Warning, there are lots of vacation photos in this post so you can skip it if you are more interested in the farm.

But before we went, we did have some farm stuff to do.  I had to use our huge carrot bounty.  So I picked a good portion of them and made Spicy Carrot-Ginger Soup.  I really loved it.  Tom said he liked it, but he was also ill at the time so didn’t have a good appetite.  I froze the leftovers so this was a great use of our carrots.

We had our farm sitter scheduled for our trip.  So Roscoe was confined to the upstairs so he could be safe from Wally.  I did put a collar on him so he had identification in case he got out somehow.  He seemed to tolerate it well.

We started our vacation a little early because I had impulsively purchased tickets to an Edgar Allan Poe stage performance in Bellingham the evening before our trip.  So then I decided we should stay at Hotel Leo (which was on my bucket list).  So we checked in there first with our beagle.  It was a nice room in a historic hotel with views of the city.

Then we headed to The Majestic Ballroom for the performance.  It was decked out nicely.

The performers recited and performed his poems with relish.  It was quite fun but also macabre.  We went back to the hotel and showed Ryeleigh the doggy pee spot at the hotel, but she liked roaming the streets much better.

We dropped the beagle off for boarding (more on that later) and headed to SeaTac.  Interesting to us, there was a lit billboard advertising Skagit County as a tourist destination there.

We got on our flight from Seattle to Maui, joining Tom’s family that had flown to Seattle from Bellingham, and we were all on the same flight.  And we arrived at a vrbo rental in Lahaina.  It was a long day but here is our reward, the view from our abode for one week.  It was incredibly beautiful.

We drove to the Foodland grocery store to get supplies.  Sadly there were crosses on the way for the people who perished in the fires.  The latest count is there were 102 that died and 2 are still missing.  There were other display of crosses on the Lahaina bypass but couldn’t get a good photo of them.  They had pictures of the victims on those memorials.

We got our supplies and headed back.  We were vacationing with Tom’s parents, 2 siblings and their partners so there were 8 of us total.  Here are the views that first Sunday evening and the sunset.

This is Tom enjoying it.

There is a 3 hour time difference so I was waking up early there.  I tried not to disturb anybody, make some coffee and went on walks.  But I was treated to amazing sunrise views.

 

Later the rest of the family became active.  Here’s Tom and his father enjoying the morning.

We headed a little north to find a sandy beach that was accessible for all.  This was the Hanakao’o Beach Park.  It was perfect as there was an easy walk, sandy beach and shading trees.  Tom’s dad enjoyed the views, and many of us went swimming in the surf.

Plus there were plenty of chickens which I enjoyed.

Unfortunately we witnessed a water rescue.  This person had been snorkeling and appeared to be struggling on this rock.  The rescuer did a great job moving this person to the beach and EMS then took the patient away.  I am hoping all ended up well.

We returned to the rental, but then Tom wanted us to find lunch.  So the two of us headed out and eventually found the Java Jazz restaurant.  We had Mai Tais there and took in the ambience.

Our lunch was great, and then the owner showed up and started playing some amazing guitar.  It was really fun.

When we got back, we got to see some sting rays on our beach.  We think they were mating.  I have never seen them in the wild before.

The next morning (Tuesday) on my walk I started to appreciate that much of the complex we were staying it had burned in the fires as well.  And there were these signs on each property describing what portions of the recovery fo the property had been completed and what still needed to be done.  It was quite eye-opening.

And looking around you could really see how many buildings were lost.

Tom and I were looking for the advertised swimming pool  The main one had been destroyed but a smaller one survived which we found.  This egret was there.  I just love these birds.

Back at our room, I finally got a photo (but out of focus) of one of the gecko’s neck flaps.  I was more impressive in person.

That afternoon the whole group of us headed to Maui Brewing for lunch in Kehei.  I (and others) had the coconut porter.  It was good.  Lunch was amazing, and our server Rusty was great.

Then we headed to Kehei to see a property that Tom’s sister and partner had stayed previously.  The beach was really nice and definitely felt Hawaiian.

There was some live music there in the shade of the trees which was really enjoyable.

Back to our rental, there had been some issues.  There was no hot water and our downstairs air conditioner made a horrible noise.  Here is the air conditioner all tore apart in the repair by the owner’s repair guy.  We learned that he had lost two houses in the fire as well as a 1969 Corvette.  Sadly (to me and probably him) the Tesla was saved rather than the Vette.  He was able to fix the hot water situation, and the air conditioner was less noisy after this.  The other issue was that the whole complex’s water supply was cut off two morning for repairs so that made washing ourselves, clothes, and dishes a little sporadic.

Tuesday evening Tom and I headed to Merriman’s in Kapalua, north of Lahaina. I had made reservations there for my early 60th birthday dinner.  We had eaten at Merriman’s on the Big Island for Tom’s 50th birthday and had an amazing experience there so I thought it would be nice for my 60th.  I had a Better Call Sal cocktail, and Tom had a Mai Tai.

I had Ono and Tom had Filet Mignon.  Mine was okay but not outstanding.  Tom did like his dinner.

Here’s our view.

But for dessert we had an espresso chocolate creme brûlée with macadamia nut cookies that was truly incredible.  I had a French press coffee with it, and all was perfect.

On the way back I took more photos of the devastation from the fires.  We tried to go to the Banyan tree, but the historic downtown area is cut off from visitors.  That was sad because I wanted to see its recovery, but I do understand.

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Back at our rental we enjoyed another amazing sunset.

The next morning I walked on the beach.

Our rental was next to the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary.  We saw whales every day there.  Unfortunately the photos do not do justice to how amazing they were.

We also have seen turtles, dolphins, and flying fish.  It was all so incredible.

On Wednesday morning Tom and I swam in the pool with a lovely Australian couple with their grandson.  It was so cute.  Then the group of us headed to Black Rock beach for some relaxation and snorkeling.  I saw this guy with a Bellingham shirt thinking he was from our area, but it turns out this is his last name.

Tom’s parents hung at the Cliff Dive Bar and Grill for refreshments while the rest of us swam and snorkeled.  The beach was pretty crowded.  Tom and I did see tropical fish and turtles but didn’t last long.  I felt bad for the fish and turtles there.  So we joined Tom’s parents in the bar.  I had an Elderflower Margarita, and Tom had a Mai Tai.  We had great lunches there as well.

Others in our groups had frozen cocktails.  Unfortunately they were not on the menu, and I do not remember their names.

This egret was begging from us and ate some fallen fries.

Thursday morning I walked around the complex in the morning with my coffee. Here is a statue between destroyed buildings.

Here’s some devastation looking north.

Here are some scars from burnt up vehicles.  You could see a lot of these on the highway as well.

Here’s a kids play area destroyed.

And a damaged pool and game area.

Looking north again along the coastline.  One building appears to have been spared.

I am familiar with fires and the damage they cause.  When my father’s cabin burnt, I learned about the tremendous devastation that can occur but also how some properties can make it.  I also helped clean up after my grandparents’ home burnt when I was a child.  I am familiar with the sad clean up and looking for anything that might have made it.  It is hard work indeed.

I tried to capture the wonderful wave sounds there.  I was only partly successful.

 

Here’s Tom’s father and brother talking on a gorgeous morning.

I got a chance to fool around on my phone a little.  This is where we were staying and the nearby islands we could see.

The apple maps app showed Lahaina before the fires.  The blue dot is where we were staying.

The google maps app showed it after the fires.  It was interesting looking at the differences.

Thursday afternoon I made Pina Coladas for the group which we enjoyed on the patio.

Here’s Tom sister talking to her daughter after a tough test she had to take back home.

Here’s Tom and his parents enjoying the shade and view.

We all went out to dinner Thursday evening at Humu’s in Wailea.  This was my bright idea as Tom and I had had an incredible experience here more than 20 years ago.  But I wasn’t sure it would be the same.  Tom had a Mai Tai, of course.  Larry, our waiter, was wonderful.

Three of us ordered Pacific Snapper for dinner.  Here is mine.  It was absolutely amazing!

I was pretty full but managed to help Tom eat this Basque Cheesecake for dessert which was also amazing.

Others in our group got the mud pie, and I heard rave reviews.  I had a small bite and had to agree.

On Friday for lunch we headed out to Mala Ocean Tavern for a meal.  This is one of the few surviving restaurants on Front Street in Lahaina.  There was a wait for a table for the 8 of us so part of the gang hung out under the large tree in the small parking lot.

Tom got a Mai Tai yet again.

Here is Tom looking at the view from the restaurant.  Erica was our server and treated us quite well.

Here’s the view to the north from our table.  There was a ukulele player, and it all felt very Hawaiian.

Back at the rental, this boat was sailing.

Tom and I had to pack up and leave for a night flight back home.  I had to work Sunday morning so with the time difference a Saturday flight wouldn’t get me home in time to prepare for it.  So there was one last look at our accommodations.

As we left, there was a Ruby-bow outside the front door.  We called it that because Tom’s sister dog was going under the knife for a bleeding mass back home.  She was definitely in our thoughts and prayers then.  (Since we have learned that she is back home and doing well.)

We didn’t sleep much on the flight home.  We drove north to pick up Ryeleigh from her boarding at Skagit Canine Club.  We received daily photos of here while we were gone.  Here is one of them.  She was really excited to see us when we picked her up that morning.  We all went home and slept.

Now it is back home to the farm and work.  I worked yesterday while Tom looked after things.  I helped with the chores after getting off of work this morning.  It apparently had rained a lot while we were gone.  Here is the rain gauge.

And here is my sad garden.  It will be a while before we can till and plant this.

I guess we picked a good time to take a trip to Maui.  We had a great time with plenty of relaxation but also exploration.  It was a much needed break for us, but it is good to be home.