Saturday, November 26, 2011

Cousins


sent to me by my special cousin Janna
that's us in the matching outfits below


 with more cousins at my maternal grandparents 50th anniversary celebration


Friday, November 11, 2011

Back to Austin via Lihue


sign in Lihue directing us to both places we had stayed -
Poipu and Hanalei - had fun in Waimea too



cowbird - we had seen them all around - just never close up



bike route



Kalapaki Bay
We went looking for the real Kuki'i Lighthouse, but didn't find it.


Surfers and paddle boarders at Kalapaki Beach



Orange Cordia blossoms


Orange Cordia Tree


At JJ's Broiler overlooking Kalapaki Bay we shared our table with another couple whose table got rained on. We were under cover and invited them to sit with us. They (Dan and Adriane) were leaving  half an hour later than us to go back to San Francisco. They were passing time just like we were. Tom had some great fish tacos and I had tasty fish chowder. We talked to them later at the airport. 
Adriane was randomly chosen for the patdown, just like I was.



"Mahalo!"
Thank you, Kauai, for a wonderful vacation!


Last Hoopla - Wailua River Lookout


I love maps!



Wailua River Lookout





Opaeka'a Falls
from the lookout across the street from
the Wailua River Valley Lookout



check out the trees by the falls



a little closer





maximum zoom for this little camera




photo op for me with Opaeka'a Falls



Tom's turn with Opaeka'a Falls


marker for the highest peak on the island of Kauai

Wai'ale'ale


distant peak is Wai'ale'ale



Wai'ale'ale is 5,148 ft



view of Fern Grotto, a lush lava tube, popualar tourist attraction

the four specks in the river are kayaks

kayaks


bougainvillea at lookout point


last glimpse of monstrous falls




looks just like yellow belles found right here in Texas

Picnic Lunch at Lydgate Beach Park

Since it was our last day in Kauai we had to check out of our condo by 11 a.m. Tom and I made wraps and drove to Lihue to spend the rest of the day since our flight didn't leave until 11 p.m. We found this really nice park, Lydgate Beach Park. It had covered picnic tables where we ate our lunch as we looked out over the ocean. The beach here seemed to collect a lot of driftwood which was usually not the case. Also, very few seashells were on any of the beaches that we saw. This beach had a couple of "swimming holes" that made it a safe place for people to swim. They blocked off the large waves with walls made of huge lava rocks. In the parking lot were the cutest chicks with their mother hen. The park also had a large open pavillion where people were picnicking on this Veteran's Day in 2011.













  


chicks in the parking lot

Last Day of Dream Vacation Begins

11/11/11


sunrise!
 
 

a breakfast of champions - scrambled eggs,
raisin bran with bananas, fresh Hawaiian pineapple,
and Kauai Gourmet coffee
  

our daily rainbow



little birdies on the deck railing



waiting for sunshine so we could go snorkeling
 

 
blogging while waiting
 


beauty on the walk to the beach
(red ginger)



a second daily rainbow



heavenly hibiscus

http://joansjoys.blogspot.com/2011/11/hibiscus-collection.html



the philodendrum of your dreams



beach flowers growing right out of the rocks!
Campanulata?

close-up of beach flowers


great playground for family fun



traces of rain

Here we're walking through the Poipu Beach Park headed back to the condo.
We forgot to take pictures of us in snorkeling gear in our rush to "just do it" before the next cloud cover. The  fish are more colorful and the water is clearer underneath sunshine. We saw lots of brightly colored fish and other sea creatures. It was my first time to snorkel, ever. I requested a life jacket to wear, and it was just perfect to keep me afloat so I could enjoy the experience. We only had an hour to see what we could see in the sea, but it was plenty of time. I think I swallowed some salt water so I felt a little sick on the walk back to the condo, but was fine after a shower. The time had come to pack up and leave Poipu. :(



Tom taking a suitcase and the recycles to the car.