HAWAII PART II. THE REVENGE OF MAUI

I hope you all had a nice intermission... 

...because this is our equivalent of home movies and you really have to love us to look through all of these!

On our way out to the blow hole on the northwest side of Maui, we stopped for this photo op. These are silly people, proving that you may get older, but you don't necessarily grow up.  Love you, Barb and Terry!!

Ominous, indeed. Little did we know the revenge of Maui! Beware the Blow Hole!!

The sea was especially turbulent that fateful day...

Gregg feared not to venture close to the big, main blow hole, the only one we had thought existed. I knew enough to stay clear of that one on such a rough day.

But what is this? Another blow hole is discovered that calmer seas never revealed before. Gregg goes over to investigate further. The standing water should have been a huge clue.

Wowza! There are two more blow holes spurting water whenever a big wave pushes in. "Come on down," Gregg encouraged. "Nah, I don't think so....well, OK." So down I go to get some pics of the blow hole.
As I turn away, I hear the sputtering hiss as air is forced powerfully through the opening, then the roar as the huge wave breaks up and over the embankment wall and up through the holes!
We cling to each other to keep our balance as water engulfs us.
Alas, my cell phone didn't survive. Salt water and technology don't coexist at all.
But being one with the wave for just two seconds was such an amazing experience!
The water was temperate, and the back surge was indeed powerful. Neat experience. Expensive, but cool.

If you stand in the right place, you get this really neat image  through the lava rock. Awwww.

We purchased pineapples at the "honor system" road-side fruit stand!  Fun!

At the church we attended, there was this beautiful big Monkey Pod tree---a.k.a. the Go, Dog, Go tree. I didn't see any party going on in the tree tops, but these trees are all over. There's got to be a party in one of them.


THE ROAD TO HANA

We stopped at a Rest Stop on our drive towards Hana. We see Hawaiian words all over in Hawaii (go figure) and I wondered what in the world this particular one meant in the old language. What deep message were they trying to impart to future generations??

Then I cracked up when I saw the next stall over. The letters were in better shape, and not very Hawaiian after all.

We ate at a shrimp place along the way. Not nearly as good as Giovanni's on the North Shore of Oahu. Not even close. But cute, nonetheless.

The name of this state park is just plain fun to say. Try it. You'll like it!!

Waianapanapa had this absolutely beautiful black sand beach tucked away. The sea had such glorious colors that day!

A big wave caught us off-guard as we were having our picture taken. Can you hear dad going "Whoaaaaa!"? 

I really loved these smooth, black stones all over. I'll put it in my "background photo" collection.

This lava tube/cave was carpeted in those beautiful black rocks. When the waves crashed upon them, they actually tinkled like glass pieces being pushed around. Fascinating!

This is not Oak Alley. 

Deep thoughts from the Green People, Hawaiian Hippies, or Laid-back Philosophers. 

We came across an LDS church on the road to Hana!

Poinsiettas are plentiful here. Beautiful contrast.

I took some pics of the wondrous landscape. This was evening, so the clouds had some really pretty colors in them.

This scene was very peaceful and pastoral. If it wasn't for the big volcano in the  background, it would feel like the rolling hills of the west.

This place even has deep canyons.

Here's our fun condo in Maui...the Maui Sunset.

And here is the only sunset we actually got to see while we were there. This beach is right outside the Maui Sunset. I love the little girl running. What you don't see are her siblings also playing with her, laughing as they try to avoid getting wet from the waves rolling in.

We happened to be there for the annual Whale parade. I liked this float because the gals made their mermaid fins out of decorated paper plates! Clever, easy, and catchy.

Banana grow on trees. And they have a really big blossom that accompanies them!

I like this one of Barb and Terry.

On top of the world at the Haleakala Visitors Center , we saw these silvery yucca-type plants. Pretty.

It was FREEZING up here!! And very barren.

We huddled in this comparatively protected wall space from the FREEZING wind that blew ferociously!

View from the top of the world. You look over the clouds. It's raining down below in spots, but sunny and FREEZING above  the clouds. Spectacular vistas. Did I mention that it was freezing?

This is on the east side of the island. Very jungle-ish. Since it had been raining, any former little stream was a raging torrent. This made for spectacular waterfalls and rivers. 

This is my favorite picture of the entire trip. These massive trees appear to glow. And they smell faintly of lemon. They are Eucalyptus trees and look like they belong in the magical forests of "The Lord of the Rings" saga. 

This gives you an idea of the size of these trees. Mmmm. Nice smell.

And dad and I in front of the wondrous trees.

OK, OK! Enough of the cool shots of the Eucalyptus trees! Sheesh!

Wouldn't that be nice as a view outside of your home?

We are standing at the top of a ravine. At the bottom are two cars that met their demise. 

Rainfall causes greater waterfalls. Beautiful!

And here is my parting shot. I enjoyed immensely our retreat to this beautiful place with wonderful friends!
Surely friendships, not just families, are forever.

In case you wondered, Hawaii is a wondrous place. Part I

Every time I start a new post, I have to get my courage up (I know, silly) because I can't totally remember how to do this. But hopefully this will be fairly painless!! :-)
I WANT TO SHARE OUR HAWAII TRIP WITH YOU ALL!!
                           ON TO HILO!!!

The sky is a work of art. As we flew toward Hawaii  I caught this wondrous atmospheric phenomenon out of my window. The clouds ripple, too, just like the ocean far below them. Fascinating!

 Dad wanted to surprise me by renting a convertible! They didn't have any Mustangs, but this one was fun. ....for a little bit. lol. Then he went back and got one with four doors, a roof, and large cargo space in the back!! I was thrilled that he would surprise me with this!

I love Barb!! Here we are at the "edge" of the Kilauea Volcano.

Here is our gracious hostess, Dawn Stockton. She was so delightful to stay with, and the accommodations were definitely
5-star! She and Dennis have a beautiful home a few minutes walk from the ocean. Rough life! They live just outside of Hilo on the east side of the big island. She made a delicious dinner for us on the day of our arrival and even invited over a couple, Bruce and Carma Bean, that we also knew from our BC ward in years past. The Beans are also living in Hilo and we loved seeing them again!

As it turns out, Bruce is a pilot and invited us to see the island from the air. Well, twist my arm!! 

You can see the smoke rising from fissures in the earth as the lava travels underground toward the ocean. 

Here is an "ocean" of hardened lava.

A living, smoking, spurting volcano! You can see the cracks in the crater floor with red peaking through. Amazing.

I call this photograph "Sunlight Waterfall" because it...well, you can see it. Gwageous!

The dark, hardened lava flow "land" is in the background; the dark ocean is in the foreground.
The steam is where the lava flow reaches the ocean.

Hilo is at the end of two rainbows. Now you know.

I got to fly an airplane! Bruce allowed me to keep us at a certain altitude (pull back or push in the handles) and steer us toward the airport. Very fun. What I learned: Never do any moves on the controls rapidly. 

That evening we ate at a wonderful restaurant in Hilo. The Pineapple something or other.  I love to eat good food.
And I really loved being there with Barbara and Terry.
And I really, really loved being there with Gregg!! The man knows how to plan a trip.

                                                         ON TO KONA!!

This Temple is glorious, inside and out. Well, they all are. The weather here allows exquisite landscaping.

 There is this garden bed full of these beautiful orchids, all different colors and types. Here are a few of them. Enjoy.

God had fun creating all these beautiful plants of all colors, shapes and sizes. This is such a gorgeous place!

                                                     ON TO MAUI!!

Happy Valentine's Day to us!! I'm so happyyy!! We made a delicious dinner here in our own condo.
We could see the ocean from our deck. Many card games were played on this glass table! 

Dad found this crazy visor with fake hair! Hilarious!!

I think this is in Lahaina, a tourist town on Maui. This park houses the largest banyan tree in the world, I think.
It's all one tree. It simply sends out little tendrils that attach to the ground and root in, making many mini trunks and trees that spread out further and further. Very interesting.

The roots and branches grow in all different shapes and sizes in fascinating ways. If families are sometimes compared to trees, this family would be highly dysfunctional! Talk about twisted and convoluted!

















That's all I dare put in this one section of our Hawaii blog. I'll add the second portion momentarily.
 I know you are all on the edge of your seats.
Now's a good time to get a snack and go to the bathroom before Part II begins. Hurry.

PROVO TRIP, ERIC'S B-DAY

I figured it is so much easier to just fling a few photos at you more often than trying to do catch-up after a few months time. We'll see if this lasts!!
And so let us begin for this week!!

We had dinner with Eric on his birthday this past week---what a fun evening! It was so great to see him! And he is great with the kids; they all love him!

Dad, me , Nana, Grandma Peterson, and Lindsay all drove up to Provo last Friday. Here we are visiting the MOA and seeing their "Heroes" exhibit. Here is Kelsey, Lindsay, and dad in front of the bible heroes huge mural. You can see the leaves for Adam's suit, and below that, behind dad, is Joseph's coat of many colors. 

And here is Nana, Kelsey, Lindsay, and me. Multi-generational photo!

This painting was also in the MOA, in a different area. I've never seen it before, but  it fascinates me.  The description of it is below, and is worth reading. Interesting! I am amazed by people who can paint.

This refers to the above painting.

I love this of Kelsey, Lindsay, and dad pondering this beautiful Karl Bloch painting.

Here are Lue and Kelsey right before they went on stage.
Kelsey's like a mermaid in that fantastic dress she sewed.

And this is after their performance. They both did beautifully and sounded so great together.
Kelsey's oboe just rippled, it was so smooth and  expressive.
The Steinway is a nice touch, don't you think?

And Emma (and Shane, too!) showed up to hear Kels do her thing. I love family!!!

Here is a fun Kels/Nana picture.

And lest we forget the house, here is the view from Buchanan, behind the house. The trusses are going up for the family room and second floor in the back of the house!! Fun view point.