Reflecting on Maui...
There's just something about Hawaii for me...I relax there like no other place! What is it?
I think because it's just so different from home, but still wondrously beautiful... Whatever time of year you go there, you are instantly transported to summer, the season of vacation...And, of course, there's sunshine and the beach...you know, SUNSHINE...BEACH...
{Sigh}
We WILL be going back.
This trip, we arrived a bit more savvy about how to negotiate the wonderland. We knew what we wanted to do...we didn't need to read lots of brochures about our options.
Kamaole 1 Beach
We headed straight to the beach where Lon (aka The Farmer's Brother or Farmer 2) and his wife Deb, taught us the art of Beach Bummery. We were quick learners.
Our instructors, hard at work...
The Farmer embraced the lessons, and spent hours practicing!
Me, on the beach -- my good side...
We spent the next 4 days on the beach...doing nothing, and enjoying everything.
That is The Farmer, bobbing/noodling in the water...our favorite form of exercise.
Farmer 1 and Farmer 2
Beach Bum Instructors and Students
Our daily encampment...
Pale and white, in a matter of days, we were transformed to pink, red -- and hey! a little bit of brownish-ness...My anticipation of Maui had included some grave concern about the state of undress I would have to display there...Uh, I know that clothing is my friend --and I feared that the exposure a swimsuit requires would engender some...well, surprised looks, and, perhaps, uh, some heckling...
I need not have worried! As I traversed the beach in my comfortable, but modest, swimclothes, I became aware that there are many people on the beach who seem to suffer a sort of backwards body dysmorphia...They think they look better than they really do -- especially in a two piece! And, apparently, these people had thought this for many days as all manner of rolls, and folds, and...and...uh, volume, were deeply tanned. {Gulp} I was thrilled to find out that I was unremarkable in every way. Pure joy!
As for these backward dysmorphics, I gently remind: Yes -- a tan will make things look better, but a tan still may not elevate things to the level of looking good...But thank you for erasing my worries about hot weather dress!
Interspersed with our beach bumming, was the need to eat food -- which we did at some lovely restaurants...oh, the life! Besides, we needed to celebrate Deb's birthday, which we did at every opportunity!
Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahi Mahi...
...at the beautiful Five Palms.
Scrumptious desserts...
...after the best steaks of our lives at Ruth's Chris Steak House.
Amazing food and service!
The Farmers, 1 and 2, took a helicopter tour of the island...marvelous!
After our Beach Bum Instructors had to return to the mainland, we did our best to bum as they had taught us...but we also explored the island a bit.
We drove past sugar cane fields...
...toured the Sugar Museum...
Headed further south to Makena...
...and ended up in the moonscape that is Ahihi Kinau Natural Reserve.
This looks like clods of dirt, but it is all lava rock of various sizes.
It is a lava flow from probably the 1790's that came from a fissure on the side of Haleakala.
It's a wasteland, in the middle of verdant green -- surreal!
Power lines and a water line go through (over!) this area...no way to dig in a line...probably no need for a water heater either!
Ho'okipa
We drove through a bit of the upcountry to Makawao, and the Hana road, then back tracked down to beautiful Ho'okipa, and around through Paia -- hippy town, and back to Kahului. Ventured a little ways up the Iao Valley, but then back to Kihei. There's so much beauty everywhere on the island!
We did NOT do 2 of the most famous drives: Haleakala, and the road to Hana...Well, we did a bit of the Hana road...And if you are wondering why we did not do all of it, the reason is simple: The Farmer is not interested in going someplace that you have to drive the same way back. He prefers to take a different route home, to the point of skipping the whole trip to avoid this dilemma.
All I can say is it's a good thing we don't live on an island...It could be problematic.
We moved from Kihei, to Kaanapali for the last 3 days of our stay, where we joined the other members of the Co-op Board for meetings...Well, the guys had work to do -- the rest of us created our own agenda of meetings: "Meet you at the beach..." "Meet you at the pool..." Meet you at the Starbucks cart..." Meet you at Whaler's Village for shopping..."
Our resort in Kaanapali...
It was a beautiful place!
The beach...and Black Rock, the snorkeling spot...
Fun times! It's always a treat to spend time with this group as we have so much in common as farming families. A lot of our experiences are unique to this vocation, so it's great to have some concentrated time to commiserate, confab, and laugh a lot.
Dinner at Kimo's in LaHaina with the Co-op Crew...
I believe this was a committee meeting...
It was a bit of a shock.
But it didn't diminish the wonderful respite that we had enjoyed...and the memories I keep mulling over on these last days of winter. It's just nice to know that it's always summer somewhere.
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