And in case you missed them . . .

Our recent Blogs:

• August 26, 2011 - 89th Annual Maui Fair is Coming
• August 19, 2011 - Maui Businesses in Running for International Showcase
• August 12, 2011 - 2011 Cycle to the Sun
• August 05, 2011 - Big-Wave Surfer Selling Peahi Home

121 Kahakapao Road
$1,790,000
 

SPECTACULAR PRICE REDUCTION!

9.3 Acre, Former horse ranch! Perfect 2100' elevation, great views, very private custom home, cottage and pool!
Beautiful unsprayed land for gardening... Just minutes to shopping!

Click here for more information on this wonderful property!

Natural History

California Pepper Tree
(Schinus molle)

The California pepper tree is neither a true pepper nor is it from California. This popular, drought-tolerant, quick-growing evergreen tree with its lacy, delicate foliage, sculpturally twisted branch structure and attractively textured grayish bark is actually a native of the Peruvian Andes mountains. It reaches full maturity in about 20 years and grows 30 to 40 feet tall and spreads out evenly about 16 to 33 feet wide. It is the largest of all the Schinus species and is widely planted as an ornamental and for spice production. The tree has naturalized all over the world.

In Hawaii, it is not as common as its cousin, S. terebinthifolius or Christmasberry, which has proven to be a tenacious invasive species that runs rampant through pasture and forest alike. The California pepper tree is often used in public places and in private gardens because of its gracefully drooping branches that are reminiscent of the weeping willow as well as the dangling clusters of white or pale yellow flowers and pink berries. It is easy to grow and tolerant of poor soil conditions as well as only moderate amounts of water. The whole plant is aromatic with a scent reminiscent of a mixture of pepper and fennel.

The tree is shallow-rooted, however, so it is wise to plant it away from paved areas which the roots will eventually buckle. It's also not advisable to plant them upwind of houses. (Shallow roots mean the tree can blow over in a strong wind.)

The pinnately compound leaves are made up of 20 to 40 lanceolate leaflets, each one up to one or two inches long. The dangling leaves look bright green and healthy even during drought conditions. However, while the leaves stay green, the branches of the tree may hollow out and become so brittle that they can snap off when strong winds come. It is always a good idea to trim the dead, brittle branches from these trees.

The small, profuse flowers hang in lovely panicles that grow up to a foot long at the end of the drooping branches. The tree blooms for most of the year. Most of the trees have both male and female flowers. The more female flowers a tree has, the more berries will develop. Some trees are predominately female; others are decidedly male and produce almost no berries. Bees like the flowers.

The flowers develop into BB-shot sized berries that turn from green to pink, reddish or purplish. Clusters of hundreds of these berries can be present year-round.

It is these berries that are sold commercially as "pink peppercorns." They are usually sold mixed with dried green and ripe black peppercorns (from the Piper nigra vine) at gourmet prices. They have their own unique taste and need to be used sparingly since they can cause allergic reactions in sensitive people and are considered moderately poisonous. Afficionados say it's best to grind the pink peppercorns finely rather than using them whole in dishes that range from stews to special breads.

The plant is very useful. The wood makes good firewood and charcoal. Because the wood is termite-resistant, it is suitable for fence posts. Woodworkers find the medium- to fine-textured wood easy to work. It may have a variable grain that looks especially attractive in bowls and cups.

The tree produces a useful aromatic resin and latex as well. The bark has been used for tanning hides. The leaves are contain an insecticide that is being studied for use as an alternative to synthetic insecticides. An extract from the fruit is used as flavoring for drinks and syrups, especially in Mexico and Central America. The berries are also cut and used (fresh or dried) in floral displays. The trees have been successfully grown as indoor bonsai as well.

Medicinally, the plant has been used to treat wounds and infections. It has been found to have antibacterial and antiseptic properties. Parts of the plant have been used as an anti-depressant and as a diuretic as well as in preparations to help toothaches, rheumatism and menstrual disorders.

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Arts & Culture

Harold Rice Park

The Harold W. Rice Memorial Park is 3.8 acres located at about 2,500 feet above sea level. The park is 8/10ths of a mile past the mile 13 marker on the Kula Highway. The spectacular, panoramic view across the Central Maui isthmus all the way to the West Maui Mountains is magical. The park is a good place for an impromptu picnic. There are nine concrete picnic tables as well as a barbecue grill and a comfort station for public use.

The park commemorates Harold W. Rice, a former Hawaii Territorial senator for Maui and delegate to the Republican National Convention from Hawaii Territory as well as one-time Chairman and executive officer of the County of Maui.

Rice was born in Waikiki on Oahu, on November 10, 1883. His parents were William Hyde and Mary Waterhouse Rice. His father was one of the most distinguished agriculturalists and statesmen of his time. His paternal grandfather, the Rev. William Harrison Rice came to Hawaii as a missionary in 1841 and later became a successful sugar planter on Kauai. His maternal grandfather, John Waterhouse, who arrived in Hawaii from Tasmania in 1851, founded a general mercantile business that was hugely successful for almost half a century in Honolulu.

Rice was educated at Honolulu High School, Lawrenceville Academy in New Jersey and at Princeton University. He worked with Koloa Plantation in Kauai when he returned to the islands in 1904. Later he was connected with HC&S on Maui from 1906 to 1907, when he was appointed division overseer of the Maui Agricultural Company in 1907. He became assistant manager in 1909.

He married Charlotte M. Baldwin, the daughter of A&B founder Henry Perrine and Emily Baldwin, in Spreckelsville on December 7, 1907. They had two children, Charlotte Emily and Harold Frederic (also known as "Oskie.")

He bought the Cornwall Ranch in 1916 and changed the name to Kaonoulu Ranch. By the 1930's ranching was a leading industry in the islands and Kaonoulu Ranch was comprised of the old Robinson Ranch, Enos Ranch, Frank Correa Ranch and part of the Freitas Ranch as well as the Cornwall Ranch. Rice's son, "Oskie," managed the ranch. (Oskie came to be considered "the cowboy of cowboys" in Hawaii. Makawao's Oskie Rice Arena is named in honor of him.)

As a Republican, Rice served continuously in the territorial Senate from 1919 until 1934 when he successfully ran for chairman and executive office of the County of Maui. During his years as head of the County government he was often in open conflict with the Board of Supervisors, all of whom were also Republicans. Between 1935 and 1936, he barely had the support of a majority of the Board members.

Although Rice was re-elected as Chairman in 1937, the defeat of his candidates for the Board of Supervisors left him presiding over a Board that was independent (if not downright hostile to) him. The contentiousness between Rice and the Board escalated until, finally, in December, 1937, Rice resigned as Chairman and executive officer, forcing the Board to elect another Chairman to complete Rice's unexpired term.

Even after he gave up the hot seat, Rice continued to be a dominant and central political figure in the County of Maui until the late 1940's. He threw his hat back into the ring in 1940 as a Republican candidate for the territorial Senate and easily came out the top vote-getter. In 1943, he served as president of the Senate.

However, later that year, Rice changed his party affiliation and became a Democrat. Leading the Democratic campaign in 1944, he and Clarence A. Crozier, another long-time Maui politician, ran together for the Senate. The two popular candidates defeated a formidable Republican team - Lawrence A. Baldwin and Samuel A. Sniffen.

In that year, for the first time in Maui County three Democrats were elected to the Board of Supervisors (John Bulgo, Alfred C. Franco and Eddie Tam). For the first time, no Republican would be serving in the Senate from the district of Maui, Molokai, Lanai and Kahoolawe. The Republican domination of County of Maui politics was overturned.

Rice served out his term in the Senate in 1948. One of his last accomplishments while he served there was working and obtaining appropriations for the construction of the Maui Memorial Hospital.

On June 10, 1949, he was appointed Maui's commissioner on the Hawaiian Aeronautical Commission. He played a vital role in securing Kahului Airport form the Navy. Dedicated for commercial airline use on June 24, 1952, the airport would become Maui's main commercial air terminal.

Rice last ran for elective service in 1950. He was overwhelmingly elected as a delegate to the constitutional convention of 1950 and served as one of the leaders of the convention which adopted the constitution that went into effect in 1959 when Hawaii became a state.

Besides all of this, Rice was also a member of the Pacific, Hawaii Polo and Racing Association as well as a nationally ranked polo player.
Harold Rice died June 5, 1962. Three years later, his son Oskie donated the land that is now the park to the Kiwanis Club who, in turn, donated it to the County.

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Braddah-Nics Lexicon

STANDARD: She's such a hospitable person, always cooking!
BRADDAH-NICS: Some good her! She all-a-time make kaukau!

* * * * * * * *

STANDARD: There's nothing stronger.
BRADDAH-NICS: No mo' nothin' mo' strong.

* * * * * * * *

STANDARD: You are so exasperating!
BRADDAH-NICS: Gun-funnit, you!

 
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Local Grinds

Cold Somen Salad

Ingredients:

Cook noodles according to package directions; rinse, drain, then chill. In a saucepan, combine sugar, broth, soy sauce, vinegar and oil. Bring to a boil; lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Let cool. To serve, place somen on a large platter. Garnish and serve with broth mixture. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

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Remember When . . .

Wailuku- Mill Street

The old saying that a picture is worth a thousand words is certainly true in the case of this photograph, which shows the changes that have occurred as a result of the urbanization of Wailuku over the last century.

The dirt road shown in the center of the picture is Mill Street. The photographer was looking makai down Mill Street with the outline of the Sand hills in the distance. The Wailuku Sugar Company sugar mill can be clearly seen on the left side of Mill Street. Old Saint Anthony Church is visible across from the sugar mill.

The Wailuku Sugar Company began operations in the early 1860's and built two different sugar mills on the same site on Mill Street. The first was built in the 1880's, which was then replaced by a second sugar mill, which was completed in 1906 at a cost of $400,000. Saint Anthony Church was built in 1872. Neither of the buildings shown in the photograph survives today.

The sugar mill ceased operations in 1978 and the site is occupied by the Mill Yard shopping center. An arsonist burned Saint Anthony Church in 1977. The parish built the present Saint Anthony Church to replace it.

The exact date of the photograph is not known, but is believed to have been taken shortly after construction of the second sugar mill.

Photo from the archives of the Maui Historical Society/Bailey House Museum
Historical text by Fred Woodruff, Bailey House Volunteer
 

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