Highlights of our first day in Hawaii...

It was great spending time yesterday exploring the island with DD. We started out planning to go to her favorite beach to collect some sea glass unfortunately we got there too late as the tide was already coming in and covering the rocks where the sea glass gets trapped. We will have to go much earlier in the day to get some but never fail we will get there.

Before I regale you with more lovely photos of the island let me show you more of Kate's beautiful home. I promised you photos of her courtyard. I think the way these town houses are laid out is ingenious. The main street view of the residence is all fronts of the units, what I mean is no garage doors or weird spaces. You drive to the back of the units and there are all the garage entrances all lined up. Once you park and exit the garage into what we would expect to be right into the house you have this little courtyard between the garage and house. What a wonderful outdoor space to relax in and be able to enjoy a little gardening or sunbathing while relaxing.

Kate found a wine barrel at the local home improvement store and planted some tomatoes, basil, parsley, and dill. She also has some lovely potted flowers around her container garden. I was able to go out and pick some dill and parsley when we were making lunch yesteday to add to our dish.

Here is a photo of the tree she saved from the black flies that I mentioned yesterday. She said there were only 3 leaves on it when she moved in last year and look at it now. It is beautiful. Aren't the blooms incredible. I will be using this photo to create a wall quilt of the blooms, look at the luminocity there. Love it. This might have to be one of my next projects.

As you enter her house from the back this is what you see. The kitchen, dining room and living room is all open. She has said she is enjoying a very minimal approach to her decorating this time around. Very calming and relaxing.

I got a photo of Kate and Jeff as they were about to get into the rental car. LOL. We were leaving one of the beaches.

We drove around the island to get a feel for the place since Kate has to work most of the rest of the week, she is going to try to get Friday off, so that we could find our way around.

Highlights of the day,
1. beautiful scenery
2. beautiful beaches
3. watching some parasailers
4. nearly getting my toes pecked by a chicken at one of the scenic overlooks
5. having lunch at The Grove, very healthy menu, very expensive
6. swimming in the Pacific
7. more beautiful scenery
8. seeing a couple getting wedding photos taken on the beach
9. trying to find our way to the USS Arizona, too many people, will go back another time. It was a holiday yesterday.
10. sharing many stories of adventures and childhood memories.

Today we plan to go to the Dole Plantation. This is something that Kate has already done so she won't feel as though she is missing much. I wish she had vacation to take but we will be able to do lots in the evenings with her. I would also like to try to get to the beach for some sea glass gathering this morning.

Have a wonderful day and I hope you enjoy the photos and recaps of our day.

Be kind to someone today as you don't know what kinds of troubles or worries they are facing.