AncienTrails

Clouds have rolled in and the temperature dropped.  Well, not too far, but enough shortsleeves chilly.  It’s night here.  The clouds over Lanai looked on one end like a crocodile (complete with eye) and on the other just like an elephant.  An omen?

Kate’s still sick.  We’re lying low, somewhat reminiscent of our first trip here during the Nagano Winter Olympics.  These two Minnesotans spent a lot of time inside, watching triple axles, double toe loops, Eddie the Eagle and slalom races.  A peculiar, but, in some strange way, apt, first time here.

Spent much of the day reading, A Secret History, by Donna Tartt.  A wonderful, odd book about classic’s students who commit two murders.

Tomorrow night we head over to Mama’s Fish House for my 61st birthday.  This is the second or third birthday I’ve celebrated here.  Feels like just the right place.

Sun sets over Lanai.  Below our lanai a slack key guitar and vocalist play Hawaiian melodies.

Kate and I sat on our north facing lanai just 20 minutes ago and watched a pod of whales move between Molokai and Maui, then head towards Lanai.  They breached and spouted, flukes slapping the ocean when they dove.  The humpbacks come here each year during this time for mating, then they head back north.

The strangeness of the whaling imagery comes into clear relief when these behemoths play.  In fact, there is now a small industry involved in whale watching.  One way to find the whales from the balcony is to follow the whale watching boats as they head for the pods.  Which seems backward and perverse to me, somehow.

Dinner just came.  Catch of the day: ono with fruit salsa.  Thai chicken wings.  Thai coconut bisque.  Smells good. 

Bye. 

77 clear skies.  sun.  blue ocean, white surf.  sunburned tourists.  no snow here. (but, there is on the mountains)

Kate and I went down at her suggestion to the pool side bar and grill.  We sat in lounge chairs and ordered lunch.  I didn’t last long.  I don’t like the direct sun, nor do I like laying around with other folks who seem only interested in laying out in the sun.  This must be some Puritan instinct, but seeing other folks lay in the sun, drinking, then swimming, then eating and drinking and laying about pushes some kind of button.  Probably my own fear that I’m as lazy as they appear to be. 

I know.  This is vacation, right?  Well, even there, I like more active vacationing, hiking and visiting historical sites, that sort of thing.  When I got to Maui, I said to Kate that I planned to do nothing, but in the end I find it difficult.  Since I can’t drive the rental car, I can’t get to the places I’ve gone during other visits.  Not a terrible thing at all, but the option of sunning doesn’t add up to much to this northern curmudgeon.

On the bright side I got to talk to Dakesh in Bangalore about my internet connection.  This time he bypassed the hotel’s server and gave me a straight shot into the network.  Says I won’t have anymore trouble.  Hmmm.

Naptime.

Sun shines.  As it nears noon, the heat comes on, lovely after the slight, but welcome chill of the morning.  Now the palms sway a bit to gentle breezes.  The ocean reflects the sky and both send off a blue that suggests today will be fine, just fine.

A catamaran employee, a fit looking woman in her late twenties, spoke to a crowd, “We need to go with the ocean.  As it runs, we need to stay up with it.”  The crowd of pot-bellied, weather weary midwesterners nodded as if they’d understood.

Whaler’s Village had a slow start this morning.  Most shops had not opened when I wandered over there about 7:45.  The grocery store cum gift shop cum liquor store cum clothing store had its security door rolled up, so I walked in and purchased Nyquil, kleenex in the handy packs and listerine in a three ounce (TSA compatible) bottle.

Back at the hotel I had an even lighter breakfast (and, therefore, cheaper) than yesterday, which suited me just fine.  I realized a lot of my anticipation on a vacation had focused on food.  Now I have to satisfy that need in other ways.  Not to say I don’t have options:  hiking, swimming, reading, writing, shopping.

At the Honolua Surf Company I found a sweatshirt I liked, a fancy shirt for my birthday dinner on Thursday and a long sleeved t-shirt.  The apparent irony of a sweatshirt from Hawai’i has appealed to me since we first came and I have a collection.  In fact, at night and sometimes in the early morning a sweatshirt is just right. 

New Day in Paradise    Clear, sunny with clouds over Molokai.  Little breeze at this hour and the Pacific is calm. 

Kate’s got a cold, a version she got from some kids at work before she left.  She’ll have to rest today and tomorrow at least. 

Hard to believe I’ve only been here a day.  The jade guy I  mentioned yesterday also told me how great it was to live here.  If there were a practical way to do it, I’d jump on it. 

At night the skies are clear and the stars shine bright without the light pollution so endemic to the continental U.S.   It gets hot during the middle of the day but the morning (now) and the evenings cool down and breezes blow off the ocean. 

Gonna get back to my workout routine this morning.  Got to because this ol’ body collects aches and pains if I don’t stretch it out every day.

See you later.