#ThursdayDoors: Brave

April 7, 2016JT Twissel 15 Comments

Sadly, I have no interesting doors for Norm Frampton’s ThursdayDoors challenge. Obviously I just don’t get out enough!

This open door leads to a small art gallery which also serves as a studio. The artist sits at her easel all day long as people walk past on their way to near-by restaurants. If the weather is nice, she leans her paintings against the plate glass window in front. She is good, really good. If I had the money, I’d buy as many as I could. To paint out in public where people can wander by and remark is one of the bravest things an artist can do.

You probably won’t catch me doing that anytime soon. However, today I’m honored to be featured on Colleen M. Story’s Wellness and Writing blog. Please check it out if you have the time. Colleen is a gifted writer whose focus is on helping writers stay mentally and physically healthy. I’m hoping she’ll drop by the Twissel blog and give us some tips and maybe talk about her book Loreena’s Gift (sci-fi, fantasy) which is coming out on April 12! Here’s the beginning of the synopsis: Loreena Picket is a blind young woman who lives with her uncle, a reverend at a small-town church. Loreena has a strange gift, which she’s not really sure is a gift at all.

On another note: I’ve decided that my blog is pretty blah so, one of the bravest writers I know, Duke Miller and I are experimenting with new ideas on a blog we call Tin Hats. If you’re a fan of Duke’s, there are a few powerful often controversial posts there. I may even get brave and let loose my subversive side! Here’s a video that explains the theme of Tin Hats pretty well:

My fancies are fireflies

March 27, 2016March 27, 2016JT Twissel 18 Comments

– Specks of living light
twinkling in the dark. R. Tagore

In my family Easter is more about chocolate eggs than the Resurrection. But that doesn’t mean I’m an atheist or even an agnostic. I have been to church and I have been baptized; I even spent a year studying the Bible in college. Churches can be wonderful institutions, even the ones whose beliefs leave me scratching my head but

my church is wild and uncontrolled by man.

Outside, be it deep in the woods or by the sea, that’s where I feel close to the inexplicable, all-encompassing, transcendental forces which philosophers far wiser than me struggle to comprehend.

Theories about blogging differ wildly. Some insist that you put yourself out there. Don’t be afraid to take positions on controversial subjects. Encourage debate, particularly if your platform is something like kinky sex.

Others recommend extreme caution. Stay clear of controversial subjects like politics and religion. Don’t do anything to infuriate a potential buyer!

Of course, which direction you take depends on your target audience and why you’re writing in the first place. In general I’m a bit of a wimp. I share bits of my life and only dip into controversy when I just can’t stand nonsense any more. But it’s Easter and so I feel inspired to share with you the work of Rabindranath Tagore, my go-to guy for peace of mind. I was introduced Tagore, a Bengali writer and painter, at the stupid age of eighteen by a dear friend intent on freeing my mind from convention. For decades I’ve carried a copy of his “thoughts” (Fireflies) with me wherever I go. It’s beat up and stained and the spine gave up long ago but the book is out of print and almost impossible to replace.

Tagore was inspired by Chinese and Japanese “thoughts” painted on fans and pieces of silk, thus his works are not poems or haikus or even sonnets, just thoughts. Like “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” and “let he who is without sin throw the first stone” and “love thy neighbors as thyself” and so many other thoughts by another great philosopher.

#ThursdayDoors: Best Poke Bowl

March 24, 2016JT Twissel 34 Comments

Today we return to Hawaii to find doors (last time I promise). These doors lead to the Kahuku Superette in the small town of Kahuku on the east shore of Oahu. They might not look like much but on the other side you can experience the Best Poke Bowl in Hawaii (according to them). We had no idea what Poke Bowl was and took turns guessing. My guess, it was a bowling alley where they used coconuts as the balls and pineapple as the pins.

If you’ve clicked the link above you know how far off base I was. It’s Hawaiian fast food. A Poke Bowl has a base of either white or brown rice, chips and/or salad. Followed by the condiments: white onions, sweet corn, carrots, seaweed, cucumbers, avocado and/or mango and the poke (raw fish): salmon, tuna, albacore, spicy tuna, shrimp, crab, scallop, hamachi, and unagi. Then you have your choice of sauces: original (mild/spicy), spicy mayo, unagi, Japanese Kimchi, honey avocado and/or miso. Last but not least, Poke Bowl is topped with any or all of these garnishes: masago, sesame seeds, ginger, wasabi, and green onions.

Is your head spinning yet?

Poke Bowls are served differently, depending on what part of the island you’re on.We’d stopped at the superette to pick up water and pretzels for the nearby beach (which was rumored to have calmer waves than the North Shore). Squeamishly we passed on their world famous Poke Bowl.

One more pic of the wild waves and then Aloha Hawaii!

By the way, if you find yourself craving a Poke Bowl, I’ve read that they might become the next rage in the culinary world!

Check out other doors at Norm Frampton’s #ThursdayDoors challenge here.

Murder by Cat

March 22, 2016JT Twissel 16 Comments

After spending two hours at a tax accountant’s with a 90 year old who can barely remember her first husband’s name I’ve decide my next Fi Butters’ mystery will be Murder by Cat, the strange tale of Ubiquitous K of Babylon Heights.

Synopsis: A series of murders takes place at Babylon Heights, a retirement village where all the residents and in particular the owners have skeletons in their Depends. Reluctantly former psychiatrist Fi Butters is called on scene when one of the residents, her elderly aunt, convinces the others that Ubiquitous K (a Norwegian Forest cat whose owner has recently died) is the cold-blooded murderer.

Murder by Cat, the strange tale of Ubiquitous K of Babylon Heights

“One thing I’m certain of, she was not killed by a cat!”

“She wasn’t killed by a hat?”

“No dear, a cat.”

Martha was one of those little old ladies who questioned everything she heard and thus it was impossible to get through a conversation without saying the same thing at least three times and she wasn’t alone.

“Well isn’t that the darndest thing. Killed by a hat.” Mr. Fassenbinder chimed it. He’d long since lost his hair and hearing but refused to wear an aide because “there wasn’t much good to hear in the world, so why wear the damned thing?” I had to agree.

The residents of Babylon Heights had assembled in the very same community room where holiday parties and bingo games were held. I figured there had to be at least forty folks which was fine; the room could easily hold a couple hundred. Heavy furniture provided comfy seating which meant a few in my audience would probably doze off, but regardless, after my auntie introduced me I launched into an attempt to quell the panic that rattled their aging bones.

“Nobody was killed by a hat or a cat or even a bat!” I chuckled which clued them in that something funny had been said. A few followed suit with a chuckle that sounded painfully forced. Okay, Butters, I thought, the last comedian to crack these folks up was probably Bob Hope. “First of all, despite my aunt’s kind introduction, I am not a detective. I am, or was, a psychiatrist.”

“Was a psychiatrist?”

“Yes Martha. Was. But I won’t bore you with the gory details of my many career changes…”

“Gory details?”

“Well not really gory. . . “

Okay, that’s as far as I’ve gotten on this bit of silliness. If I’m going to continue I need some appropriate character names. Do you have any suggestions? (other than – stop now Jan before you embarrass yourself any further!)

Mudluscious

March 16, 2016March 20, 2018JT Twissel 35 Comments

This time of year, when the rains give way to sunny days, in my mind I always hear e.e. cumming’s poem in just spring. Those of you who’ve studied poetry remember cummings. He never capitalized his name or the titles of his poems which I could never get away with in English class! Here he is reading the poem:

In California a break in the rain this time of year brings this urgency to all gardeners: Quick: Pull the weeds while they’re young and tender and the ground is mudluscious!!!

Sure they’re cute in their infancy. So many brilliant shades of green particularly after four years of drought, it seems a shame to try to uproot them but if you don’t, they will grow like – well – weeds. And once the ground starts to dry your best chance to get rid of weeds is with a jack hammer.

Which brings me back to mud. I don’t view mud as icky. Especially when my mud is rife with worms.

Isn’t this a lovely shot of mud?

It will dry out quickly if the California sun continues to shine.

And then my battle will be hard. But today was a mudluscious day.
i wore my garden hat.
i listened
to the birds

and the boy practicing basketball
thump… thump… thump

and the creek, dry for years roaring to life.

and i said oh what the heck and started my day
in the lower case.
with the worms and the mud.

oh please wordpress – don’t ruin my mudlicious day by insisting i capitalize everything!

(although clearly I’m no e.e. cummings)

Now, the theory of proper blogging etiquette dictates that I end this blog with a question, thus encouraging comments, but the question “what do you think about mud?” really seems a bit daft, don’t you think?

#ThursdayDoors: Chocolate Haupia Pie

March 3, 2016March 3, 2016JT Twissel 22 Comments

Beyond this unassuming door is one of the Must Visit places on the island of Oahu.

Believe it or not hundreds of people visit Ted’s Bakery every day, often arriving on tourist buses from resorts on the leeward side of the island.

Ted’s Bakery

The buses park at Sunset Beach, which is about a half-block away, and tourists stumble out to gawk at the view before wandering across the street to willingly stand in long lines in the hot sun just for a taste of Ted’s famous Chocolate Haupia Pie. Haupia is coconut cream pudding.

Sunset Beach. It was also hit by monster waves – only experienced surfers were allowed in the water.

As the saying goes: “Happiness is sharing a slice of Ted’s Chocolate Haupia Pie while sitting on Sunset Beach.” I must admit it was a little too sweet and rich for my tastes!

Hawaiian Chocolate Haupia Pie

Ted’s story is emblematic of Hawaii. The original Ted, Torojiro Nakamura, arrived from Japan in 1906 under contract to a sugar cane company on Maui. After his contract was over, he worked as a farmer until the 1950s when he and his son bought a piece of land across from Sunset Beach and set up a convenience shop.

The original Ted from the Ted’s Bakery web site.

When the surfing world discovered the North Shore Torojiro’s grandson recognized a golden opportunity and began selling donuts, pastries and cornbread. Today the menu includes pies (if you don’t like coconut you can pig out on Macadamia Nut, Peach Bavarian Cream, Lilikoi Cheese Pie or Pineapple Macadamia Nut), and healthier options such as breakfast, lunch, and dinner “plates,” all served with plenty of rice. In the laid back tradition which is the North Shore, be prepared for a long wait for the lunch plates.

Mural on the side of Ted’s Bakery

The other Must Visit eating joints on the North Shore are the shrimp trucks.

One of the fancier shrimp trucks!

You can’t beat the garlic shrimp you get from these trucks. The smell, the taste!

Please check out other ThursdayDoors at Norm’s place.

The Hukilau

February 29, 2016April 4, 2024JT Twissel 28 Comments

Ever since we left Hawaii I’ve had this song stuck in my head:

And so I thought I’d share the joy! Now you can spend all day singing “Are you going to the Hukilau, the huki, huki, huki, lau?” Even my cat has gone somewhere to hide.

Hawaii is one of the many places I’ve been to that I really didn’t want to leave. However, at times the angry sea didn’t seem to want us to stay.

WildSea — Thirty to forty-five foot waves which during high tide on a full moon night literally came knocking at our back door!

We stayed on the North Shore of Oahu, a laid back haven for surfers from all over the planet. Aside from the Turtle Bay resort, this area has strongly resisted over-development and prides itself on retaining some of the old Hawaii feel.

Sometimes the monster waves would collide far off shore and spout into the air like a geyser. A surge this large hasn’t happened for decades and so you can imagine the excitement it caused, particularly as the timing coincided with one of the North Shore’s most beloved events: The Eddie Aikau Quiksilver Invitational.

From the Eddie Aikau Website — From the Eddie Aikau Foundation web site

“Eddie” was one of the first lifeguards at arguably the most beautiful surf spot in Hawaii, Waimea Bay. He gained fame not only for rescuing people from the deadly surf but also for his skill on the long board. However it was his final, selfless act that gained him the most fame.

In 1978 Eddie joined the Polynesian Voyaging Society on a second migration attempt from the Hawaiian to Tahitian Islands in a traditional voyaging canoe. Twelve miles south of the island of Molokai the canoe capsized and it was Eddie with his long board who volunteered to paddle ashore for help. He was never seen again. Today it’s quite common to see people with teeshirts and bumper stickers reading “Eddie would go” on the North Shore – a testament to this amazing and charismatic guy.

Waimea3 — Waimea Bay during the storm surge – it looked like a washing machine with too many suds!

WashedAshore — Debris washed ashore. Who knows what it was!

So many people decided to take the trek out to the North Shore to witness the monster waves that they had to close Kamehameha Highway. If the two lane road wasn’t flooded, it was jammed with slow driving lookie-loos!

CastleAudrey1 — Since we couldn’t go out in the waves, we built a sand castle.

#WordlessWednesday: Washed Ashore

February 23, 2016February 23, 2016JT Twissel 7 Comments

#ThursdayDoors: My Rap Sheet

February 11, 2016February 12, 2016JT Twissel 34 Comments

Warning! ThursdayDooring leads to subversive and deviant crimes such as trespassing. You could wind up in the slammer with a long rap sheet.

Jan: “But, but Officer. You don’t understand. It’s an addiction. I really, really have to get a picture of a door and since all the public doors in town are so boring, well…”

Officer Gumbo: “Ma’am. We keep getting complaints from your neighbors. We have no alternative other than to take you in for a 24F infraction. Just be happy they didn’t accuse you of being a Peeping Jan. That’s a sex crime!”

In my neighborhood, houses tend to be set back from the street, thus their gates are the doors to their kingdom.

These people really don’t want to be bothered by door-to-door salespeople!

“I wonder why we don’t get any Trick or Treaters!”

Thankfully I avoided arrest this time.

Check out other trespassers at Norm Frampton’s ThursdayDoors Event.

Blasts from the Past

February 8, 2016February 8, 2016JT Twissel 21 Comments

For the next week my publisher is having a Valentine’s Day giveaway. At first I didn’t think I should participate. My characters are generally in such desperate plights that romance is the last thing on their mind. However, they are all young women and thus it is impossible to avoid clumsy flirtations, heart palpitations, despondency and yes, sex. Particularly for my youngest, Riley O’Tannen of the Graduation Present, a self-proclaimed klutz who misinterprets a young man’s interest until it’s almost too late.

Riley’s exploits are very loosely based on my own goof-ball adventures in Europe 40 years ago. In 2014 I came clean in a series of posts listed here: