Hawaii
FORMER reporter, P.R. man, housing czar -- you name it -- Bill Cook has been living in Waimea on the Big Island for 15 years now. For nearly a year, he's had a 24-hour IV running into his arm administering medications for his ailing heart. He still gets around, but wife Patti has had to put Saran Wrap A moo-ving find
on the Big Islearound his arm each time he showered. Cook kept insisting some kind of waterproof covering could be fabricated to keep both him and his physician, Dr. Stewart Matsumoto happy. Enter Dr. Billy Bergin, a Waimea veterinarian who came up with just such a covering -- arm length plastic gloves, complete with fingerlets, used by vets to determine if cows were pregnant. Patti was so elated at the discovery that she filled one of the gloves with cookies from her shop, Cook's Discoveries, and sent it to Dr. Matsumoto. His nurses, city folks all, were puzzled by the container, but did eat the cookies ...
THIS came up during a quick swing to the Big Isle to help judge the Hawaii Foodbank's headdress ball at the Hilton Waikoloa. The program honored honorary FoodBank chairman Doc Buyers, there with his beautiful new wife, actress Liz Lindsey. First prize went to KITV's Pamela Young, as a saucy Carmen Miranda. Her headdress contained huge bananas and other "mixed plate" goodies like Spam and her sexy Latino skirt was slit up the thigh. "Carmen's was slit to the navel, but I wasn't about to go that far," she said. A lot of fun, and mucho dinero raised for the FoodBank ...
Dieter's delight
SEEING Hilton G.M. Dieter Seeger, one of the other judges, reminded me of the great story about our mutual German pal Peter Birnbaum. One day, Birnbaum's mother came to visit him from Germany, and when she got to the restaurant Peter owned downtown, Beethoven's Fifth, she was looking at the menu and beamed. "Peter," she said, "how nice -- you've named a dish for your brother." Birnbaum was puzzled until he looked at the lo-cal plate entry to which she pointed: Dieter's Delight ... Dieter Seeger takes great delight in his property. It was my first look at the 60-acre island fairyland where one gets around either by foot, tram or motorized boat to the far-flung reaches of the resort. It was filled with kids over the weekend, a good indicator that there's lots for youngsters to do while the grownups snooze and sunbathe ...ENTERTAINER Wayne Newton was once married to a Honolulu girl, and still has an eye for the locals. After lunching at Orchids, the frequent resort visitor made it a point to give each waitress a kiss. "Wouldn't you like to have his money?" someone asked. I said I'd be happy with the money of the guy who sells him his hair dye. The onetime redhead has nary a red or, more to the point, gray hair showing ...
Magical history tour
BEFORE departing for the airport yesterday, the Cooks and I lunched at the Mauna Kea, which Patti once represented many moons ago. G.M. Charles Park was there, even on a Sunday, and commented that Cook's Discoveries had moved from the Historic Spencer House. "Yes," Patti explained, "It's now in the historic dairy queen at Cook's Corner." Steven Bochco, the man who made enough money creating such shows as "Hill Street Blues," etc., to buy the hotel, was back for his umpteenth visit. Some things never change: The Mauna Kea still has what is probably the best buffet in the state ...
Dave Donnelly has been writing on happenings
in Hawaii for the Star-Bulletin since 1968.
His columns run Monday through Friday.Contact Dave by e-mail: ddonnelly@starbulletin.com