Vacation News

Well, we are back home from vacation, finally unpacked, and back into the routine of things. I still don't think my body has adjusted to the time change though. In Maui we were 5 hours behind our time here, and I still seem to have my days and nights mixed up a bit.
Thought I'd share a few photos with you and let you bask in the beauty of an Hawaiian island. It was beautiful, relaxing, and awe inspiring in so many ways. The beauty of the mountains, the roar of the rolling ocean, the delicate orchids, and beautiful people brought a new sense of God's greatness and power. All the desolation of destruction of a volcano ends up bringing about the beauty and wonder of a lush and productive island. We had Macaws at the hotel that were so bright and colorful, and a couple of them were very demonstrative. It was like they were putting on a show for us. He would squawk at her and push her around a bit, and then he would put his wing around her and cuddle her and nuzzle her. One day, we watched as she "debugged" him, and afterward he was acting very agitated. It was funny.
We walked and walked, and walked some more. It is only the mercy of God, and the help of a medicine called Mobic (arthritis medicine) that I was able to keep up with everyone. I am thankful that it worked and I had only a few times of painful discomfort, which was usually at night after we had walked so much all day. A couple of evenings, Steve and I left and took a taxi back to the hotel before the others, because I was just too tired to keep going, but it was wonderful to get to put so much into each day.
I don't think Hawaii is actually any closer to heaven than Indiana geographically, but it sure makes one think they are in heaven. I'd recommend it anytime.

The crater of the volcano looked like something you might see on Mars. Red, dusty, varigated, empty vastness. Made you want to do the Moon walk on it. Ha! It was so cold up on that mountain and the wind was fierce. I had to hang onto Steve to keep from being blown away. As we climbed the mountain, over 10,000 ft up and way above the clouds, it went from 76 degrees to 52 in a matter of minutes, but the wind chill made it feel like 32.

We had a beautiful view of the ocean from our hotel balcony. I spent several mornings watching the whales spout and rise in the water. They were so far away I couldn't see them in detail, but it was great to watch their ritual. Nex time I'll have to take binoculars.
One morning we went to the other side of the island and watched people wind surf. It was quite amazing and looked like a lot of fun.
Steve enjoyed golfing on the beautiful courses, and was able to attend the Skins game and watch some of the old favorites play - Greg Norman, Jack Nickolaus, Gary Player and others.
There was a big banyon tree that we were fascinated by right in the middle of the town square in Lahaina. On Friday and Saturday they had an arts/crafts sale under it. The roots grow like vines and hang down and then attach themselves to the ground and new trunks grow up. It makes it look like there are several trees growing in one place, but it's actually all one tree! Amazing.
They grow sugar cane on Maui and have a big canning factory there. You can see the cane fields for miles. I brought back some coconut candy that a friend bought and gave to me. Very different and tasty. Afterward, he told me it works as a natural laxative. LOL! Nice to have friends, huh?
We made new friends, Tan and Victoria Duan, who are owners of several jewelry stores and a taxi company. Tan bought us tickets to the Shanghi Circus and it was an exciting event. The acrobatic stunts were so amazing and the way those tiny (thin) little girls could twist and contort their bodies to do the stunts was fascinating.
They have good eating establishments on Maui. We ate a wonderful fish dinner overlooking the ocean at Kimo's, ate great fries and root beer floats up in the Nest overlooking Lahaina Bay, ate at Ruth's Chris steakhouse a couple evenings, and a place called Ruby's that had great milkshakes and a 50s theme. Now can you tell why I didn't lose any weight while I was there, even with all the walking?!!! We did not try the Poi. After the disgusting review we got, we thought we'd leave that experience for another time...probably a never time. Ha!

One evening we went to a magic show, which turned out to be a comedy as much as a magic show. It was delightful and gave us our "medicine" for the day. You know, laughter is the best medicine?! Ha!
All in all it was a fabulous vacation. A wonderful retreat from the cares and concerns of our world for a little while. I'll share more later.