2026 Mar 08 | Maui malls, Monty Python's Spamalot at Aloha Theater

Birthday present #2.

Grounded pillow sheets.

Neat shadows from clouds at sunset.

Present #3.

What's inside?

Cookies.

Aw, most Saks Off 5th stores are closing.

Only a few in a few states will stay open.

The one in Honolulu is already closed.

The website has a liquidation sale.

The problem is even with a big discount...

... it's still cheaper to buy on Amazon. Maybe the quality isn't quite as good, although maybe it is. Hard to tell if you're only paying for the name.

There was a total lunar eclipse, but it was max at 1:33am, with totality from 1:04am to 2:02am, so we weren't up to see it. Good thing we didn't try; it looks pretty cloudy.

At the airport at 5am. No line at security.

This store isn't open yet. They have leis.

Getting on the plane.

I had a seat in an exit row. Kind of wasted on me since I'm short.

Can finally see the moon, but it's a few hours after the eclipse.

Nice poster in the airport.

Now waiting for another plane from Oahu to Maui.

That's the gate. There are very few outlets in this hallway.

And this one close to the gate isn't working.

I have to go a few gates down to get a working one.

Or up out of the hallway to the main waiting area. But then I can't see my gate.

Leaving Honolulu.

Arriving in Kahului.

I never seem to get out of the airport at the tram stop.

But it's a very short walk to the car rentals.

I prefer the smaller vehicles.

Leaving the airport.

Always nice to see the palm trees and mountains.

I like to park in this back row at work as it usually doesn't fill up.

And then I can walk by all of the jasmine plants, which smell so good.

Nice artwork. Maui Rainforest by Karen Jennings.

After work, Ogii wanted me to go to this beach.

To get a picture of this tree which looks like it's running.

Nice house.

Except their retaining wall collapsed. I wonder how much work and how expensive it is to get that fixed.

This looks like a nice mural, but I can only catch a glimpse of it from this road.

There's a golf course right by the beach.

One problem with finding the running tree:

I don't know where on the beach it is, and it's a long beach.

Also, you can only see a little ways along the beach because the trees stick out around the curves. I couldn't find the running tree.

Driving back, this house had a lot of junk.

This one had even more.

A homeless tent between the road and the ocean.

Nice mural at the Queen Kaahumanu Center mall.

I'm feeling like eating Mexican.

There were only a few other people eating, even though it was almost 6pm.

Chips.

Carne asada.

Who's that baby, sponsored by Kaiser Permanente, on the basketball game.

Except the baby pics are AI.

I'd rather they use the actual baby pics.

The rest of the mall was as empty as the restaurant. One nice thing was they painted over the empty storefronts.

With info on the artists.

Directory.

Almost nobody walking inside.

This Lenscrafters had been trying to find an optometrist for at least a few years. It looks like they finally found one.

Ben Franklin.

Another painted store.

Fun seal picture.

Stage.

Statues of hula dancers above.

Statue of Queen Kaahumanu.

This bakery looks good, but it's only open 9am to 2:30pm; that's pretty limited, and most people are working then.

Empty store.

Another one.

This section had a few more open stores.

Although See's Candy is closed.

This dance class had a few people.

As did the taekwondo studio.

Close by is another mall, the Maui Mall Village.

Directory.

Map.

Although it also was largely empty.

This dance space was open, with a capoeira class.

The movie theater didn't look busy.

This sushi place was the only one with many people.

Fun fish.

Ross was right across the street.

They had some of the Skechers shoes I like, although at 9.5, they might be a bit too big.

They were also very busy.

It took 10 minutes to get through the line.

Jeep with a fun paint job.

Although I'm not sure where those camouflage colors will help you blend in.

I'm not sure how much the Big Breakfast with Hotcakes used to cost at McDonald's, but I'm sure it wasn't $17.

Sitting at table 114.

Peaceful mural.

Colorful clouds above the mountains at sunrise.

With palm trees.

This vending machine at work seems to always have something that gets stuck right before it drops. Last time it was jerky, this time it's some other candy.

I can't remember ever seeing an item on sale in a vending machine.

Fun license plate.

Back to the airport.

Waiting for the tram.

There it is.

Sometimes there's more of a line at security, but there was none right now.

I heard them announce last call for Kona.

My flight is supposed to leave at 4:31pm and arrive at 7:17pm because it stops at Honolulu.

So I ran to the gate, asked it I could get on this direct flight, and the agent said I made it by three minutes.

So I'll get home three hours earlier.

I'm the last person on.

Each Hawaiian Airlines plane has a different bird.

The flight was only about half full, and I got an exit row all to myself.

Rainbow over Maui.

Haleakala peeking up through the clouds.

With clouds halfway down the southern side.

Landing in the lava of Kona.

I love how open the airport is.

I like this guy's bag; is has so many separate outside pockets.

Some goats on the drive home.

Since I got home early, we went shopping at Ross.

They had two size 9 Skechers.

I prefer the ones with the air pocket, but even the ones without are better than the newer models being sold in the Skechers stores.

Also stopping at Target. Gotta wait for all of the shopping carts to get in first, though.

I was looking for some long sleeved undershirts, and this one is on clearance.

From $12 to $3.60. Great deal.

Ooh, we found an entire rack of them.

We got 6 small and 6 medium since I don't know which will work best.

Also some cheap earbuds.

Penny shortage.

Stopping at Olivia Clare Boutique.

Ogii looking at clearance dresses.

With flowers.

They have Na Koa wallets, but not the honu design I want.

There's also an Olivia's Closet for luxury resale.

Ogii checking that out.

Dresses.

We went to Willie's Hot Chicken for dinner.

Some seating inside.

With multiple TVs.

Including a live stream of the volcano.

They have live music Thursday through Sunday.

Outdoor seating.

Our food. Ogii got this lei to welcome me back.

There are many murals around here.

Another.

Flowers.

Pattern.

DJ.

They have QR codes to learn about the artists, although the website was no longer working.

Huge one.

We stopped at Old Airport Beach to watch the sunset.

Soft colors over the lava rock.

Cruise ship leaving.

Another present.

A Na Koa wallet.

Perfect size for me.

Scrubs is back. Although I don't like it as much as the first seasons.

Another present.

Tank tops.

And Girl Scout cookies from Monica.

Watching The Green Knight.

I wanted a new travel backpack that's a little bigger than my current one.

I narrowed it down to these four on Amazon.

This one looks pretty good.

But the reviews say it breaks quickly.

Multiple reviews said the same.

The Kroser one has multiple separate outside pockets and multiple inner dividers, so that one wins.

Ogii also bought a new travel backpack. It looks very chic.

Another present.

A dry bag.

I sometimes play 2-minute chess games, which usually means multiple huge mistakes by both sides.

Even though I was mostly losing, I had a change to win here.

But I missed it.

Massages at MyoPro.

A gecko looking at Ogii.

Seling Girl Scout cookies outside Safeway. They take cash, Venmo, or credit card. Although I don't need to buy any as Monica got me some already.

Some huge hibiscus flowers.

Yellow ones.

Multiple pink flowers on multiple bushes.

Hualalai Village had two open houses.

The first one was a corner unit with combined upper and lower units.

I don't think we need a 4 bed, 3 bath place, though.

For $1 million.

Downstairs.

Has a few bedrooms and a bathroom.

Balcony.

With a nice view.

Upstairs.

Central area.

Two bedroom and two bathrooms, both with double sinks and shower plus tub.

Another balcony.

Also nice view.

Gecko on the railing.

A lower unit also had an open house.

This was smaller with less of a view, although it did open right onto grass.

The realtor mentioned that YWAM has a separate homeowner's association that owns a few of the units, which is where they have volunteers stay when they come to Kona. They have ships which go to various islands in the Pacific providing medical care.

Ogii saw some of the neighbor's baby sheep with her spotting scope.

A video of them.

We went to the Aloha Theater on Satuday night.

For Monty Python's Spamalot. They were serving Spam musubi.

The theater.

We were front row center.

And it begins.

Many famous lines straight from the movie.

It was a great play.

Another present.

An ab roller.

It will go nicely with our stationary bike.

In Wordscapes, instead of getting an award for each butterfly when you get the letter it's originally on, it flies over to a different square you haven't figured out yet. That's annoying; then you have to finish the entire puzzle to get them.