maui lemonade

you know the saying about life giving you lemons?  well this happened today.

this morning we were up bright and early - as usual - for another water adventure.  we'd been watching kevin at wailea beach and his outrigger canoe taking tourists for lovely tours all week.  i was looking forward to this one :D

well, as kevin carefully and patiently surveyed his office space, he sadly had to let us down.  the surf was just too big and unrelenting to go out.  dang, lemons. so sad, i mean i had on the cute outdoorsy outfit again and was ready to go!

so, what to do?  find a fishing spot of course :D  we drove up to makeena state beach and maui gave us a big glass of lemonade. hidden beach, private lave cave for a bit of natural umbrella shade, and fish!  here's another slide show.

highway 340 or the death road of Maui

after joe's fishing trip and my morning at the pool, we decided to head north to explore.

we went up past kaanapali, and kapalua - the towns where alex and paula had their honeymoons.  every town is so different, quaint, and beautiful.  loved it.  there is a pga tournament at a famous golf course up here next week, so we checked that out, too.  but, then the exploring really began.  the road narrows and there are signs to not take a rental car any further, but we did anyways.

needless to say, i was terrified.  you would be too if you had a driver with adhd who looked anywhere but in front of him while he's driving.  i googled  this highway and found really funny articles about it being a suicide road, etc. it was nuts.  BUT, worth it.  we saw surfers, cliffs, vistas, and some spooky local artifacts warding off tourists.  here's a slideshow.

birdwatching

my friend carol will be happy to know that i have been listening to and watching birds here in maui all week.  i didn't make this video, but we were here, and i did see these beauties! from our lanai, or balcony as we call it back home, the bird songs are just beautiful.  mostly i see mynas, cardinals, finches, egrets, and doves.  and, we hear the neighbor rooster every morning! here's a little picmonkey collection for carol.

click the collage above for a link to a great guide to birds of maui.

and, yes, i've been seeing birdies at the beach, too :D

smoke

today was my first down day in maui - it was bound to happen.  a girl can just take so many rum drinks, outdoor activity, and sun - i mean i am NOT used to this much fun!  our road to hana day was nixed due to another fishing excursion, but really it was a great day to sit by the pool and detox with a smoothie.  i don't think i could have handled a bumpy ride anyways.

oh, and maui was having an off day, too.  i thought the sky was hazy, but, no, get this - it was volcanic smoke from the big island.  the weather app actually said, "smoke," where it usually says sunny or cloudy under the little sun/cloud icon.  i thought that was local for haze, but it turns out it WAS smoke.  maybe it wasn't the rum drinks, maybe it was the smoke?  prob not.

sunset cruise

tonight we ventured out onto the water again - this time it was more my style.  i mean i got to wear a cute outfit, and there were rum drinks :D

this is molokini crater - a great snorkeling spot, if you're so inclined.  

as the sun set, we drank a lot of rum drinks and chatted with a lovely couple from north carolina.  maggie just got her masters in social work - specializing in gerontology.  she's starting a research project dealing with enhancing tbe quality of life of seniors.  she's especially interested in music therapy and needs a qualified intern next summer.  anyone?  sometimes the stars align in just amazing ways.  i do believe things happen for a reason, and here in maui it's easy to believe that.

so, here's the obligatory sunset shots.

and a surprise.  we saw whales and dolphins, too.

  sunset cruise dolphins from Mrs. Higgins First Grade on Vimeo.

it's a lava field

this morning, we were up so early - again - it was too early to rent a kayak for fishing, so joe and i decided to explore coastal fishing spots.

what we didn't realize was that we had stumbled upon a coastal lava field.  the sand was black - first clue.  all black rock - second clue.

as we drove further and saw the reserve signs, we realized it was a special place.  it looked like the terrain had been chewed up, like it was getting prepped for building.  but it wasn't turned up dirt, it was lava rock!  i tried to capture it in pictures - here's a little slideshow.

turtle town

i went way out of my comfort zone this morning - but in a very good way!

you see, kk, emi, & tommy got us this amazing christmas present - a clear bottom kayaking trip!  i put on my cute columbia gear & keens, and went for it.  we launched at 7am - no problem for this girl on boston time.  

well, there were fish, coral, and two of the sweetest green sea turtles you'd ever want to meet.  they swam below and beside us - they poked up, looked us over, and seemed like they wanted a pat on their heads :) here's a peek...

  turtletown video from Mrs. Higgins First Grade on Vimeo.

art

here in maui there are a lot of fish, right? so, you-know-who is on a mission.  he's going fishing today for some local treasures to print.  we've got some rice & mulberry paper ready.  only problem is, no grill!  

there are a couple of gyutako artists here - we are hoping to meet the local master on tuesday.  hopefully, Joe will have something to show him:)

so while Joe was fishing this afternoon,

I finally got these babies painted up pretty!

mama's

mama's fish house in paia lived up to the hype and anticipation - incredible food - they actually tell you on the menu who caught your fish, where they caught it today, and the name of their boat! all the special touches were right up my alley - like the card, the service - everyone we met wished us happy anniversary - AND, Jim our server gave this to joe for me -

finally, my fresh lei :)

best meal ever - one to remember!

time

third day in a row up at 4:30!  on the plus side, good time to blog, and stargazing is ridiculous without the east coast lights - billions of stars!!  worried about two things - will I survive New Years rooftop concert? and, will I be able to wake up for my TAT meeting on Monday 1-5-15??

snorkels, and kayaks, and paddleboards, oh my!

so, when you go to the beach, what type are YOU?  i mean are you like one of these crazies, straight out of that latest adam sandler & jen aniston in hawaii movie? this picture was actually taken today from my beach chair - hilarious paddleboard traffic jam.

or, are you like me - i mean, if you know me, you know i'm not really an outdoors kind of girl.  don't get me wrong, i LOVE being outdoors - especially here in maui - i just don't really like to DO anything when i'm outdoors. well, not anything like the above.  i'm not the rhinestone flip flop kind of girl either.  but i'm definitely not a run on the surf with your personal trainer girl. nope.

joe, on the other hand, is an explorer.  he's the ying to my yang.  so, he snorkeled today.

isn't he cute in his pineapple shorts?

i, on the other hand, dug my feet in the sand again,

soaked in some sun, got some sweet snacks from the four seasons' cabana,

and took some hilariously hideous selfies.

the funny thing was, i found myself after an hour of these self-indulgent shinanigans, thinking, where was JOE?  he probably got taken in the undertow and no one noticed because the four seasons life guards wouldn't be watching him - he doesn't have the orange bracelet! omg!!! so, i turned into that lady - frantically speedwalking up and down the shoreline with her cappucinno and her ill-fitting coverall looking for her lost snorkeler.

long story short (not really, i guess) - he's fine.  AND. get this, he saw four sea turtles to boot.  that's my ying. 

roosters, whales, and butterflies

day one in maui - amazing.  awoke to a rooster cock-a-doodle-dooing and the sun shining on wailea beach.  our hotel is perched on the mountainside overlooking the water, i'm dying.  our slip of beach is between the four seasons' and the grand wailea's, without all those people.  it's crazy. while resting and relaxing and soaking in the sun at the beach, we saw several whales and even some butterflies!  here's a few pics from today.  had a great dinner at fleetwood's in lahaina - going back there for new years.  the music rocked!

last night, first night

so, i was too tired to post this last night, but i wanted to let julie know. . .

this beauty made it!  and, of course i brought the two carry-ons just in case we lost big pink - so, yes, i've got LOTS of cute outfits in store for maui :D

and then this happened,

upon arrival at the hotel wailea, we had to get a snack and refreshments at the hotel bar - this is my first official mai tai of this adventure - it was perfect!  we shared refreshments with this guy. . .

meet mark - he plays the piano in our lounge, AND he went to Berklee, AND he plays with Mick Fleetwood, AND he's playing on new year's, AND, here it is, he filled us in on the special guest - steven tyler. BAM.

good morning

sitting on our porch, soaking it all in.  there's a rooster crowing, birdies chirping, waves rolling, and the sky is getting bluer by the second.

lazy beach day?  I think so.

it's a long way to get to there

No wifi on the first leg to San Francisco - loving the podcasts - thanks, kk!

we're off

So, today is the day - Merry Christmas everyone! We celebrated with the kids yesterday, it was wonderful to be together laughing and eating :)

Do you like my  plane ensemble? It is a very good day when you are off to paradise.

tomorrow

 &

click HERE for inspiration

xoxo