Chilling in South Kona

Much of the time we spent in South Kona, we just relaxed, read, watched birds, picked flowers we then made leis from -- but mostly just enjoyed each other's company. Kenny and I snorkeled at Two Step a couple of minutes below our house every morning while Mom either relaxed and read on the lanai, or relaxed on the lava beach watching people, birds, and reading. It was a really relaxing week!

Thanks, Mom, for making our Hawaii vacation so special. We love you!!

From South to North

After such a fabulous trip to the South end, we decided to head to the North End of the Island, to the village of Hawi. We chose the small, windy road that traversed the top of 5 extinct volcanoes on our way northward, driving into the clouds and greenery of the island's upcountry. Every few miles, the clouds would open, and we'd catch a glimpse of the ocean and beaches thousands of feet below. Pretty breathtaking.

When we got to the little village of Hawi, we had a delicious lunch at the historic Bamboo Restaurant, then ambled across the street for some macadamia nut ice cream (mom) and some fresh mango sorbet (me and KP). The village was preparing for it's annual "Trash Bash," where kids and adults in the community get together to put on a fashion show of outfits made completely of reused and recycled materials. We sat in the sun, enjoying our deserts, watching what was obviously a tight-knit community prepare for an event that was clearly fun and important to them.

After a few days on the island's Kona Dry side, we needed some Hilo-jungle side atmosphere, so we drove "around the corner" to the end of the road to a lush, beautiful rainforest valley, spending a few moments gazing over the cliffs to the sea below..AND seeing more whales. Were they following us?

The answer to that was clear when we drove to the very northern tip of Hawaii, only to see dozens more whale blows, fin slaps, and breaches. We think they were waving goodbye, as they began their 3000 mile swim back up to Alaska, and their first dinner in 6 months.

On the way back home, we stopped at a county park to watch the sun set. It was perfectly quiet, perfectly peaceful...just perfect.

Wonderful day at South Point

We ventured south from our mango-coffee farm to go to the most southern point of the United States, South Point on the Big Island. Historians believe it's the first place the ancient polynesians landed when they discovered Hawaii. We thought we'd have a nice picnic, experience the vastness of the Pacific Ocean all around us, and generally enjoy the ambience. What we received was something quite different, and much more wonderful: when we got to the most southern point, we started seeing blows from humpback whales -- first one, then a couple, then ten, then an entire arc of whales blowing, breaching, tail- and fin-slapping all around us.

We were absolutely giddy. No "whale watching" cruise could have matched the beauty of seeing these families of whales from shore. The rest of the trip -- gravy!

Settling in to our new home

We have a three-bedroom house with a huge lanai overlooking Kealakekua Bay and the Big Blue Pacific. What more could we ask for?


Gekkos!!