As you notice we have not written for two weeks.  Last Sunday we left for our week in Maui after Church so today we will catch up. 
Remember it is a school break and the campus is very empty.  But the good news is that we then have some free time to have some adventures.
1.  The Doris Duke Home

Doris Duke Home Garden

Doris Duke (1900-1980) was the heiress of a tobacco king who endowed Duke University.  As an only child and having no heirs she created a huge trust that endows a variety of causes.  One is her Honolulu home that is a museum of Islamic art.  I thought this would be a silly thing to visit but it was very interesting.  I studied about Islamic art so I could better appreciate her home.  You can see below that the decor of her home is based on what she found in the Islamic world prior to and just after  WWII. 

We met Julie (Penn) and her husband on this tour.  Small world.

She would locate rooms, walls, etc in the near east and have them transported to her Honolulu home.  She captured part of the world of Islamic art and has preserved it.

Huula ward camp

2.  Ward Camp. 

Kaye and Anna at the Ward Camp Luau

Ward camp is an annual event for each ward in this part of the world.  For one week the whole ward moves to the beach, sets up tarps, tents, etc. and camps out.  They cook there, sleep there and have a real camp out.  I have never seen anything like this.  I suppose this is an effort to get back to their ancestral roots.  The RelEd secretary, Anna, invited us to her ward camp out luau.  That is the big meal at the end of the camp.  It was an authentic luau and some of the food was so good and other dishes a bit of a mystery.  One that even I did not like was made from squid and taro leaves processed in a blender.  Comes out like green paste.  Not even all the Polynesians like it.  But for some, it was ONO.  Anna invited us because she wanted to thank us for speaking last Sunday in her ward on the Prophet Joseph Smith.  We enjoyed both speaking and attending the ward camp. 

3.  Almost 4th Branch Pool Party
The branch had a huge pool party to celebrate the Fourth a week early.  Lots of branch members and their friends.  It was a lot of fun at this huge house of a wealthy member on Sunset Beach. 

Sunset Beach Branch Pool Party. 

4.  MAUI Trip
We had decided months ago that we would spend a week of the break on Maui. We stayed at the Kaanapali Beach Hotel.  It was an older property, but on the best part of the beach.  We did not do a lot but just relax.  Snorkeling was fun as was checking out the surrounding towns.  It was nice to have a quiet week.  At the end of the week two of Kaye's missionary friends came to Maui and wanted to see the pioneer sites, so we took them around.  Here are some photos.

We rode a small computer plane to Maui.

Kaye at the Beach Looking Good

The commuter plane was fun.  Just nine passengers and flew under 5000 feet.  So it was almost like a tour.  We flew over Molokai and Lanai, two smaller islands near Maui. 

Kaanapali  beach is our favorite.  It has gentle waves and good snorkeling.  And it was only a few steps from our hotel.  The weather was good and so I took a shot of grandma in one of her new bathing suits. 

 While there we saw a 4th July parade in a small town "up country" (away from the coast) This shot is of an Hawaiian cowgirl.  The folks in this area have a hundred year tradition of ranching and raising livestock (now mostly goats) It was fun to see their parade. 

A Hawaiian Cowgirl

Below is a photo of Grandma with her sister missionary friends who wanted to see the pioneer chapel on Maui.  (original 1853, current one 1900...well maintained, but not in use. 

Kaye with Sister Linton and Sister Johnson

The week was soon over and we are now back to our TVA apartment.  The weather will turn hot, but we have adjusted and will do much better than last summer.  School starts on the 14th so we have one week to get ready.  Kaye has a big project in the Library. They are disposing of all their old videos.  It is a ten minute procedure for eliminating one from the collection and there are 8000 videos.  Guess Elder Wright will get a call to help with that one between getting his lessons together and a round of golf.