Paradise Found

So we are back from vacation. We had an amazing trip. Two weeks is the perfect amount of time to truly drop out of your day to day life and really let go, which is exactly what we did. The only downside to this? It has been extremely difficult to get back into my regular schedule. Hopefully next week I can actually get to work on time.

My biggest decisions to make while on vacation? What to eat and what level of SPF to put on for the day. Tough decisions, I know. For two weeks I didn't use a blow dryer, went make-up free, didn't look at a computer screen once, no TV except to watch movies, and waking up each day by my internal alarm clock. Boy you really cannot imagine how these little freedoms can change a person. I was about as laid back as my normally fired up self will ever get.

So back to the trip. The weather was sunny the entire time, even where my Mom lives which is rare. They can have weeks of rain in Volcano Village. To give you an idea of how dependant her neighborhood is on rain, none of the houses on this side of the island have city water, all their water is stored in catchment tanks that collect rainwater. This is fine for bathing and brushing your teeth but for drinking and cooking you have to buy purified water. She really does live in the jungle.



The first day there we dropped Mom off at work and then drove through the Volcano National Park. It doesn't matter how many times I visit I still am caught off guard by the sheer power of what an active volcano does to a landscape.


This is a shot of Halemaumau which legend says is Pele The Goddess of Fire's home.


This is a steam vent. These are located all over the park. This is an opening through which volcanic material is emitted. At some point it could have been lava or gases, but this one is now releasing steam. If you stand real close the warm moist air hits your face and you get an all natural facial.

The next day we packed up and headed for Kona. Kona is a city located on the south side of the island. It is much warmer and sunnier than the side my Mom lives on, so this is where you will find all the big resorts that people typically think of when they think of Hawaii. We stayed at a condo for three days that was right across the street from our favorite snorkel beach, Kahalulu Beach Park. This is a great place to see all kinds of amazing fish and sea turtles.


This is the view from the beach at sunset. What I wouldn't give to be living in one of those houses right on the ocean watching this sunset everyday.



The next day we drove to another beach that none of us had ever been to. A lot of the prime beaches on the Kona side are "owned" by the resorts. They legally cannot keep locals off the beaches, they're all public but they have lots of ways of making it difficult to get to the beaches if you are not paying ridiculous amounts of money to stay at their resort. Anaeho'omalu Beach (or as the locals call it ABay) was an exception to the rule. The Hilton actually has a nice large parking lot which makes it local friendly and it is a perfect beach.



After a few days in Kona we headed back to Mom's for a few days before heading off again. Her neighborhood is eclectic at best. There are all types of homes, big new homes with manicured lawns, B&B's, houses that look like someone may be squatting. Really anything goes. A few lots down from Mom is an old abandoned bus. This picture really does reflect that if you leave something here untended nature will claim it.



Next we headed down to Kapoho, where we rented the cutest house. I truly never wanted to leave.



The house sat with two neighboring houses on a natural warm pond. Located right across from the ocean, the pond is filled with fresh sea water. Even the depth of the pool would fluctuate based on the tides. In the morning it would be shallow, 4 to 5 feet deep, by the evening the water was lapping over the edge.





Hawaii is full of mongooses which remind me of ferrets. They are not native to the islands, but were brought over to help cut down the rat population, but someone didn't do their research. Mongooses move around in the day, rats at night so now the islands are overrun with both. We would sit and watch as the mongooses would walk back and forth across that bridge. Smart buggers. It really would be much longer to walk around the pond.

On Saturday Mom's girlfriends, the "tribe" as she calls them, all came down for the day. We floated around in the pond, grilled all kinds of seafood and veggies and had a fabulous time. All these women are interesting and great fun. My only regret of the trip was that I didn't take a picture of the whole group. Every night we fell asleep to the sound of waves crashing on the shore, much more relaxing than the sound of our air purifier.

We have an ongoing restaurant tradition when we visit that started when I was 20. That summer my best friend T., had come over to spend the summer with me in Hawaii. At the time Mom lived on another island Oahu in Honolulu. We flew over to the Big Island for my birthday weekend and went to the Kilauea Lodge for my 20th birthday dinner. When J. and I were visiting in 2004 we celebrated my 30th birthday dinner their as well. This trip we treated Mom to a belated Mothers Day dinner. It is the best restaurant on the island, hands down. And I do hope by some stroke of luck we will be able to ring in my 40th birthday their as well.



Needless to say, I have had a hard time being back home. Nashville has lost a bit of her luster for me, but I am sure at some point she will win me back over. I did get a walk in at Radnor Lake earlier this week which is one of my favorite places to hike. As thick and green as it was at Radnor I almost felt like I was back in Hawaii, but just almost.

Hawaiian Heart Ache

Oh vacations... They have always been a complete necessity in order to keep my head in a good place. A break from the day-to-day monotony is usually just what I need to jump back in to the routine of life renewed and inspired, but Hawaii has always been different than other vacations.

I was 19 the first time I went to Hawaii to see the place my Mom now called home. The first impression I had when I stepped off the plane was how different the air felt and this is still something I notice today. The air is warm, clean, and playful and smells like honeysuckle. You breathe it in and immediately slow down.

I have been going to Hawaii for many years now and I am still overwhelmed by the beauty of the island. Mother Nature rules with a mostly gentle but firm hand, and no matter how many times I visit I know I will never see everything.

The difference with Hawaii versus other vacations? Towards the end of most trips I am looking forward to being back home. I miss sleeping in our bed, petting the kitties, and the overall rhythm of our house. But no matter how long I stay in Hawaii the time always seems to go by too quickly. I start to feel anxious days before we have to leave, like I hadn't taken the time to fully absorb it all and I try my best to take in every detail. A large part of this feeling is a visit to Hawaii is more importantly time with my Mom and because this is few and far between I hold on tight.

Lying back in our bed tonight I feel out of sorts. While at Mom's I had gotten used to hearing the ferns blowing in the breeze and unknown night sounds. I know in the morning when I wake up, I won't feel the cool air and burrow down in the covers closer to J. I won't see the dancing shadows the lace curtains make on the bedspread. I won't look out the window and see the green of the jungle pressing in.

While I am in Hawaii I start to miss the things that are right in front of me. Each trip I leave a little piece of myself behind. If you held me up to the sun you would be able to see a stream of light shining through. This reminds me of something I read. In the past Native Americans would bury the umbilical cord when a child was born. This was done to ensure that the child would always be connected to its' birthplace. There are many ways to attach ourselves to a place, by leaving a bit of ourselves behind we can always feel it pulling us back.

*Stories and pictures from our trip to come.

What Fun We Will Have

Hawaii 5 0 7

It is a rainy Sunday afternoon and all is well. In fact all is swell. After spending over two hours on the phone with the airline (done on company time) cashing in our frequent flyer miles for one free ticket and half price on the other ticket, (KICK ASS) we are heading to Hawaii in May to see my Mom. My Mom has been living in H. for over 14 years, which means we do not get to see one another nearly enough. When I went off to college it was a dream come true. Heading to H. for the summer, see you guys in two months, but now it is just a royal pain in the ass. Don't get me wrong dear reader, J. and I love vacationing in H. which means we have a free place to stay, a car to use, lots of home cooked meals, great adventures, and of course the most important thing time with my Mom. The problem is it can only happen every couple of years. Buying two full price tickets to H. is not in our family budget and taking a long vacation without the other one isn't an option. Mom travels back to the southeast twice a year instead of us jetting to paradise. The last time we went to H. was in June of 2004, which is just too damned long. So yippee let the planning begin. I will be reading up on all kinds of guide books hunting the best new restaurants, secret beaches where only the locals hangout, and day dreaming about when the three of us will once again be together in one of the most naturally wild, remote places in the world. Ok not sure if this is geographically accurate, but in the sums of my world travels it's definitely the case. So consider yourself warned this is just the beginning of postings about our upcoming adventure and if you ever find yourself heading over to H. for a vacation let me know I am happy to share our "best of" tidbits.

Aren't we the lucky ones?

Next weekend we are heading off to Center Hill Lake where we are renting a cabin with our friends A., T, and their two boys B. and R. Plans for the weekend? Lounging around, watching movies, eating, boozing, playing games and match box cars (B's favorite), and soaking in the hot tub. We may do something else but these are the "tops" on our list of priorities. A. who is currently on maternity leave, wanted us to all take a trip but since she was forced to use all of her vacation days before maternity leave kicked in, (Is this standard company practice, because if so it totally bites?) we are taking it now before she heads back to work in Feb. The last time we all took a trip together was in the summer of 2003 when A. was pregnant with B and we went to Chicago, so we are all stoked about our cabin get-away.

In preparation for our weekend away I made a loaf of Pumpkin Pecan Bread. It is very tasty and easy to make so I am including the recipe:

Pumpkin Pecan Bread
Ingredients:
1/2 stick of butter
1 cup pumpkin puree'
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 cup chopped pecans

In a saucepan melt butter over medium heat, stir in brown sugar cook 3 minutes stirring constantly. Transfer to a bowl and stir in pumpkin. Let mixture cool until luke warm then stir in the eggs. In a separate bowl combine dry ingredients. Add to pumpkin mixture and stir in well. Add the nuts.
Makes 1 regular size loaf or 2 to 3 mini loaves. Bake at 350 degrees about 1 hour, 45 minutes for mini-loaves.
*I usually double the recipe and make two loaves because the bread freezes really well. Make sure bread has fully cooled on a wire rack or plate, wrap in aluminum foil and place in a Ziploc freezer bag pushing out as much air as possible before closing. When you want to eat simply remove from freezer and let thaw for about an hour then place in the oven at 350 degrees until warmed.
Tasty as a breakfast bread and good enough to serve as dessert.

Futball
I am not an avid football fan but tomorrow night I will be cussing and hollering at the screen as my alma mater The Florida Gators take the field against the Ohio Buckeyes in the National Championship. For some reason when UF plays I get all fan-crazy, making bets with co-workers (*note to self: see if there are any takers tomorrow at work) and actually getting physically stressed (racing heart beat and sweaty palms) before kick-off. Now reader please understand I know very little about the semantics of the game, but fortunately my hubby J. is happy to rattle off statistics, explain all the bad calls, and failed plays while talking about so-and-so player like they are the best of friends. This is how I know the man has a much better memory than he let's on. Why do you ask do I get so fired up about UF football? Mostly because living in Gainesville is where I became a semi-adult, learned to live on my own, handle booze without throwing up, and met some of my closet friends to this day. It is where I still have so many fond memories and truly look back and appreciate that time in my life, where I learned a little in school and a lot about life and myself.