Hau'oli la hanau (Happy Birthday Matt!)
Getting ready before the party Hau'oli la hanau!
We were happy to celebrate my brother Matt's 30th birthday with family and friends this past Saturday. This birthday marked the big 3-0, and being 8 years older than him, I can honestly say I remember it all, well most of it. He's too big for me to get away with some of the things I did when he was younger, but not big enough that I can't remind him of them. I can still revel in my wrestling domination, snowball fights, and king of the hill.
Planning for the party was an event in and of itself. Something tells me had ancient Hawaiians thrown a Luau like I threw this weekend, it would not have been part of the Hawaiian culture. Living in a neighborhood, I was somewhat limited to the types of activities available for guests. Prior to anything, I had to tear up all the old boards on our deck, flip them, and re-board the entire deck. They were old, and worn, and had splinters the size of palm fronds.
Horse shoes were at the top of the fun list, and Matt helped me construct two "professional" pits, with all the correct dimensions. Next came the Luau decorations, or as some would say "Party Garnishments". I had high hopes of delivering an above par Luau, but time, and expenses became my achilles heel. High hopes meant I was shooting for a burning "30", and a deck loaded with sand. What was delivered was a pretty darn good party. Two 8' surfboards were constructed of plywood, and painted including designs (good enough to make me consider taking up the trade). A tiki bar was erected, complete with faux thatched roof, and stocked with enough liquor to put out a volcano or two. Specialty drinks for the night included: Blue Hawaiians, Mango Martini's, Mai Tai's (yum), and Volcano's. Volcano's were made in a special "3 wahini" volcano bowl. If you have ever been to a fun Hawaiian resturaunt, you know the kind of bowl I am talking about. It comes with a coned volcano in the middle, to be filled with 151, and lit while consuming. An initial attempt was made at making Mojito's, and now I understand why they cost so much at the bar! We had a Corona tree of beer, which was made by putting an inflatable palm tree in a baby pool, and then continuously staking row upon row of beers until they leaned against the trunk of the palm tree. I think we had 6 cases of beer.
With time limitations, we decided to order some good Asian food from a nearby store. Good choice - the sushi disappered faster than the broccoli beef, sesame chicken, and lo mein. Various appetizers made their way to the the food table. The entire back yard was lined with tiki torches, I think 25 in total. Then there were the mini-tiki's that lined the rail of the deck, and the table tiki's that were on every table. The entire deck rail was lined with fun palm and pineapple festive lights. We also rented some tables, and chairs for folks to sit in the yard. My special touch, was the EL Wire (cataract idea) I ordered to line the edge of one of the surfboards....ahh, perfect!
I was able to live out my long lived fantasy of being a bartender under a tiki bar, and served up drinks all night long. I found that the blue curacao used to make Blue Hawaiians can really stain your hands blue, and the red dye used for marachine cherries can really turn your hands red. Under these circumstances, it's not easy to pick your nose because the blue streak on your nostril is a dead give away. Since I was behind the bar trying to keep things moving, I didn't really get to get out and about. I did hear a lot of requests for mixed drinks, and so I kept them coming as fast as I could. As usual, our good friend Len (aka Stretch) made sure to critique every drink for presentation. I don't think he'll have his own show on any cable network, but he sure can see an ungarnished drink a mile away (even when he is plowed).
I also managed to be DJ for the night, and played some of my favorite Hawaiian tunes. Yep, been there enough times to get to know what I like and don't like. Of course Israel Kamakawiwo'ole (IZ) was at the top of list, but he can be a little too vocal, and so Keali`i Reichel and Hapa rounded things out a little. We played one of my favorites, Elua Kane which has some great Ukulele music. Around 10pm, I broke out the DVD, and played "Step into Liquid" on the big movie screen I constructed. If you have never seen this movie, it is a must see. Even if you don't like the idea of surfing, you will want to buy a surfboard and try it after you watch the movie. The next movie was "Endless Summer" which is just a classic movie if you do like surfing.
I suppose for everyone at the party, there were two highlights. The first was the 8' neon Palm tree that hovered over the entire party. I have to figure out how to make one!! The other highlight of the evening was the fire pit. Somehow, we managed to avoid throwing parts of the house on the fire, but managed to capture everything else in the back yard. One of the neighbors trees that had fallen during one of the last wind storms, had succumbed to the multiple drunk hands pulling it apart. Everything eventually became fair game, and the fire lasted well into the morning hours. I was glad I could throw a party for my little brother, and that everyone was in great health to enjoy the evening.
Horse shoes were at the top of the fun list, and Matt helped me construct two "professional" pits, with all the correct dimensions. Next came the Luau decorations, or as some would say "Party Garnishments". I had high hopes of delivering an above par Luau, but time, and expenses became my achilles heel. High hopes meant I was shooting for a burning "30", and a deck loaded with sand. What was delivered was a pretty darn good party. Two 8' surfboards were constructed of plywood, and painted including designs (good enough to make me consider taking up the trade). A tiki bar was erected, complete with faux thatched roof, and stocked with enough liquor to put out a volcano or two. Specialty drinks for the night included: Blue Hawaiians, Mango Martini's, Mai Tai's (yum), and Volcano's. Volcano's were made in a special "3 wahini" volcano bowl. If you have ever been to a fun Hawaiian resturaunt, you know the kind of bowl I am talking about. It comes with a coned volcano in the middle, to be filled with 151, and lit while consuming. An initial attempt was made at making Mojito's, and now I understand why they cost so much at the bar! We had a Corona tree of beer, which was made by putting an inflatable palm tree in a baby pool, and then continuously staking row upon row of beers until they leaned against the trunk of the palm tree. I think we had 6 cases of beer.
With time limitations, we decided to order some good Asian food from a nearby store. Good choice - the sushi disappered faster than the broccoli beef, sesame chicken, and lo mein. Various appetizers made their way to the the food table. The entire back yard was lined with tiki torches, I think 25 in total. Then there were the mini-tiki's that lined the rail of the deck, and the table tiki's that were on every table. The entire deck rail was lined with fun palm and pineapple festive lights. We also rented some tables, and chairs for folks to sit in the yard. My special touch, was the EL Wire (cataract idea) I ordered to line the edge of one of the surfboards....ahh, perfect!
I was able to live out my long lived fantasy of being a bartender under a tiki bar, and served up drinks all night long. I found that the blue curacao used to make Blue Hawaiians can really stain your hands blue, and the red dye used for marachine cherries can really turn your hands red. Under these circumstances, it's not easy to pick your nose because the blue streak on your nostril is a dead give away. Since I was behind the bar trying to keep things moving, I didn't really get to get out and about. I did hear a lot of requests for mixed drinks, and so I kept them coming as fast as I could. As usual, our good friend Len (aka Stretch) made sure to critique every drink for presentation. I don't think he'll have his own show on any cable network, but he sure can see an ungarnished drink a mile away (even when he is plowed).
I also managed to be DJ for the night, and played some of my favorite Hawaiian tunes. Yep, been there enough times to get to know what I like and don't like. Of course Israel Kamakawiwo'ole (IZ) was at the top of list, but he can be a little too vocal, and so Keali`i Reichel and Hapa rounded things out a little. We played one of my favorites, Elua Kane which has some great Ukulele music. Around 10pm, I broke out the DVD, and played "Step into Liquid" on the big movie screen I constructed. If you have never seen this movie, it is a must see. Even if you don't like the idea of surfing, you will want to buy a surfboard and try it after you watch the movie. The next movie was "Endless Summer" which is just a classic movie if you do like surfing.
I suppose for everyone at the party, there were two highlights. The first was the 8' neon Palm tree that hovered over the entire party. I have to figure out how to make one!! The other highlight of the evening was the fire pit. Somehow, we managed to avoid throwing parts of the house on the fire, but managed to capture everything else in the back yard. One of the neighbors trees that had fallen during one of the last wind storms, had succumbed to the multiple drunk hands pulling it apart. Everything eventually became fair game, and the fire lasted well into the morning hours. I was glad I could throw a party for my little brother, and that everyone was in great health to enjoy the evening.
1 comment:
Hey Rob, what a good job you did for Matt. Looks like you didn't miss a trick.... but of course Robert was the cutest in his Hawaiian shirt. Lucky Uncle Matt to get him at his party! We really enjoy your naratives.
Love, Mom & Dad XOXO
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