“;Stick around for the short round, that's exciting,”; said Peter Baldwin, who's 73 and looks like Hemingway on horseback.

Baldwin is in the Paniolo Hall of Fame. We were on his ranch, Piiholo, in Upcountry Maui, where everyone except me was a cowboy or cowgirl, at an officially sanctioned Rope Maui twin-roping event.

Out of a chute would spring a Horned Corriente roping steer. Two cowboys, twirling lassos of flourescent-colored nylon-poly rope, would chase it on quarter horses.

One roped it around the neck, a neat enough trick. The other had to rope its back legs, or at least one of them. If the team succeeded, the announcer would say, “;Smo-o-ooth!”; If a team was really smooth, they could bring the steer to a standstill in less than 10 seconds.

It was easy to miss. “;Oh man, he kicked down right as I let loose,”; said one disappointed cowboy, who missed the legs completely.

Miss and you don't go on to the next round. Which explains why the fourth and final round is called the short round. Out of 40 or so teams, only eight remained. The rest had unsaddled and broken out the beer.

“;Great Balls of Fire”; blared from the speakers. Money was on the line. Baldwin and his teammate, who'd been smo-o-oth all afternoon, missed.

It was a day when youth was served. Alex, 22, and Phil Schuman, 19, two brothers home for Thanksgiving from Colorado, roped their steer in 8.87 seconds, and came riding to the rail smiling.

They'd won $1,846, two silver belt buckles and a Martin Trophy Saddle.

Everyone began to disperse. The loudspeakers played, “;Happy Trails to you, until we meet again.”; The next day, the roping would start again, after Cowboy Church in the corral at 7 a.m.

Lighting Up the Night

You could have seen the tiny Maui town of Haliimaile from outer space last weekend.

Bev and Joe Gannon threw a party to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Bev's Hali'imaile General Store restaurant. Bev got her start catering rock 'n' roll tours; Joe Gannon is a master of stage lighting.

So he lit everything at the party. Even the sky above, with xenon Sky-Tracker lights.

Tom Kiely and Mary Charles flew in from Honolulu, Joan Namkoong from the Big Island. Tom Moffatt huddled with singer Kenny Rankin, planning a Honolulu Valentine's Day concert.

The chefs were out in force - Peter Merriman, Philippe Padovani, D.K. Kodama, Mark Ellman, George Mavrothalassitis. “;Bev threatened she was going to make me flip burgers,”; said Mavro. “;Don't see any burgers, though.”;

No burgers, but food everywhere including a rotating ice sculpture of lobster and oyster shooters. “;People ate,”; said Bev. “;When I asked what we had left over the next day, they said, 'Very little.'”;

The silent auction to benefit the Maui Food Bank and the Hui No'eau Visual Art Center included a $12,000 dinner, $1,000 a head, at the Gannons' house.

Just as Guy Hagi and Kim Gennaula stood up to announce the dinner had sold out, the lights in the tent went dark.

What happened? I asked Joe. “;The Sky-Trackers ate the generator,”; he said cheerfully.

Kenny's in the House

Kenny Rankin flew in from Los Angeles especially to sing at his friends', the Gannons, party. It was so loud with people eating, drinking and schmoozing that he gave up after a few songs.

He did sing, for nearly two hours, at a small Monday party at the Gannons' house. Bev, tired of cooking, ordered in pizza. “;Pizza, beer and Kenny Rankin,”; she said. “;What more does a party need?”;

Mirren Image

British movie star Helen Mirren is on Lanai, filming “;Lion King”; director Julie Traynor's version of Shakespeare's “;The Tempest.”;

Mirren created a tabloid fuss this summer when she was photographed in a red bikini, looking stunning for age 63. She insisted that it was only a good camera angle.

The paparazzi shots of her in the Lanai surf, wearing a purple two-piece, make her look, well, a little more human.

Tomato Sorbet?

Traded e-mails through a translator with Japanese chef Masahiso Ueki, whose food, according to Japan Times, “;gladdens the heart of man.”;

Ueki travels to Hawaii for the first time to cook at the Kahala Resort's Food & Wine Classic Friday and Saturday.

Ueki promises his signature baked lobster ravioli. He's also known in Japan for his vegetable desserts - like a beignet of avocado with tomato sorbet.

Asked if he was going to do a veggie dessert at Kahala, Ueki wrote, “;It will be a bit difficult this time. However, if you come to Japan I will certainly make that for you.”;

Super booze cruise

Finally got on the Superferry last Thursday, but two things were different from normal. It wasn't going anywhere, and spirits were served in the lounge.

It was an invite-only Scotch tasting, the first in what's hoped will be a series of events on the docked ferry by party master Justin Yoshino. Look for an onboard nightclub-style party Saturday.

In addition to 12-, 18- and 30-year old single-malt Scotches and smoked salmon appetizers, there were door prizes, including a ferry trip to Maui for two plus vehicle.

Winning was Michael Miller of Tiki's, who was already planning to spend Christmas on Maui with his family. “;My dad always gives me tools for Christmas,”; he said. “;One time I had to get a table saw back on the airplane.”;

This time, he can take his truck. “;I'm going to ask Dad for a router.”;