Bars made by Kathy

Pineapple Upside-Down Cupcakes made by Deana

Appetizers included fruit and cheese, veggies and dip, crackers and mini-sandwiches.

By far, the most popular appetizer was the Ahi Poke prepared by the wife. To make that, Pat diced five pounds of fresh sushi-grade tuna steak, cucumbers, avocados and green onions. This was mixed up in a marinade of low-sodium soy sauce, lemon juice and sesame oil. Toasted sesame seeds and red pepper flakes were added for seasoning, then the Poke was placed on ice awaiting the guests. Wasabi sauce, flat bread and crackers were provided as accessories, though most folks consumed the Poke as-is with their fingers.

Just before noon on the day of the party, I drove to the Hawaiian Inn to pick up the main course and the chafing dishes for serving...

There I was met by Wailana, "executive" hula girl, and the Ohana Luau chef, Esene...

I received a sampling of the Teriyaki Chicken (delicious) and a tour of the Ohana Luau facilities. In addition to being chef, Esene is artist, Tiki carver and home renovation specialist. It's a practical necessity, as the Polynesian show business is slow in the off-season.

After loading minivan with food and serving ware, I cautiously headed north on A1A back to the Blowfish Bar.

To be continued...

-Tom

Mark "TikiTender" Woods came about an hour before Luau party time to get set up and prepare the featured rum punch, Blood of the Kapu Tiki (from Beachbum Berry Remixed, page 114)...

Shortly after he arrived, the fragrance of fresh squeezed limes danced about the bar. There were a lot of limes to squeeze, as Mark made the punch up in 1.5-gallon batches, requiring 24 fluid ounces of fresh lime juice for each batch. It was a popular cocktail choice, with approximately 3 gallons consumed. At the party conclusion, this was all we had left...

The first guests started to arrive just before 3 pm, at about the same time as the Chief from Ohana Luau, here posing with the TikiTender...

Then, a lovely surprise from Ohana Luau: Wailana in full costume made an appearance with her daughter, Tiana...

Our Brevard Tiki friends initially assembled at The Storm Shelter, home bar of TikiHardBop (George) and TornadoTiki (Chris), then drove up to Flagler Beach in one vehicle. George brought us one of his wonderful custom creations, Falernum. Samples were passed around; it was so good as-is that there wasn't much left over for mixing. Mahalo to all for the gifts.

As libations freely flowed from the TikiTender, the Chief got busy with his ukulele, here serenading Sheila...

It was a beautiful afternoon, so many guests initially migrated to the deck outside the Blowfish Bar. Kathryn (center) from Rockledge is enjoying a painkiller while Jimi, her husband, and metikigal (Christina, left) are both starting out with Blood of the Kapu Tiki...

Bill and Christina from Melbourne...

Neighbors Gail and Mike...

Son, Tommy, and TikiTomD himself...

Neighbor Joe with a gift...

Joe with his wife, Carol...

My camera technique in taking a photo of TikiHardBop (George) was so bad it was beyond the capability of the built-in correction algorithm to repair; my regrets, George. I must have been overcome by your awesomeness :)

After Wailana lei'd the guests, she and the Chief gave a performance out on the deck...

With that performance, the atmospherics were never better at the Blowfish Bar...

To be continued

-Tom

[ Edited by: tikitomd 2011-12-24 05:17 ]

Among our Luau party guests were Dave Hettel, our Polynesian mural artist, and his wife, Jill, from Ormond Beach...

Kathy, my sister-in-law, from Winter Springs...

Mahalo Mark and his wife, Beth, from Orlando...

Karen, my sister, and her husband, Darrell, from Palm Coast...

Darrell was a godsend in helping me convert a derelict beach house into the inviting home it is today, but that is a story for another day.

Tommy's surf buddy, Todd...

Neighbor Steve and his significant other, Pam...

Our senior-most guest was Joe, known to all of us as simply the "Captain." The Captain is 91 years old, a WWII veteran, and chock full of fascinating stories. After discharge from the armed service, he interviewed for a position with TWA (Trans World Airlines). While discussing his credentials with a TWA manager, a tall young man approached and directed him to an aircraft on the tarmac, where he preceded to check him out as he taxied down the runway. That tall young man was Howard Hughes, and he hired the Captain on the spot. Later on, the Captain was entrusted to perform personal transport duties for Mr. Hughes. There are many such stories, if you have have the time and inclination to listen. Here is the Captain with his wife, Pauline...

Karen and Jo, my mother-in-law, from Titusville...

Neighbor Deana and her son, Anthony...

Kathryn and TornadoTiki (Chris) from Rockledge...

Business at the bar was brisk, and TikiTender was up to the challenge...

TikiTender makes Sis a non-alcoholic cocktail, his "virgin" Erin's Montego Bay recipe...

The Chief and Tommy...

To be continued

-Tom

[ Edited by: TikiTomD 2011-12-05 04:02 ]

Between 4 pm and 5 pm, guests gathered at ground level outside for the Luau dinner. Tommy temporarily took over entertainment duties so that the Chief could have a break to eat...

Sunset occurred at 5:25 pm. By that time, most folks had eaten dinner and moved inside or up on the second level deck, though there were still a few scavengers hanging out at the dessert trays...

Inside, conversation drowned out the classic hapa haole background music...

For a few, enriched by multiple high-octane cocktails, dreamtime supplanted conversation (left to right, Sheila, Kathy and Pat from Titusville)...

For others, well :) (left to right: Beth, Mark and Pam; second photo: Mark, Beth and Howie, a neighbor)...

Kathryn, Chris and TikiTender...

Tommy and his date, Kathy...

Pat, TikiTomD's wife, and Pam...

TornadoTiki (Chris) brought a special gift for the Blowfish Bar, a ceramic Tiki Lantern of her own creation...

It now takes a place among other treasures atop the bar...

Mahalo to Ohana Luau, TikiTender, and, most of all, valued guests who made this a fun and memorable event for us :)

-Tom

absolutely spectacular Tom!

Looks like a good time with a fun crew! Great looking bar too!

That was a fun night

Sorry we missed this Tom. Looks like fun was had by all.

Mahalo

McTiki

Hey, you were able to get a rare picture of me at the bar. And you got the back of my head, which everyone agrees is my best side!

Everything was first class, as usual. Can't wait for the next one!

Looks like a great time! Thanks for sharing the pics!

Mahalo to all for visiting this thread. I’d be honored to share a cocktail at the Blowfish Bar with any of the Tiki Central Ohana visiting my neighborhood. Komohana, wish you were 11,000 miles closer so that were a practical offer in your case. Andy and Robert, hope you can join us for the next party. Thank you for the kind words, murphdog.

George, I received an anonymous email (one of those with your own email address in both the “From” and “To” entries). There was an attached image. The accompanying note stated that it was taken the night of the party...

Patti Santiago, business owner of Ohana Luau along with her husband Jose, has invited Pat and I to be their guests at the Saturday, December 17, “Christmas in Hawaii” dinner show at the Hawaiian Inn in Daytona Beach. Anyone want to join us? Seating begins at 6:30 pm.

I noticed that one of the Luau signs inside the Hawaiian Inn lobby bears the name of Wailana, Ohana Luau’s “executive” hula girl. She told me that she’s been performing for 29 years at the Hawaiian Inn. She’s a lovely and talented lady...

-Tom

Great pix! I just realized people were posting party pix here, so I'm going to make a potential faux pas and repost here as well as the event area. It was a fabulous party.

The star bartender:

Tiki Tom:

Surfacabra and MeTiki Gal:

The entertainers:

Kathryn and RuinTheJimi:

Tom's son Tommy:

A windy TornadoTiki and TikiHardBop:

Double-fisted drinking:

Good eats:

~ Chris 'TornadoTiki' K.

Tiki Tom D,

Looks like you pulled off an amazing party to really break in the Blowfish Bar. All the right combos... good people, good food, good drinks, and good Tiki.

DC

Chris (TornadoTiki), nice photos. It’s easy to see who among us is the professional photographer. Mahalo for the awesome Tiki Lantern! Greatly appreciate you and George (TikiHardBop) making the trek up, and bringing some of the Brevard Tiki peeps with you.

Dustycajun, honored by your visit and your kind words! When you’re down Florida way, let’s do some Tiki exploration together, then enjoy cocktails in the ocean breeze.

Here are a few more photos from Saturday’s Luau party:

Kathryn and Jimi from Rockledge...

Wailana from Ohana Luau...

Pat and Sheila from Titusville...

Neighbor Howie brandishing a soon-to-be-filled mug, with Steve and Pam in the background...

Mingling at the bar...

Christina, Tom, Kathryn and Chris...

TikiTender, Beth, Mark and Pam (camera guy might have been feeling effects of cocktails by this time)...

Karen and Jo...

Tommy and Kathy...

Tommy and Anthony...

-Tom

So that makes like 47 photos of Kathryn and none of me? I wonder why that could possibly be?

George, Kathryn is certainly a lovely and worthy subject for the camera.

Okay, I hereby submit the evidence that you were indeed photographed:

Now, choose from the following for an explanation of the results:

(a) The camera operator is inept
(b) The camera lens fogged as it was brought out of air conditioned space into warm, humid air
(c) The camera has an autofocus, but the operator failed to first press the button half-way to activate
(d) Your personal aura affected the digital camera media
(e) Choices a, b and c above
(f) All of the above

Choices (a) and (e) are essentially saying the same thing, and either one is the most probable explanation, though (d) is in the realm of possibility.

-Tom

I'm sorry, but I think that is just about the best photo ever taken of me! It mirrors the way that I was seeing the world after that yard-long mai tai!

[ Edited by: TikiHardBop 2011-12-08 09:57 ]

Man it looks like it was an amazing party. Thanks for posting all the pics, would have loved to have been there but well you know.... Oregon is way over here, and you are way over there. :wink:

Now I gotta ask... what is Macadamia nut pie? It sounds yummy!

Aloha, tigertail777! Macadamia Nut Pie is similar to Pecan Pie, kind of a Hawaiian version of it. There are many tasty recipes, some embellished with coconut and some with chocolate. Here’s a basic recipe, among the many out there. It is not a desert for those on a strict diet, as it packs a zillion calories per slice, but it is, indeed, yummy.

-Tom

a little trivia, macadamia are native to the north-east of australia,
namely queensland, and were introduced to and commercially grown in
hawaii around-abouts the 1920s.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macadamia

Komohana, mahalo for the information on Macadamia Nut origins. Expanding on your trivia: In 1857, the nut was named in honor of Dr. John Macadam, MD, a Scottish-born Australian chemist, medical teacher and politician who served as the Secretary of the Philosophical Institute of Victoria. I noticed from your article that the Macadamia Nut is also referred to as the Queensland Nut or Bush Nut in deference to its native range.

Pat and I visited the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut orchards and factory at Keaau on the Big Island about 11 years ago. It is on the road between Hilo and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Their web site indicates that the first Macadamia Nut tree was planted in Hawaii at Kapulena on the Big Island in 1881, and the first plantation was planted near Honolulu, Oahu in 1921. The original Mauna Loa plantation was started in 1946. For those who like Macadamia Nuts and chocolate, here’s the Mauna Loa recipe for Chocolate Macadamia Truffle Mousse Pie (Hershey’s now owns the Mauna Loa brand).

The Macadamia Nut is the hardest of nuts to crack open, and inflicting the required force to break the shell also tends to obliterate the edible nut inside. According to this article (http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=Oc-rVwKPngoC&dat=20030305&printsec=frontpage&hl=en, page 12), legend is that it took American ingenuity to develop the nut-cracking machinery necessary to make commercial exploitation possible...

The Southeast Missourian March 5, 2003

From the Google News archives (http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=SFOYbPikdlgC&dat=19491229&printsec=frontpage&hl=en, page 3) also comes this interesting story on early commercial efforts and risks taken to exploit the Macadamia Nut as a profitable food crop in Hawai`i...

The Spartanburg Herald-Journal December 29, 1949

Robert Gribbroek, late Warner Brothers Cartoon unit layout artist and background painter, used Macadamia Nuts in his 1959 winning recipe for Pork Tenderloin Javanese (Google News http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=dXBh7-90p_YC&dat=19591208&printsec=frontpage&hl=en, page 3)...

Lodi News-Sentinel December 8, 1959

Tiki and Macadamia Nuts have had a close relationship since 1960, when Mamoru Takitani enlisted an art teacher friend to design a logo for his newly purchased Honolulu candy company that he renamed Hawaiian Host...

Photo by Johnny Dollar on Flickr

Finally, a caution for Macadamia Nut lovers: keep them away from your dogs, as they are highly toxic to them. Chocolate covered Macadamia Nuts are doubly so.

-Tom