HOME SWEET HOME ...

 

GOOD MORNING CALIFORNIA!!!  Well here we are back in the big sunny state of Cali.  I have to admit, it's not NEAR as hot as Maui.  I'm guessing I didn't gain a lot of weight on this trip, in spite of all I ate, because it just melted off.  

On the other hand, this is certainly not the spectacular sunrises I am now used to.  Nor the perfect morning pictures.  

THIS is the perfect morning picture because it's full of my fake coffee.  Jet lag is real ... and not the least bit fun.  I can't sleep at night and can't wake up in the morning.  Hopefully I will get back to my old schedule soon.  I'm happy my cups made it back unscathed too.

There was no rest however, as the year end audit of the Elks Lodge was on the schedule.  I really have no use for this, mostly because there are always ... let's say little falsehoods ... stuck in here and there that irritate my soul.  

It didn't help that I was late and forgot the binder of Trustee Meeting minutes.  I'll give you three guesses why.  Yes, it ramped up the lizard counter to .... what is it now ...  23????  After crawling on my hands and knees on the floor, I finally caught the guy and out the door he went.  I grabbed my keys, but not the binder.  MY BAD!!

At any rate, I skipped out on the SECOND part and headed downstairs to sell dinner tickets.  Just look at this steak.  First time ever, it is cooked to PERFECTION and rare.  This is a large to-go box and it is completely full!  There were also veggies, rolls and a salad, which I ate for dinner.  THIS will be breakfast, lunch and dinner for today.

The meeting was long and boring.  I'm just not a pomp and circumstance kind of girl.  The second it was over, I raced down to the walk-in freezer.  I knew that stuffed in the back was my recent purchase.  OH YEAH ... these are pre-made chocolate chip cookies ... the best you have ever tasted.  They cost me a small fortune, but you just take out five or six and bake them up.  There's nothing like cookies fresh from the oven!!

There were FOUR of these huge bags and I had a hard time squishing them in the freezer, but I persisted.  I may just have to try them out for a breakfast dessert!!

That's it ... that's all I've got for today.  Hopefully things settle down and I can get somewhat back on schedule.  

Just for giggles, I set my camera out last night to see what was lurking at my front door.  Wasn't I surprised to find dozens of images.  I'll post some tomorrow.  

HAVE A GREAT DAY!!!

THE LAST MORNING

 It was early ... about 4:30 Hawaii time.  The moon was still high in the sky.  This is where I had my coffee every single morning.  

You could not get down to the beach for coffee because the last big storm took out half the bank.  This is a ten foot drop off, with the ground cracking under my feet.  Waves like this never happen here.

Never say never I guess, since the last hurricane pulled most of the sand out.  Two days after it passed us by, we were still feeling the effects of the storm, worse than ever.  In all my years of staying here, I have never EVER seen waves like this at this location.  The only spot to get in is down the way where the rip current pulls you straight out to the ocean.  The lifeguards had their skidoos out on this day to be sure people didn't drown.  That's a first!!

Sadly, it was time for me to pack up.  I don't know why that was so hard since I only picked up three little lightweight T-shirts.  I did not wear ANY of the clothes I took.  It was too hot.  Instead, I wore my triathlete shorts and one pair of running shorts ....... the entire trip.  I made it all fit, but it was a task.

In no time I was headed to the airport.  It's changed quite a bit since I was there last.  So have the hoops you have to jump through.  Now you tag and drop your own bags off, instead of the employees doing it for you.

Once past the TSA check, it was quick and easy.  That is until I realized my Gate was the last one on the farthest end of the airport.  It felt like a half mile walk to get there.  By the time I was onboard and in my "new" seat, my phone was dead.  Oh look ..... they have USB chargers, except mine is a C charger.  I dug in my purse ... and I don't know how or why, but I found an adapter.  Good thing because I'm not good at sitting for FIVE HOURS.

Especially when the lady next to me wasn't all that friendly, telling me to SHUT YOUR WINDOW ... and the kid next door who cried  the ENTIRE TRIP.  Flying is so much fun.

Here we are, taking off over the ocean.  In spite of the Captains warnings for a bumpy ride, it was a great takeoff.

I was skeptical that the meal I ordered days before, would actually follow me to my NEW seat number, but it DID!!  HALLELUJAH!!  This is Thai chicken and noodles with Hawaiian macaroni salad (which also has potatoes).  It was all DELICIOUS!!  I ate every bite. 

Not much of a view for the next 5,000 miles, so I kept my nose in my e-book and tried to ignore the screaming next door.

The sun went down as we flew over San Francisco.  Sacramento, here we come.  

It was dark.  VERY dark.  We landed and I followed the mob of people heading to the baggage carousel.  We waited and waited until about 20 minutes later when bags began to arrive.  Lucky for me, I was one of the first.  

Then I was off to call Uber for a ride.  If you remember, I had a horrible experience GETTING here the first time.  I said abut 25 prayers before dialing.  GREAT!  I got a ride.  NOT SO GREAT!  It showed on the map that my pickup point was in the middle of the baggage carousel.  Good grief.

I went outside and saw signs ... Zone 1, Zone 2 .... so I pulled up my ride and it said "send a message" ... and I did, telling her which zone I was in.  GOT IT she said.

Turns out this was the perfect Uber ride.  Nice lady, nice car, knew the way and got me to Cyndae's house in 25 minutes.  I went inside, drank a huge bottle of water and crashed on the bed.  It was 11:00 pm.  

I was awake at 3:38, but talked myself into staying put until 6.  Then I jumped in the Jeep and took off for home.  

Guess who met me at the door with the biggest MEOW I've ever heard.  Actually, I don't think I have ever heard her meow.   She never got 6" from me for the rest of the day.

She's very happy her Mom is home ... and so am I.  I was hoping for an epic sleep, but it was just okay.  Kitters jumped up on the bed and started rubbing her head all over my arm, purring up a storm.  She finally cuddled up next to me (a first) and purred herself to sleep.  This morning I was met with even MORE purrs.  Yup I think she's a happy camper.

I'm back ... in one piece ..... no sunburn, just a glorious tan ..... and happy to be home.

LAST DAY ON MAUI

 Nothing beats having your coffee on the patio watching the sun rise and the moon disappear.  The moon was late this morning, hanging out in the sky until almost 7:00.  That's unheard of!!

And every morning this little bird and I watch it together.  There are dozens of small dove around here, looking for morning tidbits.

Three of the four girls went diving this morning to Molokini.  The volcano crater is a great spot to dive when the ocean is smooth.  They spotted a few white tip sharks here and there, but they sleep during the day, so no big scare.  Their original destination was very mucky water due to the storm surge that came in last night.  Visibility makes for a bad dive, so they rescheduled that one for Wednesday.  It too has now been cancelled.  There's no guarantee with diving.

This is the hurricane's path, ducking right around the islands.  Still, we have had weird currents and wave action going the complete opposite direction.  Paddle boarding and even snorkeling was all terrible.  Better luck next time.

Turn up your sound.  This section of the beach is usually flat as can be with NO waves.

This action swirls sand and mud around, making for zero visibility and a rough time getting in and out.  It should be good for them the rest of the week however, at least on the beach.

So what do you do when the water is bad?  You go SHOPPING of course.  Three of us headed out to downtown to see what damage we could do.  This is one entrance to the "market", a pond filled with koi fish.

Then walk between the palms and trees to get to the booths.  Every souvenir you could ever ask for can be found here ... for a price.  Some cheap, some not so much. I got a couple of shirts, but I'll post them later.  

Since I'm leaving this morning, all my stuff is packed up, except one swimsuit.  Yup ... we went to the pool to cool off.  Nothing like having the place to yourself!!

I'll be flying out at noon and arriving at 8:25 YOUR time.  Unfortunately, I have to get an UBER ride back to the house.  I'm not looking forward to that at all, but I have no choice.  If you don't hear from me the next day, send out the marines!!!

HURRICANE GONE!

WOOHOO!!!  The hurricane has disassembled itself enough that all we got on this day was some crazy ocean wave dancing.  Two gals went out on paddle boards, but came back 20 minutes later.  The hurricane was angry it didn't get its DUE.  The wind came up and the water went crazy.  There would be no swimming or snorkeling on this day.

Instead I enjoyed my lovely cup-o-joe while watching the sun come up.

That little dot in the middle is the moon going down.  It was over an hour late on this day and disappeared into the clouds.  You don't need much more than sunrises like this.
 

Though I really wanted to pass on breakfast, it was required to hit up 808 Deli for a breakfast panini.  This my friends is a weird one.  It's egg salad with chunks of perfectly cooked bacon some cheese and smothered in tomatoes.  I'm here to tell you it was one of the best sandwiches I've ever had.  Whoever thought of this is genius!!  I could only eat half.  The rest is in the fridge for later.  MUCH later.

We discussed Stand Up Paddle boards for awhile because Nancy doesn't have one.  This is not the one she wants ... it's just to show you the possibility.  Why this one?  Because it has a SEAT and foot pedals to make it go.  No paddle required.  No standing up required either.  MY kind of board.

Since the weather and the water were not communicating today, we headed up country to pick up a package Cyndae had delivered.  It was raining up the side of the volcano in spite of the blue sky, with winds gusts in the 40-50 mile range.  

From there we headed off to Costco for surf and turf.  It was the birthday girl's birthday dinner.  Fillet, blue marlin, salads and a FABULOUS guava cheesecake.  We got back just in time to start the barbecue.  That was a no-go due to the wind, so we moved out to the sidewalk by the parking lot where another barbecue was in perfectly calm air.  

I know, I should have had pictures.  When I discovered everyone had disappeared and the barbecue was smoking like everything was on fire, I ran for help and forgot my camera!!  Luckily the fillets were not overcooked (too badly) and the fish was just rare enough.  

We had a visitor, an old friend of Beccas who is also a pilot of just about every plane there is, but now sticks to helicopters.  If you want an overhead Maui tour ... or a whale watching tour on his boat ... or a free dive to 100 feet (YIKES), he's your guy.  

We ate, we laughed, we talked and laughed some more.  So much so that we almost ..... ALMOST ..... forgot the cheesecake.  It was AMAZING!  The Costco here has MUCH better food than ours.

And so ended the night, agreeing we should meet here every year for her birthday.   I was full to the brim and exhausted.  I think today's schedule includes shopping, because tomorrow I will be on a plane headed back home.

BTW .... I'm rather sad because I see Kitters on the cameras every day, looking for me.  I think she will be happy when I get back!

HURRICANE UPDATE

UPDATE:  Here's a picture of the hurricane that we have been watching as it comes our direction.  We are the blue dot.  Lucky for us, it is turning west and falling apart.  Though we will get some rain and winds today, it won't be anything like what we were told to expect.  I get it ... better to say the sky is falling than have it fall when everyone is just looking up.

It has made for some gorgeous morning sunrises and moonsets.  

 

The moon went down shortly after the above image was taken .. about 5:20 I think ... but there was no color this time.  Overcast followed us through most of the day, which was a good thing.  It kept the temps a tad bit cooler ... like 85 instead of 89.

We finally ran into the maintenance man and told him our upstairs AC was NOT working.  I for one have been decimated by the heat.  He took one look and brought us another unit, so the upstairs isn't quite as bad as it has been.  September is NOT the best month of be here, other than there are less people.

After all that snorkeling we did over the last two days, everyone was exhausted.  That meant a day of doing nothing ... sort of.  You know me, I went shopping!!  First to the dive shop for this towel/blanket ... the neatest thing for beach use.  That was followed up by two turtle mugs from the ABC store.  FREE.  You save your receipts and get free stuff.

I hit Tiffanys, Louis Vuitton, Prada and Gucci.  No I didn't.  I hit up Tommy Bahama instead and picked up this perfect backpack for the plane ride home.  It will carry the cups and towel, along with the t-shirts that won't fit in my bag.  Oh ... and snacks for the plane.

Once back home, we all hit the pool.  There's rarely anyone in it and it's MUCH cooler than the condo.  

While laying on the lounge, I spotted this guy sipping the water beads off my bottle.  He is maybe 2" long.  They grow them small over here.

Dinner was a birthday party for two of four gals.  We went to the Maui Coast bar where they serve fabulous drinks and have live music.

Yessiree ... y'all know I don't drink hardly at all, so I ordered this Mai Tai with half a shot.  No use impressing the new folks by my staggering.  Though I didn't get a picture, I had fish with rice and a caesar salad.  Best meal ever for $23.00.  I was shocked at their cheap prices and how great the food was!!

Here's the girls we ate with ... family as it were ... the best time I've had in quite some time.  They just got in and will be staying a week while I check out and head back home in two days.  Sorry, no pictures of the wonderful meal.

Second best part ... Becca with the long hair went on to my return trip reservation where I had the dreaded MIDDLE seat.  She got it changed to a window seat.  YAY for window seats!  By the way, Becca is a pilot for Southwest.  Not a co-pilot ... THE PILOT.  Yes, she flies those crazy huge planes full of people.  That just amazes me every time I think about it.  Kind of like me on a D-10 cat ... only TEN times better.

That was it ... we came home to a somewhat cooler upper floor.  It's 77 right now, so may actually be conducive to sleep.  It's been a tough week, but that's what Advil PM is for.

I think we are going paddle boarding this morning.  At least THEY are.  I'll just snorkel the beach.

STILL WAITING ON THE HURRICANE

 If you're going to be stuck somewhere for hurricane season, Maui is the place to go.  Is this not a gorgeous sunset?

Actually it is a MOONSET.  This is the full moon setting over the ocean.

It's about 5:00 in the morning and WELL worth getting up early for.  This is the first time I have EVER caught a moonset like this.  

Shortly following that was the sunrise.  As you can tell, I'm parked on the patio watching all of this while sipping my cup-o-joe.  As the hurricane heads this way, so do the clouds.  It didn't really rain, but it spit on us a couple of times this morning.  We are patiently waiting on the swirling dervish, though it seems to be moving VERY slowly.  I expected lots of wind and rain last night, but it did not happen.

Left and right or even overhead and behind you, the sky was spectacular.

This was the last of it as I headed on over to the ABC store for some breakfast,  I was totally distracted with the purchase of another T-shirt ... that only makes two ... because they are so much lighter weight and cooler than the shirts I brought.  I ditched the Levi shorts and capris for my running shorts.  It's just too hot.

In no time, Cyndae's daughter Becca and her two friends showed up.  We took them snorkeling in Kapalua bay.  The water was not as nice as the day before, once again the results of the hurricane heading our way.  The winds were pretty strong and the currents even worse.  

We went WAY out this time, to find sea cucumbers, more parrot fish, lots of anemones and one lone turtle trying hard to stay in one spot so he could eat.  He flipped over twice before heading out to deeper water.

We were earlier this time and got the perfect spot to hang out under this tree.  Within a couple of hours, the rollers were hitting strong and the tide came in with a bang.  We had to be quick on our feet to keep from getting washed away.

That's when one of the girls ran into this baby just hanging out waiting for dinner to arrive.  I've no idea what kind it is, nor do I want to know.  She almost got it stuck in her face before coming to a screaming halt.  You'll be happy to know we left it to it's web.  No spiders lost their life on this day.

After a couple more runs, we were all snorkeled out.  Plans for barbecued chicken were made and we headed back home.  THIS joined us for dinner.

If you want to see fabulous sunsets ... no color enhancement at all ... come to Maui in September.

They keep saying the hurricane will turn west, but we are not seeing that yet.  Worst case they say we are looking at 25-30 mph winds with 50 mph gusts.  It's a wait and see game.

ALOHA from the sunny warm ocean shores!!

HURRICANE WEATHER

 Waking up once again VERY early in the morning.  There were three huge trees here, but they fell over in the last storm.

Breakfast was simple ...  a breakfast bowl from the ABC store.  No kidding  ....  this stuff is delicious.  Rice, scrambled eggs and fried corn beef with peppers.  

Our plans for the day were to drive up to Lahaina.  When you stay in our condo for two weeks, you have to leave on cleaning day.  So off we went, looking for a place on the beach to snorkel since the water in Kihei was too rough for paddle boarding due to the hurricane heading our way.  Oh yeah ... hurricane!!

We arrived in Lahaina just in time to drive the main road through town.  Oh so sadly, this is all that is left.  I mean if you were ever here before, you would not even think you were in the same place.  There is nothing but tall weeds and very few skeleton buildings.  It's just not recognizable at all.  Every single building is gone.

This is what remains of the old Jail/Library/Art center.  We spent many hours in the basement of this building in the old days.  It's all gone except the concrete side walls.

At least what remained of the old fort is still in tact.

This was the busy downtown section, full of art shops, souvenir shops, clothing stores and restaurants.

It's just awful ... you can't even visualize where anything once stood.  The only thing left untouched was the Cannery and the Safeway store.  If you ever went to the Luau behind the Safeway, it is still in one piece too.  

Thank the Good Lord, THIS is the banyon tree.  Everything around it is gone.  The parrots who posed for pictures now live in Kehei.  The big wooden building/hotel is completely gone.  The two story across the street with a restaurant upstairs is also gone.  So sad.

At the very end there are still two tiny restaurants open.  We lucked out and got a seat at the bar.  The bartender said they were closed down for 6 months before they were allowed to reopen.

I ordered three malasadas.  HUGE they are.  They come on a wooden plate with a syringe full of caramel sauce.  The sauce on the plate is lilikoi vanilla.  You take the syringe, stick it in a malasada (kind of like a HUGE fried donut hole) and fill it up.  Not too much or it will explode.  They were amazing!!

Cyndae had eggs Benedict with bacon and hash browns.  Also delicious!!!  At least we donated a bit to the locals for breakfast.

Right outside was the Hula Girl.  She's been moored here for as long as I've been coming to Maui.

We finally landed in Kapalua bay.  It looked crowded, but the water was perfect for snorkeling.  This is a big sheltered bay where fish and turtles hang out.  Too bad I forgot my camera.  No kidding .... this place had some of the best snorkeling ever ... and we were practically alone in our endeavor.

Just to the right next to those rocks was a baby turtle eating up a storm.  What a cutie he was.  I spotted silver knife fish, parrot fish, angelfish and dozens of tangs, along with my favorite Humuhumunukunukuapuaa fish.  I was surprised to see so many in spite of the rough ocean.

We could have sat under that tree all day, but alas, the tide came in and washed us out.  

We skipped dinner since we were late getting back, so we walked across the street to the Gelato store.  Peanut butter Oreo cookie if you please!!!  There was a fabulous sunset ... probably the best I have ever seen here.  

It is of course because of the hurricane heading straight for us.  The good news is that it will hit the island of Hawaii first, and according to the weather guessers .... it will turn West and miss us, with the exception of some good winds and ocean rollers.  We are close enough to get a little wet, but hopefully no damage will occur.  No, I'm not to thrilled about that and I'm watching the weather constantly.

Wish us luck!!!  And if I don't return someone please take care of Kitters!!!  Just kidding .. we should be fine.

Update:  It rained very hard three times last night.  There will be flooding here and there, but hopefully not where we are.