A New Maui Experience - The Maui Ocean Center Aquarium

We checked out of our rooms at 10:00 a.m. Our flight for home didn't leave until 11:00 p.m, so we spent some time at the Aquarium...

... with its not-so-strange...

... and VERY strange sea life!

YES, this is REALLY a fish!

A New Maui Experience - The Haleakala Crater

Haleakala is an "active" volcano that last erupted in 1790. The crater is 3000 feet deep, 7.5 miles long, and 2.5 miles wide.

The switchback road to reach the summit rises 10,023 feet above sea level, less than one hour in a car. That's a pretty steep grade. We were more than a little dizzy and short of breath at the top. The temperature outside went from 85 degrees by the beach to 40 degrees at the summit! I sure wish I had brought a sweater!

The summit of Haleakala is home and the ONLY home to an endangered plant called Silversword. 

This plant can live up to 50 years in this cold and windy place. It produces maroon flowers when it reaches 1.6 feet tall. After it flowers and produces seeds, it dies.

At over 10,000 feet in altitude, the summit of Haleakala is above one third of the Earth's atmosphere and has excellent astronomical seeing conditions, so it is also home to the Haleakala Observatory, Maui's first astronomical research observatory. I would love to see through these telescopes! Sad that it is not open to the public.

A New Maui Experience - Tobi's Shave Ice

Wayne and Marsha had a favorite shave ice location in Kihei that, to their great disappointment, closed a few years ago. They were more than excited to hear that a new one had opened up in the little "hippie" town of Paia.

Oh No! It was Jenni's fitness challenge "no sweets" week! Randy hadn't made it even one day, but I was on day FOUR! What's a girl to do....

One look at the giant scoop of vanilla ice cream, topped with Guava, Passionfruit, and Strawberry shave ice, covered in cream, and I was a GONER!

BEST five points I've ever lost!

A New Maui Experience - Julia's Banana Bread

We drove over the north shore of the island to explore a bit. We attempted this drive in October, but nearly ran out of gas and had to turn around. This time we were prepared.

We had heard there was a place to purchase the "best" banana bread.

There was no mistaking it when we came across it!

Yes, the bread was DELICIOUS!

A New Maui Experience - The Whale Watch

Wayne and Marsha sat through a timeshare presentation and gave us their "prize," Whale-watching for two aboard the Teralani. Each year from December to May the humpback whales make their home here traveling the 3500 miles from their feeding waters in Alaska. The warm waters of Hawaii make a more suitable environment for their newborn calves.

We heard the whale song while snorkeling at Black Rock the day before. Check it out by clicking HERE. It is a haunting sound. We could tell the whales were relatively close by.

Kaanapali Beach is one of two places in the world where a catamaran can be boarded right from the beach.

To dodge the waves, you RUN when they say RUN! Still got soaked up to the tops of our legs.

We motored out into the deep waters and waited.....

and waited...

We were NOT disappointed. The whales put on quite a show.

Randy was in the right place at the right time for two good shots.

Here is the tail of a mother with her calf beside her.

Love this shot of the breaching whale. If you look closely, you can see the barnacles attached to his nose and "chin."

Such a cool experience. You really must try it sometime!

Breakfast on the Water

Each morning on my walk, I passed the Hyatt with its picturesque restaurant on the water's edge. Randy surprised one morning, met me on my walk, and took me there for breakfast (yes, I was still in all my exercise glory.)

We watched as the swans took their morning showers.

The breakfast buffet was delicious, and far too expensive, but SO memorable. And it's a funny thing to watch -- flocks of birds wait on the sidelines until guests leave their table, and then they swarm in and attack the crumbs! I tried to get a picture, but they were camera shy.

Here's a black swan with a dilemna -

and a little parrot that REALLY wanted us to leave --

Maui Revisited - January 2012

Our very kind and generous friends, Wayne and Marsha, invited us to "share" their Marriott time-share on Maui once again.

I don't know what it is, but I just HAVE to take pictures from hotel room windows. I've done it for years. It's a "don't forget this moment" kind of thing for me, I think.

Our daily routine is pretty much the same as last time, only with Jenni's fitness challenge going on, I make use of my early mornings (I have difficulty getting accustom to the time change). I throw on my tennis shoes and take an hour-long walk alongside the beach. I look pretty glamorous at 6:00 a.m. - morning hair and face and all. I am amazed at how many have the same idea!

My Morning Walk

I am up early enough to watch the sun rise.

There is a nice walkway along the Kaanapali beach - takes about 60 minutes to traverse it both directions...

... stopping to enjoy the scenery now and again. 

I have the voice command "Siri" on my new iPhone. I thought I would be pretty smart and dictate my journal entry while I was walking:

This is what Siri THOUGHT I said:

"I decided to get up early with the sunrise walk along the walkway and moist grass just been sprinkling for you and taking a walk to Black rock? Are we wants not going to watch that when things later today this walkway will be busy with you. But now it's just me and my surrounding her trip talk is at best pretty common for me to have a heart just change so I go to bed about 9 inches up at about 530 or 6 inches at this time with just my thoughts rather schedule is little bit different beasties a person listening to you sleeps little later in the morning."

WHAT?

Here is the translation more or less:

"I decided to get up early along with the sunrise and take a walk along the beach. The grass has just been sprinkled and smells sweet and moist. In a few minutes, this walkway will be bustling with people, but for now it is just me and my surroundings. It is pretty common for me to have difficulty with the time change -- I get pretty sleepy by 9:00 pm and I'm up by 5:30 or 6:00 in the morning. Randy sleeps in a while and joins me a bit later."

It gave me a good laugh anyway.

Emily, Joseph, and their little man, A.J.

Joe doesn't begin his new semester of Law School until later this month, so he, Emily, and A.J. flew here from Virginia to be with us for a couple of weeks. I thought my heart would burst when I saw A.J.  Haven't seen him since August and how he has grown! I was worried that he wouldn't "know" his Gammie, but he is such a friendly little guy; he came right to me and we bonded right there and then.

In his Gammie-made Christmas sweater.

Emily is nuts about Converse tennis shoes; had to have a picture with him in HIS very first pair.

A.J. does something that just slays me -- when anyone sings, he'll sing too! It's the craziest thing!

Little Cooks in the Kitchen

The idea popped into my when a little bird told me that Evylee was getting a mini kitchen from Santa for Christmas.  IDEA:  I'll make her an apron, and miniature hot pad to go with it! And while I'm at it, I'll make them for Lily and Kylie too! 

Maybe it would be fun to make chef hats to top them off. Found a free pattern HERE online.

Bought some colorful cupcakes from the Sweet Tooth Fairy and made a visit to Pott's Studio.

A bit of fortune; their white dresses from their aunts' weddings in July 2010 still fit them... barely.

They had such a fun time. No trouble hamming it up, especially with the prospect of having a very special treat afterward.