a mai tai, a little romance & a bubble bath

There's a chance that I was a little tipsy.
It may have been an empty stomach.
Perhaps the heat.
I suppose a combination of all three would do it as well.
And there's the fact that skimpy clothing is the norm in this climate.
Of course the Captain, being from Mars doesn't need any of those things.
One thing led to another and let's just say ..... we were (physically) on our honeymoon!!

BUT THEN .... we brought the romance with us. According to the Harrison Ford character in 6 days, 7 nights; It's an island. If we don't bring it with us, we ain't gonna find it here. I suppose if you disect his statment, it really doesn't mean anything. PLUS ..... (duh), the Captain & I found it here 14 years ago!! But that isn't the point I'm making here. The object of my post is the fact that the Captain often tells people that we are still on our honeymoon, and if I'm to be perfectly honest here.... I agree with him. Well, at least around 90% of the time. The rest of the time, we are just in love. BUT even though I print the words out as "just in love", I know it is both precious & a little bit rare. I know way too many couples that love each other but are no longer "in love". There's a difference. As difficult as it is to describe it... there is one. And if I experience little else in the years ahead ..... I do (at least) plan to be "in love" with my husband for the rest of my life!!

body art ..... the pain of the passion

as with anything (and I do mean ANYTHING) .... you can get, have, consume, or want too much of a good thing. It is my firm belief that once you have sooooooo much of something you love (beit edible or tangible) .... you lose some appreciation for it. JUST my own slant on the subject, so as Anthony told me a couple of weeks ago ...... "I'm telling the story, and I'm stuck with it" (or something along those lines). Although it has taken me a paragraph to get to my point.... I am referring to the art of tattoo. I have a great appreciation for it -when in good taste. The artistry, patience & skill needed is amazing. BUT, however beautiful & intricate a design might be .... I lose my appreciation for it when it is all over the place. When someone continues to get one tattoo after another and they begin to intertwine all along the limbs & torso & cover the body like a snuggy then, I no longer even care to see if I like any of them! It takes away from their meaning. (in my opinion) NOT TO MENTION the pain that is endured in the process. Even without psych 101, I gotta wonder if there isn't an underlying reason for that?! All this being said ..... I felt particularly artistic myself today & asked the Captain to capture my "elder sister/younger sister" tattoo alongside the wonderful lei he bought me yesterday. I love the way the picture turned out!

the evening was PERF

We all gathered down by the pool. Collected chairs close together under the shade of the tree, anticipating that we would be sharing each other's company long enough that it would be too warm in the sun! The mai tais started pouring. The Maui chips were being devoured by the handfuls and we were swapping stories of what's been happening since we last saw each other here. We were introduced to a few new characters and we poured some more mai tais & filled our baskets again with chips, as the talking went on & on for a couple of hours- but wait!!
THAT is not even close to the PERF part. (although it was quite good in itself) .... The power went out. everywhere. (around us). Parts of the group were deciding to see if they could find a restaurant that still had power. Others were just gonna hang out for a while & swim. The Captain & I had been anticipating the grilling of tri-tip for 3 days & he had even found some farm fresh corn- so off we went to our unit to fire up the propane & shred up some lettuce for a salad. Half way thru our preparations it was getting dark so we dug out the emergency candles & continued working at it. The corn joined the beef on the grill since we couldn't use the stove & I took a bath, illuminated by the booklight of my Kindle. Since the A/C had been off for a while in the unit, it was cooler outside & a breeze was starting up so we set the table on the lanai & brought the candles out with us. The Captain got the bright idea of bringing out his laptop & popping in "50 First Dates". IT WAS SUCH A DELIGHTFUL MEAL. The food tasted great, the ambiance was amazing and the company ..... well it was good as it gets. About 3/4 of the way through, the electricity popped back on. Fortunately, I had already wandered thru earlier & turned most of the switches off & only missed 1. So the Captain hopped up & turned it off & we continued our camp out as if nothing had changed!! And since sooooo many people had taken off to eat out (or?) .... there were no lights on around us. It was terrific being with someone that just made the best of the situation we were in- because, as a result, it was the best situation to be in! ILY my Captain.

S-L-O-W shift

our body clocks are shifting ever so slowly, so our am rise time is around 6:15 now. The first couple of days is was 5-5:15! But it is nice & cool that early, so coming out on the lanai shortly before sun up is chilly by island standards! 'Round about 7am .... the sun peeks over Haleakala to give you about a 45 second warning that the light (and warmth) is a'coming in full force! THIS VIEW is what we are stuck with for our breakfast dining. It actually used to be a bit better, the palms growing on the property behind us here are obstructing the other half of the ocean .... but I'm not complaining. For now, we can see Kaho'olawe & Molokini & a big patch of blue, blue ocean :o) ahhhhhhh

and KULA isn't komplete without lunch at the Lodge

BUT FIRST .... a stop at the Kula pumpkin patch that we found by accident last year & enjoyed sooo much that we looked for it this trip!!!

The patch was as big as before but instead of the sweat pea maze, they grew a corn maze .... so it was much taller (no cheating) & much larger over all. Everyone was having a great time- with the kids climbing over gords that were twice & thrice their weight. The bright colors against the ocean backdrop was beautiful.

I took nearly a hundred pictures at the patch alone .... including some that were of young parents putting their wee ones into groups of oversized harvest melons .... just to look at later because their smiles were so infectious!! We bought some fresh fruits & veggies from the farm stand & I fed a couple of carrots to the horses. Then- it was time to put some grub in our tummies.




it meant vast views of the ocean on BOTH sides of the island from a single spot. Some interesting conversation & "the usual" (on my part)

it was kooler in Kula ...........

and it started with a trip to the winery for some beautiful scenery .....

in cooler temps............

with a couple of cool friends.....

til we found some cool wine to sample!

OF COURSE there is more to the winery than just vino ..... waaaaaay more.

"are you enjoying it here?" STUPID question

There is ONLY 1 reason to NOT enjoy yourself while in Hawaii ..... you've been injured or become ill- or you were brought here as a captive (ok, that's 3) Cuz you can be active, drive about, lay about or shop. Whatever floats your boat!! No excuses.

Our outing yesterday included the annual trek to the Hawaiian fabric mart. NOW, I have lots to play with during retirement :o)
and ..... if you can look this refreshed at 6:30am, what have you got to complain about anyway??!!

a trinket, a treasure & a beautiful view

An early call today was made to the Sherri Reeve Gallery to find out if she was in her studio today and- as luck would have it, Sherri answered the phone because she was there all by herself & planned to be for the rest of the day! "OMG", she said ... "I'd love for you guys to come by!"

This lady has more artistry in her little finger than I have in my entire repetoire, but what a thoughtful & friendly person she is. Fame does not seem to have changed this remarkably talented painter.

The Captain & his parents met her when she first started "peddling" her art at craft faires. SO seeing her grow & become so well known & popular is that much sweeter. We have purchased some of her pieces over the years, as well as gifted her calendars & mouse pads & adorable tshirts but today ..... I stood in front of a piece that wanted me more than any of those we have seen before. Seriously ..... I can stroll through her gallery for over an hour just looking at what she has created since our last visit 11 months ago and, quite frankly- there is NOTHING that I don't like! Dozens of times, I am calling out to the Captain or he to me - with an "Oh, look at this one" but when I came across this piece ........... my mind was immediately trying to figure out how many hotdog or ramen meals we would have to eat to pull off using my budget for this. I could see it in my craft studio. It's me. I wanted me. The matting is purple. A beeeeeeauuuuuutiful shade of purple & it makes the colors pop. it energized me just standing before it. and .... it wanted me! and now ..... all the shipping info has been collected & with luck- it could be at home when we arrive. What a wonderful addition to our home (and my creativity) wooo-hooooo

so the plan for lunch wast o get to the Maui Plantation Restaurant before 2pm (last year we missed it by a half hour, not knowing what their schedule was. AND WE MADE IT in plenty of time - only to find that they have changed their schedule and only serve to the public on Sun-Tues- except that there is a special event taking place this week & yatta, yatta, yatta sooooooo down the way we go to some place new, landing at the Kahili Golf Course. The food was not bad, the prices fair, but the view (and the company) made up for any shortcomings!! it was lovely.

and the day .... well it was made even more compete by the little trinket we found unexpectedly. An abalone surfboard decorated with a string of plumeria. The wave design of the silver chain is it's perfect compliment! AND ... a trinket was found for a certain person who shall remain nameless, that is playing auntie to my kitty kats & my plants & my pops!! SHE deserves something special too!!

0h my Captain, you shouldn't have (NOT)

who am I kidding ????

of course the Captain has tucked away a little "pwise" to give me. BUT, he's gotten sooooo good at being patient til our anniversary. OUAT(once upon a time), he had to wait to buy something til a couple of days before because he couldn't keep what's inside a secret!!! darn that old dog .... still learnin' new tricks!! I can tell you from experience though- good things are worth the wait!! stay tuned for further developments. our station manager (Capt) has assured me that the public announcement will be on the 11 o'clock news October 17th.

Maui "officially" begins today!

woo-hooo .... the plumeria tree by our unit is in FULL bloom this year & there looks to be planty of blooms to get me thru our two weeks here if I want a fresh flower in my hair each day ... OR, I can opt for some in a shallow bowl at our bedside to smell all night!!

the Captain fixed up our morning feast (as is common here) and today it meant 1/2 each of a papaya, mango & a sticky bun !! Add a cup of choc macadamia nut coffee & you're eating like a princess (duh) HOWEVER ..... the Captain found out the hard way that when you drink your V-8 after you finished all the other stuff ....... you might not have the after taste you were counting on!!

It's OKAY my hubby .... you can make up for it with your mai tai tonight!!

back "home" on Maui ....

you arrive in Maui

you "toast" to Maui

your work is done.

enuf said........

post, post, post .. yeah, I know what you're thinking!

But I HAD to tell you a couple of really important things!!!

Whether they are true legends or just sweet fairytales left from times long ago- we choose to believe them. I am referring to such things as seeing a rainbow on your first day in the islands (welcoming you)... throwing a lei or flowers out into the ocean (if it comes back to the shore, it means you will be back), sprinkles on the windshield being pineapple juice, or sighting a gecko in your room (='s good luck)...... the latter 2 being part of our trip this time around (so far) and we have experienced all of the above on most of our trips. I suppose that explains (?) why we always have a great visit (and make some amazing memories) every year!! Here is the latest friend we made. We call him Geoffrey because he speaks with an Aussie accent. (haha)

And yes.... I am obsessed with flower pictures, so I leave you here with yet another!!