Prima

Last night I went out to dinner with my friends at Prima.  This was my first time at this relatively newly-opened restaurant, so I thought a review is in order.  Prima is located near Foodland in Kailua town. They have both indoor and outdoor seating.  We chose to sit outside, and liked it, even though it looked directly at the parking lot. I was not too impressed by the decor, bland modern restaurant look.  

The food, however, was very good.  We have tried quite a few items on the menu, and while the portions are tiny, most of the dishes were excellent.  My three favorites were:

Maitake mushroom, pickled hon shimeji, cremini, cauliflower puree

 Fennel Panna Cotta, fennel stem marmalade, coffee salt

Weekend on Kauai

As I am writing this, I am sitting at home nursing a mild sunburn.  No matter how long you have lived in the tropics, and how aware and vigilant you are about sunscreen, spending two whole days in the sun will do a number on your skin.  I normally avoid being outside for too long, and try to limit my sun exposure time to mornings and evenings.  A dip in the pool in the middle of the day is ok, but you would never find me lounging by the pool, working on a tan.  Except for this past weekend.  

Though the intention was not acquiring a tan (or rather a sunburn); it is definitely a casualty of our lovely weekend getaway to the Grand Hyatt on the Garden Isle of Kauai. With its many pools, streams, lagoons, waterfalls and a long water slide, it is impossible to stay at this hotel and not want to spend the whole day poolside. Since we have been to The Garden Isle on other occasions, we did not have the need to explore, and could focus all our energies on relaxation.

Kauai is a half-hour plane ride from Honolulu, but a world away in terms of quiet and peace.  The Grand Hyatt, a truly grand resort is located on the south side of the island.  

The view from our room

One of the many parrots around the property

Island Style Homes

Another beautiful day in Hawaii, and lucky me got to spend the morning checking out real estate around Kailua, the town I live in.  Kailua is a small town on the Windward side of the island of Oahu, about twenty minutes from Honolulu. A beach community with mostly single family homes, Kailua is beautiful, quiet and friendly. 

My friend Debbie is a realtor, and some Thursdays I tag along with her to check out island homes for sale. Below are photos of two of the homes for sale we visited this morning. 

The first house is a casually elegant three bedroom, close to Kailua Beach Park.

 Plants at the entrance (croton, song of india and some sort of a lily).

Equestrian Chic

It is no secret that I love horses.  They are wonderful intelligent animals and as a reader this blog you will periodically encounter entries about all things equestrian. 

Today I wanted to write about equestrian decor.  While I do not advise to deck your entire house out in equine finery, a well placed picture or tack item can add to the character of a home. 

My daughter competes in horse shows and already has quite a collection of ribbons.  Here is a cute idea how to display them without sacrificing style:

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The stacked helmets are a nice touch, too.

With equestrian decor, the first name everyone thinks is of course, Ralph Lauren. The picture below is from a past edition of Elle Decor.

Pinterest

We don't quite have silver trophies (yet!) but it is never too early to plan ahead...

Here is a nice solution of what to do with that old saddle collecting dust in the back of the tack room:

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I suppose if it looks like rain it will just have to be hauled inside...

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Hanging oil paintings of horses or hunt scenes works well with this look.

An impromptu bar on a tray. Great horse art, too.

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This kitchen has some saddle stools. How cool is that?

from Pinterest

Interestingly, of the many pieces of art at our home, we do not have any of horses (daughter's horse posters do not count). I may have to invest in such a painting in the future.

Air Plants

Tillandsias, or air plants got their name because they do not need to be planted in soil. They are wonderful little creatures - besides being beautiful, they also require very little maintenance,  at least if you live in a tropical climate.  They would not do well in the cold.  Tillandsias make great decorations for your home, your garden, or your table.  I use hot glue to secure the little plants on anything from an old piece of driftwood to a smooth river rock.  They can also be wired onto objects, like I have done with the ones on my "living picture".

I encourage you to try your hand at growing air plants.  All the care they need is to mist them with water occasionally. You can bring them indoors for a while, but make sure they get some sunlight to keep them happy. I found that partial shade/ filtered light is best.

These are glued on driftwood