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!