WELCOME!


WELCOME TO LIFE IN FLIP-FLOPS! Click Here To Visit: MY WEBSITE

To easily read my blog and not miss a post--SUBSCRIBE VIA E-MAIL

You can always comment using the "ANONYMOUS BUTTON."

Or just CLICK ON ONE OF THE LITTLE SQUARES at the bottom of my posts to let me know what you think. Easy-Peasy!

And Don't Forget To FEED MY FISH!!!! (at the bottom of the side column)

Thursday, August 28, 2014

Pau Hana!

The title phrase means Work is Done. Happy Labor Day on Monday! How are you going to celebrate this holiday? Are you off work or are you making “big bucks” working today?

My family and I will be at a family camp in the mountains. A fun time of relaxing and being with family and friends.

In Hawaii they celebrate the holiday much like any other state would.

The following information on
Honolulu’s 32nd Okinawan Festival
in Kapiolani Park on Oahu, August 30th and 31st, 2014 is found at this link:


The Okinawan Festival incorporates the normal events you’d find at most festivals like dance, food, kids’ activities, photo contests, cultural events, and music, but they also have some unusual happenings as well.

This is the first year the festival will be hosting a Scavenger Hunt! It seems the items the competitors will be hunting for are associated with the booths at the festival--so no keeping the treasures!! They have to be returned.

In past blogs I have highlighted many fun and amazing celebrations and festivals observed in the islands. I hope to re-visit many of these festivals (unfortunately, NOT by going there myself!) to see how they've changed or grown over the years.

Hmm, I may find some interesting new ones as well!

Enjoy learning more about this huge festival.


Aloha, and Mahalo for visiting!
--Cheryl


The Hawaiian Island Detective Club
Book One—Pineapples in Peril
Available NOW!
Book Two—Menehunes Missing
Available NOW!
Book Three—Ukuleles Undercover
Available NOW!

cheryllinnmartin@yahoo.com

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Paniolo and a Hawaiian Rodeo (Part 2)

Thanks for joining us for the second part of my interview with fellow author, Davalynn Spencer. Last week she gave us a little background on her rodeo clown/bull fighter husband. Today we'll hear more about their Paniolo experience in Hawaii!

Page One of an Article written by Davalynn
for The Western Horseman

Davalynn, tell my readers about how you came to end up in Hawaii for a rodeo.

Mike was asked to work the Waimanalo Championship Rodeo on Oahu in 1989. The rodeo committee (and the state senator) flew us to the Island, put us up at the Ilikia (Hawaii 5-0 anyone?) and gave us a car.  We worked all the acts Mike had that didn’t include our dogs, chickens or guinea hens because we couldn’t take them with us. It was great fun watching the island-specific events like double-mugging – a cross between team roping and steer wrestling with hornless cattle. Takes a couple of tough paniolos to pull it off.

I also loved the fact that many of the wahini barrel racers wore leis.

What was your favorite part about competing or being in the islands?

Hawaii was one of the few – let me say “attractions” – that lived up to its hype. The moment we stepped off the plane, we knew we were in a very special place. The scent of flowers and greenery permeated the air. And the seascapes, pristine shores, and massive mountains took our breath away. No wonder it’s called “paradise.”

It's Rodeo Time in Waimanalo, Oahu, Hawaii!

Tell us more about your role during these rodeos (besides being a supportive wife and mother!)

I was the pit-stop crew for my husband. I also sang the National Anthem at nearly every rodeo, and once, after Mike was injured, I dressed up in his clown clothes and carried on with the comedy act. didn't fight bulls, though--Ain't stupid!!!


Mike Spencer Getting a Snack Between
Clown & Bull Fighting Events in Hawaii
What a great (yet stressful) time you had during those years, Davalynn! Thanks for sharing about your life and your experience in the islands.


Aloha, and Mahalo for visiting!
--Cheryl


The Hawaiian Island Detective Club
Book One—Pineapples in Peril
Available NOW!
Book Two—Menehunes Missing
Available NOW!
Book Three—Ukuleles Undercover
Available NOW!

cheryllinnmartin@yahoo.com

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Did Someone Say Paniolo and Hawaiian Rodeo??

Author Davalynn Spencer


A fellow author, Davalynn Spencer, married a cowboy and helped him for years as they traveled the rodeo circuit from the Pacific Northwest to Alabama, Montana to Arizona, and points in between.

I was excited to hear that they also competed in Hawaii! Today she'll share a little about supporting her husband (and eventually her son) in their rodeo pursuits. Next week she'll share about their "Paniolo" time in Hawaii.

Thanks so much for sharing with my readers, Davalynn!

How did you meet your husband?

Mike and I met at the First Baptist Church in Porterville, California when he walked in the door for the youth group. Our small group included high school and college students, and he was attending the local junior college at the time – in between rodeo injuries. When I saw that cowboy hat and those chocolate-brown eyes, I knew I didn’t have a chance.

Please tell us about your experience being the wife of a "Paniolo."

When I married a rodeo clown and bullfighter, I had no idea how bloody my knees would become! Prayer, prayer, and more prayer. And then our son got in on the act – oh my. At 2 years old, he only helped with the comedy routines between rodeo events.  But at 12, he started “fighting” steers and small muley (hornless) bulls at junior rodeos.

The word “fighting” refers to the clowns (now called bullfighters) distracting the bulls so the bull riders can safely get off. If the rider hangs up – gets his hand caught in his bull rope by falling off the wrong side, or tangles his spurs in the rope’s tail – the bullfighter steps in (literally) and frees the rider. That’s when things get real western and Mama’s prayers get real serious.

Today, bullfighters fall into two categories: protection and freestyle. Protection work applies to what I just described, and freestyle is a show-down between the bull (usually a Mexican crossbreed fighting bull) and the bullfighter. The man wants to show how close and comfortable he can be around those sharp-horned, dead-eye, freight-train bulls. It’s thrilling to watch, but oh so deadly. Our son has worked both styles of bullfighting, but I think we convinced him to give up the freestyle after he won the Championship at the Colorado State Fair and Rodeo two years in a row.

I imagine his wife had something to do with his decision as well.

Tell us a little about what it was like for you and your family during those years.

When my husband was fighting bulls professionally for the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, we lived on the road most of the year in a 45-foot drop-van trailer we converted into living quarters, tack room, and animal compartment at the rear. This allowed us to always be at home while traveling with the whole family and our entire menagerie. We pulled the rig with a 2½-ton International Harvester truck with a two-speed rear-end, and yes, I drove. Only two wheels shy of an 18-wheeler. We traveled from the Pacific Northwest to Alabama, Montana to Arizona, and points in between.

Bull riding was the event we concentrated on, and I was always a bit grateful that my husband was on his feet in the arena instead of strapped to the back of one of those loose-skinned, snot-slinging bovines. I know – small blessings.

My part in the rodeo had to do with helping Mike get his comedy acts ready to present between rodeo events. I also sang the National Anthem at most of our rodeos, and kept an eye on our animals – ponies, chickens, dogs, guinea hens – and our son and daughter.

Again, thank you for sharing! Don't forget to come back next week when Davalynn will share about their Hawaiian Rodeo experience!

Aloha, and Mahalo for visiting!
--Cheryl


The Hawaiian Island Detective Club
Book One—Pineapples in Peril
Available NOW!
Book Two—Menehunes Missing
Available NOW!
Book Three—Ukuleles Undercover
Available NOW!

cheryllinnmartin@yahoo.com