Today has been such a fun day! First, we hit the beach. I practiced a few cartwheels…..

Joy’s not too good at flips, so she just ran….

We built sand castles…

Got our feet wet in the water…they actually called our room this morning to tell us it was not safe to be in the water today!

And, we looked for whales! Can you imagine?

Tonight, we went to a Feast. The “Feast at Lele” is similar to a luau. There are tables next to the beach, and food is served from each of the islands that came together to form the group of people known as Polynesians. The celebration continues as each of the island groups share the dances that originated in their islands.

Oh! My! These fruity drinks are so delicious!

We enjoyed watching the sun set during the feast!

Tomorrow…taking a boat early to find those whales! Don’t have any idea what to do is we find them…just make a picture, I suppose.
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FYI: I have the best daughter-in-love in the world! She is tops! She has fixed casseroles for those poor men we left behind, and tonight, she cooked supper for all of them at my house! She’s checking on Pop since we are out of town and making sure he has what he needs! Suzanne, thank you, my dear! You’re a gift from above. I love you!

Joy and I got up early this morning and were ready to be picked up at 7:30. We took a day long trip around the island to the town of Hana. This is way up in the mountains…the rain forest area. Such a beautiful area. However…600 hairpin turns and 51 one lane road in a drive of 36 miles is a little stressful! Can you say ‘weary’? We are exhausted. So I am going to share some of our pics, and sign off.

We saw such lush greenery on our trip. It was so beautiful! What these places must have looked like when the first explorers came here! I can’t imagine!

This is a eucalyptus tree. The trunks are so colorful!

Beautiful fern growing out of a rock! This is such an unusual place for plant life. There is almost nothing that can not be grown somewhere in Maui. And, many things that would bloom only once on the mainland bloom several times a year here. Things that will not bloom any where else,do great in this soil!

A beautiful black sand beach!

The surf here is quite rough due to all the lava rock in the water. It is actually churning all the time. Dangerous to go out on these rocks! Have you ever seen Pappilion? This is the cliff Dustin Hoffman jumped off of to make his escape! Think he survived these waters?

Here is a very beautiful church close to this rough water. In the last tsunami…not the one last week! Every thing on this peninsula was wiped away and washed out to sea for several miles inland. But, the church stood…and stands still. It is made of lava rock…and dates back many years when building practices were not what they are today. Very windy!

This is the door step into the church…moss covered except for where feet have scraped it clean.

A painted rock holding another door open.

Can you see how hard the wind is blowing?

Even the birds are not flying…when it is this windy, it blows them off course…so they sit it out! Smart birds!

It was cool and rainy and windy on us all day. Of course, part of the time we were in the rain forest, so it should have been rainy! The weather these past few days has been really strange. Unusual for it to be this cool. And, the workers here at the hotel say they can not remember a time when it has been this windy. We really did not bring clothes for this kind of coolness. Ya know what that means, don’t you? We have got to do a little shopping! Darn! I hate that!

Recently they have gone for 9 weeks without rain…even in the rain forest. The water falls had all dried up and the creeks were not full. So, I will not complain about the weather. When it rains…the pools and creeks fill up…and the beauty is breath taking! It is so amazing seeing how the world God created is self sustaining. It really needs no help from us…in an untouched and undefiled area.

We travelled about about 160 miles today on our bus. We went to Hana, the rain forest, 2 state parks, a winery, and a black sand beach!
We had a wonderful lunch in Hana at a cattle ranch! What a day!

We’re thinking of doing this tomorrow!!! Just kidding, Pop!

“The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein. For He has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the waters.” Psalm 24:1-2

TUESDAY…what a beautiful day to be in Maui! God is so good! His creation here is glorious!

We slept till about 9 this morning, and after making ourselves presentable, went to explore our surroundings. The grounds here are exquisite! So many varieties of plant life, and all manicured so beautifully! This hotel has the distinction of being the most Hawaiian Hotel on Maui, and it is dedicated to the preservation of the ancient arts that the Hawaiian people once practiced. There are many demonstrations of the arts here all through the day…lei making, weaving, hula,which I am quite good at, 🙂 carving,etc. And at all times of the day, there is live music. Traditional Hawaiian music, ukulele, slack key guitar…just delightful!

We went out on the beach for a while this morning. While the water is as beautiful as any I have ever seen…the sand leaves much to be desired. Nothing beats the white sandy beaches of Panama City and Destin, Florida! Now THAT is pretty sand. This is more like dirt. However, there are some beaches with black sand which comes from the volcanoes, and also green and red sand beaches that are colored by the coral and minerals in certain areas. These are quite unique!

We had to go into town to get our tickets for our various excursions, and then we did a little shopping. And, now we are resting before our trip to the theater tonight. There is the most wonderful live production showing the myths and legends of the Hawaiian people in regards to the way the island was formed and settled. This is the 3rd time I have seen it, and I am so excited for Joy to see it as well. There are many of the authentic Hawaiian chants and dances, a little Cirque de Solei, and quite a bit of humor!

I’ll check back in with you when we get back. I’m going to put my feet up for a while, and listen to the sweet sounds of Hawaiian music wafting through my window!

Back now from the theater. The show was fabulous and I enjoyed it as much as I did before! Joy thought it was wonderful, too. I knew she would love it! She always copies me!!!

Off to bed now. We have a 7:00 call in the morning for a tour we are taking. I’ll have some great pics for you tomorrow!

NOTE TO MY FELLOW BLOGGERS: I am not doing any blog reading this week, even though I am blogging from here. So, I will be back to visit when I return!

Pop was at my house early Sunday morning to take Joy and I to the Dothan airport. He waited with us until the plane left. Standing outside by the gate, we saw him waving at us and wishing us well!

We flew to Atlanta, then to LA, then on to Maui…arriving here abut 11 last night. We made our flight just fine…and even watched some of the Oscars on the plane. Also, I finally got to the The Blindside too!

So, this is the view from our balcony. Joy and I were really tired. We got up this morning…and looked outside to make sure we were in the right place! It was dark when we got here, so we had to be sure. We then both went back to sleep!
I suppose we are not quite as young as we once were…in body. But in our minds…we’re 2 young girls set down in this Paradise God created, and we intend to enjoy every minute and every inch of this island!

So, we’re outta this room and on to ADVENTURE! I’ll be back with you soon!
Love to all our family and friends! MAHALO to Pop!

Oh how beautiful this place is!! What a joy to spend the day in Paradise! There is nothing so wondrous as the creations of our Father! His wonders are so evident in this place!

Joy and I left the room this morning…well actuallY, it may have been afternoon. But, who cares….this is Paradise! We first had our ‘chariot’ delivered to us. You probably would call it a Mustang Convertible. And we set out on our first adventure! We went to the town of Lahaina…and began exploring. Lahaina has origins go back to at least the 16th century. It’s ancient name was Lele. But, the name Lahaina means ‘relentless sun’. It has become renowned for its scenic beauty and temperate climate. In early days, it was a whaling port until the missionaries came and tried to run all the sailor’s out of town as they were ‘corrupting their young girls.’

I must be honest and tell you that there is still much there today to corrupt young
girls…like sister and me! No sailors…but plenty of jewelry stores, fine stores like Tiffany’s, Rolex, and Louie Vuitton, as well as souvenirs of every shape and description. Lots of shoes…lots of purses…lots of T-shirts. And, macadamia nuts…covered in milk chocolate or dark chocolate or coconut and chocolate! Such temptation! Oh My!

We shopped around for a while, and sat and watched the ocean and the boats out in the harbor. Then we headed back to the car and began driving back to the motel. We stopped to get some drinks and food for the room, and realized that we were hungry! This is the fun place we had lunch…The Hula Grill. It’s on the beach, had live music, and great food! We both had grilled mahimahi…delicious!

And here are Joy’s feet on the floor!

Next to the place we ate is an large outdoor mall, and since we were rested and full, we walked around for a while. Turns out they were having a hula show in their central courtyard…so we made our way to get a seat. And we discovered the dancers were all children and teenagers. And, they were GREAT! And, so, so cute!

We had to leave before it was over because we were freezing! It gets pretty cool at night this time of year. And, now we’re back in our rooms…looking over our treasures.

It’s been a wonderful day! And, so will tomorrow!