MAY – JUNE 2018 VISITORS & CRITTERS
This has been a busy month for
us, lots of visitors and good times. Son
Ian and wife, Stacey arrived on the same flight as Mary Fran. Mary Fran also had a string of guests so we
all shared the wealth. When Ian &
Stacey left, we had a 35 year reunion with Aikido friends here. They and Mary Fran left and we had our next house guest arrive, one year old Howdy Doodle.
Our
visitors brought warm weather at last and we finally put our socks away and
opened the windows and doors – even at night.
Pupu parties, a Na Pali boat trip, and the infamous Memorial Day run as
well as trips around the island. Fun,
good catch up.
On Seabreeze from Anini, Sharon, Kim, Mary Fran, Gil, Ian (Stacey on camera)
MF was so excited to see her house from the water, seems bigger than ever!
Always gorgeous
Na Pali Cathedrals and folks
Inside a “wet” cave
Gil & Mary Fran
Gil fish
Stacey says HI
MEMORIAL DAY RUN
This year the run was from
Kilauea Bay to Anini Beach. Ian and
Stacey agreed to go even without kayak experience. Predicted to be flat calm, it was challenging
for everyone to get out of the bay to coastal open ocean. Ian and Stacey hulied twice and caught in a
current that brought them nearly back to shore, they soldiered on. Surfer Rick switched his kayak with Jane's stand up surf board early on, the swell just a little much. Gil had a good time once everyone was on
course, whew!
Portaging the
boats at Rock Quarry
Rick helping Gil with his OC-1 (like riding an eggshell)
Gil
finally took off as he was sure they were on their way. A couple false starts
and baptismal dunks and they all made it around the corner
Triumph! Good Job
Good visits with the kids,
enjoyed the fresh greens and fruits from the markets, dinners out, an excursion
to the south side while Princeville enjoyed heavy rain.
Before dinner at the PV Westin
Nene wading in the Westin swimming pool
Makawauhi Cave revisited with I&S (from above)
Tortoise – one of several in the native plant restoration
area (as mentioned in past, these are rescue animals from people that couldn't handle having an exotic pet)
Mahalauapu – stunning day - you'd never know the cave existed from here
Following
all that, we lunched at Brenneke’s and had great good luck with critters on the
beach there. Two monk seals had hauled
out and also a green sea turtle. Too
Cool!
Monk seals posing
Green sea turtle trying to get comfy on the beach
Teary farewells with family, it was only days before our next adventure began. Aloha Oe
REUNION
A 35
year reunion with old friends from Aikido; all ladies, we called ourselves the
Aikiettes. By 1982 the other girls had
all moved away but returned for camps.
1980 Beth getting tossed by Diana and chief instructor
Friesen
1982 Gil and Diana doing jo work
Diana had her black
belt by then, Gil his second degree black belt
1982 Sharon (purple belt), Diana, Laura (blue belt) with
two of the Hawaiian instructors, Henry and Roy plus Chief Instructor Jim Friesen (gone to Maui)
1983 Diana, Eli,
Sharon, Laura everyone met up again at an Aikido camp, Diana was second degree,
Eli and Laura brown belts (both later got their blacks), and Sharon had her
Oriental Medicine degree and married Gil (she chose to revert to her white belt)
2018 The intrepid
gaggle, 35 years later (Laura, Beth, Diana, Eli, Sharon)
The other sunset gaggle
Another
pupu party at Mary Fran’s wonderful abode where she provided the reunion a champagne
toast.
The Albatross chick in her yard is a big hit, in addition to her incredible view.
When the Princeville Albatross chicks were banded
this year, interested parties were offered to obtain the bird’s sex. Charlie here became Charlotte.
Shave ice, a picnic and hike, lots of chatter.
Colorful buddy found
during shave ice feast in Hanalei
Picnic
Red heliconia
Trail on PV side of river mouth
The gaggle had a quick game of
mini golf; we clearly played to see how many times we would miss the hole and how
many times we went off course. It was a tie.
What does par mean?
That was followed by meeting
Mary Fran for the Fire Dance show on the same property as the mini-golf. It just happened to MF birthday – now she has
caught up with me!
Dinner too. Happy Birthday!
MORE WATER
Everyone loved snorkeling – even Beth finally got to
see our “other world” prodded by the snorkel ambassador Laura
Highlight of Anini, a young eagle ray
On the Bay – in a 6 man ultra-light canoe
Another glorious wet day
Dolphin bay
Paddles – L to R: Steersman Kawika, Sharon, Gil, Mary
Fran, Diana, Eli.
My first time in the ultra and I got to stroke. I think Laura’s camera was slimy here with
sunscreen but it couldn’t hide the happy guys.
Beth chose to sneak in a 90 minute massage that she raved as fabulous!
End of week, airport awaits for Beth and Laura. Coffees at the beach restaurant, nostalgia!
Lava lava - so nice to relax we didn't even move to get the ocean behind us
Eli flew late and Diana spent
another couple days here in the water. I
picked up friends who had a cruise layover for the day en route from Tahiti to
LA. We all found our way to Poipu again,
no time for the cave, just lunch. No
monk seals or turtles today, we checked.
Kris & Glenn, Bon Voyage
Beth & Eli, A Hui Huo
NEXT GUEST PLEASE
Just
as everyone else left the island, we had our next arrival, Howdy Doodle, for a
week. OMG
Howdy - Mr. Personality
After his bath
Before he chewed his leash in half
Nap time (maybe not)
What
a riot, lots of walks; lots and lots of walks.
The nicest was late afternoon out on the golf course toward the
bay. He really didn’t bother trying to
chase all the birds we saw (good as there are so many Nene around); he
preferred dead toads. But he was easily
distracted and so very cute.
Bay view, glad I don't have to worry about slinging golf balls around here
Close up
June
is not over, more visitors to come.
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