As promised

While in San Francisco a couple of weeks ago, we walked over to Fisherman's Wharf to explore the shops and view the sights.

I got all excited when I spotted this sea lion sleeping on someone's dock just off Pier 39. I decided I'd better snap a picture of it because it might be the only one I'd see that day.

Then I walked toward the end of the pier....

Whoa. (Double-click to enlarge photo.)

A Wrap-up...and a wrap-up

So we've been home a week now and I'm still trying to get my life back on track.

Maine's fall weather came as something of a shock to the system after the warmth of Hawaii and then California. Last night I even went so far as to wear my flannel jammies to bed. I know that's extreme, but I was c-o-l-d. I've been wearing socks to bed ever since getting back home. Maybe I'm spleeny, as we Mainers say. (When we say "spleeny," we mean we're a little too delicate, or think we're too delicate, to handle the harsh challenges of whatever situation we're in at the moment.)

A funny story I meant to share from Kauai: As Ken and I were hiking the NaPali, and we were walking through an area of especially dense growth, I said, "Smells jungle-y, doesn't it?" Ken replied, "Yes, it smells like an old car that's been shut up in a damp garage for a long time." I had to chuckle at that. I swear, he sees life through the windshield of a Model-T Ford.

During our week in the San Francisco area, we did a lot of sightseeing. I have some great shots of the sea lions at Fisherman's Wharf, but danged if I can figure out what I've done with them. I'll locate them and share them soon. They're probably still on my laptop. I swear, there were at least 100 sea lions, big, lumbering creatures, sunbathing on the floating docks next to Pier 39.

We spent one day visiting Sausalito and Tiburon. Beautiful little coastal towns, both of them, with interesting shops.

We had lunch at Angelino's in Sausalito, sitting outside overlooking the harbor. We were a tad taken aback when we realized that there, sitting at another table nearby with his same female friend, was the exact same guy who'd caught our attention at a restaurant on the San Francisco waterfront the day before. He'd caught our attention the first time because he talked loudly and enjoyed bragging about his helicopter, his yacht, his this and his that. Now here he was again. We expected to see him the next day in Sonoma Valley, but he must've decided to go elsewhere.

He was probably as tired of us as we were of him.

Speaking of Sonoma Valley, it was a beautiful day to be there, as you can see from this photo. We toured two wineries and had lunch in a small town. After lunch I told Ken I thought I'd wander into the Baskin Robbins right next door, because I'd been craving an ice cream cone for days. Lo and behold, as I stood at the counter waiting to place my order, I noticed a sign which said, "Thursdays are seniors days. And TODAY is Thursday. $2.49 cone for $1.49; waffle cone regularly 59¢, free."

Well, I wasted no time in hurrying back to the restaurant to let Ken, Jim, and Lynn in on the special deal. Before we knew it, we were all enjoying ice cream cones. There are advantages to having joined the "seniors" status.

During our drive through wine country we decided to take a little side trip to Jack London's museum in Glen Ellen. I used to teach London's The Call of the Wild, so I was eager to see some of his personal mementoes from his trips to far-reaching places, his manuscripts, etc. It was a worthwhile stop. I liked this view of Ken and Jim walking up the slope to the museum, so I snapped a picture of it.

We did a lot of laughing together, the four of us, on this trip. And I must say, the guys did well to put up with our sometimes hard-to-resist backseat driving. They got us good in San Francisco, though. It was the day after we'd flown there from Hawaii, and the guys went to the car rental place to pick up the rental car.

When they got back and we were ready to go out exploring, I asked Ken what they'd gotten for a car this time. He replied, "A gray one." I thought that response seemed odd, because he usually tells me the make and model when I ask that question, seldom the color. I then asked, "What kind?" and just as he said, "A Sil...," Jim stepped in to change the subject.

A little while later I heard Lynn ask Jim what kind of car they'd rented, and he, too, replied, "A gray one."

Very interesting, I thought. We then went down to the parking garage to get into the car and head out for a day of exploring. There, sitting in its parking space and overlapping into the parking spaces on either side sat a big, honking, gray Silverado. Lynn and I, who like to think of ourselves as ladylike, delicate, and image-conscious, just about passed out at the prospect of riding around the San Francisco area in a huge truck. Once we climbed inside, though (and it did take some real climbing to get inside), we had to admit it was downright comfortable. The thing was a six-passenger, for crying out loud, so we had more room in that than we'd had in the sub-compact cars we'd rented. And besides, the back seat windows were tinted, so no one could see Lynn and me in there anyway. The guys still think they were pretty funny for pulling a fast one on us.

And finally:

My knitting project just before leaving on vacation was this baby blanket. I know, I know: it doesn't look much like a baby blanket, but it's for afghans for Afghans, and all knitting for this charity must be in dark, 100% wools. (Their current campaign if for baby blankets for the CURE hospital.) I used various leftover skeins, and I figure its many colors will keep a newborn warm as well as a blanket of one color will.

Want to see something cute?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikTxfIDYx6Q

Last Days on Kauai

Woe is us. We're in San Francisco now, which isn't such a bad place to be, really, but it sure was hard to leave Hawaii yesterday.

We'll spend the rest of this week here, visiting friends, then return to Maine and a certain brown dog named Molly.

On Saturday we took a Blue Dolphin cruise of the NaPali coast. It was called a sunset cruise, and you'll see why in my final photo here.

The scenery along this coast, as with every other spot on Kauai, was beautiful. This first photo is of the valley which we saw from the NaPali Lookout a few days earlier.

Here, if you look carefully and also use a bit of your imagination, you'll see sea turtles relaxing on one of the beaches of the NaPali. I can see four for sure, maybe six in all, when I study the photo carefully.

The Blue Dolphin boat crew was outstanding. The young male crew member, a California native, was the spitting image of Tom Cruise 20 years ago. He enhanced the scenery, if you get my drift. The captain was probably in his 30's and the female crew member was probably in her 20's. I thought they did an excellent job of making us all feel comfortable and of telling us the history of this island.

We were served a delicious buffet dinner, complete with Huli-huli chicken, pork, rice, Caesar salad, and topped off with a champagne toast.

Now THAT'S a sunset to remember.

High Surf and Shave Ice

The four of us went to Ke'e Beach bright and early this morning, hoping to do more snorkeling. When we got there, though, we immediately spotted a sign saying, "No snorkeling. High Surf. Dangerous Conditions." I guess we should have predicted this situation because the surf pounded especially loudly outside our condo all night.

We put our snorkeling gear back into the Jeep and chose a beach walk instead.

But before we started the walk, we noticed a group gathering. Each person wore a shawl draped over one shoulder. After the group seemed complete, they all walked to the water's edge and appeared to participate in some kind of ceremony. We still have no idea what this was all about, but it was interesting to watch.

Their ceremony completed and the group disbanded, we began our beach stroll. Lo and behold, what to our wondering eyes should appear but a monk seal, resting on the beach.

We kept our distance and watched him for quite awhile. He'd roll over occasionally, rub his fat belly with a fin, and go back to sleep. He was one tired fella, but I suppose he'd been tired out by the thrashing surf during the night.

Then for today's grand finalé, we decided to try some shave ice. I expected it to be disappointing, since it's only shaved ice drenched with fruit syrup, but it was surprisingly yummy.

Tomorrow's agenda: a boat cruise of the NaPali. I hope the waters are calmer than they were today. The life guard at Ke'e assured me they will be.

Shopping and Kilauea Lighthouse

Yesterday was the day Lynn and I designated as a day for shopping, and I've got to say we have two patient husbands. They put up with our browsing in shops in Hanalei and Kapa'a and all points in between. We rewarded them with big, dripping ice cream cones at the Coconut Market later in the day.

We also drove out to the Kilauea Lighthouse, which is where I took these two photos. We've seen dolphins frolicking in the waters here on past visits, but they weren't out and about yesterday. We did see a monk seal, though, resting on the shore. He'd move ever so slightly every now and then, to let us know he was alive, but other than that, he wanted to relax and soak up some rays.
I've put a photo of a Hanalei Valley in my header. This was the view of the valley yesterday morning. It's now my new screen saver, too.

It's going to be hard to leave this beautiful paradise in a few days. I don't even want to think about it. Meanwhile, we'll go back to Ke'e Beach today, for one thing. And tomorrow we're scheduled to take a boat tour of the NaPali.

Waimea Canyon, NaPali Lookout, and Hiking the NaPali

We've been busy the past two days. Yesterday we drove from the northeast side of Kauai to the southern side and up the northwest side. It's a long drive up, up, up to Waimea Canyon. The view there is spectacular, as you can see.

But to me, viewing Waimea Canyon is only a prelude to the best, most spectacular sight of all: the NaPali Lookout. To get to it, after you leave the Waimea view site, you continue up, up some more and eventually come to the end of the road.

There you look down at the western edge of the NaPali. We were worried about yesterday's viewing, because clouds closed in as we were climbing the last few miles of the drive. Just as we arrived at the lookout, though, the clouds parted and we saw THIS!

We also saw a helicopter far, far below us, so that gave us some perspective as to just how deep the canyon view is.

Today we put a little icing on the cake by hiking the NaPali from Ke'e Beach. The Kalalau Trail is 11 miles long, but we hiked in only two miles because really, we're not complete idiots. I say "only," but it's a rigorous hike. You need to watch each footstep to make sure you're not stepping onto a mud-slick rock or about to tumble over the steep cliffs. The last time Ken and I had hiked this trail was about 8 years ago, and it's amazing how eight years added to your life can slow you down! We persevered, though, and made it to our destination, the first beach along the trail. Then we turned around and hiked the two miles back. We were covered in mud by the end of the hike, but we were happy to have accomplished our goal.

I suspect we'll be taking a leisurely day tomorrow.

Beautiful Kauai

See the photo in my header? I took it just a few minutes ago. It's what we see when we look out the living room and bedroom windows. Not bad, huh?

We drove to Ke'e Beach this morning, then hiked along the beach for quite awhile. After that we sat on the beach, cooled off in the water, and snorkeled. Lots of beautiful fish in these waters!

I think tomorrow morning we'll hike a mile or two of the NaPali. This is always a highlight for Ken and me. I hope Jim and Lynn are up for it; it's a rugged hike, muddy and slippery but oh, the views!

The weather's gorgeous, by the way.

A Glimpse of Oahu

Jim and Lynn climb to the top of Diamond Head.

The four of us at the top of Diamond Head. That's Honolulu down there.

Honest to Pete, this was the view from our hotel room at Waikiki. Not bad, huh?

The U.S.S. Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor. Visiting this site is a very sobering experience.

Lynn and Barack hanging out in a Waikiki shop.

Aloha!

Aloha from Princeville, Kauai, Hawaii. I'll post photos soon, I hope. We arrived here today from Oahu, where we spent this past week.

Our condo is on the edge of the ocean; the surf is lapping the shore outside our windows. We have two bedrooms, two baths, walk-in closets, full kitchen and dining area and large living room. I could spend six months here, easily, rather than only eight days.

We're here with our friends Jim and Lynn. They're our good travel buddies; we've taken many trips together. This is Jim and Lynn's first trip to Hawaii, though, and they're loving every minute of it. Why wouldn't they? We're in paradise, for sure.

Right now Jim and Ken are driving back to the car rental place in Lihue, where Ken accidentally left his carry-on luggage. At least the luggage has been found and is safe there until Ken can get to it.

Lynn and I are relaxing. We've unpacked and Lynn even has a load of wash in the washer. Clean underwear is on the near horizon! Hurray!

I'll upload some photos soon....