The Porch by 'Baby Beach'

One evening we looked down at the 'baby beach' and discovered a wedding in progress!

My favorite spot on this Hawaiian vacation has the been the porch of our rented house.  Incredible view out over the ocean and there is the constant roar of the surf for a soundtrack.

The porch is covered so it does not get too hot in the sun and it stays dry during the sudden downpours.  If I feel a need for heat - I go to the 'baby' beach.  If I feel a need to cool off - I go snorkeling, or hang on the deck.  The porch is a GREAT place to eat dinner and hang out with the family.

 All the ingredients for a great vacation are on or around the porch.  All the little side trips were just good gravy for an immensely satisfying and rejuvenating family vacation.

Patrick

Polly and John admiring the sunset and the moment. 

Everyone 'capturing' the sunset - the new norm for the digital age.

Scenic underwater shot from Polly's camera

While my camera my have lost its underwater capabilities my sister Polly's camera did not.  I went for a snorkel with her and John on the reef in front of the rental and she captured the requisite underwater turtle shot.

The turtle and I

We were a little worried about this restaurant and almost left before getting served.   Lucky we didn't - the Hawaiian Poki and Fish tacos were the best of the trip.

Catamaran Trip

The day started with Stuey exclaiming "This is like fireworks!" and ended with Nora saying, "That was the worst day of my life". Two very different experiences of a daytime catamaran adventure.

The Northern Star is a catamaran tour boat which takes eager tourists like ourselves out to the reaches of Kauai shoreline-most of which is only accessible by boat. Many of the cliffs we ventured by have been seen in scenes of famous movies including Jurassic Park.

The day was moderately windy which provided for some rough, "fun" boating...but not for Nora. She was very insistent about going on the trip, even though she knew she would get seasick. She took dramamine which helped make her woozy and not care as much, but she was still quite queasy. Fortunately she never had to "speak to the seals", so to speak (my dad used that as code language for barfing over the edge).

The trip yesterday made my soft spot for catamaran rides even softer. Sitting on the trampolines in the warm air while the boat glides over the water feeds my soul. It was fun to share the experience with Stuey yesterday, as that was his first catamaran trip. He smiled so big as the boat hit waves as well as watching the large numbers of dolphins and whales.

The cliffs and scenics on the far shore of Kauai were so spectacular....hard to describe in words. The coast is so rugged and jagged that no roads go there. No wonder it is perfect for filming movies such as Jurrassic park!

Zoya

Stuey took this picture of porpoises with his little point and shoot

Another picture by Stuey of a cave along the Na Pali coast

The beginning of the trip. 

Nora slept most of the trip curled up in the fetal position. 

The spectacular Kauai coast-line. 

The Scene on the Northern Star. 

Wildlife of the Brazilian sorts in the background...

Riding the trampoline during the big seas-so fun to enjoy the seas from this perspective!

One of the few moments when Nora wasn't seasick. 

Stuey riding the trampoline!

Zipline Times

"Welcome! You're all here for the sky dive tour, correct?" our guide, Justin said as we pulled out of the parking lot onto a main road. Our group chuckled, as  we were really  off to a 4 hour zip-line tour.  Justin's humor got  the desired effect-to humor and relax us before we put our lives in their hands as we would fly through the air trusting our lines on carabiners and cable systems.  

 We walked a short distance down a trail into a jungle and started the day on a shorter, smaller course. 

Alex, the guide, gave us instructions on how to mount the line, ride safely and  how to dismount on the opposite platform with the assist of the other guide. 

Then it was go time. 

Stuey jumped up to be the first rider of the day and wasn't scared at all. It was a proud mommy moment for me. The other adults in the group looked over and said, "wow, hes so brave". I was happy for Stuey for his enthusiasm and glad that I didn't go first!

The afternoon was speckled with fun and humor from the guides and other folks on the tour. They called the helmets "Brain buckets" and said they were so the guides could find us if/when we landed on the ground. We all nervously chuckled at the partial truth to their jokes!

 One of our guides, Alex, has led groups for 2 years and her experience really showed. The muscle memory of checking and double checking all the connections was in her hands with every movement. The guides would instinctively double and triple check harnesses and for this I was thankful. There is absolutely no room for error and everything felt amazingly safe. 

(Nonetheless, my heart still jumped up into my throat every time Nora and Stuey stepped off the platform, into mid air. A mom with an 18 and 22 year old sons on the course that day said the same thing happened to her when her sons stepped off the platform. This was re-assuring to hear, that I wasn't just a "nervous Nellie" mom)

Zoya

Stuey in sand castle heaven. 

Dinner on the porch of our house. 

Morning sun time!

Justin saying "Just to let you folks know, if I have to do First Aid, I go straight to mouth to mouth"  Laughs!

Family photo!

Nora flying through the jungle.

Watching other zipliners come onto the landing area. 

The final ziplines where we achieved speeds of 40 miles an hour!

Fabulous scenics along the way.

I think this suspension bridge got my heart beating faster than the zipline!

"Whee!!" Nora was great about letting out squeals of delight!

Getting ready to take off!

Stuey in zipline heaven. 

Zoya

Down Time

This week in Hawaii has been so good the soul.

We've found a rhythm to the day where we wake up, eat breafast on the deck- I help Nora with homework. 

Then at 8:30 or 9:00 we go down to the cove and the kids play in the water for a little over an hour. Noon hour is lunch time out of the sun or outing somewhere. 

The hours before dinner are back by the beach as the sun prepares to set. Patrick's family rotates nights for cooking dinner. On several occasions, Patrick's family has granted Patrick and I a chance to go to dinner alone without kids which has been fun. The kids get a chance to hang out with family without Patrick and I there and Patrick and I get a few minutes to enjoy a Hawaiian grown-up meal. 

This trip has been even better for my soul  than I could've imagined. The down time, and ability to "do nothing" has been fabulous. Sometimes vacations can be filled with too much of having to be somewhere, doing something and this vacation hasn't felt that way. We love our front deck and can spend countless hours reading, writing. 

Nora chillin' in the evening sun in the hammock. 

Sunrise on the point. 

Ahhh....zen moments!

Cove fun.

Stuey on helicopter Tour with his grandfather and Aunt Polly an Uncle John

Nora vs. the wave

Nora and Stuey with Granny Coco

Zoya

Underwater Issues

Despite my love of snow and cold places I have always loved to snorkel in warm water.  And for this trip to Hawaii, more than anything else, I was looking forward to the snorkeling.  In the old days affordable under water cameras did not exist, and I could not wait to test out my underwater camera.  It would be my first time snorkeling with a camera.

Here at Kauai the snorkeling has not disappointed.  We have a reef right in front of the house, the water is clear, and there are all sorts of colorful fish out there.  I've seen turtles, barracudas and even a gigantic and scary eel poking out of some rocks on the bottom.  My favorite spot to snorkel is out at the edge of the reef where there is a cliff down into the deep water.  This is where all the big fish like to hang out.

Unfortunately my underwater camera only lasted one trip.  It still works only the lens is fogged.  I got photos from the first trip, but no turtles, barracudas, eels or any of the things I found on subsequent trips.  Still, I did get some photos and now I can just enjoy the snorkeling without the worries of capturing it with my camera.  Patrick

Waimea Canyon

SNORKELING

Things are on the mend with Patricks legs. Today is the first day in weeks and weeks where I can honestly say that his legs look better...AND he is more comfortable. I am so relieved and thinking we won't have to worry about seeing the dermatologist or doctor for now.

Two days of snorkeling and swimming has really helped Patrick's leg rashes and I'm so glad to see him on the mend.

This morning right after sunrise, Nora and Stuey were so excited to get into the ocean right away. We rented little boogie boards from a surf store which the kids have enjoyed floating on.

This morning the tide was coming in which meant that the very small waves were a little bigger and exciting for the kids. They were squealing with delight and Patrick was out with them helping them manever their boards. All of a sudden Stuey started crying and said he didn't want to get off the board. He said something scared him-he felt like a fish bit him.

Tears were streaming down his face as he walked out of the water onto the beach. Nora came out as well, shivering with blood coming down her leg from a small cut on coral. It was a sad way to end the morning of swimming.

snorkeling in the cove. as Stuey says, "There are 'thousands' of fishes!

body boarding!

WAIMEA CANYON
A few hours later we headed out for a drive to Waimea canyon, which is like the grand canyon of Kauai. The ride up to the canyon was an hour on twisty-curvy roads and Nora was slumped in the back seat, clutching her stuffed Buffalo (Brownie) the entire way. She was terribly carsick. I would look back at her and her eyes would be half closed, as she just tried to not feel sick.

On the way up to the canyon we stopped at a little shrimp hut and smoothie hut. The kids got the worlds largest shaved ices and I got shrimp tacos. I'm reminded how these experiences of ice cream cones, shaved ices, etc are classic family vacation experiences for kids. Soul food for the little ones. It is so fun to experience these little moments with them.

Waimea canyon-Nora loves her xtra tuffs even in Hawaii!

Family photo at the canyon

canyon scenic

the drink spot

the worlds largest shave ice!

NEW YEARS RESOLUTION
I am so rejuvenated already. I've been doing lots of thinking about the past two months, how sick I was with a cold and how I"ll work to prevent that from happening again this next year. My new years resolution is to do less and say No more often. As my friend reminded me, saying "No" to others or commitments is saying "YES" to me. A very good way of putting it!

The Sangria options from dinner last night. Fabulous!

The deck~my favorite part of vacation. Listening to the waves, relaxing and watching the kids on the lawn. 

Zoya