Friday morning is our last full day. It has been a GREAT vacation and we hate to see it end.
Hatha Yoga Flow with Carole started us off, very Ashtanga style today; many variations of the Sun Salutation. During savasana she turns the music off and sings to us:-)Dan greets we with a fresh ginger lemonade. It burns the mouth and throat in a healthy 'scorchin' way. Really refreshing. We had our last lunch in the sun at the Hanalei Gourmet. The salad has ahi on a bed of field greens and cabbages with bean spouts, dolphin bread croutons made with molasses and cornmeal and top that with blue cheese. G O O D!
Dan needed to make a last trip to the Lighthouse in Kiluea, where the whales were happily playing.



I made a reservation to tour the Kunana Dairy on Kapuna Road. We enjoy buying their cheese at the farmer's markets. The tour began with meeting the goats; pregnant ones in one are and Luther, the sole male in another. The goats that get milked twice a day stay in another field. They all have names like W.C. and Sweetheart. They all have goatees. The male stinks! They have an organic farm as well and fruit trees of every kind. The produce was really impressive. They also keep bees to pollinate the trees.
After the farm we settled on Anini Beach for a last long look. There was a wedding couple doing a lengthy photo shoot, we later saw the party at Baracuda where we met Mike and Nancy for a farewell dinner.
Dan says this was our best vacation ever. It was a good balance of art, yoga and sport.My highlight was meeting and getting to know my half brother who I first met at our father's memorial service last April. He was warm and welcoming and has shown me who my father was by example.
Dinner started with a Mojito and we enjoyed the same menu we had two nights ago adding the Mahi with white beans and arugula pesto ( Kanuna dairy), the scallop on lentils and the medjool date salad with celery,parmesan and balsamic. I brought Mike his own coral "L O V E" as a keepsake.

Happy Birthday Mirage. . . You are five years old. Recently I heard,"Dogs live in the moment," Thank God. When we get home we will have a proper celebration. I called GDB today asking Jeanine to give her a special day :-)
Dan and I slept in, enjoyed coffee and hit the road. We need to snorkel and I am "Timid", according to Dan. I thought I was afraid. . . We passed a pack of wild boars, who nearly crashed into our car and they thrashed along the road side. Kalua Pork on the hoof. Breakfast was late at the Olympic Cafe. We needed full tummies to snorkel.
Arriving at Lawaii Beach we contacted Mike and Nancy and stowed our gear. Snorkel Bob helped us out with the gear. Wading into the cold water we donned our masks and fins. Wow! what a teriffic array of tropical fish. So glad Dan gave me a nudge. After staggering out of the deep, we landed face down on the shore, panting, dizzy and wak. Well worth twelve dollars.
Up at the Moragn's we showered and enjoyed an early cocktail and continued getting to know one another.
Heading for home, we encountered more North Shore sprinkles. . .oh well, the sunset was breathtaking.
I whipped up some roasted garlic to add to the bow tie pasta and chichen. We have come to love the star fruit. Like a crisp apple.
A very good day
"In Lawaii Bay
Snorkel Dan and snorkel Sue
frighten pretty fish"



God Bless us all. . .Mahalo

Dan makes reservations at BaraCuda Tapas Restaurant.
The wine was a pinot noir sangiovese blend, a 2007 from Mishaud Vineyards in California
grapefruit avocado and roasted beets served with arugula in a horseradish vinigarette
roasted fingerling potatoes in a romanesco almond sauce
grilled lamb riblets saffron creme sauce and pepitas
pizzetta mozzarella,basil, blue cheese and sweet leeks.
pots de creme and a coconut macroon
Happily we shared each small plate.
We sang Happy Birthday to Mirage while the guesta at another table sang to someone :-)
We are Blessed

Upside Down!
This morning was rainy and now in the late afternoon we have clearing; the winds absent, yea!
Our morning constitution involved three point two miles on Anini Beach. I was looking for coral pieces in the shapes of L O V E, for our home. Dan could invent this font and we could be set for life, don't you agree?
We each enjoyed a fish taco at the Taco Shak and sat under the public lanai with some Palm Springs residents on a Movie Tour. (They don't eat seafood.)
As the sprinkles continued, we eased on down the road, committed to taking in all the local fare. Next stop, Red Hot Mamas for a Mahi Mahi Baja Burrito with avocado. Yummers! We attempted to settle on the beach to devour it, but the showers chased us back to our car.Off to the end of the road then and Ke e Beach. It was so crowded we couldn't find a parking spot.
Our next mission was to investigate Hanalei Happy Hours for Mike and Nancy. Photographing menus proved to be enough research after we tried a Steinlager.
Home again, Dan read and I painted.

The day began with a memorable Kiss. . . better than this blooming hibiscus on a sweet February day! And that's saying something :-)
Grey was the dominant color and so I began composing haiku at an accererated rate to share the experience:
Tropical grey hues
Taupe sand, slate sea, pewter sky
Hanalei drizzle.

No way around it grey and damp everywhere. We ate at home and headed South to do some shopping for the people we love at home. ( We love you all; that's why I bought Macadamia nut Hershey's kisses!)
Arriving at Kekaha in the sun, why didn't I wear a swimsuit under my clothes? Apparently I am not the optomist I thought I was :-)
We had a fine long 'explore' maybe three miles on a steep graded beach with lovely waves. We both had armpits ringed in wetness by the time we were done.
Waimea Brewpub awaited us. As Dan described, tired, thirsty and very hungry, no problem, we took it in our stride. The waitstaff was running. Babies wailed, people relaxed to the Hawaiian music and drew deep breaths when they could.
My intention this week was to practice Shani (taking that pause). Time for a bloom!
So we can respond in the way we choose to respond.



And then I blew it. I was so lost in the 'Ugly American' moment, my response was instinctive. A woman was harassing a slight Hawaiian server who was serving her as well as he was able. She was like a pit bull locked about his leg, arguing and smiling with satisfaction. She smiled at me engagingly. I spoke quietly, "Shut up." with no forethought at all :-( "You are being rude." She aggressively argued defending her position. "You are still rude" I insisted.
And I looked down to break eye contact. I was shocked by my unpremeditated reaction. I looked at Dan to confirm what had just happened. Oh, yes, that was me.
I layed down when we got home just to think it over.
Relax Deeply opened with a poem called' " I must tell you" by Rumi. I smiled to myself.Do you believe that every thing that happens is perfect and happens for a reason whether or not we understand it?
The poem explains that some people need words, they don't "GET IT". Was I just the messenger? OMG
Dan prepared a wonderful dinner Kauai yams ans greens served with a Roast chicken. Best husband ever!! He in fact was Proud of my reaction. Where's the shanti? I know where the Love is~

A Gold Star for Susan

Dan here.

After a week of fantastic weather, we awoke to a dreary day on the north shore. Wind, rain, we were in the clouds. We had a day planned up here, but quickly decided that it would be best to go south in search of warm, dry weather.

We found it on the beach in Kekaha, and walked for an hour, which qualified as exercise because of the deep sand. We were happy to arrive at the Waimea Brewing Company in Waimea at about 1:15.

And they were slammed. We've eaten at the brewery at least once on each of our trips here, and we've never seen it so busy. The parking lot was packed, and we had a short wait for a table.

Service was slow -- there were only two servers for maybe, oh, 30 tables. One of which had about 16 people, including two screaming babies. We were tired and hungry and thirsty, but tried to settle in with the situation since we know that service isn't always the best on the islands.

On the table to our left, however, there was some drama. Two couples, somewhere around 60, were grousing aloud about how long it was taking to get their food. After a bit, one of the women started arguing with the waiter: "You forgot our order." "We've been here an hour because you forgot to put in our order." He tried to reason with her, apologizing and saying they were very busy and there was a huge table that got in just before them. She continued to berate him, getting loud.

Then, Susan looked at her and said in a firm but loud whisper: "Shut up! That's just rude." When the woman tried to engage her, Susan said to her again: "That's just rude."

And that was that. After a few minutes, the outraged lady left the table and went outside to stomp around the property. The other three quietly and quickly finished their meals ... I'm sure they felt about 2 inches tall because of how rude their companion was. And as I'm sure all of you who know Susan know, she wouldn't say Shut Up to Satan himself.

After they all left, we called the waiter aside and told him we were sorry he had to put up with such a rude party. Another table did the same thing.

And I told Susan that I was darned proud of her, for sticking up for what's right.

She's a real gem.

After all that, Susan's brother Mike and his wife, Nancy, arrived after their hike in Waimea Canyon. We were finishing up our meal; we visited while we finished and they ordered and started their meal. And we all had a good chuckle out of it all.

Here's to Susan!

Groundhog's Day

Good thing Dan knew what day it was, we found the movie on TV at four and savored the holiday will Bill Murray. We own the film and forgot to pack it!
We had wind and showers through the night. Grey and moist this morning while I attended a Hatha Yoga Flow 1 at 10:15. Carole is a delightful teacher, tiny and full of laughter, she gave everyone lots of loving touches. We had a busy series of poses and even learned a few new ones. Krounchasana is heron Pose and very easy. I felt quite comfortable in this level of class. Relax Deeply is a good evening practice when combined with poetry and candlelight but morning sweat is also good.
Dan picked me up and I had an hour to paint.
Then off to the Dolphin for an ahi salad. Dan and I walked a few miles along Hanalei Bay. . .





Returning home we thought we'd head to a nearby resort for a swim before watching the Movie of the day. The pool was cold and the hot tub was not heated. Home again home again jiggety jig!
The rains continued but we love hearing the surf pound and palms rustle. Dan grilled a steak and we heated up the spaghetti from last night.
Once again our fridge is looking empty. Don't tell me the vacation is coming to a close. . .I still have two yoga classes and a snorkel date.