Rattus rattus

Well, we're in the Maui airport with a two hour layover, waiting for
our flight to Sacramento. Today's weather was the best yet, wouldn't
ya know it. Ah well, we still had a great time despite the often
cloudy/rainy weather and the fact the both of us caught a cold while
we were here.

The photo is of me holding hands with my Chinese zodiac symbol, the
rat. This is one of many, many statues on the Disney-like grounds of
the Hilton Waikoloa, the HUGE resort that Shanti and Goa stayed during
the last several days of their trip. It appeared to me to be a girly
rat, but I suppose that reflects my feminine side. At any rate, S & G
gave us a tour and showed us the spot where they first met and then
the place they were wed almost five years ago. There are worse places
to fall in love and get married.

As sunset approached, they bid us farewell to celebrate Goa's birthday
dinner next to a massive stone buddha with a hilltop view of what
turned out to be a most stunning sunset. Cindy and I boarded one of
the boats that ferry passengers along the system of canals that
connect the many towers, restaurants, and attractions of this mega-
resort. There's also a high speed tram that looks a lot like a Disney
monorail, just in case you are late for your dinner reservation or
your appointment to swim with the dolphins.

So, our little vacation is pretty much over. We arrive in Sacramento
around midnight, spend the night there, and then drive home to good
old Ashland. A nice place to come home to, but the temperature
difference is something we're not looking forward to. At least there
won't be any roosters keeping is up at night.

South Point & Volcanoes

Yesterday we headed south. So south, in fact, that we ended up at the
southernmost spot in the United States, aptly named South Point. Not
only a place of geographical significance (assuming you're from the
US and give a shit about things like that), it was also incredibly
beautiful.

The Hawaiian folk actually launched their canoes over these steep
cliffs which drop down I'm guessing thirty feet or so into the
amazingly clear and blue ocean below. So clear in fact that I was able
to make out the colorful parrot fish swimming in the coral (this from
about forty feet away). We explored the area for a couple hours and
then continued on to Volcanoes National Park.

As we approached the entrance to the park, Cindy rolled down her
window. Turns out she had assumed I'd fouled the air in the car.
However, I was quickly vindicated by the rotten egg smell which
suddenly poured in through the open window. It turns out the caldera
we were about to visit was the guilty party. Unfortunately for Cindy,
that's not usually the case.

Seeing the huge, steaming caldera when you get to the park is awe
inspiring. It turns out the sulpherous odor we experienced on the
highway was unusually high, causing a great deal of the park near the
crater to close. Sulphur dioxide, the noxious gas emitted by the
volcano is toxic to humans. We were told to close our windows and set
the air conditioning to "recircilate" while driving around the
downwind side.

Either because I am stupid or because I've become accustomed to such
odors, I opened the window not once, but twice to take photos. Cindy
was not pleased. We did do a few other touristy (but cool) things,
like hike in a lush area with huge ferns towering fifteen feet above
our heads, and walking through an enormous lava tube. Checked those
off the list.

Alas, our intended visit to the nude beach did not take place. It was
getting late, the clouds were moving in, and we still had a two hour
drive back to the Treehouse. Maybe some other visit. It was still an
awesome day.

Bloggin' from da beach, mon

Life is good. Today we are pretty much the only people on a gorgeous
beach. This is because of the rough road that leads here, over about a
mile or so of hot lava fields. Most tourists shy away after about a
quarter mile, but being adventurous Oregonians, we decided to go for
it. We were of course prepared to hike if necessary (remember the
adventurous bit), but lugging all our snorkeling gear, food, etc. over
the hot trail was not a plus. We are adventurous folk, but above all
we are hedonists.

So Cindy piled some rocks in the low spot which causes most two wheel
drive vehicles to either turn around or park, and pressed on. After
this, it really wasn't all that bad. For Ma and Pa Kettle from Iowa,
I'm guessing it looked impassable. We're glad we went for it, because
this is a little slice of heaven. Not only does it have plenty of
shade, but cell service, allowing me to blog from the beach! A
techie's dream vacation.

Cindy's birthday dinner

After the beach we went back to our crib, where we were greeted by
Chubber McGee. That dog is SO damn cute. He really seems to like us
and followed us inside, keeping us company while we showered and
changed for dinner. Cindy plopped on the day bed and little Chubber
jumped right up next to her for some lovin'. Have I mentioned how cute
he is?

Then we headed over to this incredible restaurant, the Keei Cafe. This
was Cindy's birthday dinner and it was fantastic: seared ahi in some
fancy pants papaya sauce, with yummy vegetables. We followed this up
with two desserts, which is unusual for us because we usually split
dessert. We're glad we did because they were both delicious. We highly
recommend this place, which was actually quite reasonable (it is more
of a locals place).

Right now I'm sitting on our cozy little lanai, drinking a cup of Kona
coffee. The sun has once again blessed us with its presence. Soon
we'll head south around the island to Volcanoes National Park. It's
probably a two hour drive. Our plan after the park is to check out a
black sand beach, the one nude beach (unofficially, as nudity in
Hawaii is illegal) on the island. On Sunday there is supposedly a
little hippie fest with drumming, etc. while the sun sets. Sounds
right up our alley.

Well, that's it for now. The birthday girl is out of the shower, and
we need to head out!

Too busy to post

Been a couple days. After my last post we had an overcast day that
turned into a torrential downpour in the late afternoon/evening,
complete with spectacular thunder and lighting. Aftsr sunsst we put on
our headphones and sat in bed listening to tunes, watching the
lightening dance over the ocean. The accompanying thunder that shook
our little hideaway enhanced our auditory experience like some
Hawaiian God's subwoofer.

Yesterday we hit the beach. Ho'okena, to be exact, the beach we hit
with Annie and Jeff earlier in the week. The sun blazed down on us,
and I now have a patchwork of red on my chest and legs. Apparently we
didn't do a very good job applying sunscreen to my pasty self. We
finally had to rent an umbrella to prevent me from turning into a
lobster.

Living in the moment

Theoretically speaking, I'm middle aged. I know this because lately I've had a tendency to leave my fly open, a condition usually associated with old men. For the most part, my middle agedness doesn't bother me, despite my not believing in an afterlife. I think that's because I do a reasonable job of living in the moment, for me the most valuable life lesson I continue to learn. For a humorous perspective on this topic, check out Mark Morford's recent column:

Meet my hot new stripper wife / Turns out the mid-life crisis is a cruel global phenomenon. Can it be stopped?

Awesome Day!

Well, it's 4:00 PM and the sun is still shining. It has been a perfect
day, and it's not over yet. This morning we rented a sea kayak and
crossed Kealakekua Bay. The water was the most beautiful blue and the
warm sun on our backs was just what the doctor ordered. We beached our
kayak, donned our snorkel gear, and spent the next couple hours in an
underwater paradise.

Our stomachs told us it was time to head back for some lunch, so we
launched our craft and headed back. Rather than paddle straight across
the bay, we decided to hug the shore and enjoy the auquamarine
shallows. After ten or so minutes of paddling, we noticed a woman
struggling on the shore, scrambling over the lava rocks barefoot with
snorkle and mask in hand. She was quite far from anyone but us, and it
certainly did not appear she had planned on what would be a long ass
swim against the wind and without swim fins.

We decided we'd better see if she needed some help. We turned around
and headed towards her as we watched her struggle back into the water.
We asked her if she'd like a tow back to the snorkle spot and she
quickly answered yes, sounding quite relieved. She asked if we had any
water as she had been cramping up earlier. I wondered if she would
have made it back herself. It took us over fifteen minutes of steady
paddling to get her back to the snorkel spot, where we left her with
one of our water bottles before once again making our way across the
bay. Turns out the woman was from Eugene, so we had rescued a fellow
Oregonian.

We didn't bring the iPhone on our adventure, so I have no pictures of
our voyage to post. Instead there's just me in the hot tub after my
lovely wife Cindy delivered my morning brew. Have I mentioned I have
it pretty good? Well, I think it's time to fix a couple of Piña
Coladas...

Back deck

The Chex are gone, so time for a quick soak in the hot tub. Cindy's
brewing some Kona coffee. I'm anticipating a hot tub delivery. Good
thing we have that umbrella with all this SUN!
(Envious yet?)

Sun!

Finally, that golden orb decided to pay us a visit. The clouds are
forecast to return in the afternoon, so we'll be getting our asses out
of bed a bit earlier this morning. Turns out that snorkeling wins out
over lying in bed reading a book next to your honey, sharing a box of
Chocolate Chex cereal. (I think Cindy alternates between "It's kind of
healthy: 'Only 8 Grams of Sugar', to "Fuck it, I'm on vacation!"
Myself: another guiltless pleasure! The crumbs in the bed, not so much.)

Once again, please excuse the lousy quality of the pic (the view from
our kitchenette). The iPhone is a wondrous gadget, but it's not known
for it's camera feature. Just wanted to capture some sunny skies and
send them home to Ashland. I'm really not trying to make you envious.
Who am I kidding! Of course I am.

Yes that's what you think it is!

We decided not to let him (her?) join us for a soak in our hot tub. We
released him/her to the wild instead.

Gecko on our deck ( A Decko?)

Ironman Start

Here's Cindy in Kailua-Kona, at the spot where the crazy people who
participate in the famous Kona Ironman (the Big Daddy of Ironman
competitions) begin their grueling ordeal. Don't get any ideas, Cindy!

Hangin' at Hapuna Beach

Sunset on Kealakekua Bay

Yesterday we went snorkeling with Annie, Jeff, Shanti, and Goa at a
spot called Two Step. It's next to the City of Refuge, a spot where a
bunch of Hawaiian kings are buried. I was the first one in the water
and was immediately face to face with a green sea turtle. Very cool.
Cindy and Annie soon joined me and we headed out to deeper water,
despite the fact we were hovering above an amazing display of colorful
fish. Why head out beyond most of the coral? Well, before entering the
water we spotted a pod of spinner dolphins and wanted to swim out and
get a closer look. After several minutes of hide and seek, we managed
to get pretty close. I wouldn't say we swam WITH them, but it was as
close as I've ever been (besides Sea World, that is). To see these
amazing creatures close and personal is incredible, and I hope we get
another opportunity before we have to leave. At any rate, after a
lengthy snorkle, we sat on the beach and did, well, beach things.

Later that evening we hung out with the Ashland crew at the sweet crib
they were renting. Tashina also joined us. The women made an
incredible meal, and I provided everyone with Piña Coladas. It was a
perfect ending to a wonderful day with our beautiful friends.

This morning Cindy and I hung put in our little hide-away and chilled.
Quite literally, as the weather is still cool and wet. The Ashland
crew stopped by on their way to deliver Annie and Jeff to the airport.
They were kind enough to bring some leftover groceries from their
vacation larder, and then bid us farewell. Shanti and Goa are
remaining on the island, so we will hook up with them once or twice
before we leave. Yea!

After lunch, Cindy and I headed up the coast to do some beach recon in
order to know where to hang once the sun decides to come out and play.
At one spot we saw a large pod of whales doing their thing just off
shore. So glad I remembered to bring the binoculars.

Returning home, we decided to take a quick detour and watch the sunset
from Kealakekua Bay. The picture you see is Cindy enjoying the
incredible display.

Tomorrow we'll probably head south for more recon. We are hoping the
forecast for sunny weather by Saturday is correct.

I'll post a few more pics from our day separately (as I am forced to
do because I am posting via e-mail from my iPhone).

Cindy with Chubber McGee

Breakfast on our Treehouse deck on the Big Island, day 3. Today we go
snorkling at Two Step with our Ashland friends. Today is Annie &
Jeff's last full day before they return home. We will be sad to see
them go, but are happy our trips overlapped for a couple of days.
Well, off to the beach we go...

Our new little friend

Here is our new Big Island companion. He has no collar, so we have
named him Chubber McGee.