Last two days in Hawaii

Sunday, May 16
Awoke to our special chorus and had breakfast at the house. Decided that today was the day for my swim. We had been so busy doing so much that I had not been into Hawaii's warm waters yet. Today was the day.

We dressed in our suits and drove back to Richardson's Beach . . . in the pouring rain. It had rained all night and there were puddles on the roads and in the parking lots. Not very many people at any of the beaches, although we did see a few cars. Saw one group getting diving gear together, along with fishing gear. Guess they were going to gather their Sunday dinner.

Finally said, what the heck, we were already wet . . . might as well take a dip. So, down to the beach we trod - the tide was out - way out from the steps Art and the divers had used the day before, so we walked over to the beach itself. I waded in, while Art stood on shore. The surf was a bit rough there and he is unsteady on his feet sometimes (not like I can tease him about THAT, now, right?)

At his encouragement, I went out far enough to get totally wet and totally salty - and to feel the black sand and white coral pieces mix around my ankles and get down into my surf shoes. It was lovely. The rain was cool, the water was warm (compared to Alaska's waters), and we were there all by ourselves.

That last is important to the eyes of Hawaii's residents, you see. For I am as white as white can be - "beached whale belly" white - we don't do much outdoor tanning in Alaska and I don't go to the salons because my skin can't take the UV rays in such concentration. (it's NOT a pretty picture)

So, yes, Hawaii was protected, by virtue of a glorious rain shower. And, I had gotten my feet into the black sandy bottom of Richardson's Beach.

We got back into our "dry(er)" clothes and decided to call Ali to see if she and Tom could meet us for lunch. He was at work still, and not feeling too well, so that did not work out. We were sorry not to get to visit with them again.

On our way back to our little house we passed another Farmer's Market. So, we went home, got dried off and into other clothes, then came back for a walk-through. Had my first taste of lychee, and bought about 1/4 pound. That was more than we could eat before we left, sadly, and some had to be tossed. Yummy stuff, though. (We could not bring them home due to the agricultural ban on certain things coming into or leaving Hawaii.)

Art picked up some trinkets for his buds back home, and we enjoyed wandering around and talking with some of Pahoa's more colorful characters.

Drove back to Hilo - back to Hilo Hatties and WalMart and then home to finish packing for our return to "reality".

Monday, May 17
Our last morning in Hawaii and the durned rooster slept in until 5 a.m.! We both got up and stripped the bed - got the last load of laundry started - while I took a shower. Extremely muggy this day - there had been trouble with the trade winds all week, according to the weather man. Something about them being stalled which caused no winds to break up the heat.

While the sheets dried, we drove into Pahoa Town for our last breakfast and to take the last load of trash to the dumpster. And, then it was time to turn off the power, and the water, and to close up the house in the way the owners like it left. A final check and we were off to Hilo.

Stopped at the Hawaii Print Shop and met the production foreman who showed us around the plant. It is very large - lots of equipment, some of which he tried (is trying) to sell to us for our shop here. We told him that he should just move to Alaska and buy our shop! No takers yet.

At the Hilo airport Art forgot to take off his watch and his belt, so he beeped going through the security. Because we were traveling together, that meant BOTH of us were patted down and had the wand run over our (bare) feet and bodies. So glad we had listened and gone two hours early.

This is not to say that the TSA people were not kind - we actually enjoyed talking with them. Thankfully, we did NOT have to go behind the screened area for a more thorough (cavity) search. We were told that was the last time we would have to go through this, but we knew better, as we were going on the outside at Honolulu in order to meet Linky.

As soon as the flight before ours departed the attendant put up our flight information and allowed the line to begin. This still tickles me - no seat assignments - stand in line for an hour or so - get on and take your seat wherever you like. It tickles me because it works so well. Nobody was seen to complain. You could tell the folks who were more experienced at doing this - they were at the head of the line. If there was more than one person in the party, turns were taken standing in the line while the other(s) played cards or took care of necessary trips. It works - amazingly well.

Eventually we boarded and said goodbye to the Big Island and headed to Oahu. I had called Linky the night before and let him know what we would be wearing and we had decided on where to meet. Somehow, we circled each other until he finally ran into Art while I was off taking a loop through the baggage area. Now, I had been sitting there at the curb for awhile, while Art had done the circling and it was at HIS suggestion that I took the loop - just so you know, Linky. LOL

He found Art and they were talking away like old friends when I came up with the Purple Moose and Big Red at the ready for a meet and greet. We all walked several miles (okay, not really) to the parking lot and his car and headed for Honolulu proper.

We had lunch at Anna Miller's which is sort of a Pennsylvania Dutch restaurant in decor and uniforms. Oh, and the pies . . . but we passed those up.

Steve then drove us up the hill towards his house and a great view of Pearl Harbor. Thanks for that, Steve. Sadly my camera was in the luggage - in his trunk. Next time. ;-)

From there we drove to yet another Harley Davidson shop - Art had been picking up tee-shirts for one of his buddies. We had gotten them at Hilo's shop and Kona's shop, so decided we should try for Honolulu also. Linky maneuvered through the streets and into a tight little parking space and we went looking - they didn't have a very big supply, and that still surprises me. Tee-shirts are a BIG item at every HD store, so for them to just not have many . . . well. We found one that suited and Steve practically fainted at the price - we just laughed and said that is what HD stands for - hundred dollah. (no, it didn't cost THAT much - just very nearly)

side note: that friend was quite tickled with all of his shirts - he gives them out to his friends and so the gifts continue on.

Sitting out in the lot of the shop was a boxed motorcycle with SCOTT in black marker on its side. Now, we have a friend named Scott, who loves HD, so, of course our pics needed to be taken in front of that box for him. (Scott no longer rides HD - he built and rides a Boss Hoss and is the ONLY man I know who could hold up that huge bike)

Linky gave me permission to share these photos - thanks, friend. On the left you will see Art and the Linkmeister. On the right you find me with the Linkmeister.

Our Hawaii vacation was now complete. We headed back to the airport, bought a case of pineapples for friends and family to share, and waited for our flights home to begin. I reminded Art to take off both watch and belt and we made it through security just fine this time. Yay.

The trip from Hilo to Honolulu had been a 59 minute flight (after a 2 hour wait) and we had 9 hours in Honolulu (which is why we could take time to visit with Steve). From there we flew to LA, about 5 hours I think, followed supposedly by a two hour layover, but oh my goodness - I have no clue who laid out that security system - we had to take a shuttle from one terminal to the next - only it didn't take us all the way there. It took us to a half-way point and then we waited for another shuttle - it took us to the proper terminal and we had to wait for a security officer to lead us up the back stairs into the terminal. On our way TO Hawaii, we had walked between the terminals, but decided not to do that this time as we would have had to go through security yet again and just did not have that kind of time. We got to our gate with about half an hour to spare.

Then it was off to Seattle where we again landed a terminal that requred shuttling to our departure terminal. Seattle has a subway, though, and someone told us which stop to look for, so that worked out okay. They checked for boarding passes everywhere, too.

We got to our gate with about an hour to spare, so had something to drink and a quick breakfast (ugh - all of the airports seem to have BK and Cinnabon now) - a potty stop and a wait for our flight. Suddenly the attendant at the podium called hubby's name.

He went up and she said he could go ahead and board - and I was allowed to board with him. Even the first class passengers had not been allowed to board yet. Back in January when I made the reservations his feet had not been doing too well (due to his diabetes) so I had mentioned that he might need assistance between gates. We had been turning down wheelchair assistance the whole trip because he is doing fine right now. She laughed and said - go on, you can board anyway. And, so we did.

I managed to sleep on some of the flights - a bit anyway - Art spent the trip between Seattle and Anchorage standing in the back galley talking with the flight attendants. But he said he was rested. Okaaaaayyy.

We took a taxi from Anc. airport to our friend's house ($7.25 for less than 3 miles!) to pick up our car. Broke open the pineapples and left one for him and gave one to the neighbor who was holding the key for us. Then we hit the road for home. I started driving, but was having trouble staying awake.

Suddenly I noticed some black dots out in Turnagain Arm . . . look, I said, that looks like people out there in the water. Art didn't see them, but he said "bore tide." What? Where? Behind us. So, I pulled over to a turnout spot and we parked and watched the bore tide - and these folks who were out there SURFING the bore tide - in Alaska's very cold waters.

We have lived here for almost 26 years, and this is the first time I have seen the bore tide. Wow! One person rode the wave for at least 1/4 mile - the others just lay on their boards and rode it. I was tickled that we could have seen that on our first night back home.

But, I turned over the keys to Art at that point and snoozed while he drove to Cooper Landing, after a potty stop at Girdwood. Then I was refreshed enough to drive the rest of the way to Kenai. We were ever so glad to hit our own bed that night.

There you have it, friends. Our nine days in Hawaii and the getting home part, too. Tomorrow it is back to normal for us. Just the everyday, humdrum life of a Kenai resident. Who knows what experience lies just around the corner? I certainly don't, but I'll be waiting.

'night, friends.

p.s. I called Ali to wish her a happy birthday and have permission to post pics of us with her and her hubby, Tom. Check out the birthday greeting page (previous entry) for a peek. They are well - very busy - she will try to post something soon.

Sunday, May 30 - Happy Birthday

to my blog buddy, Ali. May you have a wonderful day, full of joy, ohana, and maybe a cake, too. Love and miss you!

Surprise! I just spoke with Ali, wishing her a happy birthday and have been given permission to post this photo of us on Mother's Day.

She's an island beauty, isn't she? (click for a larger view)

Here is one taken during our visit to their home:

Dateline: Hawaii 05/15

'morning, group. Back to the tale.

Our friendly chorus of roosters and other feathered friends woke us bright and early Saturday morning. Hubby was excited over his planned diving lesson, and I was tickled for him.

Decided that today we would time our drive into Hilo so that we would be prepared for the trip home - we needed to know how much time we had to do the house laundry (sheets have to be stowed in plastic boxes when nobody is there - clean and damp free for the next guests), drive to the dump for the last time - and fuel up the car and return it to the rental agency before heading to the airport for the prescribed two hour security check.

That done, we went over to the Dive Shop and found that Bill wanted to have his lunch first, so we wandered through the bustling downtown "Farmers" Market. Visited with an Aunty or two who delighted in telling us stories of Pele and folks who forgot themselves and took some of her rocks home - only to be besieged with terrible misfortunes until remembering the rocks and mailing them back to Hawaii. The market was great fun - we tasted some fruits we had never even heard of - and we were entertained by a lively band across the way on the waterside.

When we got back to the dive shop we discovered that we were waiting for one more person - who came an hour late. I called Ali to let her know that we might be a bit late for dinner.

The last person finally arrived and everyone was outfitted with appropriate gear and the safety video was watched. We were off to Richardson's Beach - only to find that EVERYONE and their brother had the same idea. One of the diving team reminded us that the high schools and the college all had graduations that day. We had arrived at the height of graduation party celebrations. Every beach along the road was full - and every parking lot was packed.

We found a side road with some spaces and the team got their gear out and suited up.

That's hubby waiting for the rest of the group. He said later that the walk to the beach from the car with all of that extra weight on him (tank, etc.) was extremely difficult. He doesn't look like he is having too bad of a time, though, does he?

The group pushed aside kiddie toys, and asked the kiddies to let them come down the steps into the pool there and then all got into the water and put on their flippers.

Hubby is the one at lower left - just below those flourescent green flippers. The group all headed out towards the entry to the cove and everyone had a wonderful time . . . except hubby. Well, he had a great time while it lasted, but it didn't last long for him. Seems that he had the wrong type of mask and it wouldn't seal around his mustache. The dive master has a mustache, and the right type of mask, but he didn't think to get the same type for Art. So, after about 10 minutes hubby was back beside me.

As we waited for the rest of the group to come back - they took their hour-long dive anyway - he said that was the best thing he had done so far in Hawaii. I was afraid he would be upset about it all, but that is not the case. He has already checked into continuing and getting his certification up here. AND - he says he'd like to go back to HI someday to take another dive - with the right gear.

Bill did say that he would take him out again if we ever get back there - he didn't refund the money - but he said he would take him out again. We just may hold him to that.

After the group got back and the gear was all stowed, we drove off to meet Ali's family. Sorry - no pics as I don't have permission to share them. But, the family is as lovely as Ali herself. We had a wonderful time meeting all of them and sharing gifts with them (and from them, thanks again, all). Dinner was great and the talking was lively. I hope we can do that again sometime.

(pssstt - tomorrow is Ali's birthday - shhhhh, don't tell her I told you - heh)

In the next entry I will tell you of our last days in Hawaii - and maybe share with you the tale of my first (abbreviated) swim in Hilo's waters.

Have a wonderful Saturday my friends.

Missed a day

Hi there - yup, you're right - I missed a day. Was zonked last night and unable to sit up at the computer without falling asleep. So, here we are after a bit of a break. Yay.

Thanks to Linky for the Volcano Watch link. Looks like Pele is active again - larger lava flows than the ones we were privileged to see. Hubby says that is okay - he felt that we were just a tad close to all of the action up in that helicopter anyway.

Did I mention that we purchased the video of our helicopter trip? Did I also mention that it showed the moose at her dorkiest? The daughters want to send the pilot a thank you note telling him that they thought it was wonderful that he caught me as I truly am. ::smirk:: Yup, I'm a dork. But I had a great time.

Friday, May 14th:
We drove up to Rainbow Falls and the Boiling Pots. Sorry, didn't get a scan of the Boiling Pots, but here are a couple from the Falls.

Hubby thought it was great because we were able to park in a lot just across the way from the viewing area for these falls. Not as breath taking, I guess. They are sure beautiful in person. It is said that if you can get there early enough in the morning you might be fortunate enough to see rainbows in the spray - thus the name of the falls.

We each took a picture of the other and then a nice newly-wedded couple, Brian and Charlotte, from New Jersey took our photo together:

We exchanged phone numbers and plan to call them sometime next week, when we are sure they will be back home. They were on a cruise of the islands, and so tickled to see all of Hawaii's beauty.

We decided to try to find Ali's home, and after one turn-around mixup were able to drive right up to her doorway. Everyone was either at work or at school, so we just tucked the directions into our craniums and drove back to Hilo Town.

There we visited the Lyman Museum and Mission House. Lots of history there. Very knowledgeable tour guide. He took us to the house about half an hour before the tour was to begin because he was expecting a school bus load of kids and wanted to give us as much attention as he could before they arrived. We thought that was very nice.

There was a great photo exhibit at the museum and lots of history on the island and Hilo itself. Beautiful pottery pieces and period costumes showing all of the cultural influences in the area.

While wandering through downtown we stopped at the Nautilus Dive Shop (more on that in my next missive) AND I had my first taste of Hawaii's favorite treat Shave Ice. Yummy with guava and passion fruit.

I miss guava juice, btw. Have not been able to find it (yet) up here. I will keep looking.

Well, that is about it for tonight. Have been doing the PT exercises and my ankles are sore and stiff - have also been icing and elevating them as much as possible. With each day they heal that much more, right? Right.

Have a great Thursday, everyone.

Owie update

Before I begin the next day's adventure . . . thought you might like to see what REAL amazing grace looks like . . . thanks to Lessa for taking the photo.

oh, yeah, you GOTTA go in for the close-up on this beauty:

purty, huh? I start PT tomorrow - well, I have my first appointment tomorrow, so we'll see what happens next. Work was not so bad today - everyone kept telling me to sit down, so I did and let them do the hauling and such. Great co-workers, I must say.

Oh, and here is a piccie of the 35th anniversary gift hubby bought me - after I picked it out - in Kona. For your 35th you are supposed to receive either coral or jade. I chose coral:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Thursday, May 13
When we woke up to the tune of the rooster and his friends, we wondered what we should do for the day. I suggested a helicopter tour of the volcano, and hubby reluctantly agreed - if we could get a seat. It's fun that he was so reluctant, because when we got off the aircrat he said it was the most fun he'd had in Hawaii up to date. ::smirk::

We did some shopping at Wal-Mart and Hilo Hattie's first - EVERYONE has to go to Hilo Hattie's, you see. Got some souvenirs, and we each received another shell lei (had gotten one at the luau also) so we decided that we would have to go back at least once more in order to have enough shell leis for the grandkiddos (did that the day before we left - we're goooooood grandparents).

Off to the airport to check in for our flight. We chose Blue Hawaiian Helicopter Tours only partially because they flew the Average Joe Hawaii folks. LOL

It was a great ride from start to finish. Our pilot was Will:

and he kept up a running prattle about the island, the volcano, having flown for some Kenai acquaintances for their business in Kauai, how much spam islanders eat and showed us a can of the new Collector's Label. (Of course, we had to buy a can to bring home, and no, it hasn't been opened yet. We opened a regular can for our dinner that night - hey, we were eating island style. Yummy - hubby loves it.)

He also prattled on about the Mele Macs and how we should purchase the 2.25 pound jar the first day to save ourselves the embarrassment of going back the second day. Point taken. We brought the bigger one home and the grands and daughters are enjoying it with us - the smaller ones, well, they didn't make it home.

Moving along now . . . .
We didn't get to see the rushing lava flow like you've seen on tv, but we did see some lava and a "skylight" peeking down into the lava flow (unfortunately that picture didn't show up very well.)

The crater was steaming too much to get any closer:

But, hubby said that was plenty close enough for him. ;-)

Here's a shot of the helicopter coming in for a landing - what a rush!

And, here we are in our lovely little fanny packs - those held our Mae Wests just in case . . .

cute, huh?

Ladybug noticed the halo around us - awwwww

'night, friends.

Kona Part II

So, are you all bored, yet? I must say, it is kind of fun to relive the vacation in this manner. I am glad that I thought to journal every night because I caught it all fresh. That helps to bring it back, too. Well, if you are ready - carry on:

Wednesday, May 12: We were up before the alarm and before our hotel wakeup call. Time to get on the road again . . . well, at least to shower, get some breakfast, and check out of that stanky room. ;-)

We ate in an open-air restaurant - buffet style, among the birds. The view was so wonderful - we were right on the shore. Struck up a conversation with two ladies next to us (one of them took our picture as we had taken theirs for them on their camera). Fun to find out that they hailed from our "old" home state of Ohio. They were visiting Hawaii on a widows' cruise. Interesting.

After we checked out of the hotel we drove down to the pier to check in for our Atlantis adventure. Yes, we went down under the sea in a submarine. In fact, our lowest depth was 108 feet as we joined the "triple digit" club for divers. Yay, us! (smirk)

This is a shot that they took of us prior to our boarding the ferry out to the sub. The ride out was a tad rough . . . look at the horizon . . . look at the horizon. No need for the Aloha bag. Nope.

The color spectrum below is so weird - my red and white pants deepened in color to deep plum/maroon. Our teeth glowed because of the flouride in the water and our toothpaste. All was normal once we returned topside, though.

The above is one of the shots I took from inside the sub. It is really hard to take digital pics down there - but you can see a bit of an uncooperative fish at upper left there. My shutter is either too fast or too slow to get some pics - this was one of those. So, we mostly just feasted with our eyes during the trip.

and here is a view of the sub and crew as we headed back to shore. They stayed topside and waved to us just as long as someone on our boat waved back. And, as there was a small child behind our seat waving frantically, the crew got a good workout of those arms. ;-)

We said goodbye to Kona . . . after saying goodbye to the fellow at the motorcycle rental shop again - and inviting him to visit us the next time he is in Alaska.

We had decided to continue around the Big Island, to see the varied ecosystems housed therein. Leaving Kailua-Kona we headed off into miles of lava fields, old lava flow. Amid the black rocks there are white rocks and people stop to spell out messages to all to read. We saw several ALOHAs and many I LOVE ______s, interspersed with Mahalo (thank you)s.

Took several side roads looking for a lunch spot, but found that many of the GAS, FOOD, LODGING signs were a tad misleading as they went back to golf courses and condominium sales offices, etc. Found a nice little place finally in Kawaihae, called the Harbor Grill. (Had a great burger there).

As we drove up and toward Waimea (the boyhood home of a Kenai friend) we saw several Road Flooded signs, but never a sign of the flooded roads. There was a fair amount of misty rain, though, and we missed several other places we had hoped to stop simply because we couldn't see signs for turn-offs. (all the better to return to Hawaii someday).

It is easy to drive on the Big Island - always remember - the ocean to your left and the mountain to your right (reverse that if you are headed the other way, of course). Can't get very lost that way - of course we use those same directions here in Alaska, so they were familiar to us.

BREATHTAKING FALLS
We drove off the highway a bit in order to see a pair of waterfalls. The above is how hubby describes them because he was quite breathless by the time we reached them. The path was (mostly) paved, but some was quite old and falling apart. We trekked up and down hills and up and down steps, deeper and deeper into a tropically beautiful landscape in order to see . . .

Kahuna Falls
and, then a bit further to see . . .

Akaka Falls. Absolutely worth the trek. Gorgeous terrain and gorgeous falls. Nice people trekking alongside us, or passing us, or not nearly as breath-taken as us. Heh.

My souvenir from the hike was a bite over my left eye which swelled it nearly shut and itched and watered like crazy. We bought some anti-itch pills the next day and that helped a great deal.

That night I washed up two loads of clothes - I cannot tell you how nice that is - we only brought home a small bag with a few dirty clothes. Splendid!

And, with that, I am going to get off here and put the feet back up. I have been up and about for a bit today - am off the 2 days prescribed bedrest now, you see. Went to breakfast with hubby, then to morning worship service. I skipped Sunday School and tonight's service, but was blessed to be in the morning service.

Then we drove to Soldotna to pick up some groceries and then honey fixed us lunch and I snoozed in my chair for a couple of hours. So, see, I am taking care not to overdo.

Tomorrow I am off to work - yay - I have to work an extra day this week, but am still confined to 30 hours, so will have really loooooonnnnnggg lunch hours each day. It is our semi-annual workshop and I help to facilitate it - that is, I buy the goodies for the participants to eat, and I set up the room, the police ride-alongs, tell about the volunteer program, handle registration, and run for whatever the instructors need. Not gonna be running too fast, though, this week. In fact, I am going to ask my co-workers to carry in the goodies from my trunk tomorrow. See, I'm being good.

'night, friends

Continuing - Kona

Thought I'd not get back to it, eh? Well . . . here we go:

When we got back from Pahala to the road block area, we were only the third car in line. The officer was now allowing four-wheel drive vehicles and large trucks through. Art jumped out of the car and gave him a bottle of cold water and talked with him a bit. Seems that the road was now only under 2 feet of water, but was going down a bit slower than they had expected. We weighed our options . . . back to Hilo and up the other side of the island to Kona (about 3 hours) or wait a bit and continue on this road to Kona (about 1.5 hours plus the wait for the road to open.) We opted for the wait.

And the road opened right around 11 a.m. We had a few more misses and detours: It's an adventure! we kept telling each other. We found a small cafe for lunch and then carried on.

Our arrival was a bit early for our room - we were told to come back in half an hour and it would be ready. We gave them an hour, but the room was still not ready - given another room. This one was on the parking lot side (away from the ocean view) and was a smoking room. Ugh! But we decided that we would only be sleeping there, not living there, so would not make a fuss.

I grabbed a shower and changed and we headed off for Kona town and the luau at the King Kam. Stopped first to chat with the fellow running the motorcycle rental place and then went across the street to sign in.

We enjoyed the show immensely - and the emcee even announced our names and our anniversary. Pretty cool.

Here are some pics from the show: as before, click for a larger image.

Before the luau started, there was an open bar and crafts going on. The fellow above showed us how to shuck and open a coconut without harming his own "coconuts". Other folks were instructing people on how to perform a hula (I'm Going to the Huki-lau), how to make a fish from bamboo leaves, or could receive a temporary facial tatoo. We chose to watch the coconuts. ;-)

Then it was time to uncover the imu and to show us the well-cooked pig - yummy smells and taste . . . indescribably good.

The Royal party arrived with King Kamehameha leading the procession. The emcee told us of the first king and the kapu of men not being allowed to eat with women, women not even allowed to cook the food, etc. All of those were eliminated with the appearance of King Kamehameha III.

And then the hula began - dances from Samoa, Tonga, Hawaii, Tahiti . . . all wonderfully performed.

this one was done in honor of all of our service people, those present and those gone from us, and those serving today.

hubby really liked this big guy - his tattos are of the real variety, btw.

This hula was done in honor of Hawaii's first college educated native born man, Henry _______ (sorry, can't remember his Hawaiian name). Henry left the islands and attended Yale College (before it became a University). He is also considered the island's first Christian. Henry was coming back to Hawaii to be a missionary, but died before he could make it back home. The song was one that we sing in my church, "More Power", performed in the Hawaiian tongue. Very moving.

And, what luau would be complete without the fire/knife dancer. This guy was g-o-o-d - and he knew it. But you wouldn't catch me trying it, so he is entitled to be a bit smug, I would say.

And, thus ended our evening in Kona. We went back to our hotel room - the smell of the smoke was masked by the plumeria lei I was wearing. In fact, I liked the smell so much that I purchased some lotion with that scent before leaving the islands.

That's it for tonight, friends. I am off to bed (again) to rest these ankles. Hope to tell you more of Kona tomorrow.

PAUSE: Amazing Grace

or "gimpy sue" as my children would call me.

A short pause in the tales of our trek to Hawaii. I went to the final event for the 10,000 Step Program last night (Thursday). I should have, instead, gone to either my writers group meeting OR to my grandson's little league game. Hindsight is 20-20.

Instead, I went for final weigh-in (Hawaii showed on the scale, but it will come off again) and a trek down to the river with a ranger. The trail head should have warned me, but noooooooooo. First we descended a very steep dirt hill and took up the trail which is debris and root strewn . . . gingerly making our way through the woods, up and down hills and some wooden steps and over metal grating which is protecting smaller streams and the habitat.

The Kenai River is low and gorgeous at this time of the spring. No fishermen yet as that section is closed to protect the King Salmon until August. So, it was just us and a knowledgeable guide. All's good so far. We trek back upwards and over across the Slikok Creek and down again to the river. Still good.

We head back . . . and after crossing a wooden walkway and coming back down onto the path, I was suddenly seeing the forest from a new perspective. From my back. My ankles were both screaming and I was hard put not to scream along with them. But, I am Alaskan . . . I am tough . . . I am a nut! I was helped back up and gingerly made my way painfully back to that dratted hill. Now I had to climb UPWARDS with two bad ankles.

The woman who was carrying her baby on her back helped me from time to time. (oh, the shame of it - not) We finally made it back to the parking lot where I said good-by to everyone and made my way to my car. Sat there a few minutes, then drove home to meet hubby and follow his suggestion to go to the hospital to see how much damage had been done.

Thankfully, there are no cracks, fractures, breaks!!! But, two damaged ankles - one in an aircast and the other in an ace bandage. The doc thought about two aircasts, but said it would be too difficult to walk.

I am to be on bedrest - or at least keep my feet up - for two days. Then I am allowed limited duty, but can go back to work on Monday (he told me my timing was impeccable), albeit with the cast and bandage for two weeks still. Then I am to go to some PT to strengthen the ankles, and I am supposed to wear ankle high boots for any further trekking.

He gave me pain meds to help me sleep and sleep I did all day today. I am sneaking in here during a potty break and will shortly make my way back to my cave-like lair. Just wanted to let you all know that the Hawaii story will continue shortly. Honest.

Take care, friends - and watch out for those roots!

Continuing on with the tale . . .

Monday, the 10th: We headed off for the new day’s adventure . . . Volcano City. It was time to make a pilgrimage to Pele at Kilauea Caldera. We paid a park fee to enter and went to the Visitors’ Center. Need I say again that it was H•O•T? I thought not. We carried bottled water with us EVERYWHERE while in Hawaii.

Took a guided walk around the crater rim – well, part way around. The Ranger (Brian) told us of the trees and flowers, telling what was native to Hawaii and what was not, and how they try to combat naturally the ones not native. He was full of information and had a great sense of humor and a true story-teller’s soul.

We heard the legends of Pele and several people were asked to portray persons in the stories. At one point hubster was chosen the pig-man. Quite appropriately, according to even the hubster. Heh. Later at the Jagger Museum we found a mural with the Pig Man portrayed – here’s a shot of hubby in his current state next to his “natural” state:

Drove out and around the Crater Rim Drive – LOTS of steam vents due to the rain the night before and the slight drenching we got just before lunch while on the nature walk. The rain goes down into the vents and the heated rocks and lava then steam. These shots are of hubby letting off steam and me letting off steam. Yup.

At one point in the drive we were able to walk about a quarter mile back to the caldera and see down into it. Natives leave offerings to Pele on the other side of the barriers from where we were allowed to stand. We saw bundles of flowers, fruit, leaf baskets, and leis. Next to one rock were a couple of leaf head circlets, maybe a wedding offering?

Walking to and from the rim we passed numerous steam vents – the temperature raised by several degrees near each of those. I’m sure I must have appeared quite lovely to everyone as I “glowed” heavily (ladies do NOT sweat, they glow).

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Tuesday, the 11th: the early morning wake up came even earlier than the 4:30 rooster calls. At 1:30 I heard a loud chirp, which sat me up straight in the bed. It was raining gently outside (a nearly nightly occurrence.) Nothing more, so I lay back again, only to sit up quickly as the chirp occurred again. What in the world? Off to investigate – into the hall, turn on the light, CHIRP! Jump!! Peek down at the floor expecting to find a critter . . . nothing . . . Turn light on in another bedroom . . . CHIRP!!! Good grief!

Sigh . . . the smoke detector battery was yelling to be set free. So, I decide to ignore the chirping and crawl back into bed next to still snoring hubby (who had not even stirred with lights brightly shining on his face). I began to count between the chirps (nothing better to do and could not get back to sleep) Every thirty seconds . . . CHIRP!!

Call of nature (not chirping) finally awoke hubby at around 3 a.m. Huh? Snort! What tha? "It’s the smoke detector battery, dear. It goes off every thirty seconds, I’ve been counting."

Call of nature taken care of, hubby grabs a chair from the kitchen and disables the battery. (We bought a new one later in the day. Gotta love a Wally in Hilo. We also had to buy some 60 watt light bulbs as the one over the front door had burnt out – or so we thought. It turned out to be some sort of electrical short. After a call back to AK to the home owners it was decided that we would disconnect that breaker anytime we were not at home, so as not to have an electrical fire. They will fix it the next time they are there.)

We tried to get a couple more hours of sleep as we were headed to Kona side that morning after breakfast for our anniversary celebration. I’ll share the stories and pictures of that tomorrow.

But today I will tell you of our unexpected delay in getting to Kona. Remember the rain I mentioned? Well, apparently it was quite heavy in some areas. . . heavy enough that the road ahead of us was under more than 6 feet of water in at least one place. So, the road was blocked for about 2 ½ hours.

It was a good thing that we had planned to turn at that juncture anyway – we wanted to go and see the black sand beaches at Punalu’u. So we made a left and drove down to the beach hoping to see some of the turtles that lay their eggs in the sand. No turtles, but what a gorgeous place!

We went back towards Hilo to a small town, Pahala, to pick up some more (colder) water and some lunch snacks. I also called ahead to our hotel and to the luau folks to let them know we were held up, but that we should still make it to our reservations. The luau folks were much nicer about it than the hotel folks (more on the hotel tomorrow) and expressed genuine concern for us. We were asked to call them again once we were on the road if possible.

Okay, friends – that is enough for this day. I will fill you in on the rest of our day tomorrow. And, remember, “You asked for it.” (anyone remember the name of the show’s host? Hmmm?)

We're baaaaaaack

Thanks for the notes, everyone. We made it home last night after two days in the air or in airports waiting for connections. It's a loooooonnnnggg way back home from Hawaii. We left at 10:30 or so Monday morning, finally arriving home at about 4 p.m. Tuesday afternoon. Phew! Retrieved our car from a friend (cost for 11 days of car sitting - one pineapple) and hit the road for a quick dinner and the long road home.

So tired, that I even asked the hubby to drive most of the way - I slept while he drove, that is how tired I was. (I don't like to passenge with him driving - call me weird)

Hawaii was lovely - Ali is beautiful, as are her family. Linky is a kick. I have photos of each of them, but will wait until they see them and get their approval before showing them here. I know Linky's pic is online, but also know that Ali's is not. So permission is needed first. Thanks for understanding.

However . . . there are LOTS more pics to share. Are you SURE you wanna see? Okay, a few at a time.

This was our first time to Hawaii . . . did you know that the Honolulu airport is pretty much open to the world? I mean, there are these lovely gardens below an open bridge (between terminals) where you can go down and smoke (ack!) or just look at the fish (Koi) or help your kiddos walk out their kinks . . .
Click for larger view.

And, with all of that open space you have to expect that critters will join you, right? Right.

After a snafu at meeting Linky during our wait for the connection to Hilo (sorry again, Linky) we joined a long line for open seating on the flight. That was fun - I had never seen such a thing - all open seating for a huge jet. It works somehow. The atmosphere on the plane was jolly and boisterous. The folks were happy to be going home or looking forward to a new adventure or returning to a loved vacation spot. We felt right at home.

Getting the rental car was a snap (thanks to priceline) and we were off to find our rental home. THAT was not as easy . . . I got turned around looking for the right "K" named street off the main road . . . and by the time I got THAT worked out it was dark. Yes, dark - did you know that the sun sets in Hawaii and it gets DARK??? (well, in Alaska tonight it is now 10:55 p.m. and, while the sun has set, there is plenty of light left out there to read road signs) The K road we were on had LOTS of other K named roads (interspersed with P named streets and M named streets . . you get the idea) and it was getting darker by the minute. After turning around several times we finally found the house, got it opened up and the water turned on, the hot water heater's power turned on, and the sheets on the bed.

Then the hubster was hungry so it was time to try to find a store or place to eat dinner. Drove back to Pahoa Town and stopped at the Cash N Carry to pick up a few things for breakfast and a light dinner - got scolded by the cashier for being there after closing time . . . the guard had let us in, for heaven's sake! She tried to amend her statements when she found out we were from Alaska and invited us back. We told her that we probably would not come back - and we didn't. But we did go back to Pahoa several more times (just not her store).

Back to our home away from home - beginning to cotton on to where it is. The following day we counted the streets from a certain landmark and never got lost going home again. ;-)

Wake up comes early to our little area . . . 4:30 a.m. That was not a planned wake up time for us - after all we had been awake for nearly 48 hours by the time we fell asleep the night before. However . . . that did not deter the rowdy rooster who crowed us awake at an ungodly hour . . . every day . . . he would start his errr-errr-roar and would shortly be joined by another . . . and another . . . and yet another . . . until the neighborhood rang with their calls. Then EVERY bird in the world woke up and joined in with chirps and twitters. All I could do was lie there and giggle.

It became sweet music to my ears as the schedule never varied until that final night when the first rooster did not awaken until 5 a.m. (It was overcast and rainy and I guess he slept in - heh)

We had made arrangements with Ali to meet her and her hubby for Mother's Day brunch in Hilo that next morning. It was a bright and beautiful morning - sunny and H•O•T! We met them at the Hawaiian Naniloa Hotel right on the shore - had a table just inside the open lanai out of the sun (thankfully for my tender Alaskan skin). This porpoise statue was in the entry way . . . a picture for the Ladybug:

We were entertained by this guitarist singing sweet Hawaiin songs. He was joined during one by his wife who danced a hula to a song written by the singer's brother-in-law. Turns out it was the singer's birthday that day and we all sang to HIM!

Well, that is enough for tonight - just enough to whet your appetite. And, I've only touched on the first two days of our stay!

G'night, all.

Things I did today

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Things I did today
Got up, ate yogurt, brushed teeth . . .

oh, okay, I won't bore you with the sordid details of my day. Just the most important things, okay? Okay.

Found myself twiddling my thumbs at work today - my heart wasn't in it and I had cleared my desk already. My monthly stats and reports had been finished Monday and turned in to the proper people Tuesday. My time sheet had been completed and filed for the next pay period (lovely to take two weeks off and still get a paycheck, I must say). I had vacuumed my office and watered my plant. I had surfed the net (it's okay - that's business - research for our own website for improvements, you see) and was left with nothing else to do save twiddle my thumbs.

So I filled out a Mental Health sheet for two hours and groveled to the director - we are supposed to give 24 hours notice, you see. I just presented it to her, apologized for bothering her and for not having satisfied the 24 hour period and begged, yes, begged to be allowed to leave work 2 hours early.

It worked. She smiled, signed the form, and told me to go and to have a good time. The door did NOT hit me in the rear as I left. ;-)

Did some last minute shopping for post card stamps (heh) and a folder for my travel documents. Yes, I have travel documents. Our itinerary, the confirmation for the car rental, the directions to (and a picture of) the house we are renting in Pahoa, the confirmation for our hotel in Kona, the confirmations for the Island Breeze luau and the Atlantis submarine tour . . . and the list of addresses for the postcards. (heh)

I like to have it all in one place.

Tonight we attended grandson Sean's choir concert. Very nicely done. The sixth graders performed first, then some solos (a 7th or 8th grader performed Patsy Cline's Crazy and, holy cow! she's got a set of pipes on her. I am sure that the high school choir director perked up her ears at her performance. Gonna grab that one and make sure she is in the high school choir.

And, you can tell the age of the choir director by the music that is performed. We enjoyed One Eyed, One Horned, Flying Purple People Eater and Blue Suede Shoes, and lots of surfing tunes. Even Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini! It was great fun. Thanks, Sean.

So, I am going to get off here and grab some shuteye. Hubby has a few hours of work tomorrow - during which time I will be packing and taking care of last odds and ends (such as clearing out the fridge and getting the perishables down to the grandkiddos - making the bed - vacuuming the front room - doing up the breakfast dishes. Nicer to come home to a clean(er) house, you see). And, then we are outta here and on to our grand adventure. Yay!

Spoke with Ali tonight and we are looking forward to finally getting to meet each other. And, an airport visit with Linky is planned as well.

You all be good while I am gone. I'll be back in town the 18th and probably back here the 19th. See you then.

Explosion of Color

My favorite color is green - well, it is at this time of the year. Last week I walked along sidewalks that still had snow piled up next to them. This week - the snow is gone - G - O - N - E - gone! Yay! In its place is lovely, brilliant spring green grass! There are spots in my yard that are ready for a first mowing. I imagine that our neighbor will do that befoe we come home.

Yes, our neighbor mows our yard. She loves to do it, craves the exercise, we buy the gas, we let her do it. Yup, we do. Gives us more time to ride the motorcycles. ::snork::

We are entering extreme count down mode. This time Friday night we will be in Anchorage waiting for our plane to paradise. This time Saturday night we will be settling in for a chat perhaps with Miz Paradise Ali and her family. Pictures? You bet there will be - when we get back, of course. Post cards? You betcha. If I have your mailing address, you will be receiving a post card from Hawaii. Hula girls? Well, no, sorry. Our oldest grandson made that request first. Well, he thinks that we are bringing him a real live one. (no, he probably doesn't think that, but he has said it wistfully) ;-)

I walked 3 miles tonight - hubby was at the shop and I considered for a few moments just walking on until I got there - changed my mind, though and turned back before I became TOO easy/hard on myself.

But, now, my friends, I must turn in for the night. I am bushed. Have a wonderful Wednesday.

It's May

It's May, the Merry month of May . . . .

and, Dan and I whistle along with a favorite tune from a favorite musical, Camelot. We both own the sound track on LP . . . yup, records!

To welcome May, I got my hair cut this morning. Nah, that's not really the reason . . . I wanted it done before the trip. Yes, we are in countdown mode now - only 6 more days . . . we leave for Anchorage Friday afternoon, check into the airport by 10 p.m. and catch the red-eye flight for LA. After a short layover it is off to Honolulu where we will visit with Linky, we hope.

Then we hop the interisland flight to Hilo where we will spend a bit better than a week - and get to meet the lovely Paradise Ali and her family.

There will be photos on my return, and maybe a postcard to those of you whose address I have tucked away. If I don't have your address, and you'd like a post card, drop me a note, okay? The address is there in the upper right corner of your screen - just take out the NOSPAM.

After my haircut this morning I worked on hubby's anniversary surprise for a bit. I will have to finish it later - sometime when he is not home.

Then this afternoon I went over to Soldotna to the bookstore to meet and visit with a publsiher/author friend who is visiting from CA. She is working on/editing a book with a local man and tying up all of the loose ends in order to get it to the typesetter next week. Deadlines approach.

We had a lovely chat over tea and made plans to get together when she returns in September to promote the book. I hope to have web links to it at that time. Hardscratch Press, the publishing house has website, but it is out of date right now. Jackie hopes to get back to it in the fall, after the new book is out and promoted and shows attended. She's a busy lady.

The man the new book is about is the grandfather of the woman who held my position before I started working there. I don't know him, but I know her mother, his daughter.

Well, I need to get off here and get my beauty sleep. Have a wonderful and restful Sunday everyone.