You might have already heard about how we have suffered under Bud’s regime for the last 4 months so I won’t go into detail. Let’s just say, there is a reason Bud has to find new tenants every 4 months. There are definitely things we will miss about this house but ultimately it was simply too difficult to live here under Bud’s watchful and paranoid eye.

We looked at a place a couple weeks ago that we REALLY wanted but lost out to a girl who has some sort of connection to the landlord. It was heartbreaking to see the house go to someone else but we got over it quickly. Plus we understand that a lot of things on this island center around who you know and we certainly have been on the winning end of that equation many many times. At first I was feeling like our good luck on Maui had hit its first bump in the road but as it turns out we found an even better place for less money.

Little does Bud know this, but he actually HELPED us get chosen for this new house. Turns out that our new landlord was one of the many people who was incredibly disappointed and angry that Bud closed up the tennis courts when he took over the property. The tennis courts were one of the focal points of the neighborhood and people were free to enjoy them as they pleased. People loved the previous owner, Tony, and his friendly Sunday tournaments.

When Bud took over the property all the fun screeched to a halt, like he was the Burgermeister Meisterburger in Santa Claus is Coming To Town, forbidding Christmas. This did not sit well with a lot of people. Not to mention, Bud just has a reputation of being an unlikable guy in this neighborhood. News travels fast and the “coconut wireless” is a very real thing on this island. SO… long story still long, when she heard we were living with Bud I think it moved us up to the front of a long line of people wanting to rent her cottage. See, it really is all about who you know, even if they hate who you know.

We will be moving in 3 or 4 weeks but that’s it for at least the next year. The new place is really nice and has great touches like hardwood floors, something you rarely see in rental cottages. We will now have a front lanai with an ocean view and an outdoor shower. For the record, we will also have an indoor shower.

Maui continues to take good care of us.

Tonight we also had one of the most vivid sunsets I have ever seen. Unfortunately I only had my cell phone to take photos, but even that crappy camera managed to capture the moment (kind of). Tonight’s sunset was a real crowd-pleaser too with at least 10 whales splashing and breaching with the setting sun as the backdrop. It’s amazing to see such an enormous animal thrust itself so high into the air, crashing back into the water with a splash that can been seen for miles. Tonight was just out of control, the entire horizon was filled with huge spouts from exhaling whales, giant tales splashing out of the water and dramatic breaches. It was awesome.