The Last Hurrah! Thursday, 2/18/16

We have enjoyed our week on The Big Island, but now it was time to go.  Our flight from Kona to Oakland didn't leave till mid-afternoon, which left us with a few hours for more exploring.  The ETA at Oakland was 9:30, and then we had the three-hour drive up to Nevada City, so we wouldn't get home till after midnight. Tom and Diane's flight didn't leave till late night and they wouldn't get to Sacramento till 9 the next morning.  Tom would return the minivan, thank you very much; it served us well for the week.

Tropical Giant White Spider Lily -- wowzers!

One final look at Bldg 21, third floor, overlooking the golf course.

Stylish, clean, and quiet, plus all the comforts of home.

Hawaii is known for its spectacular wildflowers,

and rightly so.  These Lantana pop!

This last morning before departure, we discovered yet another beach/snorkel spot not far from where we were staying --Anaeho'omalu Beach, a calm bay and a lovely place to relax on the sand after a swim or snorkel.  Maybe next time!

The wind, ohmygosh, that wind!  No hat or visor would stay put.  Hair blowin' every-which-way, but the warm sun felt so good.  Tom was getting in a few more doses of Vitamin D. The four of us climbed into the minivan for the short hop to the airport, where we said our good-byes, and see-you-tomorrows.  Our friends would join us in Nevada City for the next week, trading in Hawaii for California before returning to their home in Tallahassee, Florida.  Hey, this sounds like a travelogue!

I'll leave you with this very subtle rainbow, another quintessential Hawaiian symbol.

Aloha, till we meet again!

California, here we come!

Waikoloa Walk-about -- Monday Afternoon, 2/15/16

By afternoon, a wind advisory had been posted for the Kona Coast, with sustained winds of 20-30 mph and gusts to 50 mph.  I decided these winds were more than just trade winds, but I could be wrong.  When I asked about snorkeling or driving to Waipio Valley at the information desk, the reply was, "better not, not in this wind."  Tom and Diane returned from their sales pitch and ate lunch, and we decided to simply walk around the village today and explore areas that we'd yet to see.

Jimmy at lunch with his friends.

Everyone was glad we were on the leeward side of Bldg 21.

This little guy was hiding from the wind in a protective nook of our balcony.

Check out the centipede the Pacific Golden-Plover yanked out of the grass!

It spent a long time working this thing loose!

Then, what to my wondering eyes should appear?

Not eight tiny reindeer, but a gaggle of wild goats cruising the golf course!

More serene pools with an ocean view.

Imagine swimming in this lagoon!  That would be so cool.

They actually swim on the other side of this beautiful structure.

Lots of fun being had here!

Woo-hoo!

They both look happy.

Eventually we found "Dolphin Quest" at Waikoloa.  For a fairly hefty fee, you could swim with the dolphins (below), or chose a different experience.  Longer times in the water with the dolphins involved spending buckets of money.  I was surprised to learn that they're using Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins here in Hawaii; not sure why.  I would love to snorkel and interact with dolphins close by, but only in the wild.  We watched for quite a while, and the kids seemed to be having a grand time.  Man, dolphins are FAST!

Surf's up!

So much beauty to be seen, everywhere I look.  I stumble often because I'm always looking -- and I'm fortunate enough to be able to see -- from the small and humble to magnificent and grandiose, from stark black to vibrant colors ... and in Hawaii, it's easy to be awed.

We've seen a lot of grand sights this trip, and we still have a few more days to enjoy The Big Island.  To play!  Tomorrow's forecast calls for more wind, so we'll have to wait till then to decide what to do.  Like Scarlet O'Hara:  Tomorrow is another day.

Monday morning Walk-about -- 2/15/16

Today at 9 am Tom and Diane met with the vacation rental people, but we didn't have to go, yee-haw and thank goodness.  What Jimmy and I wanted to do was go for a walk.  But we knew as soon as we stuck our noses outside the balcony sliding glass door that something was different.  The wind was blowing.  Really blowing.  

One of us, who shall remain anonymous, took to feeding the House Sparrows cereal crumbs.  Once that activity began, the sparrows didn't go away.  Every morning they waited; they knew when we got up and sat like little vultures lined up for breakfast.  It was kinda fun, till we looked down on the flooring a few days later and saw all the little sparrow poopers.  Oops.  Mynah birds joined the party some mornings, and then it was not only messy, it got noisy, too!  "Uh, guys, you know?  I think we shouldn't be feeding the birds out here anymore."  

So, when our friends walked across the street to their appointment, Jimmy and I set off on our walk.  It was warm and windy. When we stopped at another clubhouse for an in-and-out break (water in-water out, if you get my drift), I spoke with one of the managers.  I mentioned the wind and she responded, "Oh yes, it's wonderful to have the trade winds back.  It's been calm here the last couple of few weeks."  On the question of VOG, she agreed that the winds would keep that at bay.

We had a tailwind going, and a headwind on our return, which was good, 'cause by the time we turned around, it was going on 11 am -- too warm to be out hiking in the sun.  The wind in our faces kept us cooler.

We love learning new things.  Didn't know this trail existed till this morning.  Even after reading the sign, we stepped off the sidewalk onto this semi-crushed lava rock path.  Tough going -- walking on lava is no fun. We went as far as the property line and then hopscotched across lava boulders to get off the durned path onto soft grass.  I would definitely NOT walk on this path at night!  Uh-uh, no way!

 Lots of small Saffron Finches hopped about on the grass.

It was easy to walk right up to them; they seemed unafraid.

You want color?  I'll show you color!  Look at this beautiful Bougainvillea!

We aren't sure what these trees with the HUGE leaves are,

some kind of coastal tree.  Very pretty.

We walked up to the entrance of the huge Hilton Waikoloa Village.  It's closer to the ocean, with lots of hotel rooms and fancy shops, fine eateries, more swimming pools, reefs, et cetera, but we didn't go any further.  This handsome horse of sorts was our turn-around point.

Lovely bunch of coconuts as long as the wind doesn't cause one to fall on our heads!

When we were camping at MacKerricher St Pk in NorCal last year, we looked all over for the Snowy Plover that was supposedly nesting nearby.  Saw nary a one.  Here at Waikoloa, Pacific Golden-Plovers were everywhere!  My Hawaiian bird guidebook gave this detail: "Unlike many migratory shorebirds, the Pacific Golden-Plover is not limited to lowland coastal areas.  It can even be seen along roads and other open areas."  We almost had to kick them out of the way.   

Once we saw this sign, we knew we were close to the condo.  We were ready to kick off the shoes and sit for a few minutes.  Maybe have a bite of lunch.  Tom and Diane were still at their meeting, so we settled down on the balcony to wait.  We discussed what was in the cards for the afternoon.  Our four-plus-mile walk suited us to a T. to be continued in the next post ....

Valentine pool-time! Feb 14th, 2016

Since we spent much of yesterday gallivanting Out and About and it turned into a fairly long day, the four of us wanted to chill out and hang out ... poolside.  This is not a mere swimming pool.  Set amidst waterfalls and lava rocks, this salt-water pool complex boasts sparkling plunge pools, whirlpools and loungers.  There's a sand-bottomed pool and a kiddie pool. A water slide and a "tunnel" slide. Volleyball in the sports pool.  A fitness center.  Even a cold plunge pool (shudder, no thanks!).  Take your pick. Towels are provided.  Just wear a bathing suit and bring your SPF.  Surrounding all is lush and colorful landscaping.  Enjoy!!

Nope, this isn't the pool, although this is the entrance to the pool complex, and activity center, bistro/lounge, deli/bar (woohoo, 60" TV's), vacation check-in, information, and -- last, but not least -- the shuttle stop.

Tom and Jimmy, ready to hit the pool.

Notice who is not in the photo because she is TAKING the photo.  Sorry, no bathing suit shots of me!  I spent most of my time in the water, and even got up the courage to send my old body down the slide and the tunnel chute, not just once, but several times. Loved it! We tried different pools with varying temperatures, but everyone's favorite was the hot tub, of course.  All day at the pool? Wonderful panacea for anything that ails ya!

Always monkeyin' around!

Saw these little fellas poolside, too.  Left is the Orange-spotted day Gecko and on the right is a Brown Anole.  It appears the Gecko is growing a new tail.  Jimmy sez it's either an Insurance Gecko or Art Decco!

This is my favorite picture.  Boy toes and girl toes!

Tom is having a blast in the waterfall.

Two grown men in line with the kids for a free shaved-ice cup.

What a relaxing day, and, after all, isn't that what life is about?  Going and doing AND relaxing?  I wish to heavens I'd remember that each part of my exposed body needs sunscreen protection!  I always seem to miss a spot (sigh...).  When we got hungry, we ordered lunch at the deli (behind where the shaved ice was served), and then the guys walked across to the condo and brought back our Mexican Train Domino set, and we played a few rounds sitting in the shade.  The picture above is looking out from the pool complex area toward Bldg 21 where we're staying.  Everything looks very green and tropical, tho without water, about all you'd see would be piles of lava, like the photo below.

This kitty seemed comfy on it's lava rock perch behind the condo,

and wouldn't turn around, period.

At dusk the tiki torches are lit.  After dinner we strolled around, inhaling the evening fragrances (no VOG today), and admiring the grounds.  One last picture and then we climbed into the elevator for the third floor and resumed our domino games.  

Oh my!

Hawaii 2016, one more time! Thurs/Fri, 2/11-2/12

We've had a grand time, these past two weeks, playing at the Hilton Waikoloa Village on the Big Island of Hawaii. Now it's time to write some catch-up posts, if I can remember all that we did and saw (which is doubtful ).  Since I didn't take notes or fill up a calendar with our activities, I'll have to depend on photos to jog the ol' memory.  I'll do my best.  

The last time we were here (near Kona) was October 2014, and we were with our Tallahassee friends, Tom and Diane, that time, also.  They booked a week's time share and lucky, lucky us to be included again. Think lagniappe!  After our week in Hawaii, Tom and Diane followed us to our home in Nevada City for a California week.  Seems like the best of both worlds for all of us.

As we did the previous time, Jimmy and I flew out of Oakland Internat'l Airport to Honolulu on a Hawaiian Airlines Airbus 330 -- which makes for a very smooth five-plus hour flight -- followed by a short hop to Kona Internat'l. Above is Honolulu taken from the air on our quick flight to Kona, with Waikiki on the right.  We were dismayed at the hazy sky and the closer we came to Kona, the worse the visibility.  I figured VOG was the culprit (air pollution from erupting Kilauea Volcano reacting with oxygen and moisture in sunlight). The air reeked of smoke when we debarked.  We crossed our fingers that the A/Q would improve as the week progressed.

Hello Hawaii!

Our luxurious two-bedroom, two-bath condo was located on the third floor this time, with a large balcony overlooking the lava fields and a golf course.  Cats were always hanging around below, and you can guess why ... it's so tempting to throw pieces of cheese or other goodies down to them.  They also hung around the front door of the building in the evenings and some were quite agreeable to being petted.  They were fun to watch.  Bet Waikoloa Village doesn't have a rodent population!

Building 21 (where we're staying on the third floor).

Jimmy and I arrived in the afternoon, picked up a Chrysler Town and Country Minivan rental, bought groceries, and drove to the condo. We picked up Tom and Diane, who didn't get in till about 9:30, and we all crashed soon thereafter.  They'd been up for 24 hours or so, flying from the East Coast, and me and Jimmy got up at 3 am for our early morning flight -- so we were all exhausted.

The next morning (Friday), the smell of smoke and haze lingered, but it didn't seem as bad. Our plan for this day was a trip up the coast to the town of Hawi and further on to Keokea Beach Park. Reports said the waves were high and we wanted to see for ourselves.  It was warm, not hot, shorts weather, and the A/Q improved a lot as we drove north (away from Kilauea).

The volcanic Hawaiian coast is just stunning, whether sandy or rocky, no matter where you stand.  None of us went in the water here; it looked way too treacherous.  We took lots of photos of waves crashing on the rocks and walked around the park.  We liked being able to drive right down to the park, without hiking a mile!

A Yellow-billed Cardinal (Paroaria capitata) was busy, grass-to-tree, grass-to-tree!

It looks a little ratty, maybe molting?

Impressive!!

Diane and I posed on the seawall at Keokea as waves lashed the shore ...

... and then Jimmy and I posed.  I think the tide was incoming and we nearly got splashed, as high as we were in this picture.  We had to holler to be heard, the breaking waves were that loud.

Hunger drove us away from the park, but we'd noticed an old cemetery on our way in and I wanted to stop on our way out. I couldn't find out anything on Kohala Hongwanji Mission Cemetery, and neither Jimmy nor I could read the tombstone inscriptions as everything was in Japanese (I think). Suddenly a flock of bright yellow birds flew in to drink from a pail filled by a dripping faucet. Maybe 50 birds! These are Saffron Finches (Sicalis Flaveola), and they're mighty pretty.

When we were in Hawi (pronounced Ha·vi) in 2014, we wanted to eat at The Bamboo Restaurant, but it was closed.  The concierge had told us not to miss it. Well, we'd tried. But this time we were in luck.  And the food was as delicious as we hoped.  I had the Kohala Pork Quesadilla (above), while Diane had the Kohala Fish Quesadilla, and we swapped a quarter each (win-win).  The avocado you see on my plate had been picked by our hostess that morning and she was pleased that we enjoyed it. We didn't leave a crumb on our plates, but we did leave the restaurant very full ... and happy!  The place was packed with a constant waiting line.  

Goofy guys (Tom and Jimmy)!

On our way back to the condo, as the sky darkened and a few spits of rain fell, we stopped at this simple, but stylish St. Augustine's Episcopal Church, established in 1884.  Seeing Poinsettias in bloom in February in the shadow of waving Palm trees, made me do a double-take.  The church door was open for all and any to enter, with one caveat posted on a sign: Please close the door -- cats like to pray too.

Since we weren't in a hurry and wanted to explore parts of the island we hadn't yet seen, we pulled in at every state park sign (or otherwise) that we saw.  One of them was Mahukona Beach Park, and I'll talk more about that in a later post.  People were in the water here, many snorkeling, and it looked really interesting.  Gazing seaward from the park, I spotted the telltale spout -- whales!  Mind you, these whales were far, far away and my little point-n-shoot was maxed out in its zoom!  As we made our way down the coast to the condo, we saw several more whales, some closer to land.  Humpbacks, we believe.

We ended up our day at the Queens Marketplace, where the grocery store is, as well as restaurants and a food court.  It's a neat place to walk around, with the Koi Pond flowing thru the main area.  Of course, there's lots of shops catering to buying tourists!  Or, in our case, looky-loo tourists.

This handsome Black-crowned Night Heron stood stock-still, poised at pond's edge, just waiting, waiting.  We saw it blink its eyes, but otherwise, it moved not a whisker.  Wouldn't it be nice if all critters remained just so while we took their pictures!

Finally, I'll leave you on this photo of a tropical Breadfruit Tree at Queens Marketplace.  We wondered what it was the last time we saw it, and this time we asked someone who knew. Yes, the large round starchy fruit is used as a vegetable, tho we didn't get to taste one this trip.  You know what that means, doncha?