A Little Rain Must Fall...














We've had some very rainy days here in Paradise! Now the outlook is for partly sunny (or is that partly cloudy--and what's the diff, anyway?!) with increasing swells in our future! 

Happy #19, Sunshine!



















To celebrate Jessie's 19th birthday, we went out to dinner at Aloha Mixed Plate in Lahaina on Sunday. (I highly recommend the place: great food, great prices and a great spot.) We can't believe our girl is NINETEEN but that's what happens when you're not looking. Happy birthday, again, honey! 

Surfing Pals...














This is Keola, whom Jeff and Joe met while surfing at Cove Park. (I think he's part fish, he'd spend the whole day, every minute of it, surfing if he could...he was even out there this morning, in the pouring rain, all by himself. For hours!) 

Joe's Construction Company...













Now that's a cliffside, tunnel-included, hangin' loose sandcastle! 

Another Day Ends...














Here's another beautiful sunset in Maui...(wish you were here to see it with us)! 

A New Surfing Pal...














Here's Jonathon, whom Jeff and Joe met at the pool one day. He went surfing with the boys on Friday. Cowabunga! 

Surfer Dude...













Here's Diane's son Andy, standing up on his first time out surfing. Dude! His sister, Natalie, taught him everything he knows. (She was a terrific surfer girl, but by the time I got the camera out, she was headed in. Guess you Torrances will just have to come back and surf with my boys again!)

Maui Thanksgiving...














Here's how we spent our Thanksgiving day...along with a bazillion other people on the beach (I don't know how I got a photo that doesn't include anyone else). There was a great swell with big crashing waves; it got up to 88 or so and was a beautiful, sunny day.
We wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving and if you're reading this, you must be family or friend, so we count you as a blessing in our lives. We miss everyone back home and send you love and aloha (we'd send sun, too, but that never works).
Aloha Ke Akua (God bless you),
Jeff, Sally and Joe 

Chip off the old block...













Here's Joe cooking in the kitchen--he's got that panicked look that I sometimes get! We made some "sand dough" to shape into Christmas ornaments to decorate our place. We made some great stuff (including a snowman family), but it is looking like they might not dry out so great. Stay tuned! 

Girl's Day Out...













Here is my friend Diane Torrance from Seattle; she's here on vacation with her family for 10 glorious days--and staying just a few blocks from our place! We took off for the day and had lunch at the Hali'imaile General Store (BTW, we got their recipe for pineapple upside down cake, it really is 'to die for'). Then we drove up to Kula to a protea farm and then wondered Baldwin Ave. in Makawao and drove home via Paia--arriving much later than we expected to. It is SO great to have some girl talk around here, I've been having withdrawals! 

Flowers from Out-of-this-World...














Look at this incredible protea flower! These amazing plants grow upcountry here on Maui--Diane and I found a great little protea farm in Kula and walked among the plants snapping photos and hoping nothing alien popped out of them... 

Board Buddies...













Joe made a new friend, Keola, who lives nearby and often surfs at "our" beach across the street. Today they swapped boards, so Joe could try Keola's short board and Keola could goof around on that big ol' longboard. AND I got back on a board for the first time since we took lessons way back in September--I sorta kinda stood up but was too chicken and pretty much wimped out. Oh well, maybe my boys will give me another chance one of these days... 

Maui Today, Spokane Tomorrow...













Spent a fun day with Kellan and Jensen - their last day on Maui before heading home to that cold winter back home. We got in TWO beaches, SIX hours (or so), SEVERAL rocky sandcastle creations and COUNTLESS waves. It was a blessing to run into Tom and Julie and these terrific kids (please send us an email with Kellan's address so Joe can write to him). Thanks again for the great day at the Grand Wailea Resort. Take care and we'll think of you guys when those Cougars play! 

Thanks, Cappie...













Hey, mom! As promised, we enjoyed a few cookies (in your honor) on the beach. The snickerdoodles are great and Joe and I thank you for sending our own bag because, as you can see, Jeff is hogging his ruthlessly. 

Why Settle for 44 Candles...













...when you can have 44 dots of suntan lotion on your birthday?! The boys celebrated Jeff's big day with an afternoon of surfing, then we all went to the movie "Zathura," (we're out now, Amy), and got home in time for the latest episode of "The Apprentice" (I detest everything Trumpish but we are hopelessly addicted to the show) and enjoyed some hot apple pie (thanks again, Mrs. Smith) and ice cream. How's that for a swell birthday?! 

Sunset on 43...



















Today is Jeff's 44th birthday...so I thought it was hugely ironic to watch the sunset last night (you know, seeing the literal sun set on his 43rd year). He was nonplussed with the idea but said that sitting on the beach was a pretty good place to be right then. (...and who knows what today's sunrise will bring as it dawns on his 44th year?!) 

Maui Relay...













I didn't get any photos of the event, but here's my way-cool T-shirt. The Maui Relay went 167 miles around the island, with people walking or running 1-2 mile stretches (or more). We all got involved: Jeff drove some folks over to the North Shore and back; I walked a 1.5 mile stretch; and Joe and all the keikis (kids) at church last Sunday ran the final 150 yards or so. We met a lot of people and had fun for a good cause...the church already sent 4 men over to Louisiana to help with rebuilding efforts there. Aloha Ke Akua (God Loves You)!

Joe, the Monkey Man...














Here's Joe, swinging on the Tarzan rope at the Grand Wailea Resort. You get a glimpse of the "pools" here, but it doesn't do it justice. (Sorry I didn't get a better picture!). What a life... 

Birthday Party in Paradise...














Here are the kids Joe met at the beach the other day. It's Kellan's (center) 13th birthday and that's his little brother, Jensen. They live in Spokane and are on vacation here with their grandparents, who rented a room at the Grand Wailea Resort (we're talking swank, folks) for the day so that Kellan could spend his birthday in the pools here...and they invited us! We all had a blast, splishin' and splashin' around! 

Goin' Surfin'...













Just another afternoon with the Graves, strapping the boards on the roof and heading for the beach... 

Beach Boarding with New Friends...













Joe made some friends at the beach and taught them how to "beach board." They waited for the water to come in and start to go out again, then put their boards on the sand and ran and jumped on the boards. Joe's had a bit of practice on his technique, but even he bites the sand every now and then! 

Joe's Blog
Click here for the scoop on Joe's button blanket: http://joedgravesview.blogspot.com/
Make a comment and let him know what you think!

He Did It!













Joe's been practicing card shuffling and The Bridge and finally mastered it (except whenever I look--dad had to take this picture!).
Hey, did anyone notice that it was 11:11 on 11/11 today?! And it'll happen again before the day is over...isn't that cool... 

Joe's Button Blanket...













Joe is learning about Northwest Indians and made his own button blanket to tell about an important event in his life (can you guess what it is?!). I'll share the link when Joe updates his own blog, where he will explain what button blankets are all about. (Isn't it great? He did the design and a lot of the sewing himself!) 

Say It Ain't So...













We made some great memories this week (but we're missing our Sunshine Girl already). 

Graves in Paradise...












Here we are at Wailea Beach...all sandy and salty after a morning of snorkeling and boogie boarding. (Note my usual beautiful hair-doo!)