29 September 2011 - Thursday

Today the Three of We...plus Mom Edna...plus Unca Dave...hit the waves!  Snorkel trip!

 We got up at 6 and were on the boat around 715am.  The destinations were Molokini, Turtle Town, and a shore tour including (hopefully) dolphin sighting!  We knew we were going to be in the water for about an hour at each spot and that the water--although lovely--is still a bit chilly.  So we sprung for warm wet suits.

We arrived at Molokini and jumped in!  Mom Edna had never been snorkeling, so it was another all-new experience for her.

We saw lots of bright colorful fish, coral, eels.

Back on the boat, we headed for Turtle Town.

Turtle Town was a bit disappointing this time.  Sometimes we'll come out and there will be dozens of them.  Today, we saw one.  I did get a short (really short) movie of him.

After Turtle Town we cruised along the coast while having lunch.  The Captain showed us where Oprah's house was, Clint Eastwood, David Bowie.  We sailed by Little Beach (we waved at our friends) and onward.

Sometime ago, Russ and I were visiting Hawaii and learned that Haleakala is not an extinct volcano, but merely dormant.  According to the guide, the volcano is due for one more eruption.  "If Haleakala were a pregnant woman...she'd be in here 34th month."  (or some such)  Well, today our Captain said that the volcano is once again active!  Apparently there have been rumblings and such so the geologists, etc., have set up sensors and---yup---an eruption is predicted for two to three years from now!  Interesting!

Finally the boat returned to dock and we got out.  We headed back to the room.

Poor Mom Edna!  Tuckered Out, but Sublimely Happy!

Mom Edna decided to hang around the resort and rest.  The boys headed off to...can you guess?...Little Beach!  We only had about two hours, but we made good use of the time!

Russ and I discovered that the "new running style" forced upon us by the Vibram shoes has tied our calves up in knots!

Back at the room, it was sunset time!

Back at the resort we hit the hot tub, Russ cooked another fantastic meal.  We had drinks, chatted, laughed.  Then the activity caught up with us and we all began to fade.  Bedtime!  Tomorrow is another busy day.

---Aloha!

28 September 2011 - Wednesday

Today is the day that our Navy buddy, Davie, shows up for the trip.  The shortish story is thus:  A couple of weeks before we launched on this trip, Dave called the house to visit.  We mentioned that in two weeks we were headed to Maui.  Davie says, "Um, boys...  Do you not remember that the last time you went to Hawaii you said that you'd take me on the next trip?"

Oh, yeah.  I do sorta remember that now that you mention it...

So we bought him tickets and he is to join us on Wednesday.

We wake up and sit around the room waiting for his plane to land.  Mom Edna decides to attack the flying ants that are still lounging around the lanai.

Damian is not so sure how successful a venture it is to sweep flying bugs off the second story lanai...but she does it anyway.  It is a wild success.  The rest of the day we see fewer and fewer of the pests.  How odd.

Russ and I decide to put on our Vibram Five Finger "toe" shoes and go for a run.  We put in two miles.

It comes time for us to zip to the airport to pick up Dave.  On the way, Russ decides to use Damian's iPad to check the flight status.  Halfway there, he announces that Davie's plane is 3 hours delayed.  We turn around and go back to the resort.

Well we start to, anyway.  Then we decide to stop in at the place on Maui where we are trying to get jobs so we can move to Maui.  We pop in, visit for  a bit, can't really see anything, and so leave.  We go back to the room and chill for a bit.

Then the phone rings.  It's Dave wondering where the heck we are!  Turns out that Russ checked the wrong plane...on the wrong airline entirely!  So we zoom back to Kahului to pick him up.  He's hungry so we stop at Burger King to feed him.

We get to the room.  Davie wonders about the implications of this sign in the bathroom.

Then we head off to....yes, you guessed it...Little Beach!

Much swimming and sunning was enjoyed by all.

After a couple of hours, we came back to the room, took our wine glasses out for sunset.  Then Russ cooked another delectable meal.

All too soon, it was bedtime.  We collapsed in our respected sleeping areas and called it a day.

---Aloha!

27 September 2011 - Tuesday

This could be subtitled the "What The Hell?" edition.  We were up at 3am.  3 A.M. !!

Of course, the reason we were up so early is that today was the day we took Mom Edna to the top of Haleakala to see sunrise!  We dressed in layers, took bathrobes from the room, and drove an hour and a half to to the top of the mountain.

It's So Cold!  And Early! And Dark!

But right on cue, the sky began to lighten.  The clouds changed colors.  The sun rose.  The park ranger came out to sing up the sun.  It was, as always, more than a tiny bit magical.

It's So Cold!  And Early! And Not-Quite-As-Dark-As Before!

Then we drove back down the mountain and stopped at Kula Lodge for absolutely decadent breakfasts.  There go the diets!  After breakfast, we wandered through the Lodge's gorgeous flower garden.

Then we drove back to the resort for just a moment...we passed the Sugar Mill..

 ...and headed for Little Beach!  Again!  In the daytime!

On the Cliff Between Big and Little Beach

Little Beach was not nearly as crowded as it was during Drum Circle night.  We pitched our umbrellas, dressed down (except Mom) and enjoyed the afternoon's session of sunning, swimming, and playing.

A Flock of Little Beach Birds Looking for Food

Mom Edna Jumps in the Water and Enjoys Herself

In This Shot, She's  Bobbing At the Top of a Large Wave that Came Ashore!

We spent about 5 hours at the beach, then packed up and went to the resort.  Russ pre-prepared dinner.  Then we grabbed our wine and headed out to sunset.  It is an amazing ritual.  As we walked to the beach, a crowd of similarly-minded visitors did the same.  We chatted a bit, compared stories of the day, and had a few laughs.

Then the show began and we marveled at the ongoing beauty.

Still Not Boring!

Back at the resort, Russ put pork chops on the outside grill.

I See the Future, and It Is Delicious!

While dinner was cooking, we four jumped in the pool to cool our our sunburns.  We then jumped in the hot tub (ouch!) to relax.  Russ declared dinner to be ready so we scuttled to the room.

We opened the lanai doors to set the table and were set upon by a swarm of flying ants!  Apparently it's "that time of year" and they invade any location that has lights.  So we closed the door...then spent about 45 minutes crushing and otherwise eliminating all the invaders that got inside.

Then it was dinner time.

It was completely delicious!  We ate, drank plenty of wine.  We talked of days gone by.  We laughed.  We drank some more wine.

Then we crawled into bed and slept.  It was a spectacularly good day.

---Aloha!

26 September 2011 - Monday

Today we went up to Lahaina.  We drove on by and stopped at the Olivine Pools (our "Lava Shelf") then the Blowhole.  Then we drove back to Lahaina, shopped, marveled at the Banyan Tree, then had lunch.  We drove home...

A Delicious Russ-Made Breakfast on Our Lanai

The View From Our Lanai

Just Below Our Lanai

At the Olivine Pools area, we didn't do the cliff crawl to get to them.  So we stayed up top and enjoyed the view.

Mom Edna Discovered Why They're Called the "Olivine Pools"

Waaaay Down There Are The Pools and Some Swimmers.

A Lone Honu Swimming Around

The Blowhole didn't put on much of a show.  Between low tide and new moon, there wasn't much action.

So we went on to Lahaina where we saw the Banyan Tree and the Doom Cryer.

On the Way, Russ Fell in Love with This Plant

An AmTaliban Member...

We then drove back to the room, dropped off our bags of treasures and headed to another of our favorite activities: The Sunset Sidewalk Walk.

We saw lots of flowers:

Russell photographed "his" tree.

...and Assorted Hijinks...

We finally found a place to sit, relax, drink our wine, and watch the sunset.  As usual, the show did not disappoint...

That's My Mommy!

Then the display was over.  We trudged back to the car, drove to the resort, and jumped in the pool to cool off our sunburns.  Garry and Damian have been going shirtless and have sunburnt chests...except for a diagonal stripe where the seat belt sits!  Then it was hot tub, girlie drinks for a while.  Back in the room we had more drinks, looked a pictures, and collapsed in bed knowing that tomorrow morning we get up really early for the Haleakala trip!

---Aloha!