Tsunami NOT!

Tonight's picture is one of a blowhole that many people think is the Nakalele blowhole (the one on the blog yesterday) and go away thinking they've seen the big blowhole. This one is big and it is exciting, but it's not nearly as awesome as the one you saw on yesterday's blog. I am mesmerized by these blowholes; even smaller ones. God does such interesting things!

Today was another exciting day in Hawaii! We woke up at 6 this morning to the sound of the tsunami sirens. Then there were phone calls and messages over the loud speakers telling us to watch our TVs and get instructions from them. They told us there was a tsunami coming around 11 this morning and we could move up to the 3rd floor or above for safety. I didn't like the idea of being up on a higher floor and watching the tsunami wash the lower floors out from under us, so we packed up everything and left. While I was packing Don was looking on the map for where we could go. The local high school is on the side of the mountain, so we went there. So did a couple thousand other people! We thought we were getting out quickly, (we left at 8) because everyone else seemed to be staying. There were no traffic jams. The local people were already there; they knew about that place! It was a great place for us to view all of what might have happened, but nothing ever happened. Thank God! It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed visiting with lots of other people. At 1:38 this afternoon, they canceled the tsunami warning. We came back to the condo and hauled everything back into our unit. I've spent the afternoon re-packing it all in a less rushed manner, so that we can move out of here tomorrow for one night in a hotel and then we'll be ready to head home Monday night. Tuesday night we'll be home, and home is always SWEET! We'll be glad to get home, even if it is cold there!

Tomorrow night I think we will not have Internet access and Monday we will be flying. If I can figure a way to post to the blog I will, but don't expect anything until we get home Tuesday night. I'll make a post then if at all possible.

We thank God for safety in Hawaii and we pray for the people who have the earthquake happening in their lives! Thank you for all your concern and prayers.

Nakalele Blowhole!

Now, THIS is a BLOWHOLE! (Nakalele Blowhole) I don't know who that guy is down there showering in it, but I was glad he did it so you could see how big this blowhole is. He was every bit of 6 feet tall. This isn't the biggest it gets, it's just the biggest I could catch it. It's funny; we hiked down to it that day (that was when Don fell and sprained his ankle.), but we went back yesterday to see it from the cliffs and it was totally INACTIVE! We're so glad that we went the day we did so that we didn't miss this amazing piece of God's handiwork.

Today we went to climb a hill and there were signs all over telling us that we couldn't go! Just as well, because as far as we went was tough on both of us. Don made it fine, though. It was so wild. There is this HUGE beach called the Big Beach, and we went there. Well, over the rocks there is a smaller beach, called Little Beach. We were amazed at all the people who were packing lawn chairs and coolers over those rocks to the Little Beach. We got up to the top of the 'pass' where the view was great of both beaches and that was enough for us. The Little Beach is another nude beach. Why all those people want to pack all that stuff over that 'pass' (pretty TOUGH when all you're taking is yourself and a hiking stick!) is beyond me! That little beach was PACKED! The Big Beach is an awesome beach and no rocks to climb over to get to it! God took care of you and had my batteries die in the camera, so I didn't even get to take any pictures. It was gorgeous in spite of the nude folks. You'll have to trust me, since I didn't get pictures. I took some pictures with my phone, but I don't know how to get them off the phone. Ha!

The best part was that Don could do it. His ankle is still hurting and swelling until we ice it down, again, but it's strong enough to carry him. It's certainly better than it was. We thank God for bodies that heal!

Don's ankle is stronger.

This is ONE big banyan tree that covers nearly a whole block in Lahaina! No picture I take can do it justice, but here's my attempt. We left from the port where I took this picture for our whale tour last week. It's pretty touristy and busy in this area, so we avoid it. :)

Don was able to walk with me to the other (south) end of the beach today! His ankle is doing pretty good, we think. We keep icing it and wrapping it and he rests it and elevates it as much as possible. It was so nice to have him walk with me today. We walked for a solid hour, so it's was a long way. The beach is absolutely awesome!

We're going to south Maui tomorrow and attempt to climb a hill near a gorgeous beach down there. Maybe I'll get some good pictures. I know we'll be awe struck by God's handiwork and I'll do my best to pass it on to you with pictures.

The "Westin Heavenly Bed" is not heavenly!

I forgot I had promised a picture of our condo unit. This is what they call the "heavenly bed." Let me tell you it sleeps good after I re-made it. The way they had it made it was like the bed from hell! I haven't been short sheeted since I was in college, but they did it to us here! Actually, they make beds like this at Big Cedar outside of Branson, too. I don't get it; two of the nicest places in the world to stay, but they throw a wet blanket on the whole thing with the way they make the beds!

They use flat sheets and make the bed with the the bottom sheet even with the foot of the bed and tuck it under about 3 feet at the top, but not under at all at the bottom! (So all through the night I get all tangled up with the bottom sheet and the matress pad.) They put on a top sheet and then a poofy comforter; then another top sheet. Then they tuck all of that in and put on the final comforter and turn the sheets back over the comforter. Then they pile on all those pillows. So the sheet has to show out from under the pillows so it looks all pretty, but that leaves the sheets coming about to where my elbows hit in the bed. But we toss all the pillows because we sleep on what my friend, Judy, calls rocks. (Our own pillows) When we pull the covers back to get into the bed, all the sheets come loose since they were all tucked in together from the beginning. (The top sheets hang on because they're tucked in about 3 feet at the bottom, but the bottom sheet comes all loose on the sides and it was never tucked at the foot, so we get all wadded up in it through the night as we struggle for covers.) We have to scoot way down to the foot of the bed because we're hunting the covers. They're tucked in about 3 feet at the bottom, so you can only get covers up to your elbows all night. The next morning I get up and rip all the sheets off and re-make the bed, just what I wanted to do on vacation! UGH! It gets me started off to a really bad day to have a lousy night's sleep and then have to re-make the bed first thing in the morning! I'd like to make the person who dreamed up that bed making plan sleep in one of those beds one night! It's so sad because the sheets are great quality, and so are the comforters; what a waste of good stuff! The bed is a good bed, too, so once I get it made right, we're in good shape.

The kitchen is first class, too. Notice in the picture that the whirlpool tub is just through the shutters beside the bed. There is a huge shower on the other side of the bathroom, too. We're enjoying the whole place, now that I got the bed made right.

We went out to see the sunset tonight and a mother and calf (whale) were 'skipping' all across our 'stage.' It was so cool; they kept breaching all the way across the water in front of us. I got some pictures, but they don't do it justice; just know that we're having a wonderful time. This trip is a great gift and we sure thank God for it. Don's ankle continues to get better, but it's still weak. He really gave it a wicked twist, I guess. It's a good thing we were done hiking! We're enjoying the beach, the whales and the sunsets. I walked the beach by myself today because I don't think he's going to be able to walk it before we leave. It was over a mile to the right; tomorrow I'll go to the left and see how far it goes. (Don forgot I'm not supposed to walk by myself, but how bad could I hurt myself falling in the sand? Maybe he thought that; he doesn't forget much, but I felt like I was robbing a bank as I went off by myself!)

Back online, from the lobby!

Actually, this is the post I had ready for last night, but I couldn't get online. Now, I can get online by bringing the computer to the lobby; I'm not so sure about 'paradise;' like Trish says, I'm hooked on being connected! Today was much the same as yesterday; more relaxing and taking it easy. Thanks for reading; Trish, thanks for posting for me!

There are two pictures on tonight's blog because it takes both of them to get as much of the total picture as possible to you. The first picture is our beach to the south and the second one is the rest of the beach to the right as far as you can see. Don hasn't been able to walk it, yet, so we don't know how far this beach goes. It's a great beach, though!

Today we just laid out on the beach. Tomorrow we're going down early so that we can get chairs; we've had enough sand to last us a while! The chairs are mostly up on the property rather than on the beach, but they go quick. We learned today that we have to go early! After our sunshine, we came back into the condo for lunch and showers. Then we went to the grocery store and picked up what should be our last food. We're winding down this vacation and looking forward to getting home.

Maui is really a beautiful place. We pretty much toured it while Harry was here. Many of the waterfalls were dry, so there was less hiking than we usually would do. Don spraining his ankle has slowed us down, too. It's good to slow us, though! I think we go too hard when we do these trips, so this is a nice break for me. Our condo isn't on the beach; they have over 20 acres here and lots of buildings. Ours faces the island and we have to walk past two other buildings to get to the beach. So, we get plenty of exercise just going to the beach and home. I've dreamed of coming to Hawaii and having only to stay on the beach, so I'm getting my dream right now. Tomorrow I'll post a picture of our unit.

Don's ankle is better and better, but still weak. We thank God that he didn't break something! It's a comfort to us to know that God is taking care of us. I thank Him for slowing our style!

Post temporarily suspended due to technical difficulties :(

Howdy folks!

This is Tricia posting for mom. She called a few minutes ago to let me know that AT & T was down all over the island. Folks there don't seem too worried, apparently that's just the way things go there. I suppose that's the drawback to living in paradise? Anyhow, it's been 24 hrs now and she didn't want you guys to worry. Dad's ankle is mending, everything is fine, they are just a little more isolated for the moment. Just think - 30 yrs ago you'd have been lucky to even get a postcard and now we all panic when daily communication goes down! Ha! Mom will post again as soon as service is re-established, that may not be till they get home next week.

No tropical pics today, so I'll leave you with a shot of the snowstorm mom and dad missed while they were basking on the beach.

Are you shivering???

Love,
Tricia

Last condo week.

The picture tonight is one Harry took of Don and I at Iao Needle. Iao Needle is the point standing up behind us. It marks the place of a huge battle and burying ground. We walked up 133 steps to get to this lookout; that really wasn't bad at all because they weren't very steep.

Today we were able to check into our condo for this week about and hour and a half early, so all the food survived. The unit is really beautiful. It's tiny, but plenty big for the two of us. The kitchen seems adequate, but the fridge is new to me. It's only 11 cubic feet and the freezer is in the bottom with no door other than the door to the fridge. It has an ice maker and ice falls into the drawer. We'll see if my burgers and chicken stay frozen. It really doesn't matter because they will keep until we eat them. This is our last week for keeping food, so our job is to eat everything we have. Actually, we have to go to the store and get a few more things to finish out the week.

The beach here is awesome. The whole place is. Those of you who have been to the Hilton on the Big Island, it's much like that only there is no Dolphin Quest here. Oh, there's no tram or boat, either, but otherwise it is much like that resort. The beach looks like A Bay (or Hapuna Beach, but more narrow and longer) on the Big Island, only it's longer. The whales breach right out there off this beach, so we're enjoying watching them. We are staying in the place with the great beach chairs for once! We've just walked around and gotten settled, so we are just beginning to know our way around the place. We have a washer and dryer in our unit, so I'm washing and feel right at home. What a nice place to finish out our trip.

Don's ankle is much better. We still RICE (rest, ice, compression and elevation) him as much as possible, but the swelling is nearly gone and he walks really well on it. I am doing great. My back will be so happy to get home and jiggle, but it's serving me well. God takes care of us.

Happy Birthday, Elena! (3)

This is a picture I took of Elena and her daddy, Joe, and their little kitty, Orange, when we were there last October. Today Elena turned 3! Wow! Time sure flies; our babies are getting so big! We can hardly wait to see her; she grows up so much between our visits!

We took an easy day today. We stayed at the condo and did lots of RICE (rest, ice, compression and elevation) for Don's ankle, and it looks really good! Tomorrow we move to the new condo, so maybe he'll be in good shape for the move tomorrow. It's not that big a deal. We have just our luggage and a few groceries to sack and take. I think it'll be a breeze. The tricky thing is that we check out at 11 and can't check in until 4. We have a little ice chest for what has to stay cold, but I hope the lettuce will pretend we're coming home from the grocery store and not wimp out on me!

Our condo here, is very nice and we have a beautiful view of the ocean. I think we may miss that because I think the new one won't have an ocean view. I'm sure we'll do fine, though, as there is a beach right there; we just have to walk to it. We'll be counting our blessings because the next week we'll be home and days of driving away from any beach! We have been so blessed to be able to spend this winter away from the cold and in the warm. God is so good to us; He's good to you, too! Join me in counting our blessings!

Hello, Darlin' . . .

Today we took Harry to the airport around 8 and then we went to Wal-Mart to get a few things. While there we looked in the phone book for a chiropractor, hoping someone could look at Don's ankle and, hopefully, fix it for the rest of our visit. We found a chiropractor and we went there and he worked Don over really good. He showed me how to wrap it and prescribed RICE; that's rest, ice, compression, and elevation. He's supposed to do those things for 10 minutes 4-6 times a day. So, we're working on it. He can walk and the swelling is going down, so that's all good. Sometimes he turns it a certain way that causes him to see stars, though. So, I think we won't be hiking for a few days. That's okay, because any hiking we do now will be excess, anyway. We've hiked plenty. Tomorrow we plan to just lay on the beach and then Sunday we move from this condo to the next one, so that'll be another beach day, too.

After lunch we went on our whale watching tour. That was a big treat and we had a great watch. I took only 1/2 a Bonine to prevent the motion sickness, as well as wore my patch that I wear when I fly. I did just fine and it didn't make me sleepy at all. What a relief! Don did fine on the whale watch, too. We were able to move around on the boat and it was very interesting. We were 'mugged' by a whale, they told us. That meant that a whale came into our territory and we had to turn off the motor and just sit there until he moved. Actually, there were 4 whales. They told us it was called a competition pod; that is where several males are competing to mate with a female. They were all around us. Hawaii law says you can't come within 100 yards of a humpback whale, but if they come to you you have to cease maneuvering the boat and simply wait until they move. That was too cool, to have them all around us! That's when I got the shot of this one poking his head up to scope out the circumstances. They call this a 'spy hop,' when they just raise their head and take a look. It's the best picture I got today.

These whales weigh 40 tons! What a giant and we were right there beside him and at least 3 others. God has so impressed me and took my breath again!

Sunrise to sunset.

The picture tonight is one of the sunset I took last night. That island you see is Lanai, not too far from Maui. So, yesterday we went from sunrise to sunset; a beautiful day! God is so glorious and does nothing skimpy!

We got up early this morning and drove the road to Hana. It is VERY curvy and hilly, so I took a couple of Bonine to be sure I didn't get motion sick. That was a mistake. I didn't get sick; I missed pretty much the whole thing. Those pills knocked me flat. I slept most of the way and when I wasn't asleep I was wishing I was. Don's ankle is too sore to do any hiking, so we just rode around the island. We came back through the upcountry, which was really cool. I'm glad I could stay awake for most of that ride. The whole ride today reminded me more of the Big Island than anything else we've seen in Maui. It was really wonderful; I only wish I could have stayed awake for all of it!

Harry leaves in the morning, so we'll get up early to get him to the airport. I think after that we may take it kind of easy for a day or two, but it's hard to hold Don down to easy. We'll see. We've seen most of the island in the time we've been here, but there are hikes we would like to do if we could. We'll see how his ankle does. If it hurts him, we'll enjoy the beaches and whales. The whales are really profuse here!

Our dear friend David had been in the hospital with another bout with pneumonia, but he got to go home yesterday, so that is really good news for us. God is so good. Other than zonked, sleepy, I'm feeling great. After a good night's sleep tonight, I'll be back in great shape.

Sunrise at Haleakela.

This is a picture of the sunrise at Haleakela this morning. It went very well. We decided we could get up at 2:15 this morning and get there in time. We did. We were going so early because it's a 3 hour drive, plus if you don't get there early, you may not get a parking place. We got the first parking place and then we went to sleep in the car. We had my phone set to wake us in time to not miss the sunrise. They opened the visitors' center a little before sunrise, so we got to go inside to view the sunrise. It was like a parade; everyone was taller than me, so I couldn't see a thing. Then at the last minute, the couple in front of me decided they wanted to see it from outside, so I got to step into their place and saw perfectly. I was so very grateful!

We came back to the condo and napped on the beach for a while. Then we got cleaned up and went driving to the south part of Maui. That was such an interesting drive for us! This island is full of surprises! There are so many awesome beaches, too!

Poor Harry broke his front tooth while eating an apple today. It's not hurting him, so that's good, but he is being very careful, hoping the rest of it won't crumble and break, too. He'll call his dentist in the morning and see if he can work him in when he lands in Hilo on Friday. Yesterday Don fell and twisted his left ankle, so he's hobbling a bit. It's sensitive, but only hurts when he turns it a certain way. So, it's a good thing we're done hiking for a few days, maybe for the rest of this trip. It sure could have been worse for either of them, so we are giving thanks that it's not worse and that they are still enjoying this trip.

Tomorrow we will drive the road to Hana. It's Don's left ankle that he hurt, so driving doesn't bother him. We're looking forward to a full day; it will take us at least 6 hours to go and return. If we're able to get out and see much, it'll be longer. We'll take it step by step. Everything we see here is so beautiful and amazing to us. We continue to see breaching whales. God's handiwork keeps us in a worship mode.

Wore ourselves out already!

This picture is one Harry took of Don and I before we hiked down to the huge blowhole. This was before we were completely worn out, but the blowhole just about finished us. It's been a great day!

We picked Harry up at the airport this morning and then started the tours of Maui! Whew! We've hiked for the last 5 hours! We are 3 exhausted people, but, man! Did we ever see the goodies! We saw a blowhole that shoots 70 feet into the air. I got some pictures, but I don't know if I got it looking as good as it really looks. We also saw a whale breach 3 times on our way down to that blowhole. It was AWESOME! I took some videos of the blowhole and in the background there are lots of whale blows that we didn't even see when we were there; we were so busy watching the blowhole that the whales escaped us! Don't you know God shakes His head when He does great things for us and we totally miss them! (Something like when we take the kids to Disney World and they go to sleep!)

We have to get up at 1:30 in the morning (!!!) to go to see the sunrise at Mt. Haleakela, so I'm cutting this off to run to McDonald's and post it. Then we'll eat supper and go to bed. Surely we're tired enough to sleep! God bless!

Willow Grace Hodge; PTL!

This picture is one Don took today when we were out walking. This golf course is near where we are and that is the island of Molokai in the background. It's amazing to us that it is so close! We took this walk and then came back and walked the beach right here where our condo is. I am overwhelmed; it is so beautiful here! We drove around and saw some of the area near us and it's beautiful!

I did our laundry, so I feel right at home, now. The McDonald's is close, so we'll go post this blog as soon as I finish it. Then we'll come home and I'm cooking chicken and putting the beef into burgers to freeze, so picnics and dinners will be easy to prepare for the rest of the time we're here. We go to the airport to pick up Harry tomorrow; he'll stay until Friday. We've got full days planned while he is here.

It is so gorgeous here! This is beach heaven, I think. All you people who like beaches should come to Maui! I thank God for the opportunity to be here and enjoy it. We look forward to sharing it with Harry.

PS: Sweet baby Willow and mother are doing fine. Willow Grace Hodge was born at 10:15 pm on Valentine's Day (CST); she weighed 9 pounds, 8 ounces and is 21.5 inches long! She's a big, happy girl and her daddy and mommy and Aunt Jo and Uncle Don are so pleased and proud! I will post a picture of her as soon as we get one. Praise God!

Welcome Willow Hodge!

A very quick note. We found a McDonald's with a WIFI and we're on our way to our condo. The picture is coming out of Bob's driveway; bye to the cows!

Our flight to Maui was interesting; a little prop plane with 37 passengers. We weren't over weight, so we were happy. They upgraded us to a full size car for free, so we're happy. We have groceries and now the blog done, so we're headed to our Valentine condo. So far Maui has taken our breath several times; we may be in love with another Hawaiian Island! We saw whales galore just driving up here and it's gorgeous!

We thank God for a safe trip! We also thank Him for our new great niece, Willow. I expect she has been born by now. I got a text from John while we were waiting for our plane that he was with Holly at the hospital and she had dilated 5 cm . . . Baby Willow is their precious Valentine! Congratulations, John and Holly!

Aloha, Hawi and Bob and Mimi!

This is our last night, here, at Bob and Mimi's house. Beautiful place; wonderful memories. Thank you so much, Bob and Mimi and God for giving us this opportunity and the health and freedom to do it. It's been so awesome! Have a wonderful Valentine's Day in case I don't get to post tomorrow! I send my love in this post!

We leave tomorrow to go to Maui. This will be two weeks of vacation for us. We have never been to Maui, so we are really looking forward to it. On clear days we can see Maui from Bob's house, so we've been teased by it every time we come here.

The first week we will not have Internet access in our condo. The second week we will. I may be able to get WIFI at a local MacDonald's but everything is not the same here as it is on the mainland, so I may not be able to check messages or post on the blog for the next week. I'll suffer withdrawals, but don't worry about us. We'll be having a great time. I will post if I can. If you don't see a new post, just know that we're having a great time and I'll be back soon! Thank you for caring enough to keep up with us. God bless.

From my view point.

Tonight's picture is me looking back to Don and Davy and Susan when I went looking for the shortcut behind the red cliff at the Road to the Sea Second Beach (last night's picture). You can barely see them, but if you click on the picture, maybe you can see them. anyway, you see that it is a beautiful beach. I'm glad we have the memory, but I expect to never go that tough 7 miles again!

Today Bob got the mower fixed this morning and then he and Mimi took both cats to the vet to have their annual check ups and shots. Don and I stayed home and Don mowed the grass and I vacuumed. Bob and Mimi have most of their unpacking done, so I could get to most of the carpet. It looks normal around here, again! Bob and Mimi are out working in the garden. Mimi is quite the garden enthusiast and they got supplements for the ground while they were in Waimea. No telling what all she'll have growing the next time we get to house sit!

We only have tomorrow left here. We leave Sunday for Maui. We're all set. It's been a wonderful stay and we look forward to the next chapter. Harry (where we first house-sat) is coming to join us for 3 days in Maui. Don spent a couple hours today planning those days so that we can get lots of hiking and touring done while Harry can share it with us. God has given us strength and we plan to use it; we are very grateful for health and friends and family!

Road to the Sea Beach

The picture tonight is one Davy took of me when I felt compelled to go to the other side of the beach. I was looking for a shortcut. I thought there might be a passage through at the end of the red looking cliffs. I went over there and there was no passage, so I had to walk all the way back. It's like Las Vegas: it looks like it's right over there, but it's forever over there! It was a beautiful beach, and a wonderful walk. I'm glad they waited for me to return! You can tell how far it is by how small I look!

This was the day that we went to the Road to the Sea Beach. This wasn't it! This was a much bigger beach a mile farther and we had to walk most of the way of that mile. It was 6 miles on a 4 wheel drive ONLY road to the Road to the Sea Beach. It took us 45 minutes to drive it in the Jeep! Then we drove about a fourth of the way to the second beach (pictured) and had to park the Jeep because it was too rough for even the Jeep. Then we walked the rest of the way carrying our sandwiches and drinks to picnic at this last beautiful black with green sand mixed beach. It was absolutely gorgeous, but no wonder nobody else was there. It took too much time to get there. I don't recommend it because it takes so much time. I don't regret that we did it, though. This was the day we went to the green sand beach, too. It was a BIG day! I'm so grateful that Davy and Susan came and did it with us. Most people would have turned back, but Susan and Davy took an attitude of "We won't know until we do it," and "We've come this far." I love that winning spirit!

Don and I took a while out this afternoon and went to watch whales. What fun! We saw a mother and calf and the calf breached so much we lost count; probably 20 times. The mother breached twice for us. They were pretty close in, too, so it was a great viewing. I forgot the camera, so I wasn't struggling with the camera. I can never beat that shot Davy got, so I can relax, I think.

I thank God so much for this relaxing time. It's great to have some easy time with Bob and Mimi, too. They are wonderful hosts and friends. God is great!

Yummy Chinese dinner.

The picture tonight is Bob and Mimi as we sat down to eat a wonderful Chinese meal she prepared. Mimi's an awesome cook! I write so much about Bob and Mimi; I thought I should share their picture. They are struggling to adjust to the time change and jet lag; I dread that when we go home. There's that and then all the catching up of mail and phone calls, not to mention unpacking. It's the bad part of traveling. The good parts are worth it, though!

Don and I are taking it easy. With Bob and Mimi home there's no work for us; they won't let us do anything. I even took a nap today; as if I had jet lag! Don's been catching up on his emails that were adding up.

My tax lady had called and left a message for me, but when I returned her call I got a message that many of the personnel couldn't get to work due to inclement weather. I guess there is so much bad weather on the mainland; we know we are so blessed to be here! Maybe I can get through to her tomorrow. In the meantime, I thank God for the awesome weather here and our opportunity to spend the winter here.

Bob and Mimi are safe and home.

In this picture Don and I are on our 'favorite hike' with Keokea Park behind us and Pololu even farther back. We were able to drive right down to here with the Jeep, so we could do this "hike" really quickly. It was great on our 'recap' of Davy and Susan's visit, to be able to go back over some favorite spots on the last day.

Bob and Mimi made it home this afternoon. They are absolutely exhausted, but so happy to be home. I thank God that they were able to travel safely, and that we could hold the fort for them while they were gone. It's been such a blessing to us.

Don and I got to see lots of whales today as we went up and down the coast, so that was nice, too. It's definitely our favorite time of year to be here.

Thanks for keeping up with us. The following is a wonderful link; enjoy it in support of our troops.

http://media.causes.com/611645?p id=44185871

Pololu, an all time favorite.

Tonight's picture is the same picture I posted last night, except this is Don and I at Pololu. We love this place, as Susan and Davy do. It's not far from here and we go every time we come here. I think it's about 9 miles from here and just a wonderful lookout as well as a great hike down and back. We thought the colors in the water were so awesome yesterday!

Davy and Susan made it home, fine. They had a delay on the way, but they're home. I know they're glad to be home, but we miss them.

We've been busy today, though. It's time to get ready to meet Bob and Mimi tomorrow. We wanted the house to be spotless, just like we found it, so we've been doing last minute cleaning today. It's not that it's dirty, but we want it to be spotless. We want them to come in and feel at home and not face any chores other than going through their mail. That's a big enough issue; we know because we have to do that when we get home.

We got an email earlier from Bob and they are on their way. It's a long trip and they'll be exhausted when they get here. I thank God for safe traveling for them and for Davy and Susan.

In case you are wondering, my back and hand and finger are doing really well. My back always hurts because of my back issues, but the problem I had from reaching for the cooler is solved. Thank God for our adjustable bodies and for the guys who can make the adjustments!

Davy and Susan are headed home.

This is the 'come full circle' picture. This is up above the Pololu Lookout. Davy and Susan really hiked Pololu this time. They hiked it the last time they were here, but this time they went over to the third mountain. That's a real hike! Today we drove back over the 'favorite hike' and to the 'lighthouse' (the lighthouse has been replaced with a modern 'pole' with a light on top of it) and to Pololu Lookout. Notice the colors of the water in the background. We thought this was absolutely beautiful and it seemed to really make a statement of how this trip has been: beautiful!

Davy and Susan left about an hour ago to go to the airport. Their plane leaves around 10, so they're on their way home. We miss them, already! It's been a wonderful visit and a great way to finish off our trip to the Big Island. Bob and Mimi will be home Tuesday and we'll visit some with them before we head to Maui next Sunday. That will be the icing on the cake for this visit: a nice visit with them.

I saw the chiropractor today and he helped me a lot. My back is still sore, but I think that's probably from going with it out of adjustment for a couple of days. I think a good night's sleep will likely fix me right up, now that he has me adjusted. I had a couple of 'kinks in my hands,' and he fixed those totally. I don't know what caused it, but my left middle finger acted like it had a catch in it and the same thing was happening between my thumb and index finger on my right hand. I can't figure what causes that, but he adjusted them and they were fine immediately. The finger started yesterday and the right hand today, so they hadn't gotten too 'set in their faulty ways.' Anyway, I thank God for making our bodies adjustable and for leading some folks to learn how to make the adjustments!

Thank you, God, for the chiropractor!

Made it to the top of Knob Hill, again. Whew! It's a big climb. Davy and Susan took off to go straight up while we traversed around to the top. I kept thinking I'd take their picture when they beat us to the top, but I never saw them! We got to the top first. I couldn't believe it. I knew it was harder to go straight up, but I figured they'd do it and beat us up there. Davy had a 'blow out,' though; the heal strap on his sandal broke, so they had a handicap. Plus, Don and I had sticks. Sticks help a LOT! It was invigorating to do, and I appreciate them letting us beat them!

Today we went to Hapuna Beach. The beach was loaded! The tide was out and the water was mild, so lots of people were in the water and lots on the beach. There was still room for us, though.

We never got the mower to work, so Don will do it when Bob gets home and fixes it. I think Bob will know what to do to make it work. Don can do it while Bob is going through his mail. He got the part we see from the lanai done, but the front still needs to be done.

Davy and Susan leave tomorrow and Bob and Mimi get home on Tuesday. We leave next Sunday for Maui. What a trip this has been. We are so grateful to have had this opportunity and to have had the health to do it. (I pulled something wrong in my back yesterday as we were headed to the car to climb Knob Hill. It hasn't gotten better and I met a chiropractor at the farmers' market in Hawi today, so I have an appointment to get an adjustment tomorrow. Yippee!)

Crashed; only a nap!

Tonight's picture is to see how quick you are. It looks like I fell off a mountain climb and landed on the rocks; there is even a red rock under my head, so I could be bleeding. Nope. This is my nap after Davy and Susan and I climbed to the top of the other side of Waipio Valley while Don hiked around the bottom. We were all exhausted. We ate lunch and then took a nap on the beach. Don and Susan laid on towels on the beach. I laid on the warm rocks and felt the mist of the waves and went right to sleep. Davy first went out into the water and let it cool him, then he came up and took this picture and one of Susan and Don and then he laid down on a towel for a nap, too. We thought this picture was too funny; I was totally crashed, but I was hanging onto my stick! I had my knee bands on my belly; heaven forbid that I get a stripe on my leg with no tan. If I had known he was going to take a picture I would have covered up my spare tire. Facts are facts. I was so pleased to have made it up and back!

Today we went to hike the rim of Waipio Valley, but the gate to enter was locked with numerous locks and there were no trespassing signs that made us resist. The signs said the trail was closed due to damage from the earthquake in 2006. We hated to miss that hike, but we went back to Waimea and climbed up Knob Hill. Whew! We came home for lunch and Davy and Susan went to hike down into Pololu Valley. Don and I were beat, so we stayed home to mow. The blade came off the mower, so we're stuck until we can figure out how to fix it. Don and I couldn't figure it out, so we hope Davy can when he gets home. So, we're cleaning up and calling it a day. I cleaned all the weeds out of the garden and watered. I'm so ready for a shower and an easy night of leftovers.

God is so great to give us bodies that heal and revive with rest. I can't believe we can do this hiking at our age. I am so grateful! I am grateful that people care about us. Breast cancer is not stopping us; we refuse! (I have no symptoms of any issues from the breast cancer. The lymphedema is not a big issue; I just have a fat arm,as you see in the picture [right one]. The curly hair is interesting, still. I'm ALIVE and well, so I'm only grateful and encourage others to not let breast cancer get in their way. Trust in God and enjoy every moment of life, giving Him the glory.)

Crossing the river in Waipio Valley.

Tonight's picture is one Davy took of Don and I coming back across the river as it enters the ocean in Waipio Valley. Davy nearly got me going down, but I recovered and didn't fall after all; neither did Don. Whew! We had our valuables in plastic bags, but we didn't want to fall because we'd be all wet, plus we could get hurt. The bottom is all rocky unless you go out farther and then the water is deeper (like up to my arm pits). We went with the rocks. Either way there is a really stiff current, so it's hard to keep from falling. This day I had on flip flops and it was hard to keep the flip flops from escaping with the current and keep from falling at the same time. The next day, when we went back and crossed, again, and climbed to the top on the other side, I wore my tennis shoes right into the river and it was much easier. Wet tennis shoes are no problem! I took them off and put on flip flops as soon as we got back to the jeep, and I needed the tennis shoes to climb the mountain, anyway. Don wore his sandals in the water and carried his shoes; I needed my hands as free as possible!

Today we went to A Bay Beach and got some sun. We saw some turtles and had lunch. It was an easy day. We came home and did some chores around here, laundry, yard, etc. Davy and Susan took the night off and went back to hike a sunset hike on the beach where we were this afternoon and then have a romantic dinner somewhere. Don and I had a romantic dinner on the lanai and loved resting after getting some chores done. We have had so much fun with Davy and Susan being here. We thank God that they could come and that we all have such good support at home to make this trip possible. Meanwhile the folks at home have mostly all got power back from the last storm. Fortunately our kids at home never lost power. Our house lost power and all our friends in Hobart, but most everyone has power back, but a few in the country are yet in the dark. Tough Okies! God bless them!

We're so blessed!

Here's the splash that the breach you've been seeing left. When he hit, you could hear the boom! It was so cool that Davy got this whole sequence. It's so great to see it in person, and it's really fun to be able to share it.

We went today to the volcano and it was kind of a bust. It was too cloudy and foggy to see anything. We got to see the steam vents and look around the museum, but we came on home in time to have supper at home. Before the volcano we had a great time touring around near Harry's house. We even stopped to see Harry and the cats, so that part of the day was great. Mackenzie Park was cool, but the waves were mild, so that was a little disappointing, too. We're spoiled to big shows, now!

We thank God for safe traveling for us and for the great things we did get to see. We came up right after a car wreck where nobody seemed to be hurt, although the car had turned up on it's top in the road. There appeared to be about 4 people involved, at least one of which was a little girl who looked to be about 3 years old. It was hard to tell who was involved in the wreck and who was helping. There were no cops and no ambulance, just folks standing outside the vehicle and they appeared to be fine, so I guess we came up right after it happened. We went away thanking God for their safety and ours!

Great whale watching!

This is the final picture of Davy's great whale shots. These last three pictures have been one breach. It was so cool. Tomorrow I'll post the splash that it left. Too many times we see the splash, but miss the breach. I nearly never get any of it on my camera.

Today Davy and Susan went zip lining and they loved it! We stayed home and got some work done on our taxes and got dinners packed and lunch cooked. We had lunch as soon as they got home and then we took off for Hapuna Beach. At the beach we saw countless breaches out in the ocean, but got no pictures (They were too far out to get pictures). We saw two whales breaching at the same time, two different times. It was really awesome! I counted 12 breaches and then took a nap. Then I woke up and counted 30 more before Don and I took off for another walk. On our walk we saw 3 more. It was unbelievable! (Chemo brain, counting, so take it with a grain of salt.)

We left Hapuna Beach and drove up the coast, stopping at a couple of places to watch for whales along the way. We finally made it back to Mahukona and ate our sandwiches while we watched lots more whale activity. It was really a fun whale watching day. It's so amazing that God made these animals and they seem to be here just frolicking. We stand amazed and so grateful to get to experience it.

Tomorrow we're getting up early to head for the volcano. We'll eat breakfast at the best breakfast place on the Island (Hawaiian Style Cafe in Waimea) and then head for the sea gem beach. We hope to collect some more sea glass and then head on to the black sand beach and Mackenzie State Park. (Look out Harry; we're coming your way!) We'll go see what we can see around the volcano, but it's been really quiet for the last month. Anyway, it'll be a long, fun day.

Middle of the breach:

This picture is the second in the 3 that Davy got of this whale breaching. He has a great camera and he was right on the ball with this one!

We had a full day today! We drove to the south side of the island and put the 4wheel drive to the test! We drove out to The Road to the Sea Beach. It was gorgeous, but we don't recommend anyone do it. It took too much time and was a killer ride. It was 6 miles out there and it was VERY rough. Then you go to the second beach which was so unreal; it was way awesome. It was a mix of green and black sand and NOBODY was there. We drove about another half mile and then walked about another half mile because even the jeep couldn't make that terrible road. It's a shame that these beaches are so remote; no wonder nobody was there! We drove on after that to the green sand beach, which was a piece of cake after the other drive. We'd hiked out there before, but it was so nice to have the jeep to drive out there!

After our 4wheeling all day we drove back to Kona and Davy bought our supper at the Kona Inn, so we got home and could just feed the cats, shower and go to bed. Whew! It's been a full day, but so much fun. The hiking was great and we're so grateful for the Jeep or we'd never have gotten to see any of these places. I continue to thank God that I can make these hikes. Who would have thought it. Don, too; he's doing great. Of course Davy and Susan are great hikers!

Davy is a whale magnet; we saw gobs of whales today even at South Point. We even saw breaches.

So awesome breach!

Now, THAT's a BREACH! Davy got this picture today when we were watching whales on our way home from a huge day of hiking. We had stopped at the place where I saw the monk seal and watched whales a while. Davy happened to have his camera ready and he got THREE shots of him out of the water and the huge splash he made when he fell into the water. I'll show the other pictures on the next 3 days, so you can look back and see the sequence and see what we love watching! I am so glad Davy got these shots!

We had the best time today. We spent the day worshiping in the wild. We drove back down into Waipio Valley and hiked across the river (Davy has pictures of that, too, which I'll post someday soon. After we got across the river (no falls, so we only got our feet and legs wet) we hiked over to the other side and hiked ALL the way to the top. Oh, man! What a hike and what a view. On our way down Davy and Susan and I saw another whale breach, but we didn't have a camera ready. Don only went half way up; he was conserving energy for the afternoon. David and Susan are young and I'm crazy (and so blessed), so we went all the way up. When we got down to the bottom we had our picnic lunch and then slept on the beach a while. That was wonderful. I slept on warm rocks and felt the cool breeze and mist from the waves refreshing me; it was like some kind of sauna treatment after detoxing on the hike (LOTS of sweating!). I so thank God that we can do all this, and that the kids could come and do it with us!

We came home and had salmon and baked potatoes for supper. Now I'm washing and cooking chicken to have ready for our picnics this week. I'm going to sleep so good tonight! Thanks for your patience in waiting for me to get this posted.