Love Me, Love My Blog...













Aloha, again! I'm back--my computer got a nasty virus and I had to have it erased last week. I'm up and running again, so keep checking the old blog every few days. After all, where else can you see great photos like this one, of Joe hiding behind his new skateboard deck? We send you all love and aloha (but we're not gonna share the sunshine). Go Seahawks! 

We Meet Again In Paradise...













Yes, my EB friends, this IS Rick and Patti Fersh! I had the pleasure of meeting them for breakfast while they were on vacation here on Maui. Once in awhile God blesses us with reunions with old friends, and this was one of those moments--which I will treasure for a long time to come. We had the opportunity to share the amazing things that God is doing in our lives and it was really wonderful to get together again after all these years. (Now, picture this, you EB-ers...Rick now has four granddaughters under the age of three...every now and then he declares it "granddaughters day" and spoils those little darlings rotten!) 

Snow on Maui...



















This sight caused quite a commotion on the island: snow on Haleakala! I know this is not going to be very exciting for you northerners...but man, you should have seen the people smiling and pointing mauka (toward the mountain). It was even front-page news! 

Serious Business...














Doug and Jen (you know, my friend Arin's friends) spent their last two nights at the Grand Wailea Resort and invited us over to play in the pool--Joe even got to spend the night there, lucky duck! As you can probably guess, Nolan and Joe did some serious swinging on the Tarzan rope and made some super gnarly splashes. (We're all looking forward to seeing you guys back in Seattle next summer!) 

Raging River...













Insider's tip: the best slide in the whole place at the Grand Wailea is this one, where the water goes really fast and you can hang on to the top of the slide and wiggle like a salmon swimming upstream (just be sure you hang on to your shorts)! 

Down the Chute...



















Nolan slides down while Joe perches at the top...what fun! 

What's Not to Love...













Just another day in Paradise for a couple of boys: Joe and Nolan (Doug and Jen's son). Watch for more photos of these dudes in the next day or so...they have some SERIOUS fun planned! 

Aloha, Megenitys...













Here's my pal, Arin's crowd: in back, Jen and Arin; seated, Doug and Ryan; kids, Nolan and Anna. (Of course, you know my boys: Jeff and Joe on the left.) The Megenitys left our tropical Paradise and headed to their own little slice of Heaven (and several inches of new snow) in Bozeman, Montana on Saturday. Aloha my friend! 

Going to The Fishbowl...













We hiked across the lava beds to The Fishbowl, a pool right at the ocean's edge. Thanks to Arin's friend, Jen, we found the trail (21 paces north of telephone pole #18) and it was a great adventure. (Never saw so many varieties of fish! Wow!) Pictured above, Jeff and Joe strike an Indiana Jones pose while Ryan, Arin and Anna Megenity look on. 

Cutie Patooties...














Joe and Anna at The Fishbowl... 

Three Dudes Waiting for a Wave...













Jeff, Ryan (my friend Arin's husband) and Joe went surfing--sometimes it's a loooooong wait in between those sets! 

Sand Cuties...













Here's Joe with a couple of new pals: Anna, my friend Arin's daughter; and Nolan, Arin's friend's Jen's son. They are on-island for a wonderful sunny vacation. Arin's family lives in Bozeman, Montana (brrrr!) and Jen's family is from Seattle. Sure is fun to have some friends around!!! 

Our Last Hurrah with Laurie...













Went on a TERRIFIC whale watch cruise with Laurie on her last day on-island. It was truly an amazing experience and a great way to end her vacation. (We had so much fun with Laurie during her trip, it was like we were ALL on vacation! We miss you already!) 

Our Best Whale Picture...













Boy, those humpbacks are tricky to photograph! This picture shows the fluke (tail fin) of one whale and the back of another. We saw many, many whales, including: a competition pod of about six males trying to get one lucky lady's attention; several breaches (where the whale leaps out of the water); a mama whale and her newborn calf--and the baby breached!; a few pec-slaps and many spouts (I think I even saw a spy hop). We also got to hear the whales singing through a hydrophone (they sound a lot like Dory in Finding Nemo). It was AWESOME!!! 

Laurie's Gonna Kill Me...













...but this one is just too funny to pass up! (She has quite a story about blue fish swizzle sticks, a few too many mai tais, some good friends and Cabo...but she'll have to tell you THAT one.) Had a great dinner at LuLu's, a restaurant near here, and caught the play of the Broncos-Patriots game (along with some rowdy fans perched around the bar). Finished off the day with a few pints of Dove ice cream and a rousing game of Sorry (Joe had an amazing come-from-behind-win--again)...that's life in the fast lane with the Graves in Paradise! 

Kayak Crew...













Here we are, after a briny morning of snorkeling and kayaking. Swam with the sea turtles (we saw about TWELVE of them! Wow!) and saw all kinds of amazing tropical fish. Learned some interesting things about Maui (most of them legal) from our guide, Chris. Stay tuned for more photos, we're buying the CD...

On the Town...













All four of us went to a FABULOUS show, 'ulalena. It tells the story of Hawaii's history in music and dance. It was wonderful, I think we all give it five stars. GO, if you're ever on island here! Afterward, we had Kawaui Pie ice cream cones (coconut, macademia nuts, fudge and other dee-licious stuff) and wandered the art galleries in Lahaina town. What a fun night! 

Let the Fun Begin...













Yay! Laurie's here! ...and here we are, making the most of Friday the 13th, scaring some fishies at Ulua Beach. Woo-hoo!
While we were at the beach (but not snorkeling, just soaking up those delicious golden rays of sun) a whale swam by about 100 yards offshore. Amazing! 

Joe's Construction Co.














Here's Joe, having fun with the noodles... 

Great Beach, Brah!














We went beach hopping today--FIVE beaches in one day, four of them new ones to us. Discovered this terrific spot and Joe decided that it's now his fave beach for boogie boarding. He spent some of his Christmas $$ on a new pair of board fins this afternoon...and guess which beach he wants to try them out at? Yeah, brah, that's right, Palauea -- but you can call it White Rock -- like everyone else around here. 

Wow, Look at all Those Booties!













Ha! Made you look! (So did we, when Joe shouted this while we were driving in the car this morning!) These booties are for surfing...not that other kind; after all, we're G-rated around here... 

It's Official...



















...we're here to stay (at least for a few more months)! I finally got my Hawaii drivers license, so that now I can get the kama'aina rate (resident discount) on activities around here. (And...isn't that a mah-velous photo?!) 

Nuttin' Much Happenin' Around Here...













Aloha, folks! Haven't posted much lately because there just isn't anything too exciting to report. Saw this on the beach the other day and I thought I must have stumbled across some OSU fans (sorry, dad) but it turned out to just be some ambitious Canadian tourists.
We are very excited to have some visitors arriving soon: my friend Laurie (in SEVEN days!) and my pal Arin and her family (in only NINE days!)...I can hardly wait!!!
Meanwhile, stay tuned! I'll let you know when the action in South Maui heats up! 

Thunderball...













Aloha! I hope you all had a wonderful New Year and that 2006 is already off to a great start! Here in Hawaii people ring in the New Year with fireworks--LOTS of 'em. We could see several neighborhood firework shows from our deck (er, I mean lanai). Alas, I forgot to photograph any of this excitement (sorry!). BUT this beautiful variety of Hibiscus (the state flower) is named Thunderball, so I thought that it would be a good stand in for a picture of fireworks. (I know, I know, "Sally's logic!")