Aloha HAWAII Mahalo!

Also the Marriott puts on a koi feeding frenzy at 9am each day that is a tourist attraction in itself.

This guy was hanging out on the steps… waiting…

The shrieking show-off cockatoo. Was he ever l.o.u.d.

The entrance to the Marriott is so modest and then you walk and walk through acres of buildings and gardens.

Below the hotel are a few restaurants including a branch of the renowned Duke’s. This cat moved among the tables knowing exactly when the server brought the food and approaching that group with plaintive and demanding cries.

And more tropical wonderland.

Their specialty was great arrangements of heliconia, the family of the bird of paradise and all those other amazing plants that look like wax sculptures but are really real.

I suppose at some point the splendid Red Jungle Fowl might become a nuisance, and since they are protected I don’t see why that hasn’t happened already, but we just think they are cute as can be and create entertainment for all our walks.

Enjoy sweet little keiki.

The recently reopened tourist viewing opportunity at Wailua Falls.

I’m just glad her mother isn’t going to see this picture.

A rare and silent morning.

March 22

Two very very cool things happened this morning both before the coffee was hardly done dripping.

First, the river got quiet. It has usually got a good flow going and there are boats of various description doing their thing. That’s ‘our’ dock down there looking across to the Smith’s Tropical Paradise.

March 23

In our campaign to walk 10,000 steps per day in as many places as possible, today Sharon and Betty took me to a place they had walked on previously along Wailua Beach.

There are many modern hotels in this stretch but this one looks like a classic from the olden days. Turn directly around from this shot and…

…you’re here.

Driftwood demanding its photo be taken.

Probably the most well known historic property in Kauai, The Coco Palms, has been abandoned since hurricane Iniki in 1992. The buildings are all uninhabitable and new uses for the land have been through so many planning stages everyone’s lost count.

Now, you guessed it, we’ve got Condo Land. At a cool million plus for a one bedroom it’s going to be pretty darn nice. They are keeping some part for a hotel too.

Also part of the contract with the island is that they will imporve the road which, in the end, will be a good thing for Our-House since we are so nearby.

Who is that out there? Whose head bobs in the river? Why, that would be ME!

Sharon’s photo.

At the same time peering through the palms looking towards the bridge.

Then, moments later, kaBoom with a drenching downpour and literally moments later, this.

Sharon had one big chore, to replace the clothes dryer that quit this morning. We’re in the tropics, metal rusts.

Then we drove out to The Menehuni Pond…

…and followed the road out to a place we’d never seen or heard of before. It was actually surprising to find so much open land. Oh goodie. (ps I didn’t make up that green.)

On the way back we did our favorite 3800 step walk along the sea at Lydgate Park.

Hello lovely ladies.

Who cares if I have a thousand photos just like this? Not me.

At the end of Lydgate park there’s a children’s playground with fabulous ceramics decorating all the structures. This is Sharon’s favorite.

Then we had lunch, went shopping for food, came home and did crossword puzzles, and then we watched Word Play and ate shrimp cocktail! Just another day in paradise.

We’re up and off! This is the blow-hole mostly visited for the shopping opportunity near-by.

There are separate ponds of black and white swans…

We are at some side stairs of The Fabulous Grand Hyatt in Poipu, gateway to a great walk, near the easiest beach to enjoy a nice swim, and, as you will soon see, big on birds.

Oh man.

Then we marched off for a 4000 step walk along the sea and then we (Nancy and I) punked out on further activity to spend the rest of the day and evening lolling around the house.

March 21

Here is Nancy demonstrating our daily joy of the outside shower. Wow.

The back garden with the shower also includes a tiki hut with netting so you can sleep out there (but to me it looks like a meditation pavilion) and a Japanese sand garden and is lush with tropical plants.

Sometimes it doesn’t even look real but rather like some movie of a tropical hide-away.

March 20

We got out bright and early like around 10:30, after breakfast, and lounging, crossword puzzles, showers and chatting. Here are the cousins Sharon and Nancy at the Waimea Canyon viewpoint.

Now check out how the wind was pulling the bottom of the waterfall. It’s a mighty big waterfall so that wind must have been ferocious.

Usually there are several helicopters buzzing around in here doing tours but the day before I arrived there had been two crashes(!) each with tragic fatalities.

The crashes were both with the same company and both near the airport. What might be surprising is that there were some helicopters still flying despite this. Maybe it was the half-price deals that did it.

The Viewing Station.

Further up the road in Koke’e State Park is this wonderful view of the Na Pali coast. This is not the best picture one could have though and the reason is that big bushes interfere with the best angles. They need to get somebody down here with a saw!

We enjoyed a lovely lunch at the cafe in the state park and then did a 400 step nature walk. I’ve got the step meter going again and despite the (oh so very easy) nature walk, today and yesterday Together didn’t add up to 10,000 steps. But there’s always tomorrow.

Some decorations inside the cafe…

…and outside too.

We learned that these are not just chickens and roosters. Oh no. These are ‘the splendid Red Jungle Fowl of Koke’e State Park’ and are ‘descendants of birds carried to Hawaii by early Polynesian voyagers’ and originally are from Southeast Asia. They are a protected species here.

Back at the house, this baby is growing wild.

I copied this from last year’s visit!

From the ‘Aloha Welcome!’ booklet Sharon’s son left for his guests: ‘To the west of the house you may have noticed a spirit house from Thailand. DO NOT TAUNT THE SPIRIT HOUSE. Periodically give offerings of flowers, leis, and trinkets, and you will be rewarded with good luck.’ And the mutant house plants that flourish here.

Nancy taught us The Salute to the Sun and then we did a little hula. Tonight we ordered pizza and watched Jurassic Park on dvd.

From The Beginning Now:

March 19

You know how it is, when you know you have an early flight and should get up at 5:30am you wake up at 3:00am and you might as well get up. That’s what happens to me anyway.

We were delayed about 40 minutes taking off because of the inaugural arrival of the World’s Largest Airplane, the Airbus A380 that was due right when we were to leave. The folks on the other side of the plane got to see it land.

I had to make a connection in Honolulu. That’s the city down the middle and Diamond Head in the far right corner.

Heading towards the Kauai airport in Lihue we pass by the cruise ship terminal in Nawiliwili. Gorgeous already.

And here we have Team Kauai! Nancy is leaving in a couple days. Sharon and Betty are staying through the month. They made me a welcome party with Lancer’s wine and pupus. Oh YEA.

There’s a shop of Hawaiiana nearby where it’s always fun to get reminded of the kitch of the olden days.

See that tree with the yellow fower in front…

…here she is. We called her a pot of gold.

For dinner we went to Scotty’s in Kapa’a, a place we had enjoyed so much last year and enjoyed again equally today.

Betty, our Mai Tai Mama.

Back in the splendidness of this house that is so perfect you just need gasp, again and again.

From the bridge in the above picture, standing back to the sea and looking up river towards the house. You can see the little green dock in the middle distance right and across the river is Smith’s Tropical Paradise and Fern Grotto in the Wailua Marina State Park.

(Different day, different light, same spot, stuck here for contrast.)

Then we walked over to the beach to admire the kite surfers. These guys were Hot and F*ast. So far I haven’t seen any surfers with those sails on their boards. I’m going to have to ask around about this.

C&K have two look-alike cats. Sharon used to let them in until they started tearing up the furniture. They still want to come IN. ‘Let me IN or ELSE.’

Lovin’ those palms.

…and from the dining room where I sit and count my blessings.

Drizzle. Drizzle. Then… downpour.

Camas and Koa stopped by for a farewell visit.

The neighbors a few doors down were having a birthday party for a friend of theirs and invited all of us to join in.

The girls at the party included (left to right) me, Other-Sharon, Nancy, Cousin Sharon, Kathy, and Camas. Other-Sharon is visiting from Idaho where they own and operate a guest ranch. We were at Kathy’s house three doors down from Cousin Sharon.

Camas lives next door to Kathy and I’ve put a couple of her oil paintings in with the places they evoke. You can click here to see her shutterfly album.

A view from the cemetery road.

This Palm Forest was planted in the 1800s and later surrounded the Coco Palms resort where they filmed Blue Hawaii among many other Hollywood productions. Listen for Elvis as you pass by… The resort was abandoned after Hurricane Iniki in 1992 and stands now ghostlike itself. Political debates rage as to the next incarnation of this stunning site.

Click on the link for a slightly larger view of the Palm Forest.

This place in Wailua River State Park is where everyone kicks into four-wheel-drive and heads up to enjoy the location made famous by Jurassic Park. The gate is even still there. But the river was so heavily flooded and running so fast we didn’t see anyone give it a go.

A flash of sun! Quick!! Take a picture!!! Looking back at the house from the dock on the river.

From/through/around the downstairs windows is the site for all the other house pictures. There are two bedrooms upstairs and I’ve got this massive and oh-so-very-very comfortable suite to myself.

You’re right, what you’re thinking, about that bedroom suite. It is bigger than my house.

From the dining room looking into the living room and the expanse of koa wood floor. I lust after this floor.

In the front yard, hanging over the river. When the coconuts are young they take them down from the trees that hang over the lawn. Those babies fall on your head they will knock you stupid.

From the port in Nawiliwili where the cruise ships come in looking back to the Marriott. Duke’s, where we ate one afternoon, is there to the left of the hotel. The storm created a river right through the restaurant and they’ve had to close until the rain stops and they can clean-up.

The old Japanese cemetery up the hill from the house.

A view in the pool, for my mother who is crazy for turtles.

She developed her passion for turtles around her eightieth birthday and by her eighty-fifth birthday she had to call a halt to gifts of turtles since her apartment was overflowing with turtles in every variety, made of every material, sized from teeny to humongous. Even she, of infinite capacity for ‘stuff’ couldn’t take any more. So here’s a picture and it doesn’t take up any room at all.

Sharon was telling me this story as we drove into the Park: In this area there are frequent wild boar hunts with dogs specially trained for the job. The dogs are also trained to return to ‘home base’ should they get separated from the group. It turns out ‘home base’ must be the parking lot because this guy surely does look like a hunter and he was clearly just hanging around waiting for someone to come and get him.

Is he not the Red Dirt Dog?

March 15

The rain is now falling only intermittently, the river is down, all is well, and I’m off for home.

Mahalo to Sharon for inviting us, for driving me and Nancy on every road in Kauai, for tour-guiding and food and comfort, and for surrounding our time together with sweet affection.

Mahalo to Trey too, for encouraging his mother to entertain her friends so lavishly.

Aloha!

From the ‘Aloha Welcome!’ booklet Sharon’s son left for his guests: ‘To the west of the house you may have noticed a spirit house from Thailand. DO NOT TAUNT THE SPIRIT HOUSE. Periodically give offerings of flowers, leis, and trinkets, and you will be rewarded with good luck.’ And the mutant house plants that flourish here.

Across the counter we have here Mr Local Color man.

…and an orchid collection so abundant and varied I am sure they have many specialists on staff to manage their care.

We took another several hours outing stopping first at the nearby Opaeka’a Falls. This feeds directly into the Wailua River that flows by the house. Notice how brown/red the water appears. This is from the red dirt picked up by the storm. Even the surf was exactly this color.

Everywhere around here you can buy Red Dirt Shirts and Kauai certainly came to Red Dirt life these last few days.

Today we went to the cute-as-pie Kauai Museum in Lahui, I got my hair cut by a crazy woman, we did some shopping, and ate Mexican food for lunch. I’m standing in the parking lot at the K-Mart. Yup, Kauai, the Garden Island and this is K-Mart.

March 3

Nancy and I arrived at different times and here we are at Sharon’s son’s house on the Wailua River in Kauai. It’s gaspingly gorgeous. That’s me in the mirror at the end of the dining room.

We needed to do the pp stop so went in here for a beverage and to use the facilities. Mighty dang cute don’t you think.

We swung by the Hyatt to admire the birds…

March 11

More off and on rain. The river didn’t clog up with debris down by the bridge, which is good and it looks like it isn’t going to get worse, which is also good. Here is the house from across the river at Smith’s landing. Lookin’ Mighty good!

Then we’re off to Waimea Canyon. The guidebooks call Waimea Canyon The Grand Canyon of the Pacific and it is a grand canyon indeed. Look at the left edge towards the top and you’ll see a towering waterfall.

Click on the link for a slightly larger view of Waimea Canyon.

This is the Hanalei Valley Lookout with ranks of tourists lined up along the rail to catch their shot. (Me too me too quite obviously.) The guidebook reports that broad-leafed taro has been cultivated here for over 1,200 years.

They’re shopping and I’m snapping self-portraits for fun.

We ate a yummy lunch at a local stop called Barefoot Burgers ‘On the way to Waimea Canyon’ with the best Hawaiian mac salad ever. Even the Loco Moco was tops.

Looking the other way. The volcanic stone you see here and in the previous picture is the primary building material for walls, bbq pits, fascias, and is broken up into chunks for pathways and garden decor. Can be a little tough on the bare feet and you don’t want to knock up against any corners for sure.

One small section of the side yard. You’ve got your ginger, Ti plant, ferns, and palms. The property manager is also the landscape designer and he has done an impressive job of making plantings that seem both natural and designed.

March 2

ALOHA! I get to spend a couple of weeks in Kauai and how lucky am I?! Click for a good detailed map of Kauai, in case you wonder about these places.

The pier in Hanalei Bay looking out to Bali Hai featured in the movie South Pacific. And this is the beach where she washed that man right outta her hair.

The movie biz has really taken Kauai as The paradise island. Buses run regularly to the various sites for the benefit of the tourists. Click for a partial list of movies made in Kauai.

March 6

We get up, we drink coffee, admire the sun glistening off the waking river, make a big ol’ honkin’ breakfast and then hit the road for another Day Of Adventure.

Today we took the Southern Route first stopping off in Hanapepe which offered an extended shopping exercise for Nancy and Sharon. Nancy wanted Old Stuff, for Real stuff and this town had a few shops specializing in vintage Hawaiiana. Oh yeah, she bought stuff.

March 8

The Sprouting Horn blow-hole near Poipu. Sun on water = washed out highlights. Bummer! The absolute coolest thing about this place was the sound you’d hear just before the sprouting. It sounded like a huge elephant at the roar, or like you were underwater and heard a family of whales chatting, or like your stomach was growling during a silent moment at the theater.

Less than two weeks from the first photo and the foliage around the Spirit House seems to have grown about a foot.

March 14

I’m writing this at 5am on the 15th. We’ve been up since 3:15. The police have been to the door and emergency trucks are patrolling the neighborhood. Some houses down the street have already been evacuated because of the storm. Yikes. We are 96% confident here that the river will not reach the yard, but then there is that 4%.

This afternoon there was an 8 minute break in the rain and I got this distort-o-pano from the dock.

The old lighthouse in Kilauea built in 1913 with the largest clamshell-shaped lens in the world (it’s Good to learn something new every day…) now replaced by a technical goo-gaw that sits in front of it, charmless and effective.

Sugar plantations and sugar mills were once the island’s primary economic base but these days forget it, tourists are much more lucrative. Now the cane fields are gone to wild and the mills run tours for tourists.

While Nancy was shopping Sharon and I wondered into a jewelry shop and the clerk sprung on my interest in this lovely $9,200 palm tree necklace. Try it! Try it!

c/

We visited a new place today, the little community of Koloa, a restored ‘village’ from sugar cane days made up, not surprisingly, of shops and restaurants and historical markers. It was fun.

This medallion centers in the hall between the bedrooms and leads to the upstairs. Yummy don’t you think.

One of the state parks is most prized for its bird sanctuary and wow oh wow there were some amazing birds soaring and diving and skimming across the waves. I clicked and clicked and eventually gave up of catching one. Then, tonight in the computer, I came to some fondness for this one.

From the living room looking out to the patio and the river beyond…

Me, amusing myself while ladies go shopping. We then went to a bookstore for puzzle books and things to read and came back for a snuggly quiet afternoon and a Bon Voyage to Nancy.