Mixture of Lazy and Excitement!
As everyone prepared for the day… cooking breakfast, packing for the day… Spammie and I had a heated game of Five Crowns. Well, maybe not that heated… she seems to always beat me! For me, focus is necessary. My Granddaughter, on the other hand, can multi-task and do ten things at once! Even watching vidoes, looking at photos, reading emails… she can be me!
As we played the game, Ezra balanced the packaging from his new hiking boots, on his head. Both kids got some solid shoes to hike Kokee. Good Dad picked them out! Actually, I could wear Ezra’s if I needed… they are exactly my size!
From this vantage point, it appeared it would be a stellar day. Waimea Canyon are can be hit or miss with weather. The clouds like to hover over the mountain peaks. Not on this day, so far the clouds stayed up high.
Here we find the perfect spot for a photo! Ezra clowning, Spammie being a good big sister! On the right, Dad jumped in the photo. Making memories is what vacation is about. One thing about Kauai is that there it has such a variety of landscape… desert beach areas with cactus, pine trees in the mountains, cliffs, thick, lush tropical and the “Grand Canyon”.
Amazing rock formations! Years ago, I was working in Lihue and would often ask if I wanted a free seat on a helicopter to fill it for an excursion. Of course, I always said “yes”! Seeing this area from above is incredible. As the chopper flies over certain areas, it feels like the bottom is falling out… there’s a sudden dip as though the gaps below are sucking the aircraft into the canyon. Quite an experience!
The beauty of this area is that it is constantly changing with the angle of the sun… the clouds… The most dramatic change is the color of the rocks. They can look dull and with a ray of light, be a dramatic orange/red.
Kids these days spend so much time on computers and doing sedintary activities. It’s always nice to see them out hiking, swiming and being active. Visiting new places is fun. We will always look back at this time when we picked a new area to gather as a family during fall break.
Pools of water… flowing waterfalls… are things plentiful to Kauai. With Mt Wai’ale’ale, a shield volcano and the second highest spot on the island, clouds stall and dump rain on certain areas. The name translates to “rippling water” or “overflowing water” which explains why the crater can have dozens of waterfalls at any given time. The shoreline below Waimea canyon is one of the dryest spots on Kauai. But the top of the mountain area is considered one of the wettest spots on earth… close to 360 inches of rain a year!
Being extremely tall with long arms has its benefits! Jeremy is his own personal “selfie stick”. He can stretch his arms and take some good shots!
The enniversary couple posed with the canyon in the background. Unfortunately, the Kalalau Valley was socked in with clouds so the group was unable to see the lush green valley and the shoreline/ocean below.
Hoping everyone would return in time… because we had a family dinner! Before I got married, we lived on a family compound with four generations of family. The Matriarch, Granny, has since passe away but the legacy of love lives on! It was so great to catch up on what’s happening in our busy lives! We found out that as a generation grew up and moved on, the nightly dinner gatherings have not been happening as much. It’s something very special… will always be a big part of my kids lives (and mine) and miss dearly. Working all day, racing kids around to/from sporting events and meeting together at the end of the day in fellowship. What a blessing!
Just like the old days, everyone brought food… everything delicious! Laughing… reminiscing… it was a special night. Our time was so short, we didn’t get in depth visits with everyone, but it was awesome to gether together!
Just outside the pavilion sits a tree… it’s grown! Ezra was enthralled because, as he said, he’s never climbed a tree. There was a little debate as to the validity of that statement. Although, it might be that he has never had a tree so easily accessible and climbable.
Ending the night in fashion… the water in the pool felt warm. Soaking up the sun all day, it was the perfect temperature for a night dip. It felt so good to float around! Getting out and walking back to the condo… not so much!
