I didn't realize as I drove the only highway to Lahaina, admiring the beautiful rainbow that stretched from Maui to Lanai, that rainbows mean rain. Neither did the guy who was following me in the Mustang convertible as huge drops began to fall, totally soaking him and his lady, who was frantically trying to crawl under the dash to stay dry. Although still green here, a good portion of this island doesn't get much rain, resulting in lots of cactus and scrub brush.
This little town never seems to change ... all the old buildings still stand, although some were empty. Apparently last summer was a bad one and many businesses closed their doors. If you are in to jewelry, this is the place to visit, but bring your BIG checkbook. I found my necklace (which I purchased in Kihei) for $40 more than I paid ... and it was on SALE!!!
But FIRST!!! Gelato ... at the Ono Gelato and Coffee store. The only thing better than coffee for breakfast is a big Sandy Beach ... peanut butter gelato with macadamia nuts and graham cracker crumbs!!! YUM YUM!!! I know, it's 9:00 am, but since I turned 18, I can have ice cream for breakfast!!
All over town are these beautiful trees ... perfect locations for photo shoots ... except I don't have models.
Patty Chance will remember this beach ... next to Bubba Gumps, this perfect small beach is where you can find nice pieces of sea glass. I wasn't there ten minutes and three more people showed up. Those in the know, know that butts up in the air mean glass on the beach.
With the recent storms, I was able to pick up quite a few pieces before the crowds took over. The early bird here, gets the nice glass. The largest white piece at the bottom is almost two inches across ... perfect for that wire wrapped necklace I want to make.
Looking back at the area of the old fort, made from blocks of coral cut from the reef, is another shallow beach area perfect for morning glass collecting. .
Front Street in Lahaina ambles along the beach for almost a mile, complete with original buildings from the 1800's. One of the old cookhouses remains to this day. The kitchens were always built separate from the main house ... if there was a fire, which happened often ... the kitchen would burn down, hopefully leaving the main house intact.
This is not quite half of the huge over-100-year-old banyan tree that takes up an entire city block in Lahaina. It's so big there is no way you can get a picture of the entire thing. I would have tried, but on this day, 50 tourists had just disembarked from a bus, creating a less than desirable image.
Next to the sidewalk I spied this beautiful lei hanging from a stand advertising them for $5.00. I couldn't believe my eyes (they usually run $20-30) ... so I headed to the small group of ladies in the back to see what was up.
They immediately invited me to join their seniors group ... really, I look that old??? Actually, I was honored as they explained that they are native Hawaiian ladies, making leis to raise money for their high school senior scholarship program. They couldn't make the leis fast enough, since they sold as soon as they were hung on the frame. I made a donation in exchange for a couple pictures.
These plumeria blossoms smelled amazing, but the ladies said they were immune to the smell. They have all been around them for too many years.
As soon as I took this image, they gathered these flowers and added them to the collection. Their next meeting is Thursday, and I just might attend!!!
All along the highway between Kihei and Lahaina are beaches like this ... just be careful if you pull over. If you get stuck in the sand, you will wait a VERY long time for a tow truck and it will probably cost you as much as the car you are driving!!!
Having completed my assigned quilting task, my second lesson is today, and maybe I'll have time for a few more images.
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