Homeless in Hawaii :-)

Like this tree I'm all alone on a beach in Kauai. :-) Bob went back to Phoenix on his red-eye work flight & he left me here. LOL. We wanted to extend the same hotel room for a night until Bob got back to Kauai tomorrow... but the American Airlines host hotel (Marriott) is sold out. So is the other Marriott on the Island and about every other resort too (unless you spend $3500 a night).

So I camped! That's my blue tent. It was Bob's idea to bring it to Hawaii for the 1 night I'd be on my own. I thought it was a brilliant idea. For 3 dollars a night I stayed here!!!

It's right next to the beach so after I put my tent up, I put my feet up and watched the sun go down. 

Pretty sunset!

I slept great until about 3:30am when the roosters started crowing. And it wasn't just 1 rooster... there were many. They were strutting and screeching for hours. I was wide awake and sat on the beach waiting for daylight. PS: The campground had decent bathrooms & outdoor showers. Phew.

Plus a dip in the ocean does wonders. I jumped in once the sun came up!

After a quick shower I packed up the tent & took off in our island jeep.

1st stop was a coffee shop. 2nd stop was a photo op. Had to capture the view along my drive. Wow!

And then I hung out here... a hidden beach recommended by a local at my coffee stop.

It was so beautiful and seemed to be a place that mostly islanders know about. A highlight was running into who I thought was Bethany Hamilton (the surfer who lost her arm at 13 years old to a shark attack while surfing). She arrived at the beach when I was getting ready to leave. It looked like she was with her husband, kids & friend. Later I googled her and sure enough... she is from Lihue, Kauai (the town we're staying in). She married a surfer, she still surfs & they are raising their family in Kauai. Now I wish I had talked to her! :-) :-) 

I did a little more sightseeing. Suspension bridge in Hannapepe.

Blow Horn. 

For a late lunch it was fish tacos & a banana smoothie at Poipou Beach.

So far being Homeless in Hawaii isn't so bad. :-)

December (Aloha!)

Aloha from Kauai!

As Bob would say "It's take your wife to work day!" :-)

We woke before sunrise but early risers get the beach to themselves.

It was a cloudy day with rain in the forecast. #kauai

We packed our rental car for the day & headed out to sight see and hike a trail along the Na Pali Coast. Our 1st stop was this funky roadside joint with yummy acai bowls! Mmmm.

Is this color green for real?! Yep!

Are these flowers for real?! Yep!

This rooster is for real too... but apparently he is one bad chicken! Hahaha. #funnysign

We did get in a hike but it wasn't the one we planned. The road to the Na Pali Coast was closed just past Hanalei Bay. Due to a heavy rain last April the road has been under repair & is likely to remain closed for several more months. Bummer... The Kalalau Trail is probably one of the best & most known hikes on Kauai. We did the 8 mile hike in 2000 when we came to this island with friends. But that's a long time ago so we wanted to do it again!

I forget the name of the hike we did today but I'll call it "MUD TRAIL" WOW... the trail was steep and so muddy & slick. Some parts became nearly impossible. In fact we turned around after we'd had enough. It was still a 2 hour outing & it was still pretty!!

Muddy Tunnels.

Muddy shorts, socks, shoes & legs. Yikes... jump in the ocean pronto!

It was a great day at work for Bob... and for his wife too!

Thanks Kauai!

#wettestplaceonearth #greenestplaceonearth

Good-bye Christmas

Good-bye Tippy (and Pat & Bob). They left this morning (December 27th) to drive back to Los Altos Hills, California. Thanks for a wonderful Arizona Christmas together!

Good-bye Christmas PJ's & Harley. Bob and I are also leaving today... we are flying to Hawaii!! Bob has 2 back to back work trips to Kauai so I'm tagging along to enjoy the rest of 2018 on the beach with my husband. Harley will hold down things at home. She's just glad she won't have to wear these embarrassing pajamas anymore. :-)

Good-bye Christmas! Christmas is more than giving presents but we sure appreciate so many wonderful & thoughtful presents. New colorful hot pad & on the right is a paper Christmas tree from Africa. 

I have to laugh at these 2 pictures! Above is our potato peeler test. Yes... I own that many potato peelers but afterwards I threw out 2 of them. #5 won and #6 was Pat's favorite; just a paring knife. On the right is my newest Yogi in the house. Thanks to Heidi for finding this gem... An Elephant in Tree Pose. Hahahaha. Namaste & Thank you Christmas!

December (Flying)

December 26th: Flying Day!

Pat & I had fun going out to the Chandler airport with Bob & Bob. But it was the guys who had the most fun flying this Piper Warrior.

They checked the wings.

They checked the gas and the bolts and whatever else you check before take off. When it comes to airplanes these 2 know what they're doing.

Happy Flying! See you in a couple hours!

All done & from the sounds of their stories it was a great morning to fly the Arizona skies. The 4 of us had a yummy breakfast at the airport cafe afterwards. Then we jumped in the car to visit Hope 4 Kids office...

...to deliver beautiful dresses for little girls around the world. Pat & friends have kept busy sewing since their last visit to AZ. Today Pat brought 61 dresses lovingly made in California. Hope 4 Kids staff is always excited when Pat arrives. It's amazing what these seamstresses can make and it's a joy to know these dresses will be making young girls very happy.

Thanks Pat, Linda & friends!

December (Gifts)

Christmas cards & gifts in the mail, holiday wishes on FB and fun presents opened on Christmas morning from Pat & Bob, M & Rod... thank you soooo much!

Perfect coffee mugs for Bob & I. Thanks, Pat!

I gave Pup Socks to Bob & Bob. Look close... Harley is on the one pair of socks and Tippy's face is on the other!

Bob gave his dad a day of flying at the Chandler airport!! It was a fun gift to open (& keep as a surprise until Christmas morning). More on their flying day in my next post.