High vibration three day vacation.

The north shore of Kauai is spectacular. As we headed to the beach for sunset it was like no time had passed since I'd seen Floyd, Michael and Lehua four years ago. The beach (any beach) is always great for people watching, there's often a wedding (there was) a family photo with the uniform of khaki pants and white shirts (check), people leaping in front of a camera (normally me but not on this evening) and then there are the picnickers....we fell into this category. Cheese and wine never tasted so good.

Kids have a way of speeding up time as their change is so rapid in contrast to our own more gradual demise. Despite our extra grey hairs and wrinkles the joy of hanging out with people I love and who love me, was nourishing and as familiar as the proverbial old shoe.

As Lehua and I walked the beach we almost didn't see this sleeping Hawaiian Monk Seal.  Once spotted though if was impossible not to stop and hang out as she rolled, flapped and napped. Beauty personified.

As if that wasn't enough, not five minutes walk from sealville was a tree with some rope that was begging to be played on.

Tarzan I am not!

Base camp was up to Floyd and Michaels usual standards.....

With a perfect break out the back door. 

It's amazing how restorative the perfect set up is, not to mention what incredible cooks the boys are and what great company Lehua is. 

Oh, and this within walking distance!

Tahiti Nui is the local dive bar that is also frequented by a lot of tourists, which gives it a peculiar split personality. So as a gay couple with an adopted Chinese daughter and an ex-wife in tow, we fit right in! 

 Oh lordy lord.......

Ditto!

It was so good to unplug, reconnect and play. As I headed home I was really grateful to have been around love, family and laughter and it made my resolve to create more of that stronger.

I have been hermiting for too long and some proactive social measures are in order!

Weekend mini break.

I took a short 45 minute flight and was in another world on Kaua'i for a few days.

With three German's and two Brits, Team Kaua'i was not short on food, wit, laughs or beer....though sleep seemed lacking thanks to the stereophonic booming frogs that bombarded our night time airspace.

A word to the wise, if you ever get into a drinking contest with Frau Elan (pictured left), you will lose!

May I recommend getting some food in your stomach first and conveniently located behind the outdoor garden at The Dolphin restaurant, is Hanalei Fish Market which has the best sushi rolls any of us have ever tasted (even sans beer).

The taro fields spread for acres in the Hanalei valley and are a perfect habitat for some of the endangered native Hawaiian wildlife.

Such as the Hawaiian Moorhen, who along with the Coots and Stilts cutely populate this rich habitat.

Further down the coast the Kilauea Lighthouse is another fantastic viewing point for seabirds playing on the thermals.

While we're on the subject of wildlife, Ulli laying (seemingly) naked didn't phase the women in his life as they've both seen it all before!

Quick trip to the beach anyone?

The Pee-wee get-away vehicles.

Clearly a favored mode of north shore transport.

As the under 50's embarked on an epic overnight adventure along the Kalalau Trail and I quote Michelle "I am now scared of hiking"......(click on the link and view the third photo down to see why)!

......the over 50's celebrated Gertrude's 72nd birthday in style.

Even in an early morning mist there is a breathtaking beauty to Hanalei Bay. If you've not been, go....it never disappoints.

And finally.....

Ely, this ones for you! How about the added touch of the ice bucket which was the bin from the condo bathroom, cheers!

From the mountains to the sea.

To get this great view of Hanalei Bay, we completed the steepest hike I've ever done (think red face, lots of sweat and pulsating brain) along one of the ridge lines.
What the hell is this?
Well, we all know what this is!
Nature is a great shape maker and as we climbed in elevation the different ecosystems of the forest were quite apparent.
Ti anyone?Back at sea level, some things never change. A surfer’s focus will only be pulled away from the waves by one thing....

Hanalei.

This is the quintisential view that every tourist to Hanalei has and why not? Look how beautiful it is and from the big rain we had, how the river has swelled.
The taro patches here are plentiful here, our friend Martin owns Maui Taro Burgers (commonly known to his buddies as Martin burgers) and they are fricki'n delicious.
Even on a cloudy day the Napali Coast takes your breath away.
As the first north swell of the season showed up, I was attempting to show the sets rolling in....anyway-now I've explained, you get the point of this photo. This break had 6 people on it, a veritable sanctuary for a migrating Italian surfer from Maui!
And it produced waves like this - sweeeeet! This was two days ago and with the swell building I suspect this is going to look like childs play in comparison to what we see today.
We have spent most every evening enjoying the sunset at Hanalei. The sand is like powdered sugar, the view consistantly stunning and the vibe friendly and healthy. Anywhere you live it's worth taking a moment to reflect on your abundence, as the day slips from late afternoon into night.

Le Coq au vin.

This photo screams for a double entendre, so I plagiarized some British humor for my own amusement!
(Michelle) Well I was wondering if I could use your cooker to finish off this dish I’m making for Ulli's dinner. Coq au vin.
(Sharon) What?
(Michelle) Have you ever tried coq au vin?
(Sharon) No but I once let an Italian put his hand up my jumper on the back seat of his Fiat.
Ahhhh...some things never change :-)

Hawaiian directions.

Walk down the little dirt path,
Past the log in the water,
Under the tree where the big coconut lives,
And ta-dah....there you are. I swear I've lived in Hawaii for 17 years and cross streets and road names are rarely used unless you're visiting. If you ask me for directions I will look at you with bewildered confusion if you name the roads 31 to 56 etc..... Actually it's not dissimular to the UK-go past The Red lion, make a left a greasy spoon, past the chippy and ta-dah....there you are (I'll have half a bitter shandy-thanks for asking)!

The Garden Isle.

One of the many advantages of having an Inter-Island holiday is the lack of jet lag. Up at 6:00am-flight at 8:30am and in our car and off to our first adventure by 10:00am, excellent.
A nice welcoming I'd say....
The horn spouted and that was as much tourism as we could handle! We caught a small kine surf contest in Poipu and the Groms were ripping. While Giampaolo was off surfing the longest left in the State....I dabbled in a little computer art. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but being the lap top novice that I am, I hadn't yet twigged that between the sand, dust, salt spray & insects, the beach wasn't the place for a computer-duh!
The shore break was a spanker.....
Ulli-this ones for you....
"Lazy Sunday afternoon, I got no time to worry.....close my eyes & drift away". Who the hell sang that song? Anyway, I didn't want to close my eyes for a second as the day was so varied and beautiful-gosh what a lucky girl I am.