Birding in Maui

At the Haleakala ranger station, I purchased this Hawaii Audubon Society bird book. Check out the birding list on the blog to see the birds we identify.


http://www.hawaiiaudubon.com/

Hiking in Haleakala

Today, Sat 30 Aug, Jason and I were transported to another planet. We took a trip to Haleakala, the US National Park, to view the massive and breathtaking volcano crater like basin measuring 7.5 miles wide and 3000 feet in depth. After the 2 hour drive traveling up approximately 9000 feet in elevation through the clouds and hair pin sharp curves we arrived at the summit. We hiked along the Sliding Sands Trail easily about 1 mile down into the crater. A group of juvenile nene birds (Hawaii's state and endangered bird) crossed our path. The views were surreal and beautiful, an endless horizon of rainbow earth tone colors on the crater floor engulfed in intermittent clouds. According to the Lonely Planet guidebook, Mark Twain visited Haleakala and praised it for its healing solitude. Jason could relate. We stopped often to listen to the silence. The hike back up to the summit was, of course, more intense, but we made it with a little huffing and puffing. Tomorrow is slated as a full day of snorkeling, with so many beaches to choose from it will be hard to decide where to go.

A lovely day in Lahaina

Yesterday, Fri 29 Aug, Jason and I woke up early (jet-lag) to the delightful tropical birds' tweets and twerps from the garden below. (We need to pick up a Hawaiian bird book to identify them.) We spent the day at Lahaina, a lovely historic seaport town dating back to 1800's Christian missionary days. We toured the banyan tree park, historic courtyard and jail now used partially as an art gallery. While in the art gallery, we chatted with an employee originally from Burlington, MA. We strolled down the boardwalk and checked out the shops. We stopped in at my favorites stores: ABC stores and Hilo Hattie, the ultimate in tourista paraphernalia where I purchased a cute and comfortable mu-mu dress. We ended the day snorkeling at Napili Bay, a short cliff walk from our hotel. Even though the waters were a bit murky with the afternoon winds kicking up, we saw an amazing number of colorful fish in the rocky coral floor. (Jason and I also need to pick up a coral reef picture book to identify them as well.) Jason and I only had to swim out from shore a few feet to see this. As we were enjoying the fantastic feeling of floating and watching the beautiful fishes below, all of a sudden an enormous sea turtle came my way. I screamed. Jason thought I was in danger and missed the sighting. We snorkeled some more until we agreed it was time to hit the pool. As we were leaving the bay, we were treated to an amazing sight: a family of sea turtles had come in close to shore. They were very happy frolicking in the waves as we watched them. I think they knew they had an audience.

Good Morning Maui

Thur 28 Aug, Jason and I arrived in paradise 10 minutes early. We flew into Kahului Maui OGG Airport on Thursday at 3:00 PM. While leaving the airport, Jason treated me to a beautiful orchid lei. We jumped in our six seater mini SUV upgrade rental car and headed to our hotel/condo located in Napili, about a 30 minute ride from the airport on the West Maui coast. To our surprise, when we checked in, we were upgraded to an oceanview view room. We can see the island Molokai in the distance. After a little rest, we drove to the local supermarket to stock up on some TV dinners, cereal, pineapple and Kona coffee. The pineapple and Kona coffee were the only deals. The supermarket prices are approximately 50% higher the mainland. (A gallon of milk costs $8.99.) I am surprised we don't hear more about the Hawaiians complaining about gas prices, approximately $4.60 a gallon. (This price is down 10 cents according to the local TV news.) We ate our dinners on our laini and fell asleep listening to the ocean waves.

Happy 1st!

It is hard for me to believe that Jason and I are on the verge of our 1st wedding anniversary (and almost four years since we met). This 1st year of marriage as been an absolute breeze in comparison to planning and orchestrating a wedding celebration. Not to imply that weddings are not important, looking back I realize how special it is to take the time out of our busy daily lives to celebrate the significance in these joyful events in their simplicity. We all hope we have many more happy moments in our lives then sad. Jason and I have the fondest memories of August 18, 2007. Thank you for all the warm wishes.

Last night, Jason and I started our marriage anniversary celebration with a complimentary six inch round, three layer lemon curd butter cream frosted cake from Rosie's bakery. The "summertime" flavor was the same as our wedding cake. (You may purchase this cake anytime, http://www.rosiesbakery.com/products/prodbygroup.aspx?groupid=28&cat=3
HINT HINT: Jason said he would like this as his birthday cake.) :)

From the garden pots

Amazingly from our 6' by 12' city condo porch, Jason and I are having a bumper summer crop of tomatoes and basil. The other night I cut up a tomato to make a bowl of fresh guacamole, paired with some chips as a delicious treat. (Jason did not approve that I was eating this solely as my dinner.)

I am tempted to try this basil ice cream recipe from the Epicurious website, http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/BASIL-ICE-CREAM-230779 I have some reservations about the taste of the end result. However surprisingly, 21/21 of the individuals that posted a comment about this recipe would make it again. So maybe I will give it a try.