April 4th, Shangrila Moloaa, Kauai

Greetings!

Well, let's get the really great news out of the way first. This morning, Mark Cooper of Titus Kinimaka Hawaiian School of Surfing (Titus Kinimaka Hawaiin School of Surfing)helped an old guy who has memories of surfing as a teenager, but whose atrophied body and serious gut have prevented him from overcoming nightmares of personal failure in the waves. An couple of hours of a refresher course on the beach, and in the small waves just east of the Hanalei Pier, on a twelve-foot extra-wide rental board, gave me just the renewed confidence I needed to start off on a new determination to get in shape and return to my first love. Once the lesson was over, I paddled out to the outside break about a quarter mile away. Passing boats and kayakers, and a occasional large turtle headed for the beach, I set my goal as having the strength to make it out to where the larger waves broke, to an environment familiar to those old memories. While I'm still too weak to feel confident dropping into good positions in the sets, I was able to find a couple of shoulders out of the way of the regulars to prove to myself that I was up to the challenge. Paddling back into the beach was a bit harder, as the wind and exhaustion played a big part.

This time, there are no photos of this experience (Pat and friends were home having breakfast), but stay tuned in the next year and they will surely show up in this blog.

So what are all these photos? On Sunday afternoon, the Ka'ie'ie Foundation (Keepers of Ancestral Inspired Education) hosted a Lu'au and Cultural Celebration of Hawaiian and Cherokee Indian Traditions. A couple of years ago, the Foundation dancers (Halau Palaihiwi O Kaipuwai) were invited to attend a Pow Wow of the Eastern Band of the North Carolina Cherokee Nation. This year, their Ani Kituwah dancers were invited to the Taro Patch in Anahola. At the end of a long river valley, reached by a trail alongside the river, the taro patch has been transformed into a gorgeous venue for community gatherings and musical celebrations. The meal was great, and the friendship and spiritual sharing expressed by the singers and dancers was exceptional.

This afternoon, it was more searching for waterfalls, snorkeling beaches, and an occasional shirt-shopping and ie cream/shave ice consumption.  What a tough life.

Tomorrow morning, we're off in pursuit of a good snorkeling beach, probably Ke'e.

To see all of the photos taken in the past couple of days, click on: April 4th, Shangrila Moloaa, Kauai

Gregory

April 2nd, Shangrila Moloaa, Kauai

Greetings!

Over the last two days, we've driven the northern coast of Kauai, never too far from the Shave Ice stand called Wishing Well.  Our friend, Art Kane, has a goal of getting a shave ice each day for lunch.  The strange experience of being dished by the lady proprietor of the Wishing Well while ordering strange combinations of flavors (usually including ice cream and shaved ice) is high on his daily wish list.  Keeping up with the trials of his favorite baseball team, the Chicago Cubs, is a close second.

We've also sought to satisfy several other wish lists.  Anne Kain's was finding a house she once rented on the north shore, and getting to swim at a favorite beach at the end of the road (Ke'e beach).  It had to be restricted to a shorebreak swim, as the local lifeguards had closed the beach to snorkeling and reef swimming due to strong currents.  We augmented it with a swim today at a beach south of there (Anini Beach), where the snorkeling was substandard.  Pat's wish list was partially filled by a visit today to the Limahuli Gardens, where native and invasive species from all over Hawaii were painstakingly planted up a river valley near the cliffs known for their portrayal in the movie Bali Hai.

I'm still waiting for Julie's wish list, though snorkeling rates very high, and I'm sure we'll find a better place to actually see some fish.  Mine involves testing my belief that I still can surf if given the right tools for how long it's been since I tore up the waves, and for the girth I've developed.  Monday morning, the local Quicksilver shop is hooking me up with a group called the Titus Kinimaka Hawaiian School of Surfing, and we're headed out to Hanalei Bay Pier with a few longboards, and a standup paddle board, to see if I can get my body to remember how its done.

We'll report back on how much of our wish lists get fulfilled.  The weather has been great, the house owner has been responsive to fixing the things that this demanding group of residents expect, and we've got three more days of paradise to explore.

To see all of the photos taken over the past two days, click on: April 2nd, Shangrila Moloaa, Kauai

Mahola

Gregory

April 1st, Molooa Shangrila, Molooa Bay, Kauai

Greetings!

We flew to Hawaii today, and will be staying here for the next five days.  Then, we'll drive down to the Poipu Hilton for a couple of days, before flying off to a week near Capt Cook, on the Big Island.  This week, Art and Anne Kain, and their daughter Julie McClure will be with us.  Next week, Pat's brother Ken and his wife Dianne will be with us.

I plan on spending some quality time in the water, and Pat and I both will be trying to get rid of the colds we've had since we returned from Asia a couple of weeks ago.

In a few minutes, we're walking down to the beach nearby, to check out the place, and prepare for a latenight sojourn with flashlights to see the turtles nesting.

To view all the photos I tok today, click on: April1st, Molooa Shangrila, Molooa Bay, Kauai

Gregory