Thursday, June 14th

Last full day on the Garden Island.  Sad day for sure...

Got up and went looking for waterfalls!  We first saw the Oaeka'a Falls and then the Wailua Falls.  Beautiful.  The Wailua Falls were used in FANTASY ISLAND for all you 80's children out there...

Stopped for a bit of shopping on the way back in Kapa'a...Terrie and I got some yummy bath & body stuff even though the guy manning the shop drove us nuts...he kept saying "let me tell you about this...and then I'll shut up"....he never got to the shutting up part...we still bought stuff!

Then we ate lunch at the Olympic Cafe.  It was good and the atmosphere was neat.  On one side the shops on the street (open air - 2nd floor) and the other side a block away was the ocean.  Sweet.

Headed back to the condo where everyone napped.  I spent my napping time at the pool and everyone joined me later.

Out for pizza and our last chance at shave ice then home to pack.

All good things must come to an end and we have had a trip that we will definitely remember.

I am certain I want to return.  Terrie is too.  The jury is out on Jim....he's noncomittal and Kent seems to go with the flow.

Aloha!  Tomorrow we travel home and it will take us about 16 hours to get to KC.  Ugh...the price you pay for seeing paradise!

Thanks for tuning in...a few more pics from today:

Zee plane!  Zee plane!

Wednesday - June 13, 2012

We started today as all days should start - 1 hour massages on the beach!  No pictures because we looked like crap.  Just Terrie and I did the spa thing....cause we don't golf!

Then we walked to the Wahina General Store (Last Chance store)...got yelled at by the store owner for just breathing I think and then waited for the guys to come pick us up.  Ordered some food there from Red Hot Mamas.  Chipoltaway needed.  Holy cow...those were some hot stinking burritos!!

We then shopped in Hanalei for a few souveniers and came back to the condo to hit the pool.  We met a nice couple in the hot tub from San Diego and they come here each year for a month.  I want to grow up to be THAT.

Jim & I went on a walk thru the golf course to the cliffs overlooking the beach.  There were reportedly some baby albatross chicks to photograph and by golly, we found them.  Ugly birds.  Nice view.

Dinner at the condo (thank you Chef Terrie) and then back to the hot tub where we met a couple from the San Berdadino, CA area and two young men from Long Beach, CA who were geniuses.  We all need a lesson in humility now and then...it's interesting to meet people along the way though.  These young men were going to hike the NaPali coast tomorrow....yikes.  11 miles one way.

We are going on a hunt for water falls tomorrow and enjoying our last full day in paradise.  It's been a wonderful two weeks and we aren't thinking about home stuff til we get on the plane to come back.  I keep reminding myself of that as does Terrie!!

Here's a few pics of our walk around the golf course and our little visit to Wahina & Red Hot Mamas:

Tuesday, June 12th

LONG day!!  We got up and drove to Wiamea Canyon (like our Grand Canyon) on the West side of the island, shopped a bit at some out of the way town, ate a great lunch and went to the Red Dirt Shirt place where they filmed an episode of Dirty Jobs....very interesting!!

We then drove to Smith's Family Luau up near the airport in Lihue and enjoyed looking at their gardens, eating a luau (poi was too gross for me to try) and then a show that highlighted the many cultural influences of Hawaii.  This included hula dancers, Tahitian dances, Chinese & Japanese influences, Fillipino and San Juan....there was a fire dancer....he had batons lit on fire on each end.  I said after the show I think he was a drum major in high school.  HA!

Long day and we are all trashed.  Going to bed!!

We visited Tunnels beach and a couple more on Sunday....

Kiluea Lighthouse on Monday...

as promised, pics from 6/10 & 11:

NaPali Coast catamaran ride...

Jim & Kent's golf outing.....

Sunday & Monday - June 10th & 11th

Yes, I'm slacking - I'M ON VACATION!!

Sunday we drove up the north shore and walked a few beaches.  Then we came back to the condo and the guys went golfing.  They golfed The Makai course....Jim said the nicest one he's ever golfed...they enjoyed but came back exhausted.  It was really windy!

Terrie and I hung out at the pool and soaked up some sun.  Very nice.

Today we drove out to the lighthouse (I posted a pic from my phone on Facebook) and then went on a sunset cruise on a small catamaran up the Napali coast.  VERY NICE....but we are all exhausted and we haven't loaded pics from today on the computer yet.  Sorry, we will have to post pics tomorrow.

Tomorrow night is the luau.  We are excited about that....should be awesome.  Not sure if I will try poi.  The consistency scares me...think I might gag on it!

We saw spinner dolphins right next to our boat today and also a huge sea turtle.  Fun day!

Pics tomorrow....nighty night!

Nat

Saturday - June 9th

SLEPT IN!  Very quiet here with the exception of the recycle sorters....bottles and glass....AND the roosters who do not know when 6 am is.  Some are on CST, some on MST, PST and some on their OWN time!!  All night...I think they are the state bird...

Lazy day for all of us.  We hung around and did laundry, read, napped, etc.  Then we took off to the nearby grocery store because Jim lost his reading glasses.  Ask him how.  I can't tell you....it's a funny story though!!  Went next door to the grocery store and had shave ice.  SHAVE ICE...not shaved.  Kent & Terrie enjoyed blue raspberry, pineapple & guava and Jim & I enjoyed a strawberry & pineapple one.  A few brain freezes occured but it was YUMMY!!  Kent & Terrie had some on Maui but they said this was better.

We then went across the road and enjoyed a scenic overlook of a Wildlife Refuge....Hanalei Lookout...mountains with a valley full of taro fields.  They make poi out of taro root.  I'm not thinking I will like it from a consistency standpoint but I will probably give it a try at the luau next week.  Hopefully there will be no gag reflex!

Came back to the condo and went to the pool and hot tub...ocean views from the hot tub area were pretty sweet....there's a golf course in between - Jim & Kent have a tee time for tomorrow.  We will send you some pics of the pool area and golfers tomorrow night...it's going to be a slower pace this week and we are all thankful for that!

OH MY...I almost forgot to tell you about our visitor this evening...a salamander came into the kitchen and was climbing the wall while we were eating.  Kent trapped it and threw it over the deck...UGH!  I am not a fan of reptiles so I'll be checking my bed before I go to sleep tonight!!

ALOHA!

Friday, June 8th

Today we woke up in Honolulu, HI and are going to bed in Princeville, HI (Kauai)...sweet!!

We got all packed up this morning and headed to PF Changs for lunch.  First PF Chang experience.  LOVED IT.   Then we headed to the airport for a 37 minute flight to another island - Kauai!

We stopped at the grocery store since we are staying in a condo this week.  We want to eat here more often than out this week.  Got some good stuff to fix - steak & baked potatoes tonight.

Our condo is lovely, we have laundry facilities and free WIFI.  It is a 2 bedroom condo with a full kitchen and two full baths.  This is much better than hotel living!!

This week should be a relaxing one.  We have a luau planned, a spa/golf day and a sunset cruise to the Napali Coast.  Kauai is beautiful.  It is already more green and lush than was Oahu.  We are hearing there is more rain here.  Saw a bit of the ocean on the drive up and plan on scouting out the island tomorrow.

We were greeted with lei's and have decided we really like our condo.  Roomy but nice.  Thought we would post a few pics of the new digs along with our lei's.  Oh yeah...I almost forgot...no a/c....they use the tradewinds to cool off the place up here...it might be a sweaty week!!

Aloha....tomorrow should be an adventure!!