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``THANK-YOU FOR VISITING ` `*PALACE OF DREAMS`* `PLEASE ENJOY AND STAY AWHILE` ``FONDEST ALOHA FROM GODDESS'PELE`` `AND HER ANCESTRAL SISTERS OF` ``THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS`` *** `YOU CAN NOW VISIT ME ON `MY SPACE.COM` Click Here:`VISIT MY SPACE.COM` *** ****************************** ****************************** `My Twitter Message Box` ***************************** ***************************** `Please visit my `Story Page` Go to TALES OF LOVE's Story Page by clicking on my `golden angel`~ thank-you! .userProfileURL {display:none;}~`TALES OF LOVE~` Following story can be found on `Tales Of Love` www.storypen.com/talesoflove `MAUI~`THE VALLEY ISLE` `Christmas Holiday Memories` on the Island of Maui,`The Valley Isle` Written by: MaryJane Balthazar I was born in the year 1954, In Hawaii~ As a small child, growing up on the island of Maui, the different towns seemed to be far away from each other, esp.... the long trek to Lahaina. I remember when it was a Pali road, lots of treacherous curves around all the cliffs, to get to it ...and when we traveled to up-country areas, it was by bus, which was a very long dusty trip, although, the bus service was excellent and in-expensive. My Dad was born on Maui, was an up-country boy, lived in Kokomo, and attended the Pauwela school until the 6th. grade, I believe that was the highest grade there at that time. He worked in the pineapple fields as a very young boy and teenager, where he eventually met my Mom, a Makawao girl, also working in the pineapple fields. The women too, did that back-breaking job of picking pineapples, and working in the canneries also, ~ nice enough place to meet, I guess, for they remained married all of their lives, eventually rearing eleven children on the island of Maui. They married at St.. Joseph's Catholic Church in Makawao. My Mom and her family walking to St.. Joseph's Church, while my Dad drove there in horse and buggy from Kokomo. After the ceremony, he and my Mom rode off in the buggy, we were never told where or what happened thereafter. Later on , my Dad who was stringing electrical wires from pole to pole for Maui Electric Company, was offered a position as an electrician for the Sugar Plantation, at the Sugar/Cane Mill, which was in full swing at that time, but is now shut-down. They became sugar-plantation residents, moving into a Plantation Camp which was a stone's throw from the Mill, my Dad being able to walk to work and come home for lunch..although many times, my mom made us kids, take a kau-kau- tin, to him. (remember those?) St. Anthony's School a Catholic School, which I attended from 1st to 12th. grade. As a youngster, I was a tomboy, as my brother, Jacob who was 3 years older than me, had the responsibility of watching over me, and was instructed to take me with him while playing with his friends, therefore; I am familiar with most of the homemade games, the young boys invented, like catching frogs and tadpoles, (saying, "watch-out for the toads, you know what they do to you") at the river stream which came flowing from Iao Valley, at the back-side of the sugar-mill and continued down all the way to the ocean. Building a dam with rocks to make a swimming pond where we spent the day until dusk, picking wild plums and guavas from the trees on the banks, when we got hungry, was a common and fun practice. Some of our other fun adventures were: Flying home-made kites fashioned after the Japanese kites, made with newspaper, (using sticky rice for glue), and the longest tails possible, for high~flying, made from scraps of material left-over from Mom's sewing. Climbing huge mango trees and making home-made swings with rope and a piece of board for the seat, to hang from the highest branch. Trying to catch sparrows and wild doves in a home-made wire cage, with a long string attached to the door, (while hiding behind a rock), so we could pull it shut when the birds entered to feed on un-cooked rice. Didn't have a bike, so I was always begging my brother's friends to ride theirs (little pest), learning how to balance was a skin-bruising and sore akole(BOTTOM)experience, but I did not give up and finally mastered it while they were busy building home-made scooters called skate-boards, using wheels from roller skates , and bent nails or horse-shoe nails to hold parts together, these carts would really take-off down hill, no brakes, yipes!!! so there were quite a few broken elbows and puka(hole `in) heads! Best memories for me are Holiday ones: Church Services at St. Anthony's, family gatherings, home cooked traditional meals and preparations, a decorated Xmas tree, (always with the Nativity Scene, beneath it, . relatives and friends gathering from all islands, and some family member, usually Dad, dressed as Santa delivering gifts, usually practical homemade crafts, to all, During the Xmas holidays, the haole plantation owners, always had Xmas activities, stage shows of the Nativity, and games of all kinds, at the Baldwin and Rice properties, sending trucks to all plantation camps to pick up children, taking them to spend the day there, giving each child a bag of goodies, which included a toy, dolls for girls and toy trucks or tractors for boys., ( we cherished those store-bought toys)...they treated their employees and their families quite fairly, ..providing them with free housing, house maintenance,, spraying surrounding areas for insects, free medical, water and transportation truck rides for workers who worked in the fields. During the war days, while rationing was in full force) free meals were served at a community plantation center and gas-masks were issued to all, which we had to carry with us wherever we went..remember the bomb shelters, black-outs .and the convoys of service-men traveling up and down the street, giving us the peace sign.."V for Victory!" As we grew into teen teenagers, times began to change,... First TV (black & white) was installed at the newly-built Dairy Queen, drawing a mass of residents to watch this magic radio with pictures in it. KMVI Radio Tower installed high above ground to bring in better reception... Telephone installed in homes, we had to wait 6 months for ours to be installed. Electric water-heaters were available, no more putting wood into the outdoor fire-box under the water tank to heat it, always yelling for someone to put more wood in the fire, when the water turned cold in the middle of a shower. Plantation owners started paving camp roads and putting in sewers in preparation for the selling of camp homes in the near future. Unions came into play, and things were never the same..but changes must take place, etc. Miss the ol' fun days in good ol' Hawaii.... Aloha and God bless with a very "Merry Christmas" to all, The above story written by : Mary Jane Balthazar, (remembering my younger days). COPYRIGHT©`2006`~ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ---------------------------------------------- `Mary Jane Balthazar` ~*~` aloha and warm wishes`~*~ ****~`E Ho' 0ulu Aloha`~**** ~*~`{"To Grow In Love`}`~*~ ******************************** "Reach high, for stars lie hidden in your soul~ Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal"~ ~*~Pamela V. Starr~*~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ``WELCOME TO HAWAII`` PLEASE CLICK ON >PLAY>TO ACTIVATE VIDEO ON: HOW THE `HAWAIIAN ISLANDS WERE FORMED BY VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS THROUGHOUT THE AGES: ALSO A SHORT DOCUMENTARY ON: `GODDESS'PELE` GODDESS OF BRIMMING VOLCANIC FIRES! *`GODDESS'PELE`* {2008}