Granddaughter's Wedding

This was our event of our year!


Granddaughter Autam's wedding to Eamonn Urey in Sedona, Arizona was an absolute delight for Caren and Wayne. It was a fairytale wedding in so many ways - the storybook-beautiful bride and handsome groom, the outrageous setting in the red-rock mountains, the many supportive friends gathered to express their good wishes, and the loving and supportive families uniting - it was indeed perfect.

The wedding ceremony took place in Sedona, AZ, certainly one of the more beautiful places on the planet and a complete change from the tropical beauty of Maui we enjoy every day. The red mountains, rock formations, verdant forests, all were feasts for our eyes.

One of Caren's thrills was having three of her daughters together for the first time in three years.( L to R Debbie, Caren, the bride's mother Lorrie & Pamela)





The whole family, including new son-in-law Eammon after the ceremony.






The bride's sister, Kassie, and brother, Steve, were in the wedding party as attendants.Once again, a thrill for Caren to see these now-grown up" kids."


















Of course, the parents of the bride, Lorrie and Dave Arner, were radiantly happy seeing their oldest child move into a completely new phase of life with her new husband. We all clearly recognized the love and remarkable bond between the new Mr. and Mrs. Eamonn Urey.....and we were joyful.




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Caren's Latest Modeling Gig

Caren is a fashion model for many of Maui's finest stores when they participate in various charity fund-raising events on the island. Over the years she has participated in many fashion shows and last week had a fun opportunity at an event to benefit the Maui Youth and Family Services organization.

Caren modeled several outfits from both Maui's Blue Ginger (casual) and Water Lilly (couture) and fantastic shoes from If the Shoe Fits. The perks included hair and makeup done by Rutz Salon.

She loves it and looks forward to every opportunity. She didn't start modeling until she was 62 and, now at 72, just gets better. She is a major inspiration and teacher for younger models who are now beginning to appear in the shows.





She will model in a September benefit for the Breast Cancer Awareness promotion of the American Cancer Society. The models are all cancer survivors and Caren is now a twenty year survivor of the disease. And she is doing very well, thank you!

Special Tour Guests

Wayne had a very special guest and her family on a private tour to Hana recently. For those of you who love fine art as we do, it was a pleasure having Lisa de Kooning, daughter of famous modern artist William de Kooning, and her daughters, their friends and there security guy on board his Temptation Tours excursion. The entire family was a delight and it was fun showing them the great beauty of Maui.

Lisa's father was a major player in the New York art scene along with Jackson Pollack after WWII. In the post-War era, de Kooning painted in a style that came to be referred to variously as Abstract expressionism, Action painting, and the New York School. Lisa works in bronze and has a decidedly modern touch in her renderings.


Lisa de Kooning and her daughter Lilly at a recent New York gallery opening of an exhibit of her work.


Lisa, a very accomplished modern sculptor in her own right, was a charming guest and the others delightful also. Didn't talk much art - after all, she was on vacation - and Wayne always has a lot to tell his guests about Maui. A very enjoyable trip.

Pi'ilanihale Heiau Adventure

Wayne had a very interesting private tour this week: It was a family from Tahiti and Maui who were on a quest to gather information about the "ulu" (breadfruit) tree (you may remember that it was the breadfruit tree that Captain Bligh in such trouble in Mutiny on the Bounty). They wanted to go to Maui's Kahanu Natinal Botanical Garden in Hana to see their remarkable collection of tropical trees and plants.

At the garden they are attempting to gather and preserve old plants from all over Polynesia. The Garden also has a specific area dedicated to preserving the original "canoe plants" brought to Hawaii by the colonizing Marcassens when they sailed to the Islands 1,500 years ago.

They have a huge selection of ulu trees from throughout the Tropical Pacific Basin - over 120 varities and over 220 trees, the largest and most complete collection in the world. The family were interested in creating an ulu forest in their huge family held valley in Tahiti - tough, huh?

Ulu grows all over the South Pacific and, because of the wide-spread and very useful nature of the tree and its fruit it went along with the migration to all the islands in the huge region, including Hawaii. On each island groupings, each with a slightly varied environment, the trees developed many different varieties to survive in each grouping. So, there are many distinct ulu trees "native" to many distinct islands. That happens with a lot of plants in the islands - coconut is another good example with several hundred distinct varieties. While the differences are small, they are discernable when you see bunches of them together.

While that was interesting to Wayne, the highpoint of the trip was seeing, experiencing and walking on the Pi'ilanihale Heiau. This is Hawaii's largest ancient place of worship that is still intact. The heiau was constructed completely out of lava rock and dates back to the 14th century. It is associated with Maui's Pi'ilani dynasty that ruled Maui for nearly 100 years. The area was overgrown until the 1970's which kept the site a secret and therefore in excellent condition today. The stone platform is 340 feet by 415 feet or the size of two football fields. It covers almost three acres and !s thought to be the largest heiau ever built by the widespread Polynesian cultures.



Built by Hawaiian chiefs and kings as temples to the gods, heiaus are lava or limestone enclosures that once contained prayer towers, taboo houses, drum houses, and altars. They are the most enduring architectural statement of a people who sought spiritual guidance not only to understand the ways of the universe but also to deal with practical issues such as fishing, mending broken bones, planting, and harvesting. Each heiau was a place of great mana, or power.

Pi'ilanihale is situated on a large bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. From this vantage point, you can see how Pi'ilani's fortress commands the rugged coast and lowlands below.

We have visited many heiau before on Maui, Hawaii and Kauai, but none compare with this place in sheer size, sense of power or majesty. It was a remarkable experience to be cherished.