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Blessings

We have seen God's hand throughout this trip, starting with the confirmation that we should go even though Bryn was on bed rest, Laini was facing some health issues, and Mr. Mayberry was having a bout with pneumonia. Jamey's brother-in-law suffered a serious fall from a tree at work the day before we left. All these were either resolved or improved. Grammy gave Baby Southards instructions to stay put, and he listened well. We have truly been able to relax.

Even though all of us faced travel problems, we travelled safely. I knew Jamey was in charge of our arrangements, so I just sat back praying and let God fix it, not always swiftly, but surely.

On Monday, when I called Jamey to let her know we were on our way, she asked if I had seen her beautiful diamond cross necklace that Sparky had given her soon after the birth of JW. She had taken it off for her CT scan (another health issue faced before the trip) and couldn't find it in her purse. When I got off the phone I started praying that the necklace be found because I knew how upset she and Sparky were, and she deserved some peace after a lot of stress. Within 30 minutes Jamey called saying the necklace had been found, which added to her belief that I have a direct line to God. But don't we all?

God continues to give us surprising gems. The monk seal we saw is one of only 30-35 estimated to be on the island, and we were led to believe they were found on the south coast, but we were on the north end.

Once again, Scott did a masterful job of planning our free time. My concerns were with lodging. The B&B was quite unique in that we were in a bedroom just across the hall from the master suite. That turned out to be fine since we only saw the owner once, upon arrival. I got Scott to take the 2 interior pictures because of her 2 identical "Simplify" signs and then of her great abundance of stuff, including another comparable bookcase in our room.

Monday night

I didn't get to finish the above until now so I wanted everyone to know we arrived home safely but very tired. Even though our bed is not heavenly as ours at the Westin was marketed, I had a long, restful sleep and a good day at work. Please continue to pray for us in the next few weeks with all our changes. Baby waited for us, and Bryn looked great yesterday. We hope to close on the land before the end of the month. I continue to struggle with the separation from the Duffys and my precious babies, but they'll always be in the hearts of our whole family and we hope our lives as well. God is good.

Last day on the island

On our last day in Kauai, we toured a portion of the National Tropical Botanical Garden not far from the B&B in Kalaheo. In addition to the great beauty of the valley leading to a secluded beach accessible to the public only by boat, the gardens had interesting collections of tropical plants from many Pacific islands as well as native Hawaiian species.


The last photo is from the deck of the B&B where we spent the last night, looking down toward the ocean. Cows had been in the field just a few minutes earlier, and roosters were still crowing as they seem to do much of the day for most of the island. After a while, you don't seem to notice it.

Last day on the north coast

We checked out of the resort and headed back into Hanalei for a few more hours of beach time at Tunnels Beach, one of our favorites, a bit more shopping, some more scenic overlooks, and a late lunch of Teriyaki burgers. Snorkeling was great, and we got to see a Hawaiian Monk Seal taking a sunbath on the sand.

The Kilauea lighthouse, on a rocky point marks the beginning of the east "Coconut" coast. It is a great place to spot native Hawaiian birds.

We slowly worked our way down the coast, through the city of Lihue, which is having a mayoral election on Saturday. Two candidates were standing by the roadside at different points as we passed through, waving and smiling at us as we passed just in case we might vote for them. It was then on toward the small inland town of Kalaheo for our last night at a Bed and Breakfast overlooking the ocean in the distance.

Nelda's tadpoles

Wednesday afternoon Scott and I decided to explore the beach below us even though the resort had put up signs telling us to proceed at our own risk. It was a steep decline, and it reminded me of everyone saying the coming down from LeConte was the most difficult. My calves are still sore. Wimp! It was well worth it because we saw another extensive crescent beach where a river entered (very common). The part I liked best was the schools of baby fish that got bigger as we proceeded and especially the groups of tadpoles, reminding me of my childhood and wishing I had an empty mayonnaise jar. Then what would I do?

Last night we went into Hanalei where we ate a nice dinner on the porch of an old school and did a little shopping. Two different shop keepers told Scott of the rich and famous that had been there recently, not knowing he was the least interested person they could tell. He didn't even know who the first person was but at least recognized the name Lisa Marie Presley.

Nelda's first entry

This entry may be long and boring since I've saved up all my stories-- I fit these things in when I can.

Our (Jamey, Sparky, Kennedy, John William, Nelda) trip over was very eventful, starting with Jamey finding out minutes before we were to leave their house that there had been a major error in booking, and we had no tickets from LA to Kauai. That was resolved, and the babies did remarkably well in handling that flight and the night in LA. I decided this was going to be smooth sailing until, once again, minutes before we were to leave for the airport, they got word that our flight out had been cancelled-- the blessing of Scott not getting the plane that became stuck in Honolulu then caused us not to be able to use that same plane headed back to Kauai. With a lot of hard work from Jamey, we got an American flight to replace the Delta that would arrive 3 hrs. later, but John William was on a flight for the next day. We all know how smart he is, but that would be a little much. Again, thanks to Jamey's persistence, we got seats (2 and 2) on a totally full airplane. Both babies did beautifully except for a rough hour for JW. They are slowly adapting to the time change, as am I with a little help from drugs.

No big surprise that the cabin was a little too rustic for me, but it was so worth it to be there. On our last trip, the canyon was totally covered by clouds, but we had great views this time, and the Na Pali coast was unbelievable.

Scott had graciously told me beforehand that he would plan several options for Sunday with the option to do nothing if I was too jet lagged. I was tired, but I felt like getting out. The myriad rooster crows helped seal the decision. When we came down from the park I had a real Nelda day searching for food at cookie and chocolate factory outlets, and buying a Lilikoi (passion fruit) pie. After the trip to the beach, we discussed going to a nice restaurant but then decided we were both too tired, so we got take out shrimp.

The resort was much better than expected, and we have a gorgeous ocean view. As Scott commented as we were at a beautiful beach, "You have a great job!"

Exploring the beaches of Kauai's north coast

We are now centered in Princeville on Kauai's north coast. All of the towns on Kauai have Hawaiian names. Princeville is not really a town but a cluster of resorts centered around an area that was first a Russian fort, then a coffee and sugar cane ranch operated by a Scotsman named Wyllie. After Hawaiian King Kamehameha IV and his queen visited in 1860, the name Princeville was strategically given to honor the royal son. In 1969, the ranch was purchased for development as an upscale resort with its own private airport.

Some people come to Princeville and never leave the resort, but I have been planning how to explore the area for weeks now, remembering some of the things Nelda and I did on our visit 17 years ago. The road around the north side of the island stops about 10 miles further at the beginning of Na Pali coast, which is too rugged for a road. Actually, it's also too rugged for even hiking for most of us. There are a series of one-lane bridges as the road gets narrower and passes through the beautiful town Hanalei. Many movie scenes were filmed here, including several from South Pacific. In fact, the mystical "Bali Hai" of that movie is actually a shot of the beginning of the Na Pali coast.

I had been studying to the find the most perfect beaches in the area, but we have discovered that every one we stop at is pretty special. Different combinations of dramatic waves, smooth snorkeling, and shady palm trees, but all quite nice.

Nelda says she will author a post later today, with a few more pictures.

First pictures

Nelda arrived Saturday night after a tiring flight. We gathered her bags (mine had arrived earlier in the day) and headed west around the island and into the Waimea Canyon where I had stayed alone the night before. It was a great place for her to sleep peacefully and recover from jet lag.

I took the photo of Kalalau Valley just a few miles from the cabin. We were blessed with a clear day; the view is usually obscured by clouds.

On Sunday, we spent a leisurely day on the south side of the island. No schedule, just visiting places that sounded interesting. We have a Shave Ice at JoJo's. I had picked up some local fruit at the fruit stand in the photo. I did some snorkeling at Poipu beach, but Nelda took a nap under some trees nearby, overlooking the waves.