sunburns and sari tents

AUTHOR: Daniel sullivan TITLE: sunburns and sari tents STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: wysiwyg ALLOW PINGS: 1 CATEGORY: Daniel Sullivan's photography CATEGORY: Decor CATEGORY: Home Furnishings CATEGORY: Rose Potter CATEGORY: Weblogs  DATE: 08/17/2009 10:51:13 AM ----- BODY: 
This morning I have a sunburn from a walk yesterday as part of one of my "favorite day" activities on Maui. Wake up semi-late and go have breakfast at Grandma's Coffee in Keokea (on Saturdays there's an awesome ukelele player).  After eating on the porch bordered by coffee trees inhabited by Jackson chameleons, go for a nice long walk down a country road where there's amazing views of Kaho'olawe, Lanai, South Maui, and the West Maui Mountains, along with some friendly cows and horses.  After the walk I go pick up some vegetables  and flowers at the Kula Country Farm and head back home....
Even though it was such a nice day, my red shoulders make me wish I would have done another of my favorite things and built a sari tent on my porch where I can sit in the shade, read a stack of magazines and partake in a tasty beverage or two. 
                                                        This is a picture from Living Etc's online gallery, but it shows exactly what I like to construct on my porch.   I have a four pieces of bamboo that I push into large planters that are already on my porch (while trying to avoid killing my succulents).  I have a beautiful tie-dyed or bandhani silk chiffon sari that was my first purchase as an employee at Indigo, and I just use rubber bands to wrap the fabric around the tops of the bamboo poles.  I've often thought I could make a more permanent solution by sewing tabs or ties onto the sari at the appropriate places, but I just like rigging things up I guess.  It is honestly so nice to have it all put together and for me, makes me really focus on relaxing.  It's like my little makeshift massage cabana near the beach. Now where's the pool boy with palm fronds to cool me off?
 
This is an image from domino magazine and it looks like the bench was built for the fabric, but same idea..   When we get our poufs in, they'll make perfect little side tables!
 
This beautiful shot is also from domino magazine, and I think it's perfect for a brunch or baby shower.  It looks like multiple saris were sewn together along their longest seams and then hung for shade in a courtyard or some other outdoor area.  This technique could create a nice outdoor living area where maybe there isn't one that's usable.  The sun is so bright and hot out here so it's nice to create a shady space to hang out.  Just as with the sari tents, you only have to find places to secure the saris at each end, whether its more bamboo poles, a fence, or even a couple of trees.  
 
This image is from a book, Fandango, by Sandy Hill.  I just had to include it because a sari could create the same atmosphere for a special outdoor party.
Of course, Indigo has lots and lots of saris to choose from.  There are silk, cotton, sequined, mirrored, and other versions to look through.  Some of the prettiest have gorgeous bead work along the edges creating nice texture.  If you're not available to stop in, just let us know what your favorite colors are and we'll send you some pictures. Then you can be well on your way to making your own sari tent.
Daniel took some gorgeous shots of the saris drying after women washed them in the Ganges River.  The first is probably my favorite shot from last year, and the second really shows off the variety of patterns and colors used in the saris.
 
 
 ----- EXTENDED BODY:  ----- EXCERPT: This morning I have a sunburn from a walk yesterday as part of one of my "favorite day" activities on Maui. Wake up semi-late and go have breakfast at Grandma's Coffee in Keokea (on Saturdays there's an awesome ukelele player).  After eating on the porch bordered by coffee trees inhabited by Jackson chameleons, go for a nice long walk down a country road where there's amazing views of Kaho'olawe, Lanai, South Maui, and the West Maui Mountains, along with some friendly cows and horses.  After the walk I go pick up some vegetables  and flowers at the Kula Country Farm and head back home.... ----- KEYWORDS: Grandma's Coffee in Keokea, Kula Country Farm, Living Etc's, tye-dyed, bandhani, silk ciffon, sari, daniel sullivan's photography, varanasi, ghats, Indigo,  -----