Archive for the ‘Fodder for Fiction’ Category
Family Bucket List Series. Volume 2. Issue 10.
by Lisa Lipkind Leibow, Author of Smart Women’s Fiction
Hana, Maui was a tough act to follow. I could have spent the entire vacation there. Our final stop: the Westin on the West Coast of Maui seemed almost like being back in the hustle and bustle of the real world – well, it was busy, tough to find a chair by the pool or a spot to sit on the crowded beach (should be my worst problem..). The big draw for many folks was the open air shopping mall with everything from a Croc store to frozen yogurt shop. I’m not a huge shopper, so I could take or leave that part.
However, the kids loved the cool water slides at the pool. The snorkeling from the beachfront was spectacular. By now, Thing 2 had memorized the fish-watching cards we picked up on the Big Island. He kept tapping me to point at a fish and to signal me to surface. “Mom, did you see that unicorn fish!” or “that’s the humuhumunukunukuapuaa.” (He explained that some call it the Reef Triggerfish, but the card listed the Hawaiian name for it and he loved saying it!)
unicorn fish
Reef Trigger Fish aka humuhumunukunukuapuaa
Just as we started our trip with a luau, we finished up by celebrating at another! This time, we got seats right up front and even got to participate in the show! The show included the most amazing fire dancers. My still photos ruin the illusion of the spinning flaming batons by freezing them in time. Take my word for it. They were awesome! After the show, Thing 1 asked if he could try to blow the conch shell. The M.C. let him! His trumpet (and shofar) blowing skills paid off. He might have a future as a luau king!
Family Bucket List Series. Volume 2. Issue 9
by Lisa Lipkind Leibow, Author of Smart Women’s Fiction
On our first morning at the Hotel Hana. Hubby and I woke up early and walked to the rocky seaside right from our cabin—each view as spectacular as the last. I took a yoga class overlooking the surf and then headed to breakfast with the family. We played golf on the adorable Par 3 course together. I actually bogied two holes! We had the infiniti pool all to ourselves. Thing 2 and I took a horseback ride along the rocky coast and when our guide brought us to the edge of a ranch owned by Oprah Winfrey, Thing 2 and I looked at each other and said, “What up, Oprah!?”
This hotel might be the most beautiful spot I’ve ever been to!
Whatup Oprah!?
Family Bucket List Series. Volume 2. Issue 8.
by Lisa Lipkind Leibow, Author of Smart Women’s Fiction
I’m not sure I did the Road to Hana justice with my brief description, so I thought I’d try my hand at posting video on the blog. (My last attempt was not so great.) But here goes. Leave a comment to let me know whether you could view the video this time. Enjoy the ride!
Family Bucket List Series. Volume 2. Issue 7.
by Lisa Lipkind Leibow, Author of Smart Women’s Fiction
We shifted course after realizing most of Hilo closes on Sundays and instead of driving Northern rout as originally planned, we repeated to the Sourthern route back to Kona.
We stopped for breakfast at the Coffee Shack, walked arund Kona, and bought Aloha shirts for the boys and a new dress for me. We arrived at the Airport, checked our bags, explored the gift shop, where Spencer bought a snow globe.
Thing 1 and Thing 2 at the Coffee Shack
A short flight to Maui and we lucked out as while Phil went to rent the car, I took the kids to get the luggage (we had to check our bags on this little commuter flight ).
We started our drive toward the Road to Hana at about 2:40 p.m. Before we reached the scenic route, we stopped to watch a huge group of Windsurfers in the bay. The colorful sails looked like butterflies flitting around in the waves below.
The Road to Hana was unlike any other drive I’ve ever taken. Along the way, we made stops to hike to Twin Falls and swim beneath the 20 foot falls. We stopped at an overlook to see a beautiful town in a valley below. The boys got smoothies at the roadside stand while I sipped fresh coconut water fight from the coconut!
Twin Falls
Sipping from a coconut
We tried to follow the guide map and tour book but at mile marker #7 we expected to pull over to see a view of a bamboo forest. We were bamboozled because it didn’t appear until much later – spectacular though, with Bamboo leaves seeming to carpet the hillside, growing parallel to the ground, perpendicular to the hillside. The winding road with tropical forest and waterfalls on one side and cliffs and ocean views on the other, varying road width with many one lane bridges make the drive a challenge. Poor Thing 1 had to close his eyes and rest due to carsickness so he missed some of the spectacular sites.
When we pulled up outside the Hana hotel, we were greeted with beautiful nut leis. We made the quick change into our new clothes from Kona, and headed to dinner.
The meal was spectacular: seared tuna with tempura crust, a sald with ferns—so cool. I had Cloudy Bay Savignon Blanc with dinner and Tiramisu for dessert (yum!) While the food was 5-star, the highlight of the meal was the entertainment. A local group of Hula dancers of all ages—adults, teens, and keiki accompanied by a local couple singing native folk songs. The dancers were family: great grandmothers with each generation down to great grandchildren. The whole experience was so moving. I loved witnessing the traditions being passed on in this way.
While we sat in the beautiful room, eating, drinking, and watching the dancers, Hubby said, “I think I’m in heaven.”
I joked. “Maybe we took a wrong turn on the Road to Hana?”
A long and perfect day in paradise…
Family Bucket List Series. Volume 2. Issue 6.
by Lisa Lipkind Leibow, Author of Smart Women’s Fiction
We spent one full day exploring the Volcano. We started with a guided hike into the caldera. We investigated lava trees, Pele’s tears, cracks. We observed how the fast moving lava hardened in jagged rocks. Slow flow was all smooth and swirly.
We toured various scenic overlooks within the park, Sea Arch, Thurston Lave Tube. We wanted to see the Petroglyphs, but when we got in the car to drive from the Sea Arch to the Petroglyphs, the car wouldn’t start. Eek! We were 17 miles from the visitor’s center in the park. We finally got it started and decided to skip the petroglyphs and drive back to the house for a rest before our big plan for the night.
We took a break for a couple of hours, and headed out to a pizza place we read about in the tour book. But it was closed, so we found a little sandwich shop and ate there instead. It was a nice surprise. The sandwiches were all on homemade bread. I had an ono fish sandwich. The others sate pastrami, roast beef, and turkey. We filled our bellies and then drove the 1 ½ route down route 130 to view the lava flowing into the ocean. An entire neighborhood devastated by the lava flow. We drove to the road closing and walked the rest of the way to the county officials.
We could see flare-up red glowing ground in the distance and where the lava splashed into the ocean, it splashes up into the air in red glowing spray. It was so far way I couldn’t photograph it with the camera we have. However, I’ll never forget the amazing sight of new land being formed.
After witnessing the volatile birth of an island, we headed back to Rooster cottage so we could get an early start driving back to Kona to catch our flight to Maui.
Family Bucket List Series. Volume 2. Issue 5.
by Lisa Lipkind Leibow, Author of Smart Women’s Fiction
We had so much fun snorkeling in the lagoon on Day 2, we decided to hang around the hotel and spend another day snorkeling with the turtles. We also encountered a school of mullets. They are so cool to watch. They actually jumped out of the water like flying fish.
The next day, we left Kona and drove the southern route to Volcano Village, stopping at Keleakaua Bay to watch kayakers paddle across to snorkel. We continued on and took a walking tour at the Place of Refuge and then snorkeled next door. The reef and rocks were amazing! I picked up a fish-watching card and book. We stopped at varius scenic spots, including black sand beach, before arriving at our house in Volcano village.
Place of Refuge
Black Sand Beach
We ate at Thai Thai Restaurant – Delicious! Summer rolls, papaya salad and spicy eggplant with chicken. After dinner we stopped at the Volcaon National Park and headed to the crater viewing from Jagger Museum. The crater glowed red – sooo cool!
My camera doesn't do this justice...
The lovely house we rented was Rooster cottage. I highly recommend it!
Family Bucket List Series. Volume 2. Issue 3.
by Lisa Lipkind Leibow, Author of Smart Women’s Fiction
Big Island – Kona
We landed in Kona in time to get to our hotel for dinner at the Marriott with our friends who are spending the last few days of their vacation at the same place we spent our first few days. We checked out the hotel pool, walked on the beach at the hotel. It’s very rocky. I do not advise walking in bare feet or flip flops. Those swim shoes were a great idea! I saw a puffer fish on the beach. My kids were fascinated with the white corral graffiti on the black lava rock.
We spent our first full day on the Big Island of Hawaii Snorkeling in the lagoon at the Hilton. This activity brought huge surprises! It’s not a stocked lagoon, but fed by the ocean – built as a huge inlet from the open sea. Sea turtles galore! We tested out the bike-boat (not sure what it’s really called, but it’s a raft with a bicycle-driven paddle boat.
With me, if you didn’t already know, it’s all about the food. The hotel had a great breakfast buffet complete with miso soup bar, omelet station, fresh tropical fruit, pancakes and waffles with lilikoi syrup (and maple syrup). For dinner we attended a luau with our friends with hula dancers, fire dancers, and more. For the second family bucket trip list in a row, Hubby dropped the camera during the Luau! Can you believe the fancy lens he bought broke? He was beside himself. Luckily, the oldest son in our friends’ family is an avid photographer/film maker. He happened to have an extra lens with him that would fit our camera. Saved!
Vacations, new puppy in the house, a short story deadline, preparing for back to school, and getting ready for High Holidays… These are the events and activities contributing to the beautiful happy chaos of my life. There is much fodder for fiction here and I promise to share more. I’m busy, busy, busy and can’t wait for a quiet moment so I can share here all the stuff that’s happening.
Stay tuned! Remember, it’s all Fodder for fiction.
Best to you,
Lisa Lipkind Leibow
Author of Smart Women’s Fiction
BOSCO’S GETTING A PUPPY!
by Lisa Lipkind Leibow, Author of Smart Women’s Fiction
After my post about my new hobby (trapezing), you already know I’m a little whacky. I spend my life with 3 sons, a husband, a dog, two turtles, and a slew of fictional characters gallivanting in my mind. I routinely characterize my life as happy chaos. Why then, am I compelled to add to the chaos by getting my dog a new puppy?
Well, look at this litter! How could I resist?
The breeder is the same woman we bought Bosco from. He’s six years old now and we thougth a puppy would perk him up a little.
There’s still another month before a little one can leave his mom to join our clan. In the meantime, we’re having fun trying to decide which pup will fit best into our family. Their personalities are still developing, so the jury is still out. We like the look of the one with the “meantball eyes” like Bosco’s. They’re ALL adoreable. We have chosen a name for the new puppy.
My writer’s tool kit cam e in handy here. Brainstorming! Hooray! Did you know brainstorming as a family is even more fun than it is alone? We started by thinking of white or fluffy things:
Chrystal
Powder puff
Snowball
Marshmallow
Fluffernutter
Snowflake
Cotton
Ice cube
Marshmallow seemed a favorite with a plan to call the dog “Mello” –the temperament of a typical clumber spaniel.
That was BEFORE the breeder chose her litter theme. She keeps track of the litters by choosing a theme. The mother of the litter is from a “lettuce” litter. Her name is Raddicchio and they call her Rita. Bosco was from a pasta litter. His registered neam is “Rigatoni di Bosco”
Are you ready? The theme for this new litter of pups is singers/dancers.
Immediately we thought of MC Hammer of Eminem, where the “M” stood for marshmallow. Nope! We missed the mark. The breeder had a nostalgic time in mind. She is looking for Fred Astaire of ginger Rogers. I suggested Mel Torme. She nixed it. Apparently, the Velvet Fog didn’t dance.
Back to the drawing board. My husband said, “Just choose anything. We can still call the dog Mello if we want.
“I guess you’re right. But it’s nice if there’s some connection.”
I mulled. I googled. I mulled some more. I lay in bed at night. Mind tapping through names of old singer/dancers. My imagination combed through Sammy Davis Jr., Fred Astaire, Zeigfeld, Al Jolson, Bob Fosse, Donald O’Connor …
Then it hit me… SINGING IN THE RAIN… melody. Gene Kelly’s Melody.. aka Mello. Perfect!
Stop by again soon for updates on the clumber puppy project. There’s got to be a story in there somewhere!
WITH THE GREATEST OF EASE…
by Lisa Lipkind Leibow, Author of Smart Women’s Fiction
Dinner at the Leibow home, February 18, 2010
I said, “I had lunch with my friends today.”
He said, “yeah?”
I said, “I told them about my Valentine’s gift. The coupon for trapeze lessons. You should have heard Donna. She said, ‘You wait. He’ll install a trapeze in the bedroom now!’”
“Ceiling’s too low.”
Well, there’s no trapeze in the bedroom. The whole idea of flying on a trapeze fascinated me but I needed to build confidence and carve out time. I worried that I could not even do ONE chin up/pull up/whatever you call it. I worried about stretching enough to maintain flexibility.
I started doing push-ups, a little weight training, and kept my eye toward the few weeks of summer when all three sons were busy with camp.
Still can’t do a chin up to save my life, but while my kids are at camp, I finally found time and guts enough to cash in on my Valentine’s gift and found a new hobby!
Turns out the momentum of the swing makes you weightless – no need to be able to lift my entire weight. What I didn’t consider was climbing a very tall ladder about twenty times in two hours! My butt was killing me the next day!
I did it! I have taken five lessons so far and I can’t wait to go back! It’s a blast. Here’s a video clip to prove it. Click on the hyperlink below. (Oh… How I wish I knew how to embed video properly!)
Remember, this was taken during my second lesson! I’m still working on “the catch.” There’s much fodder for fiction in my new hobby. The diverse reasons people are attracted to this activity: facing fear, sense of adventure, working through life changes like a tough break up or job transition, and more.
As for gathering information for a unique setting, I have hit the jackpot!
Even more adventure: During my first class, construction workers outside accidentally hit a gas main and we had to evacuate. Everyone stayed safe in real life. But you know me… the wheels are turning. I’m starting to envision a high action scene in a trapeze school tent, complet with explosions that send the students flying a little further than they anticipated. Who knows? This could turn up in my next story.