Winter hasn't even settled in and I am already planning escapes of a Tiki nature.

1. Esther Williams Bathing Suit.
Any local gals want in? I'm going to finally take the plunge and order one of these. I know the Canadian dollar has tanked, but I've found that RetroDress.Com sells these for $65 USD (~$80 Cdn), which is not a bad price for a suit, all things considered. And it'll be made in the US, and it'll be an ESTHER WILLIAMS suit. There are a couple places you can look at pictures of these:
Esther Williams' Site:
There are other suits, but these are the two I'm after:
One Piece
Two Piece

These EW photos may not do them justice, so I'll also point you to another site that sells them and shows off their sexier side: MyBabyJo.com
EW suits show their PinUpitude.

I find the best deals on the web for you, yes I do - and those are at RetroDress. They appear to have pretty much the entire EW line, including all the fabrics and sizes, and they also appear to be the least expensive. I'm in email discussions about the cost of shipping to Canada. If anyone else at home here wants to join me, I bet we can whittle the price of shipping by combining our order:
RetroDress draws the "Sex in the City" connection.


2. HAWAII!!!1!!i!!iiii1!
I mentioned awhile ago that I was obsessing over a Caribbean vacation. I obsess a lot about travel plans. I really should have been a travel agent, I don't think there's anything that compels me the way making travel plans do.

Anyway, I had almost worked out the island, the resort, the timing, the whole thing, but it was turning out to be more expensive than I wanted. On a whim, I picked the swishest hotel on the big Island of Hawaii and plugged it in - airfares, everything - it was less expensive. To heck with the Caribbean, and who cares if Hawaii is safe and comfortable; I do love Hawaii. And if it's not just less expensive, but we can shop and cook and drive around at will, then there are even more savings to be had. And... we haven't been to the Big Island. So there. Done!

We will be amongst the first to check out the newly renovated (post-2006 earthquake) Mauna Kea Beach Hotel. Keywords: Rockefeller, 1960s modernism, gorgeous beach. I am SO there.

We'll also stay in a self-catering wee cottage in Volcano, saving up for aforementioned Hotel as well as enjoying the volcanoes, forests, windward beaches and astronomical observatory.

(PS for those who might be visiting us in the late winter/early spring, I'll send an email for our actual dates so we can plan around them.)

3. LUAU
I think the theme is settled, though Dr Smith hasn't officially given it approval yet. This year's theme will be a boon to the menu, and even though people we've run it by have looked at us blankly, it really is easy to work with. And the theme is more for organization rather than for guests, anyway, all they need to do is show up in tropical or hot-weather gear of any sort.

(So, psst - the theme is Shanghai'd. Tiki with an Asian influence: China, Japan, Thailand... anywhere on the east Pacific coast.)