April 10th, South Kona, Hawaii

Greetings!

As I left my camera battery being charged in the beachhouse, you'll just have to imagine all of the great photos which could have showed volcano calderas, lava tubes, fern forests, and rock petroglyphs. We got a late start today, while Ken and I watched the last round of the Masters Golf Tournament.  Our timing was perfect, however, to finish the long walk along the lava-strewn eastern coast of the island to a wooden boardwalk surrounding hundreds of 400-700 year old rock carvings before darkness made the walk back difficult.

The only resource somewhat lacking on the southern coasts of the island seems to be restaurants.  We've stocked up on groceries, however, and making some very enjoyable meals at home.

Pat came up with a great idea on how to make sure to remember to replace the battery in the camera in the morning after charging it at night.  Take the lens off the camera, and place it near the battery charger.

Four more days in Paradise.

Gregory

April 9th, South Kona, Hawaii

Greetings!

Arriving yesterday, Ken Di, Pat and I drove south from the Kona Airport to the condo we're staying in for the next week.  It's one of a few houses at the base of a long hillside subdivision, and sits on a bluff above a black pebble beach cove.  We moved in, and explored the beach and surrounding area.  We have few neighbors, unless you count the Hawaian mongoose and the hundreds of fish we found while snorkeling this morning.  We drove to a beach with green sand today.  It was at the southern most point of the United States, and directly (and quite a ways) north of Antarctica.  It felt like a cold, stormy day at Point Reyes or Bodega.  But it was warm and muggy.

We'll be exploring the other odd characteristics of this island in the next few days, and having a ball doing it.

To see the rest of the photos taken yesterday and today click on: April8th, South Kona, Hawaii and April9th, South Kona, Hawaii

Gregory

April 7th, Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa, Kauai

Greetings!

In keeping with my habit of not knowing the real name of the place I'm staying at until the last day, we know end our time at the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa.  Tonight, we had an enjoyable meal on the deck above the pool complex looking out to the sea, then took our run-soaked smoothies to the huge hot-tub above the waterfalls, and toasted the last couple of days here.  Tomorrow morning, Pat and I will fly to the Big Island to stay for a week with Ken and Di in a condo on the beach near Capt Cook.  Art and Anne stay here for four more days, and then fly home.

It's been a real success staying and traveling together, and added another set of memories for our always distant old age.  The flowers here are just a small sampling of the wild colors seen everywhere one looks, and we have kept waiting for the storm which the news stations have predicted, and which has not arrived yet.  We have noted that it will dip into the low 30' tonight at our house in Santa Rosa.  Hope the lights are on in the Lemon tree.

To see the photos taken today, click on: April7th, Grand Hyatt Kauai

Gregory and Pat

April 6th, Poipu Sheraton Hyatt, Kauai

Greetings!

We left Moloaa Bay, visited the Kauai Hindu Monastery, got Julie to the Lihue Airport on time, and then checked into the Poipu Sheraton Hyatt.  A more star then we need accommodation, the Hyatt's big screen in every room (and bathroom?) and gigantic, inter-connected pool complex will be home for the next day or two.  We had dinner at Joselyn's tonight (great chef who used to be at the now-defunct Pacific Cafe), and the tapas-based menu did not disappoint.

To see the rest of the photos taken today, click on: April 6th, Poipu Sheraton Hyatt, Kauai

Gregory

ps. to Thomas and anyone else who wants to use the photos from this blog with attribution, go right ahead.  We're glad you're enjoying them, and hopefully it will help stimulate your adventurous spirit.

April 5th, Moloaa Shangri-La, Kauai

Greetings!

I finally read the Check-out instructions for this place and realized I was spelling the name incorrectly. After breakfast today, we called all over trying to find a place to snorkel on the North Shore. Finally, we found a number for the Lihue Fire Department (on the east coast of Kauai), and they gave us the number of the Kauai Fire Department Ocean Protection Unit Supervisor. He's the guy whose unit makes the decisions to close beaches, and whose staff we ran into at Ke'e Beach two days ago. In the meantime, a major storm out in the Pacific has kicked up the wave heights to 10-15 feet on our coast. Nothing is open, and they advised us to head to Poipu on the south shore if we wanted to snorkel.

So we left at noon for Poipu State Beach, and were not disappointed. Julie and Anne's wish lists to see lots of colorful fish were satisfied, Pat enjoyed another couple of hours relaxing on the beach reading, and I got to boogie board and snorkel on a beach that we'll probably spend even more time at on Thursday and Friday when we stay at the Poipu Hilton.

Soon afterward, we drove up Waimea Canyon looking for great views on an overcast, rainy day. A rainbow at one overlook, and a brief break in the clouds and mist gave us at least enough not to be too disappointed.

Tonight, we do laundry and try to eat everything we bought. Tomorrow, we check out and take Julie to the airport for her flight home. The rest of us head for Poipu for to days, and then Pat and I fly to the Big Island on Friday afternoon.

To see the photos taken today (great rainbow shots), click on: April5th, Shangri-La, Moloaa, Kauai

Gregory

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