Thankful Heart

A Good Day for Lottie

2012-02-24T20:23:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a good day for Lottie!

We went to the vet hospital to have her stitches taken out. After a 45 minute wait we saw Lottie's surgeon, Dr. Sara Gower. While we were waiting, Lottie did her best to exercise her vocal chords every time a big dog came in or out of the waiting room! (Which was often!) Her hound dog bark was back in full force. Now was the time to find out if her surgery was successful or not. After some poking and pinching, Dr. Gower declared that Lottie would soon be walking again! Hallelujah!

Lottie still has a long road to total recovery, but we are so very thankful that our fun-loving puppy will be back to playing fetch, throwing her ball, and turning twenty circles while waiting for me to put down a dish filled with onehalf cup of dried crunchy morsels. So glad God gave us these warm furry little creatures to bring us joy and laughter...

Proverbs 31

2012-02-16T07:09:00.002-08:00

My favorite daily devotion!

Lottie Is Home!

2012-02-13T16:45:00.000-08:00

Rachel, Perry, and I went to the Animal Specialty Hospital to pick up Lottie this afternoon. The tech there, Sam, was very congenial and gave us a quick tutorial of all the things we need to do to speed Lottie on her way to recovery!

Today, she is still rather lethargic because of the pain killer and Prednisone she's taking for inflamation. She slept in my arms for an hour after we got home. Oh, maybe 2 hours. It was good for the soul.

Meanwhile, Rachel and Perry had a snack and then took Rachel's packed up belongings to her car so she could be on her way to her new job as an outdoor leader at Camp Champions near Marble Falls. We will miss her!

I read through all the instructions to care for Lottie, then took her outside which she really liked. I used the sling they sent home with us for her back legs. She walked over to the compost bin and barked at some chirping birds, and walked back again. All that activity made her tired, so I placed her bed in a large laundry basket and tucked her in with some old towels. She fell asleep again in a matter of minutes. Snoring and everything. Now Tom is home so she'll get some more attention. :)

PS -- After Tom was home a while, I pinched Lottie's back paw and she moved it!!! This is the reaction we want. A little later I pinched the other one and she moved it too! Thank you God!

Sad Day for Lottie

2012-02-09T20:56:00.000-08:00

My Lottie Latte sweet puppy must have jumped down from her favorite chair one too many times. She ran for her dinner like always. Gobbled it up as quickly as possible and raced to the door to go out, as always. But suddenly I noticed that she was having trouble with one of her legs. She hopped around and managed to squat down and pee. Then it became obvious that she couldn't move her back legs. I picked her up and took her in the house so I could break the news to Jill who had been in bed for 2 days with a virus. I asked her to come hold Lottie while I called the vet and did a couple of other things. Next I called Tom. He was in the car on 360 so we decided that he would come home first and we would take Lottie together to the emergency animal hospital. That's where she is now, waiting to have surgery tomorrow. Only other thing is, Rachel is camping, so she doesn't know about Lottie yet, because she didn't pick up her phone when Tom called her. She's probably going screenless tonight, otherwise known as unplugged. I guess it doesn't hurt to not know for a little while longer.

It's time to remember and pray Psalm 46:1 - "God is my refuge and strengh, a very present help in times of trouble."

And to truly believe and practice, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart."

I lift Lottie up to you Lord, and pray for guidance for the surgeon tomorrow.

Flowering Quince Redeemed!

2012-02-05T14:43:00.000-08:00

Earlier this year I told Tom that we should probably go ahead and remove the "flowering quince" bushes because they really weren't worth the space they were taking. Well, I think they got the message and the rain they needed to make me change my mind!

Yesterday morning after going to the Natural Gardener to get some revitalizing compost for the garden plot, Tom came in and told me I needed to go out and take some pictures of the flowering quince. Was I ever in for a surprise! I had a hayday! The bees were buzzing, so I had a difficult time capturing them in action, but the blossoms were just gorgeous while I snapped away to my heart's content...

Kudos to Swiss Chard & Kale!

2012-02-04T14:04:00.000-08:00

The Swiss Chard and Kale that Tom planted from seed in February 2011 survived the hottest summer ever and is still producing like nothing ever happened. I just think that these plants deserve some recognition for their perseverence through hard times-- hot weather and little rain!!

Weekend Project

2012-01-11T18:17:00.000-08:00

Had prints made of favorite spots in Kauai. Found frames with mats included at Aaron Bros. for "buy one get another for one cent". Picked 4 photos that made a good combo for a gouping. Saturday night before Mixed Blessings practice I put a hammer and nails and a yardstick to good use. Here's the results!

Old friends not forgotten

2012-01-02T20:51:00.001-08:00

It's probably been 20 years since we've seen Don and Terry Rohrer, but we were invited to their son's wedding on December 29th. Kent and Shya's wedding was at Texas Old Town near Kyle. We were able to attend and had a fun time catching up with Terry and Don, and also Terry's sister Tammy. Derek was his brother's best man, and sister Hilary sang a song for the bride and groom. It was a lovely wedding and reception! The day had glorious weather for an outdoor ceremony. We were blessed to be included. We hope and pray that Kent and Shya have a wonderful life together.

Brand New Year - 2012!!!

2012-01-02T20:27:00.001-08:00

It's a brand new year and what am I thinking? I've got to make some resolutions, but then again I don't want to disappoint myself, so I've been avoiding it. I did find some really helpful hints for living happier and healthier in yesterday's Parade magazine--

"Make One Healthy Move a Day - 7 tips to get you started" by Jessica Cassity

1) Create a list of five things that make you happy. Commit to at least one mood-boosting act every day. Write a blog, stew a stitch, bake a cake, help a friend, cook a meal, paint a picture, read a book, take a walk, would all work for me! And or course, being thankful always helps people be happy!

2) Cut calories, not taste. Swap high-calorie ingredients for healthier options. Thanks to my beautiful daughters and disciplined husband, our table is healthy and nutritious most of the time!

3) Quit waffling on our decisions. Washing your hands can help you stop questioning a decision. I really need to take the kitchen sink with me when I go Christmas shopping! :)

4) Sharpen your short-term memory. First eliminate distrations like TV. Or barking dogs...

5) Strengthen relationships. Pay attention to the small things your family and friends do for you. Parade also had the article, "Up Your Gratitude" (by writing handwritten notes) by John Kralik, which I highly recommend! But, do as I say, not as I do! Or at least not often enough. But I love stationery and cards.

6) Get organized about paying bills. Go digital. My motivation this morning for collecting and documenting passwords in a safe, easily accessible place. Yay! I won't have to pay a late fee to Kohl's!

7) Stop dwelling on past mistakes. We've all tripped on a stair or fumbled a word. But I have so many goofs...I resolve to try to replace the goofs with positive memories!

And in the Statesman's Wall Street Journal Sunday column by Katherine Rosman. "It's Jan. 1. I Resolve to Change...Quite a Bit." Very funny. Or impossible. Or not.

So, this afternoon, after making some attempts at being more organized - like safely documenting those passwords so bill paying isn't a hairpulling experience every time I forget them... Tom and I went out and did 2 things that we've been talking about for several months. We went to Costco and bought a membership, then bought the memberships to 24 Hour Fitness. Next we drove over to 24 Hour, signed up, and even tried out some of the machines. We both scheduled the orientations to fit our calendars, so in a few days we'll be good to go! And at least we will have a attempted to change a little bit, if not quite a bit.

Happy Holidays from Hanalei!

2012-01-02T19:14:00.001-08:00

So I needed some justification for spending so much time documenting our awesome trip to Hawaii. This card seems to be all the affirmation I needed. Just look at that beautiful bay... maybe we will go back some day!

Daily Rainbow Collection - Kauai

2011-12-28T19:35:00.000-08:00

Nov 5
from Hanalei Villa driveway

Nov 6
from our balcony at Hanalei Villa

Nov 7
from Kalalua Trail

Nov 8
from the helicopter

Nov 8
from the car on the way to Poipu from Lihue

Nov 8
from the little grocery store parking lot
(same as from car above)

Nov 8
waiting for the boat tour

Nov 9
walking down to the pier for the boat tour

Nov 10
walking to Poipu Beach from our condo

Nov 10
almost to the beach

Nov 10
at the beach

Nov 10
close-up at the beach at Poipu
in all it's splendor and glory--
remember God's promise?

Nov 11
from the condo balcony

Nov 11
last time to Poipu Beach

More of Kauai

2011-12-25T21:06:00.000-08:00

Random snapshots from our Kauai travels... there was so much to see in so little time and I had fun trying to capture everything beautiful and/or interesting!

from Hanalei Pier
think "South Pacific"

rooster running loose
in a Hanalie shopping center

more chickens :
http://joansjoys.blogspot.com/2011/11/chickens-in-park.html

hanging heart on a bench

Next ones are from the car on the way to Kalalua Trail--

Norfolk Pine trees lined up

On the back from Kalalua Trail...

Back in Lihue...

Red Dirt Shirt Shop

Tom's red dirt shirt

Spouting Horn

Palm tree in the park with 2 kinds of clusters:

rocky beach

Cousins

2011-11-26T09:07:00.000-08:00

sent to me by my special cousin Janna

that's us in the matching outfits below

with more cousins at my grandparents 50th anniversary celebration

Back to Austin via Lihue

2011-11-11T22:00:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-11T18:22:00.001-08:00

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

2011-11-11T16:21:00.000-08:00

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

more chickens: http://www.joansjoys.blogspot.com/2011/11/chickens-in-park.html

Last Day of Dream Vacation Begins

2011-11-11T11:34:00.003-08:00

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 creatues. 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.

Another Magnificent Sunset!

2011-11-10T23:14:00.000-08:00

ever-evolving
then gone

November 10, 2011

http://joansjoys.blogspot.com/2011/11/poipu-on-south-shore-of-kauai-on.html
http://joansjoys.blogspot.com/2011/11/poipu-sunset.html

Hibiscus Collection

2011-11-10T22:30:00.000-08:00

Only a few of the many beautiful hibiscus blossoms blooming all over Kauai...

at Waimea Canyon Lookout

in Poipu on the way to the beach

parking lot lane marker

at Lihue Airport

snapped while waiting to rent car

hibiscus hedge at Smith's Tropical Paradise

twin hibiscus in the hedge

more beautiful flora at Smith's Tropical Paradise

http://joansjoys.blogspot.com/2011/11/on-monday-we-went-for-hike-on-kalahua.html

Back Down in Waimea

2011-11-10T22:12:00.000-08:00

Just love the color and style of these buildings.

We decided these must be Waimea's elementary school.
The high school was next door.

JoJo's was recommended by a friend.

Shave Ice with ice cream at the bottom of the pot - yum!
And fresh roasted coconut for crunchies topping the ice cream...

Tom wanted the whole place recorded!

Me too! A great treat for warm afternoon in Waimea.

After the cool and rainy trek up to Kalalau Lookout.

voted most artistic library sign by me -

so nostalgic

Waimea Library

Kalalau Canyon Lookout at last!

2011-11-10T20:43:00.000-08:00

It's still November 10th and it's raining way up here at 4000 ft.

Firecracker Plant

on the way back down to Waimea

Trek to Kalalau Lookout via...

2011-11-10T20:12:00.000-08:00

November 10, 2011

After we came back from Poipu Beach and showered, Tom packed a picnic lunch of turkey and cheese wraps for us to take up to Waimea Canyon Lookout. Since it didn't take very long to get there, we decided to drive on up to the Kalalau Canyon Lookout. It was all awesome and we took some great pictures that I'll upload later when I have better Internet. Right now it's off to the beach one last time before we leave. :( We've already had a rain shower this morning and there were several during the night, but right now I see rays of sunshine!

"White Lightning" our rental car

rental car license plate
Hawaiian style

Allamanda vine blooms continuously and can grow
up to 50 feet with support of a trellis or tree.

We mailed our postcard from the P.O. in Koloa.

We had seen this coastline church
from our boat ride, and drove right
past it on our trek to Kalalau.

Leaving Waimea and starting up the canyon.

some red dirt along the road

already at 3400 feet above sea level

beautiful contrast of red dirt and green
foliage - not to mention blue skies and
puffy white clouds :)

Tom's wearing his "Red Dirt Shirt"

Waimea Canyon Lookout

Waimea Canyon Lookout from another angle

hibiscus along the trail to the next lookout

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

another lookout - Puu Hinahina

Puu Hinahina Lookout's choices to see.

Niihau "The Forbidden Island" is privately owned,
therefore not open to the general public.

Niihau can be seen on the horizon.
This lookout is the closest point
of Niihau to Kauai.

Puu Hinahina - another beautiful canyon

Acacia Koa Tree

Acacia Koa leaves- look like boomarangs to me

Onward to the Kalalau Canyon Lookout...

http://joansjoys.blogspot.com/2011/11/kalalau-canyon-lookout-at-last.html

Poipu Beach on Nov 10

2011-11-10T18:50:00.000-08:00

First thing this morning I went around outside the condo and took pictures of things I wanted to remember about this place in Poipu, Hawaii.

our condo

bougainvillea flowers in front of the sign

address

beautiful flower (Pride of Barbados)

beautiful flower's bush by the pool

view of the pool from our deck

After fixing egg tacos for breakfast, we walked down the hill to the park so we could experience Poipu Beach, and of course...

our daily rainbow

and more flora (Queen Emma Lily)

this vine with fruit was growing on top of a rock wall

this Hawaiian gardenia is worn in the hair

just the two of us

rocky beach

mossy rocks

It was sunny and nice so we found a spot for our towels and plopped down. We watched a guy surfing, and some families with children playing in the water.

that's Tom and me on the beach being beach bums

soaking up a rare moment of pure sunshine

beachview of the snorkeling pool

looking up

I took more pictures of palm trees and had fun with that, as usual.

a surfer boy catching a wave

As we were leaving we talked to woman who had been snorkeling. She said that she had seen hundreds of fish, so we're going to try to do that tomorrow morning before we check out.

Going back up the hill to the condo I captured the mailboxes

and the perfect name for a Kauai newspaper

"The Garden Island"

Kauai Coffee

2011-11-09T21:34:00.000-08:00

We were driving down the road back to Poipu after getting off our boat tour in Port Allen and I saw the Kauai Coffee Shop sign so we had to stop!

sidewalk art

coffee beans

coffee bean bush - one of many in many rows

We walked the 1/8th mile walking tour.

I took pictures of all the other walking tour markers,

but liked posting the interesting plants more, for now.

a row of very large Norfolk Pine

I used to have one until last winter!

No freezing weather here. Ever!

Plumeria tree with blossoms

We think this is a sugar cane plant. There are no more sugar cane plantations on Kauai. The last one shut down in 2009. But they do still have some sugar cane plants because we could have bought some fresh sugar cane, but we opted for fresh pineapple instead. It was scrumptous.

old piece of coffee bean processing equipment

"Wet Plant" for coffee bean pulverizing process, with auger on this side

weepy looking plant with awesome blossoms

(Weeping Bottlebrush Tree)

Weeping Bottlebrush blossom - beautiful!

Kahanu Boat Tour

2011-11-09T20:21:00.001-08:00

"Welcome to Port Allen"

Our daily rainbow showed up again. Another double!

We had our reservations with Kahanu Catamaran boat tours.

Checked in here at 7:30 a.m. ready to take our tour on the west side of Kauai

Our tour was on the smaller white boat with the blue windshield, Catamaran Kahanu.

Captain Lani up top. Below is Christian, first mate and tour guide.

In the distance is Ni'ihau, the forbidden island, about 17 miles from the boat.

Catching a glimpse of a peak in a large valley.

Just one of many spectacular views on our boat tour.

The captain said the waters were calm for this time of year

so we were able to ride along closer than usual to the island.

Snorkeling Tom. He said there were some beautiful fish below.

The profile of peaks on the north side of Kauai after we turned around to go back to Poipu.

When we were in Hanalei I couldn't ever snap quickly enough to capture these peaks.

Poipu Sunset

2011-11-08T22:00:00.000-08:00

November 8, 2011

Setting Sun

Sunset

Self Silhouette

more sunsets:

http://joansjoys.blogspot.com/2011/11/another-magnificent-sunset.html

Poipu on the south shore of Kauai

2011-11-08T21:56:00.000-08:00

November 8, 2011

An aloha greeting for us on the kitchen counter.

Looks very Hawaiian.

double rainbow

blazing sunset

more sunsets:
http://joansjoys.blogspot.com/2011/11/poipu-sunset.html

Helicopter Ride

2011-11-08T19:19:00.000-08:00

Tuesday morning packed up to leave the Hanalei town on north shore of Kauai and go to Poipu Palms condos on the south side of the island, in Poipu. We took a walk on the Hanalei Beach and said goodbye to our introduction to life in Hawaii.

Then it was time to go on to the helicopter flight of a lifetime. One of the most exciting parts for me was to see the crescent shape of Hanalei Bay, and Hanalei Pier from the air. The numerous waterfalls in the canyon were incredible, but what would you expect from a place where rainfall averages 450 inches per year?

Through the front window

Grand Canyon of the Pacific

Amazing technicolor by the Creator of the Universe

Pilot approaching Hanalei Bay

Crescent shaped beach

Farming in Hanalei Valley

Close up of fields

Hanalei Town by Hanalei Beach
and
Hanalei Pier on Hanalei Bay

Last photo op before we landed back at Li'hue Airport

Lovely trip but glad to be touching the ground again!

Mana Oka'aina Beach

2011-11-08T12:00:00.000-08:00

We stopped to watch the surfers at Mana Oka'aina Beach on the way to Lihue for our helicopter ride. Also known as Keali Beach, it is north of Kapa'a along Highway 56, a 1/2-mile long beach known for its riptide. A very popular place for surfers and boogie boarders.

The Laua Table

2011-11-07T23:59:00.000-08:00

a mai tai for starters

clockwise

green salad with papaya dressing

I also tried the Lava Guava dressing - it was good, too

cucumber salald

loi loi salmon salad (included chopped tomatoes)

taro bread

beef (in middle of plate)

pork

sweet and sour fish

sauted veggies

loi loi salmon was my favorite

some poi for my friend, Janea

rice pudding, coconut cake & pineapple

entertainment by the Smith family during dinner

Luau at Smith's Tropical Paradise

2011-11-07T23:51:00.000-08:00

When we returned from the adventuresome Kalahua Trail hike Monday afternoon, we had a snack and got cleaned up for our Luau. The location for the Luau also included gardens that we toured with a short tram ride, then were able to walk around while we waited for the meal to begin. I decided to post mostly pictures of the flowers...

Grove of palm trees on the way to the luau

Entrance to "Paradise"

In the Smith Family Tradition

"Aloha", our new "Hello"!

My newly purchased sarong

Tom's Hawaiian shirt from home

Long-arm photography

Wandering peacock

Magenta Bougainvillea

Peachy Bougainvillea

Hibiscus twins!

Bird of Paradise

Queen'sCrown

African Tulip Tree

African Tulip blossom

Ixora

A type of wisteria?

More of blue blossoms

Tree full of blue blossoms

Speckled chicken in paradise

more chickens: http://joansjoys.blogspot.com/2011/11/chickens-in-park.html

A young couple asked us to take their picture by the "Money Tree"
so they took ours also.

"Breadfruit" on Breadfruit Tree

Red Ginger

Native custom of digging up the baked pig for the luau meal

Luau: http://joansjoys.blogspot.com/2011/11/laua-table.html

Tom insisted taking my picture with these guys, so I did!

Kalalau Trail

2011-11-07T23:50:00.001-08:00

On Monday, Nov. 7th, we went for a hike on Kalalau Trail. The weather had been raining sporadically many times daily since we arrived in Hanalei. We decided to brave getting wet again, see what we could see. We stopped often to take pictures as the trail had many beautiful views.

Entrance to Kalalau Trail

Monstrous roots!

Don't know yet what it is, but interesting, huge thick leaves

Tom making his way to a small waterfall

Our daily rainbow

These little blue flowers were all along the trail

Another couple asked us to take a picture of them--

then we asked them to take one of us

Blue ocean and sky make awesome background

Ferns and foliage

Almost to the sandy beach

Some other people fording the stream we had to cross to get the the beach.

And the large pile of rocks to cross

Finally, the sandy beach (Kalalau Beach)-- we were greeted with rain!

No swimming allowed here!

Back the same way we came - more beauty to behold -
most likely a type of orchid

A whispy pine tree - Australian Pine

Traversing the trail

Zoomed in on some spectacular berries - Octopus plant

Impressive philedendrom

Tiny white berries

Another viney plant climbing a tree

Looking back at Kalalau Beach where the trail ended

Palm trees clacking in the wind. Almost back to the trailhead.

Another favorite

The distant peaks

It was sunny on the way back!

At the end of the hike we bought a drink
of fresh coconut milk in the shell with a straw in it,
from a guy selling them off the back of his truck.
It was refreshing!

Tunnels Beach, etc.

2011-11-06T19:05:00.000-08:00

This reminds me of Hamilton Pool. It's the Waikanaloa Wet Cave in Ha'ena State Park. We stopped there for just a few minutes after having to turn around and leave Ke'e Beach State Park because there was no place to park. Ke'e Park has a trail that we're going to try to hike tomorrow.

That's me squinting in the bright sunlight.

This cliff was looking down the road as we left the wet cave.

Our next delightful stop was Tunnels Beach.

The water at Tunnels Beach was magnificently ultramarine blue.
We sat on a bench and just kept looking at it for a while.

The sand stuck to our shoes so we took them off and washed them at the outdoor shower.

Dancing palms at Tunnels Beach

Majestic view of Tunnels Beach. We walked along it for a while.

The waves were huge and we took some videos.

Check it out!

http://flickr.com/gp/hokansonfamily/Av34iy

To Kilauea Lighthouse

2011-11-06T19:00:00.000-08:00

November 6, 2011

After snapping pictures around Hanalei Beach we decided to go for a drive. We crossed the one lane bridge just outside the south side of Hanalei town, then stopped at the lookout points for Hanalei Bay, and the Hanalei Valley where the taro plant farms are located. When we arrived at the gate to the lighthouse park, it was not quite time for it to open, so we had time for photo ops of interesting vegetation. The site is also a National Wildlife Refuge for some endangered bird species.

This is a one lane bridge that you have to cross to go south from Hanalei.

Crossing the bridge

Some interesting seeds that were at the first lookout point.

I learned they are called "Octopus".

Overlooking Hanalei Bay

Hanalei Bay

This lookout gave us a view of Hanalei Valley

where taro plants are grown.

Another view of the taro fields.

Looks like it's been raining! :)

A young man with a fancy camera took our picture.

He was one of those friendly tourist wanna-be resident kind.

We wished him the best!

Blue skies!

These trees form canopies. We like to call them umbrella trees.

Outside the park entrance

Pandanus Tree

A blossom in a Pandnus tree at the Kilauea Lighthouse.

Pandanus Tree Fruit

Kilauea Lighthouse from the entrance gate of the park.

The crashing waves in the cove create a spectacular contrast

of blue sea and white foam!

Cliffside view of Kilauea Point and Lighthouse

We walked around the Kilauea Lighthouse grounds

and enjoyed the beautiful views.

In a few weeks it will probably be a good location

to get a glimpse of some whales.

Close-up of the jut-out from the lighthouse lookout point

Wildlife at the Lighthouse - NeNe Goose

Vine on a fence outside the gate.

Tiny white flower

My best guess is monkeypod tree.

View from the lighthouse grounds

The Chickens in the Park

2011-11-06T18:10:00.000-08:00

Because I said so...

Something to crow about

It's party time!

This is how you find the best meal

I'm going this way!

Me too!

I'm on a mission!

more chickens:

http://joansjoys.blogspot.com/2011/11/on-monday-we-went-for-hike-on-kalahua.html

http://joansjoys.blogspot.com/2011/12/more-of-kauai.html

http://joansjoys.blogspot.com/2011/11/picnic-lunch-at-lydgate-beach-park.html

Snap Happy in Hananlei

2011-11-06T18:09:00.002-08:00

November 6, 2011

While Tom went for a jog on the beach this morning I sauntered along the beach snapping pictures of things I thought were interesting such as these trimmed bushes.

Scultptured bushes

Some beached sailboats that were beckoning me

to give them my attention.

This waterfall was also taken from my walk

on the beach this morning.

I think it was more visible today because

we had so much rain during the night.

These little flowering bushes grow along

the edge of the beach.

And here's Tom back from his jog.

And then there's a separate post of the chickens...
http://joansjoys.blogspot.com/2011/11/chickens-in-park.html

Before we went on our walk Tom had taken these objects of interest:

These are coconuts from a tree in the side yard.

The coconut tree.

Bananas on the banana tree.

Berries on a tree next to the banana tree.

Goldl Dust Croton

Bougainvillea in the rain

Bougainvillea bush next door

Hammock

Porch Pattern

Welcome to Kauai!

2011-11-05T18:14:00.001-07:00

Saturday, November 5, 2011

When I woke up yesterday morning at 5 a.m. it was hard to believe that our Hawaiian vacation was really here! Rachel had kissed us goodnight the night before, and Jill got up to take us to the airport. We were there by 6:30 and had time for a mocha latte for me and breakfast tacos at Ray Benson's kiosk. We had a connecting flight in Phoenix and Tom had the forethought to buy a bag of trail mix before we boarded our 7 hour flight for Li'hue, Hawaii. We thought we might be able to purchase a sandwich on the plane, but all that was offered was a bag of almonds or trail mix which we already had, so that's what we had for lunch! We drank lots of complimentary water.

As we were nearing our destination our pilot pointed out that you could see Pearl Harbor Bay from the left hand side of the plane, which is where we were. You could see the whole island of Oahu, so I was able to distinguish the bay. I was glad that I had checked out a map of the islands before our trip. I had been curious about the names of all the islands and where Honolulu was since I couldn't remember my 5th grade geography lessons. Kauai is the garden isle. It has a huge botanical garden that we hope to visit. It's also known for its grand canyon. We'll be staying on the north side for a few days and then drive down to the south side of the island for a few days.

We arrived in Lihue around 2:15 p.m. which is 7:15 p.m. Austin time. It took a while to get our rental car cuz lots of other people were doing the same thing, but already I could see the the scenery was beautiful and very different from central Texas. There were looming clouds in almost every direction with the sun peeking through now and then. Palm trees, blooming bushes that must be bougainvillea, lots of hibiscus in orange, red, yellow and magenta, and green, green grass everywhere. Our car is a white Nissan Versa with a hatch back. It's just the perfect size for us!

Since we missed lunch, we were hungry and stopped in a little town, Kapa'a. Tom had a turkey club sandwich with cole slaw and I had a Kalua Pig sandwich with fresh papaya. It was good and hit the spot. While we were parked, we decided to poke around in a few of the shops. We didn't stay long as we were ready to arrive at our abode for the next few days in Hanalei!

Our house is pink stucco! It's divided in three suites, but ours is great because we're on the 2nd floor and the porch faces the ocean. We have a great view of the little bay here, plus, we just walk across the street and across the grassy park to the beach. This porch has a hammock and patio table with 6 chairs so it's pretty big. After we checked out the place and unloaded our luggage, we went for a quick walk at the beach before it got dark. Dark came earlier than I expected, around 6:30. After that we went to the Big Save grocery store. I just love those mom & pop style grocery stores that have everything you need in a very small space, plus friendly local people smiling while they check you out. Reminds me of my growing up days.

I found Tom in the hammock this morning at around 5:30. He was listening to the waves crashing on the beach. The temp was amazingly comfortable. We had the windows open all night. We could hear the roosters crowing trying to wake up everyone. I was told there were lots of chickens, but I haven't read the history yet on how they got here. After eating our cereal we went for a long walk on the beach. We saw surfers, and some fishermen on the dock. The jutting mountain on the other side of the bay looked magnificent with the thin low hanging clouds in front of them, and the ominous larger clouds in the background. Tom and I tested the waters with our feet and decided it was cool, but would be comfortable if it were hot and sunny. We had just decided to turn back when it started to lightly rain. The sand along the beach is very soft, so we found our way to the street and walked back that way. We were pretty wet when we got back. Soon it was raining on and off consistently. I laid in the hammock and finished reading the book I started on the plane.

After a while we were having a major thunderstorm with lightning and loud clapping thunder. I've been wishing I could send this rain home to drought stricken Texas! The sound of rain is music to my ears. It's very relaxing, now that the thunder has gone. It's also giving me time to write this blog. I probably wouldn't sit down long enough to do it if it weren't raining. Sometimes blessings come in disguise. Now that it's not storming, I can go back out to the hammock and start another book or knit or sleep... Tom is trying to read his book, but keeps falling asleep. Of course, he's watching football on tv. It is Saturday. And it's raining. :) And I just heard another clap of thunder.

A Hawaiian welcome!

Here we are in Lihue, Hawaii.

The Pink House on Weke Road in Hanalei, Hawaii, on the island of Kauai

The Gardenia Suite

The yard and our entrance to the Gardenia Suite down below.

View of beach from the porch

To the beach

Hen and chicks in the park

more chickens: http://joansjoys.blogspot.com/2011/11/chickens-in-park.html

Hanalei Pier built in 1898, shown in the 1957 movie, "South Pacific"

Watching the waves roll in

Self portrait

Palm trees

Logging off 'til the next exciting thing happens!

Kauai

2011-11-01T20:04:00.001-07:00

Did you know that if you google Kauai, Hawaii, they don't know what you're talking about??? You have to look up Hanalei, Hawaii! I was just trying to find out where Tom and I are going in a few days. I'm new at this island thing. It's way out there in the Pacific with a few other islands, that all have names, but if you want to find them fast you have to know the name of the town.

So we're getting ready for some fun in the sun, sand and sea. Rachel's being a real sweetheart and loaning us her special cameras. Out in the backyard today, I was practicing my photography skills on the wildflowers. They popped out with blossoms after our 2 inch rain a few weekends ago. It's amazing what a little of God's fertilizer will do!

Checking out the topography of Kauai

2011-11-01T07:51:00.001-07:00

Looking volcanic

My lovely little rock garden

2011-10-30T20:19:00.000-07:00

In its own little jungle of verbena and other drought loving plants...

Fun with backyard Flora

2011-10-30T19:43:00.000-07:00

Bask in God's Shining Love!

2011-02-26T10:03:00.001-08:00

Okay, I signed up to write a devotion for Abiding Love's Lenten Devotion booklet. Choosing by the themes listed, I thought it would be pretty simple... but when I read the entire passage of 5 or 6 verses I became overwehlmed. Instead of staying up late searching my brain, I prayed about it and went to bed. Sure enough, some ideas came to my head in the shower the next morning. So here it is.

“Make Your face shine upon Your servant;
Save me for Your mercies’ sake.” (NKJV) --Psalm 31:16

In our early morning Bible study group, “Women Alive!” on Tuesday mornings, we are reading through the two-year plan of the Chronological Study Bible. We’re in the second year of reading assignments and meet weekly to discuss what we have read. It has been a long and cumbersome list of scripture passages through kings and more kings, and now the many prophets. The prophets warned the people and the kings to turn from their idols and their bad habits. God asked the kings to turn from their actions that were “evil in the sight of the Lord”, and to reach out to the one true God who loved them so much that He always wanted the best for them.

The more we read about some of the horrible things that many of the kings did, we wonder how God could ever still love them and want them back in God’s fold. We perceive some of the actions as unforgivable. Over and over again we read about God giving the people another chance to turn to back to our God of great mercy, to bask in forgiveness, and to shine with God’s love. Always and forever God had a passion for His flock. God wanted to be with the people to guide them, comfort them, and love them.

So, I wonder… How can we show God that we want to change our hearts? How can we turn our bad habits into good habits? How can we show our love for God? How can we trust God with all that He has given us? How can we share God’s love with others? How do we proclaim God’s love in the mundane daily tasks of driving to and from work, shopping groceries, washing dishes, mowing the grass, answering the phone, walking the dog, folding laundry…?

We can start by giving thanks for God’s incredible love for each one of us!
We can attend Sunday school classes.
We can be kind to everyone we encounter.
We can participate in Bible study groups.
We can pray often.
We can read our Bibles to learn more about this great God of love.
We can show respect even when our opinion is different.
We can sing praises to God.
We can write letters of encouragement.
We can help feed the hungry.
We can share what we have with those who have less than we do.
We can invite others to come to church with us.
We can ask God to show us what to do…

Great and mighty God, You are so good to us. You give us infinite second chances to turn to You for help and guidance and forgiveness. That takes a lot of love-- a lot of unconditional love. Thank you for your great mercy and love!

A Most Wonderful Surprise!

2010-12-26T20:42:00.002-08:00

Friends from Abiding Love many years ago came to Abiding Love on the day after Christmas. It was awesome as Jill was giving the message that day, and the friends are her godparents. We had burgers and fries after church before the Falkenbergs went on to their hunting lease near Llano.

L to R: Stephen, Timothy, Mark & Jennifer Falkenberg, Tom, me, Rachel & Jill

History of "Women Alive!"

2010-09-09T10:23:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, the question, "Did we do a study on the book of Hebrews?" came up, and I thought the answer was no, but I researched my records, and the answer is still no. But from the question I compiled the following history of our group's studies! So, here it is:

We began our study group, “Women Alive!” on Tuesday, May 29, 2007 with a book study guide, A Modern Girls Guide to Bible Study by Jen Hatmaker, which included studying passages from various parts of the Bible. Then, using Jen's suggested schedule, we studied the books of 1 & 2 Peter and Ruth. We concluded the year with Road Trip by Jen Hatmaker.

In 2008, we studied Acts, Romans, Philippians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1, 2 & 3 John, and Jude using the journaling strategies learned in A Modern Girls Guide to Bible Study.

In 2009, we continued using the journaling strategies learned in A Modern Girls Guide to Bible Study for our studies of Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians, and 1 & 2 Corinthians. In the fall, we studied Giving to God by Mark Allen Powell in conjunction with a church-wide ministry appeal. In December we had miscellaneous Advent devotions.

In 2010, we began a 2-year schedule of reading through the Chronological Study Bible (RKJV). We have completed reading Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, and just began reading 1 Kings on September 7th. We have also read many Psalms and Proverbs 1-9! Whew!

May we all be wiser after this!

A Day Off

2010-07-29T10:21:00.000-07:00

A day off from work is good for the soul. Probably the heart rate and blood pressure too! My sometimes quarreling dogs are at my feet laying side by side on a blanket while I pay bills online and catch up on this and that.

I'm only a little sad today because I won't be with Tom and Rachel when they meet up with some old friends from back in the 80's when we moved to Austin--Doug and Deb Sorensen. May their reunion be fun, joy-filled, and a highpoint of Ragbrai!

It is fun to tweet and blog! Sometimes it's hard to comprehend...

Twitter

2010-07-29T09:43:00.000-07:00

Okay. I opened a Twitter account a few days ago so I could Tweet with the rest of the world! My handle is "postoakroots" which gave me great satisfaction as it seems to validate my humble beginnings in a little community called Post Oak. I'm sure my blurps will be sporadic, but never-the-less the opportunity to express my thoughts is at my fingertips!

Fence

2010-07-29T09:30:00.000-07:00

Our most recent accomplishment has been to put up an iron fence to keep the deer out of our newly planted garden!

One more thing

2010-05-18T20:34:00.000-07:00

I almost forgot. The garden looks great because of the rain last night and last weekend! But the most exciting thing was a little tiny tomato. I know. It's late. But we had to wait for the fence to be built before we could plant the garden. The deer have already visited our front flowerbed next to the sidewalk two times since the rain we had Friday night, and today is Tuesday! The deer resistant plants are working pretty well, only a few leaves missing on one Black-eyed Susan, two blossoms chopped off the Verbena, and a few missing petals on a Zinnia! I hope I added to their deterrance (sp?) tonight by sprinkling some ground red pepper on them.

Thawing Out

2010-05-18T19:51:00.001-07:00

I just realized a short while ago that my feelings have been slightly paralyzed. My previous posts from almost a year ago help me understand why. Also the memories of going to Houston around this time last year are uncovering the loss that I have buried for self preservation and protection. For going on.

I miss my friend Marilyn often, yet I have a deep peace inside knowing that she is no longer suffering from the struggle to breathe, the sore throat, the lack of strength and energy, and the list goes on. She never gave up the will to live and be well. She had an iron faith. She was a dear friend and I miss her. My peace comes from knowing that when I leave this earth we will meet again at the feet of Jesus. No more sickness. No more weeping. No more frozen feelings. But pure joy! It will be a glorious day!

Meanwhile, may I fulfill the purpose God has for me here on this crazy earth.

Garage Space-- one inch at a time

2009-06-03T21:04:00.000-07:00

Another day of perfect orbit for Earth! And we had a good hard rain in the middle of the night! Thank you, God! And I had the day off to spend at home, with my continuous quest to find a place for everything, and to put everything in its place, while Jill did the same with her stuff in her room until the next phase comes about.

For what it's worth, the mosaic marbles and chopped pottery plates are all in there very own space, and now there's room for the biking accessories on top of the cabinets. Woo-hoo, one little tiny area organized!

Someday, there will be time for mosaic projects again!

On to jars and vases. Who knew we had so many? Everyday this week the trip to Goodwill has been postponed. When the van is full I'll have to go. 'Til then, there's always one more thing.

It's back to my day job tomorrow. It'll start out early with Prayer Group. Lots of prayers for lots of people who need jobs; Marilyn who needs white blood cell donors and healing from infection in her lungs; and way more children out of school who need supervision and someone who cares where they are going and what they are doing; my sister-in-law who had surgery for a bone spur in her back; and my brother who needs a job; and my s-i-l and b-i-l who need jobs.

And lots of thanks for my husband and daughters for making my life so much fun and interesting.

Today

2009-06-02T20:35:00.000-07:00

"You can't have a pity party if you have a thankful heart." That's what I discovered about 10 years ago. But if I was my friend Marilyn, I'd be having a pity party. She's having a very tough time, and I know that God is with her, but she's having a real struggle just breathing these last few days. No, now it's weeks. But she's so strong and so faithful. She'll keep fighting for every breath until the infection clears.

I keep praying for healing. I keep praying for strength. I keep thanking God for her. I keep asking God to forgive me for asking over and over for healing for Marilyn. Now my prayer is that she'll get all the white blood cells that she needs. And thanks for all the people who have white blood cells to give. And thanks for all the matches there will be. And thanks for all the wonderful doctors and nurses at MD Anderson Hospital. And thanks to God for all the tender loving care he sends through all the doctors and nurses, and through Jerald and Elizabeth and Stephanie, and many others.

"This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it!" Somehow, I've got to believe there is joy in every day, and something to be thankful for in every situation.