We had a ball in Hawaii and a really great, family time with Steve and Kirsten. They flew over on an island hopper from Kona on Sunday afternoon. It was a little rainy in Maui and we saw rain most days at least for awhile. A little rainfall at 85 degrees is no big deal. We had two days that were completely clear and Darla and I were glad that we had some overcast the first two days as the sun was HOT when the skies were clear. We were able to relax on the beach for the first two days and not be too concerned with sunburn. We were lubed up with sunscreen, but with the clouds, we kind of lucked out. There was on again, off again sun and it was enough. Darla and I took it easy Saturday and Sunday and just relaxed at the resort, driving into Napili on Friday night for dinner at Beach Bums. We stopped after dinner and did some grocery shopping for the week. Saturday, we drove into Lahaina and picked up some beach towels and a birthday card for Sammy. We took it easy out on the grass overlooking the ocean and had a nice omelet for dinner.
Darla and I got some bad news when we landed in Hawaii. Her folks left us a message to call and we got the news that her Uncle JR had passed away. He had several strokes in the last couple of years and they believe that he had suffered another stroke in his bed and died. They found him clutching his fist to his chest. We had been blessed to spend a lot of time with JR in the last year, including our trip to Graeagle and our vacation this Summer in Tahoe. A highlight of that trip was Sam teaching JR to play a Monsters, Inc video game. I'm not sure he loved it, but he was a great sport and enjoyed Sam's instructions. It was a blast. We had hoped to visit him for a golf game at his condo in Graeagle for a game of golf with Neil and Charlie.
We stayed at the Papakea resort and it had been ten years since Darla and I had been to Maui. I knew the resort was on the Kaanapali coastline, but didn't really know anything about the resort itself. I booked it on VRBO and did a pretty extensive search on reviews of not only the resort, but the particular condo that we rented. We were pleasantly surprised with both the resort itself and the condo that we rented. It had been extensively updated with new bathrooms, flooring, kitchen and lighting. The beds and furniture were new and we loved the location. It had an ocean view, but looked over the resort grounds (the last picture above is our view from the lanai). You can see the putting green, the pool and barbecue area and the ocean. The resort lights the tiki torches every night and there is a koi pond below our unit with a fountain that gave us the sound of splashing water al day and night and it was blissful.
I had left my sunglasses on the plane, so treated myself to a new pair of premium sunglasses. I looked at Ray Bans, Maui Jims and Smith Optical sunglasses and ended up buying a pair of $125 Smith sunglasses. Their styles are close to Oakley and I like Oakleys. The glasses came with a set of rose lenses (for golfing), black lenses and clear lenses (for biking or wind). I got a pair of purple and black frames and may have to fight Darla for them.
We relaxed before Steve and Kirsten got there as they had plans to go hiking with us. They had stopped on their way to the condo and had nachos at Maui Brewing Company, so weren't hungry for dinner. Darla and I fixed some eggs again for dinner. Oddly, we ended up having breakfast for dinner a few times while we were there. We were up fairly early on Monday and headed back to Napili to have breakfast at the Gazebo restaurant. It is a small gazebo that overlooks the Napili coast and people line up to eat there. We were in line for about 45 minutes and finally got seated and enjoyed the Macadamia nut pancakes and eggs. It was incredible. We walked the rocky coast afterward over to the cove to see the sea turtles. We got harassed by one of the security guards from the Napili Inn, but the ocean and beaches are not private and we pushed back. He told us to stay off the grass and we shined him on. It was a nice little hike after our meal and there are some pictures above from our trip. We drove back to the resort and did some whale watching. Darla and I have a set of really small 10X binoculars that we use at sporting events, but Steve had some binoculars that were 10X50 that really brought the whales into view as they breached the water. He told us they bought them for $40 at Costco. We cleaned up and went to dinner at the Maui Brewing Company, which is a Brewpub and they have an ice trough at the bar where you keep your beer cold. They should have a little toy Zamboni that scrapes the bar every hour, but that would be my invention. The ice trough is a great idea all by itself.
Tuesday we headed into Paia and the road to Hana. We parked at the trail's edge for Twin Falls and hiked up to see the lower falls and the upper falls. You can see the pictures above. The girls wanted to shop in Paia, which is a cute little "hippy" style beach town with bars and shops. There was absolutely no parking anywhere in the little town, so Steve and I dropped the girls and drove around trying to find parking. We got way off the beaten path and the traffic was jammed. We finally made it back into town and found a woman leaving a spot in front of one of the stores and pulled in. We then went into Kahului and went to the Costco and Darla and I bought a pair of the whale watching binoculars.
That night we drove home, got showers and headed into Lahaina for dinner. Darla and I wanted to go to BJ's, which overlooks the ocean and harbor from the second floor overlooking Front Street. The restaurant was gone (we visited it ten years ago). It is now Lahaina Pizza Company and owned by the same people. BJ's is a chain restaurant and they tried to get the owner to do the entire BJ's menu, which is huge. The location is too small and specializes in pizza. The owner cancelled his franchise agreement and renamed the restaurant Lahaina Pizza Company. It was every bit as good as we remembered and we enjoyed a late dinner. The girls wanted to shop after dinner and Steve and I should have just found a bar and waited them out. Instead we walked the strip and went into every tacky little beach shop on the strip, where Darla and Kirsten bought tops.
Wednesday, we were going to go on another hike, but we slept in and it was overcast. The hike was on the east side of the island and about 5 miles in length overall. It was a view hike and you can't see anything if it is cloudy. We took a drive into town and hit the beach next to the Westin and relaxed. We thought about snorkeling, but the surf was up and the coastline was a little churned up from the rain, so just relaxed on the beach and did some people watching and napped (at least I did). We drove over to the store and picked up some tri tip, which we marinated and then grilled for dinner out by the pool. It was one of our best meals as we had baked potatoes and fruit. It was a nice evening. Darla, Steve and Kirsten drove back out to Lahaina to go the factory outlets and Darla came back with a blouse and a new purse. I rested on the grass above the ocean.
Thursday, Steve and Kirsten had to fly back home and we all had breakfast together at a little shop across the street from the condo called Slappy Cakes. We talked about life and the folks getting older and how Steve felt about being somewhat isolated in Hawaii. We talked about the Aunts and Uncles getting older. He said that he would not be at JR's funeral as it would set a precedent. It's sad that he is so far away, but he and Kirsten love their life in Hawaii.
Thursday Darla and I drove north up to Kapalua and beyond. We drove up tot he blowhole and enjoyed the show as the water shot into the air as the waves crashed the beach. We stopped a few times to see the coastline and waves. Darla even stopped and fed potato chips to two stray cats that were hanging out on the side of the highway. We drove back through Kapalua stopping at the golf course to get some pictures. The opening tournament of the year is the Tournament of Champions at the Kapalua resort and they are already working on the grandstands. Darla and I went back to the resort and sat on the grass overlooking the ocean and looked for whales. You can see the pictures we took of each other as we watched the waves. That night we went across the street and had Mexican food for dinner.
Friday was our trip home and we were up early. I made scrambled eggs for breakfast and we then packed up and headed to the airport. We drove back and I took a detour through Kehei. It is a cute little beach town, but a town that actually flooded on Wednesday night due to the heavy rains. We drove from there over to the airport, turned in the rental and relaxed at the airport as we waited for our flight. There was a sewer break in town and the bathrooms were closed. They quickly realized that having closed restrooms wouldn't work, so they had workers bringing in buckets of water to flush the toilets. I looked for my lost Oakleys and talked to Lost and Found at both the airport and Alaska Airlines. They didn't have my glasses. I found out later that my Oakleys were in my car and I had a $25 pair with me, so no big loss.
We had a Christmas party with Phil and Carmine at Phil's place Friday night and thought we might go, but we were exhausted and just relaxed at home when we got in. We did have a Christmas dinner with Julie and Rand on Saturday night. I spent the day cleaning up the last of the leaves as the trees lost the last of their leaves in the last storm. I cleared out the lawn and sidewalks and driveways and piled up the leaves for the last time this season and the city crews will be out tomorrow to pick them up.
I played in the last golf game of the year at the club today. It was actually scheduled for last week, but it got rained out, so I was able to get in today. I shot 42+43=85, net 71 and picked up one more stroke on my eclectic score for the year and have a gross of 65, 7 under par for my best score on each hole throughout the year. It was cold and wet today and felt colder having come from Hawaii. The high today was 40 degrees and an overnight low of 28 degrees. We had an hour frost delay this morning and my 9:14 tee time ended up with a 10:05 tee off.
Well, Dallas is on SNF and I have to go watch it, so Ciao, baby!
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