BABY BOY BEEKS DAY!

Sandy had a wake up cold and lost ANOTHER MES OF MEDICATION SO WE HAD TO GO TO drug store and get more and on the way Sandy got a text that said Kaela Marie Gail Asher had a test and she is having a baby boy-  the two parents each call each other Beeks so so far the young man will be called baby boy beeks.    The new grndparnets are very happy and so we went to mile marker 14 to snorkle with Sandy monitoring but it looked rel tough to get out-high waves and so we went to the Sheriton Hotel area outside of lahina to a place called Blackrock andx i did but it sucked. 

Jim coming in after snorkeling Black Rock, which he said wasn't good...

Back to Lahina to get Baby beeks a boy thing and Sandy some nice gift and a fancy coffee.  Sandy had a good day due to cold medi cation drugs and baby boy beeks energy.  Back to the condo and a run to the beach for Jim and he finally realized that his phone takes pictures so i did and will posisbly remember how to access them when i see landlubbers.
Sandy got some cough expectorant medication- the key word is expectorant so there was a time when that was happening a lot-  thats not one of my favorite things but it quieted down after a while.  Also, ther are very slow speed limits here.  Like 30 or forty or fortyfive but almost never 55 so you could be out miles into sugarcane fields with nothing i sight-45.  People speed but not much. 

 This is an "aerial" view of Da Kitchen in Lahaina... This is where we ate a few days ago... Really ducky lunch and it's hard to tell, but there are walls all around with waterfalls and orchids and a pond meandering around down there with wonderful koi... Jim liked it. He did, he actually liked it. We had a great time, the food was pretty good and the price was right!

Kaela's friend, Thomas Praisewater has literally praised the heck out of the Ford Focus. When we first got here, we rented a Hyundai Accent. It was peppy, but manual locks and manual doors and cramped for 4 and small trunk. So when we took that one back, we got this Focus, and we might be on the Ford side of things.... It's a great car that we are loving. Lotsa room inside, trunk big great audio.... Way to go, Thomas!

last night here cause we leave tomorrow at 11:30 p.m. and fly to Denver-ugh and then change to fly to Portland and get there at 2:30 p.m. on friday.  Spend the night at our landlords place and share our war stories and then Saturday back to Ashland.  Then on to Redding for me at least to see Cousin Max who is feeling very poorly.

I had a plan to lose weight and i did run but i ate foood to and hAD TREATS AND  MEALS AND BREAKFAST AND  lu nch and like that so my belly looks the same to me.  HAVEN'T  thought of snow much and rain and wet dogs but we will wear  LOT OF CLOTHES BACK DUE TO TRYING TO SAVE ROOM IN SUITCASES.  we may write tomorrow because we leave so lagte but maybe not....

intermediate snorkel boy in the cllouds

(Ok everyone.... this is Jim writing the blog.... I'm making him do a little blogging so he can see it's a lot of work.....) This is his response:

So grammar/spelling is Jim's from here on out....(tee hee)

cleaned up condo for a showing for someone to rent.  Then go 85 level sunscreen-shopping.
short trip to Polo beach for my intermediate level snorkle test-
passed by going into four foot high waves out to reef area-few fish but a five minute hang out lendi ng my mellow vibes to a green sea turtle.  He was at the closest about a foot away from me- just swama nd let the sea move us around- he eventually dug a hole to contemplate the new wisdom he'd gained.

 

This is polo beach at Sunset, where Jim snorkeled earlier in the day.....(we forgot to take pix)

then quick lunch at the condo and up to Haleakala volcano-

 This is a view inside the crater....

10,000 ft volcano with lava flows clear tothe ocean where we snorkled.  Met two nice people for Indiana.  Saw chukkars, like this one...

 When we got there, we took a pic of this bird, and didn't know what it was. We asked the ranger in the visitor center, and he said (with what sounded like disgust) "It's a chukkar." Anyway, we thought they were cool. And they make a really nice little baby coo.....

silver sword plants (above with Sandy) These are endangered, the leaves look just like shiny silver (really) and they only bloom every 10 years or something like that.....

, and lots of clouds but only the big islnad could be seen but no others -  =man mood (see above picture). Awesome crater.

 Jim in bliss at the top visitor center at Haleakala Crater....

Down for dinner at Da Kitchen Express where Sandy ma had Korean Chicken and i had Honolulu noodles.  Sandy woke up at two a.m.and was ill-cold, sore throat, other yucky stuff and still managed to monitor my behaviors and talking to people throughout the day and we had romatic couplle on 25 th year day party type funday.

Home for Corona- what is called a small prize for an intermediate snorkle man.  Above the clouds-no island bu Hawaii to be seen due to clouds.  =  man mood.  Morning equals possibly mile marker 14 snorkle trip and lunch in Lahaina and getting my lovely wife some silver necklace with flowers for not as much as you would think.  I got board shorts to replace my ones from 20 years ago when i was younger.  The bats in the head fly and wreck havok.
       When you are in another part of the condo doing personal business and the lovely wife is talking to you but the whishing of the palms, yapping kids at the pool, various other noises, and you say that you can not hear but she can not hear but later inthe day there is a problem about what you didnt hear and the hearing aid threat again comes out for the ninetyith time and you are dead meat-please no.
     Another great trip idea that has worked wonders is a good supply of psyllium.  No gags with irregularity at all.  That can really put a cob in the works but your psyllium will   cure any ill of that sort.  Hooray!

Snorkel Jim....Surfers and Sugar, Sugar.....

We had a wonderful day today....
We went back to 'Ahihi-Kina'u Natural Area Reserve to snorkel... I was feeling like chillin', so I stayed on shore while Jim went out again...
As usual, here are a few pics..

There he goes....

yeah, that's him out there....

Here's a vid of Jim coming in...

Jim coming in from snorkeling Ahini 

From my perspective....

 There were more cool rocks like these....

Tie-dye cool on the beach...

Jim on the massive lava flow... The most recent in Maui history...

Then we're on our way out, and we stopped at a roadside lunch truck outside of Big Beach and had Pulled Pork Sliders w/ slaw, and BBQ chicken w/ rice and teriyaki sauce. Passion Fruit/Orange soda to top it off and our day could have been complete right there.

I had forgotten the blood pressure med, so I had to get it faxed to a pharmacy, and we had to go find it and pick it up... Lots of entertainment while we waited from a couple of local peeps...

A short drive to Paia where a really cool "hippie" health food store is... Lots of selection. Got a few more items we needed... and a much needed iced coffee drink for us both...

We went to the Alexander and Brown sugar museum... So much info, but I felt so sad for the Japanese who came here thinking they would have good jobs, and it was incredibly tough for them.... Really tough...

We learned about the complicated process of making sugar... Amazing someone figured that out.

After the cane grows (2 year cycle), then is dried and then set aflame. After it's burned, the stalks are cut and this big claw-thing picks up HUGE loads and into tractors that carry trailers that hold something like 22 tons! (maybe more)

And here I am too!

 

Drove up to Hookipa Beach again and YES! Lots of surfers, big surf and Hawaiian Seals... hawaiian Seals are really cool. they look like a cross between a seal and a walrus.. Have a very round short-nosed face.. Here's the link: Hawaiian monk seals info 

Here's the link to Hookipa Surfers (Jim took it! AMAZING)

Hookipa link: Surfers and Seals at Hookipa

We drove to the Five Palms (fancy restaurant on beach) to have a drink and Pu-Pu's for happy hour. It was super crowded (people flock to the beach here to see the sunset, and the Five Palms is a great place to watch from...

So we drove back, got ready for the sunset and drove down to Polo Beach.. Lots and lots and lots of whales, a couple of mama whales w/ babies (we think-- because they were going really, really slow and little baby blows)... A super hero jump from one of the guys.. The Best Whale Jump So Far!!! wish we got it on video.

Sunset coming, we walked along the path on the beach... Here are a couple pix of the splendor....

 

 and, wait for it, here's the money shot....

 

There was a solitary sea kayaker out there. He's in the pic somewhere, but we can't really see him here. 

We came home, had a great fish dinner and are watching Olympics!

You need to try to hear this news without having a problem, heart event, crying, plain old giving up on life or throwing up.etc.  This trip is grezat!   The wife and i are having  GREAT TIME, i'VE NOT THOUGHT ABOUT  work too much at all.  that must hurt some,  scARE SoME-    THE GOLLDANGED 'A' key MAKES ME HIT THE ALL CAPS STUPID KEY NEARLY EVERY TIME DUE TO as i've said before the spatulate fingers.  There are family things going on i am worrying about but can't do anything about but havve fun and send love and zesty thoughts that way.  Sandy is keeping me in line, trying at least, making me follow the rules no this no that...     The odd sensation of watching winter olympics in shorts and no shirt  with the dorrs ad windows open.  having to write onh the computer machine or get a scolding and trying to decide where to snorkle in the a.m.  SNDY IS DOING VERY WELL AND (A)  making me decide things and delightfully not eat out much at all.  The condo is great with palms, kids playing in a pool near, lots of friendly people many of whom are fatter than i am and lots of  americans from all over.  All very friendly and talkative.  Enough blah blah buub.  The real question is why did daddy spit up?   nue nue aloha.

Monday, Monday, Maui

Last night, I took this picture right off of the Lanai (which stateside I would call a balcony)..

We went snorkeling yesterday at the 'Ahihi-Kina'u Natural Area Reserve...
The place we were snorkeling in was actually 'Ahihi Bay's Kanahena Cove (also known as the "Dumps".)
Here's a link to a website with some really good pix.... much better than my camera will do.Link to 'Ahihi-Kina'u Natural Area Reserve good pix


It's out in the Lava fields past Makena Beach, and it's a protected little cove. Lots of people there, a lot of them beginners like us. So we felt like going some place else... But I remember going to the beach in SoCal, and we were elbow to elbow. I rented a prescription mask so I could see great.
We saw lots and lots of fish. The corals of all types were beautiful. It was calm and easy and like swimming in a salt water aquarium. Beautiful. We both felt nurtured by the sea...
We bought a little disposable underwater camera, and it's pretty funky, but we might end up getting some pix out of it.
I had to come in earlier than Jim. So he went out by himself for awhile. He saw a sea turtle for about 2-3 minutes. How cool is that?
We were going to go to Molokini, which is a partially submerged crater where a lot of people dive and snorkel. I talked to a few people while waiting for Jim, and they said this is just as good as Molokini....)(which costs anywhere from $65 to $134 for one person!)
So Mother Ocean provided for us.. For free...
Jim is going snorkeling today. I was really stupid and forgot to put my blood pressure meds in my second week of meds, so I have to get some more today. I had weird electrical lights in my eyes last night (whether open or closed) and was afraid something weird was going on.... Turns out it's probably blood pressure. Ugh...
Even on Maui, one needs one's meds.
So this morning, at about 7, I got up and could hear the birds.... They are unbelievable unique and welcoming. So here's a funky little video so you can hear what we hear in the morning....

bird sounds this morning

It is hard to be too funny about the snorkeling.  just too awesome.  three feet fromthe shore, lots of many collored fish.  eels, yellow tails, probably at least fifty different kinds-my brother's snorkels have fancy valves at the top so you can dive and come up and not have to blow out water at all.  floating even for a real sinker, not stinker, is even easy on the saltwater.  A great run last night along th ocean 10 min from the condo saw five whales jump and lots of odd hawaiian tourists.  bikinis as well.  Now I'M SURE THE MOODS ARE popping now and its only another week- have a therapy meeting and jsut all cry about my lack of being there and not having any live male in the Court Unit to torture and you will feel better.  Today i expect to get to Halleakala and a sight of all of the islands at ten thousand feet.  Mangoes, papyas, fresh pineapple, grapes, oranges from California,  got new swim trunks at the swap shop so that i don't bring home huge piles of sand and rocks in my shorts like i did the first trip to the beach.  Real banged up feet-numb feet that do not really feel hitting rocks under the water etc. 

The Aquarium....on the 18th...

In a previous post I forgot something...

After we took Tom and Anne back to the airport, we decided to take a trip to the Aquarium in Ma'alaea...It's located right on the harbor there and at any time we could look up and see whales breaching and blowing, beautiful boats gently bouncing in the harbor , the smell of the sea... Awesome...

Jim didn't even complain when it came time to pay....
I'll let the pix do the talking...

Flowers of the sea, beautiful barnacles....

I just loved this guy....

Cool serene, calm, wise sea turtle... they kep them for 2 years and then let them go to sea.

Hey Rory, Can you see the fish?

 

The jelly fish were white, the light, fluorescent...

There's a link to a long (and we think cool) video of them...

pretty darn long jelly fish video

 Warning: it's a long video... I was thinking Rory might like it....

Looks like something out of Alien, but they are growing coral to rehabilitate reefs that are dying and/or endangered. Cool.

A whole crew of unicorn fish.... They just came up and hung around...

A view of the reef tank.....

Here's a link to the shark tank video-- it's too long too. Need to learn how to edit.
long shark tank video

Swap Meet and Iao Valley

Today we went to the swap meet in Kahului.... It was really fun... Lots and lots of stuff of all kinds.... Veggies, fruits, Sarongs, Board shorts Tshirts, Jewelry, Carvings and more and more and more....
We took lots of pix, but somehow I goofed it up and we lost them. I do have one, though...

Yep, this is it.... Jim having a real fruit smoothie after 2+ hours at the Swap Meet. It looks like gravel that Jim's sitting on, but it isn't. It's glass... Lots of colors of little pieces of glass... Guess that beats bark dust, huh?


Then we took a little drive up to the Iao Valley.... This was a little church on the way up.

We stopped for pizza and a salad, the drove a surprisingly short trip up into the mountains. It was a little foggy and rainy and rain foresty....

The Iao Valley is a National Forest. Behind Jim is what they call the Eye of the Needle.

 Here's the beautiful little creek that comes down from the rain forest mountains above.

 The Iao Valley is a sacred place to the indigenous people. This is where their chiefs were buried in secret places....

So, even though we hated to leave the Iao, we decided to just chill for our next few days... We're ready for some deep relaxation and rest.

We stopped at the Maui Dive Shop and I rented a prescription mask. It is SO great! I can see really well... So I'm starting to get excited for our snorkeling adventures. Tomorrow we'll get our feet wet.... In the meantime, we thought you'd get a kick out of this...

I'm not only a beginner snorkeler, I'm a duck fan too!

This was a shopping day.  Shopping.  Day!   By lunch i was down, fried, in my zone of the lost man, lying on the floor, blank and vapid, alone in a sea of people racing through isles of shopping stuff-trinkets, clothing, foodstuuffs.  I barely made it out alive.
vistas and fog and huge cliffs and spiritual calm-quiet of history and otherworld silence in th Iao valley.  Great creek to swim in too.
Back home for a run along the beach and a short swim-saw 8-9 whales jump and a luau in progress with a hula girl and singers and lots of rich people.  I called my lovely wifew and told her i was on my way back and she liked that.  Nice meal and hot cokkies.  Snorkeling in the am......

Lahaina.....

Doing all this stuff and trying to blog while on "Aloha time" is hard. It's like trying to get things done while under warm water.... Whatever... Anyway here goes....

We got up yesterday and found out why were heard a really loud "CRACK" noise when we went to bed last night. The glass under the TV had cracked... We don't know why or how, but go figure. So we're gonna see what we can do to get it fixed before the next person comes....

We had a new b'fast invention of oatmeal w/ peach yogurt, our nutmix (gorp).... Yummy!

We were pretty tired and felt like sleeping in, but we drove to Lahaina. There were lots and lots of whales jumping and spouting and waving fins in the air. So so cool. They come here to have their babies.... We hope to do whale watching. Today downtown Kihei is the Whale Celebration. Lots of music and fun stuff, we might go... Anyway back to Lahaina...

We were talkin' about feelin' pretty fuzzy and relaxed and almost drunk with Hawaii... Jim said, "Remember what Seinfeld said when women asked men what they were thinking? Nothing..."
That's what it's like here... We're just walkin' around Lahaina thinkin' like a guy... Thinkin' about nothin'......

Lahaina is famous for it's great harbor and the huge banyan tree. This is a tree that sends down vine-like things that root and grow more tree trunks. It takes up a whole city block and everyone hangs out underneath.... It was too large to take a picture of and get the whole thing in, so here are a couple of us there....

I thought this was interesting. I don't know if it's a banyan or a willi willi tree or what, but they are beautiful and they grow just where the ocean meets the land..

You who know Jim will get a kick out of this... Lahaina has a gazillion little stores and restaurants and galleries... So Jim had a really hard time with this.... So before we actually bought anything, Jim  suffered trying to figure how cheap he could go when buying souvenirs without Shannon getting mad at him...      

(Jim)This would not be true as it really happened that i wanted to buy really nice hawaii gifts for everyone in the building but my wife said that i was giddy and not myself and as i look at it this morning i willo definitely try to find bargains at the swap meet.  used stuff and nuts for cheapa and mumus to fit all and maybe a pineaple to bring home-hope it doesn't rot.  sheesh-  what about sand-real Kiehe sand-little zip lock bags with sand i gathered i n my swimming suit.  should be enough for most folks anmd the others could just see it.  Watching hoops right now-West Virginia vs S3eton hall.   Breakfast was sticky rice with fresh pineAPPLE, MAngoes, paPAYA.  ShAVE SUNSWCREEN, AND OFF TO PURCHASE CHEAp food and maybe other junk.

We at at Da Kitchen restaurant amid beautiful surounding, orchids, waterfalls, cool Hawaiian reggae music, and wouldn't you know it? Jim watches the dang basketball on the tube in the bar!!!!!!! Ugh!
We had fish and chips (that had coconut shrimp and 2 different kinds of fish-Yum!) for only $5.99! That's an incredible deal over here! And a big Maui salad... Papaya seed dressing is the way to go!

We drove down to the beach and Jim went swimming and picked up all kinds coral from the bottom of the beach... Don't worry, it was dead coral... Nothing off of a live reef or anything... It's cool...

There was a rainbow in the clouds behind us in the mountains... I hope you can see the rainbow....

Then we drove to a good place to watch the sunset... I took a gazillion pix... But I'll limit myself to just one.... I think this on is pretty good, but it doesn't do it justice.

Oh, the last (and one of the best) things we did last night was have Mango Sticky Rice for our dinner. We were still full from Da Kitchen, and we had ripe mangoes, so we went for it... Here's the link
http://www.thaitable.com/Thai/recipes/Mango_on_Sticky_Rice.htm

We didn't have the time to soak the rice for 1 hour or over night, so we did the microwave recipe and it turned out GREAT!!! Highlight of our cooking so far!!! I did add mango juice to the coconut milk sauce (just a little) and drizzled some over the whole thing and I think it tasted even better than at our favorite restaurant! GOOOOOUUUUURRRMMMMEEETT!