Back from Kauai

Well, I'm back from Kaua`i and my computer is finally back up and running... we had to buy a whole new monitor! I had a blast on my little vacation within a vacation; my family (mom, dad, two sisters and grandma) went to Kauai for two days and one night to take advantage of the fact that everyone was home from college and also the $19 airfares on Aloha. When I first found out about it, I was kinda disappointed because it was such a small amount of time and Kaua`i is a really beautiful island, but after spending all that time with my mom and grandma (they feed off of each other's hyper kinetic energy) I think one night was just fine! I also ended up driving the ENTIRE trip because I had just gone to Kaua`i last year and was the most familiar with where things were; I think that may have freaked out mom and grandma because I like to drive really fast and accelerate on corners and turns :P (Kaua`i has a lot of wiggly roads, which made me happy). We went all around the island, saw the sights, etc. I didn't really buy anything; now I really only covet crafty items... so this was mostly a sightseeing trip for me. Luckily, I brought my camera this time! This first picture is of Kalalau Valley; we were really lucky because the day we went it wasn't raining very heavily, only misting so there were rainbows EVERYWHERE we stopped... quite nice actually. I was so happy I brought my trusty camera, because my pictures turned out really nice (like postcards I think :).

Here is Lumaha`i Beach, really nice; there are several songs about it and I think my Grandma was saying it was where South Pacific was filmed...(i dunno, I never watched it).

Here is Waimea Canyon, the "Grand Canyon" of the Pacific.

Here is a vista of Hanalei, which is known for its lush taro farms. Taro=Kalo= POI, yummy.

What I love about Kaua`i is it is still relatively undeveloped, not like O`ahu with all the high-rises and buildings. It is also so lush and green... the kinda place that makes my Hawaiian soul happy :) In one part of the island, the road was actually built under a stream, and to get to the other side you have to drive across a little under-water roadway.

It was actually great that I got to go to Kaua`i again, because as you guys know I am currently working with a publishing company on a manuscript. Well, the manuscript I am dealing with is ALL about Kaua`i, and so I actually go to visit a lot of the places I have been researching and writing about for the past half a year. This is the Ka Pa`ula `o Hipo, which became the Russian Fort, which plays an important role in the manuscript (I finally got to see it). It was actually really nice, the sun was setting and there was no one there, so I got to reflect in peace.

Now that I'm back I can work on my crafting again... my shop has been woefully empty for a loooong time!