Travels with George and Marta – Page 28 – Journeys in the Botanical World

Chillin’ at the Beach

Posted on November 5, 2010 by MartaNovember 5, 2010

Sand in my toes

We really did not have much planned for today so we took it easy and stayed in at the beach. We started the day off with an early morning walk before breakfast. The sun came out so we grabbed the beach chair and out we went. It is a big 1 minute walk around the building to the beach. Woot. The surf has still been big so we did a little body and buggy board surfing. I couldn’t get the hang of buggy boarding so I just body surfed. Got a couple good runs and tossed around on the beach several times. I was covered with sand!

The rain came and went and mostly started to come. We didn’t want to stay long in the sun either and get burned so we headed back to the lanai where we hung out for most of the afternoon watching the families come and go and come back.

Another late afternoon walk and then dinner. Totally relaxing day.

We had planned on going to Haleakala tomorrow but the forecast is still for rain but Sunday is looking good. We are going to head up country to the Kula Botanical Garden along with a stop at the Maui Ocean Center.

Early morning walk on the beach

Families arriving for the day

Local surfer on the bay

Play in the afternoon surf

Rainbows in Paradise

Posted on November 4, 2010 by MartaNovember 2, 2014

We have been following rainbows all day. We took our coffee out to the lanai and were greated with the lovely rainbow above. We had a leisurely breakfast before deciding to go ahead and head out to Lahaina. Just a couple of miles south, the sun broke out and we had a sunny day. The cruise ship had also put down anchor in the harbor this morning and the town was crowded with passengers carrying their little blue cruise ship bags.

After about two hours exploring, we headed further south to Kihei, Wailea and south to Makena (Big) beach. There were dark threatening clouds but no rain. We headed back about 3:30pm and the center was rainy and windy. It cleared along the coast but started up in earnest as we drove farther north. It had been overcast and drizzly all day in the north. We fired up the BBQ and had our opah dinner listening to the surf.

Here are some pictures from the day.

Ocean Rainbow

Banyan tree in Lahaina

Front Street Lahaina

Wo Hing Temple

Holy Innocents Church

Pioneer Hotel

Ono Gelato – it is soooo good

Lahaina Harbor

Ad for surfer school at Kamehameha Iki Park

Lifeguard at Makena (Big) Beach

Makena Beach

Aloha from Maui

Posted on November 3, 2010 by MartaNovember 3, 2010

I’m sitting here listening to the sound of the surf with a cool MaiTai. We are here at Napili Bay and the condo is just as we expected. It is very well furnished and will be a good place to relax. And isn’t it a great view from our lanai!

We got in on time around 1:30 and headed off to Costco after picking up our car. We said we were just going to see what they had but ended up stocking up on beverages and snacks. We did get a good filet of Opah that was from Hawaii for dinner tomorrow along with local lettuce, pineapple and coffee.

We headed off to the condo and it took about 1 1/2 hours to get to Napili. The traffic was backed up going in to Lahaina. Not certain why – there is construction in Lahaina but not completely certain that caused all the backup. The radio was wondering what was up and what was causing the slowdown.

The rain started at Lahaina – not to hard and stopped a bit. We saw a gorgeous 180 rainbow and the clouds closed in. We got to our condo, checked it out, unloaded the Costco haul and then headed back to the Times Supermarket in Honokowai to get breakfast stuff. On the way back to the condo, we stopped at Honokowai Okazuya & Deli for some takeout. G got the Panko Mahi Mahi and I got the Sauteed Mahi Mahi with capers. We took it back to the condo and had a relaxing dinner. Thanks for the recommendation menehune!

The surf is pretty loud. It has been booming most of the evening. I remember reading one review that said it was loud – It may be a bit from the rain and high surf. But it sounds great – and I love being right at the ocean.

Here’s our dinner:

What to do on Maui when it rains?

Posted on November 1, 2010 by MartaOctober 14, 2014

Look at that forecast! Guess what day we arrive? I did look up some things to do on Maui if it rains.

Visit the Maui Ocean Center. We love a good aquarium.
Tour the Alexander & Baldwin Sugar Museum.
Learn about Maui’s whaling history at Whalers Village Museum.
Shop at the Lahaina
Tour the historic Baldwin House in Lahaina.
Visit galleries and shops in Paia.

We could also to a spa but we’re not spa people. Any other ideas?

Photohunt: Dark

Posted on October 30, 2010 by MartaOctober 30, 2010

Jewel Cave – Margaret River area – Southwest Australia

This week’s theme is Dark. Hmmm… lots of different ways to interpret this week’s theme. One of the darkest places that I’ve been is a cave. Here are some shots from Jewel Cave. This is the largest of the limestone caves in the Margaret River area of Southwestern Australia. We visited it in 2006. It was dark, cold and damp but also beautiful. It has some of the largest straw stalacities. It wasn’t fully explored until 1958. Unfortunately, it is currently closed for redevelopment.

Here are some more shots of the cave along with a couple of other shots taken in the dark during our stay in the Margaret River area.

Weird portrait taken with the flash in the darkness

Our cabin at Hilltop Studios

Sunset in the Indian Ocean

Another great Fall walk

Posted on October 29, 2010 by MartaOctober 29, 2010

Another break in the weather. The clouds cleared off and sun came out. I went for a walk again using the same route. It is an excellent workout with just the right amount of uphill, downhill and level. It continues to take me about 1 1/2 hours to do four miles. Not great but it will do.

Heading downhill – I will walk all the way to the waterfront below the building in the center

House all decorated for Halloween

Olympic Beach – a different angle – I do like the previous shot better

End of the Marina – The beautiful Puget Sound – time to head back to the car

Edmonds Walks

Posted on October 27, 2010 by MartaNovember 2, 2014

We are planning on hiking into the crater at Haleakala on Maui. This is not going to be easy. First off – the altitude. The trail starts at visitors center which is at 9774 ft. The hike down will take us to about 8400ft. Coming back up is going to be a gruel – both with the thin air but also the slippery sliding pumice. Also no shade.

I’ve been walking and hiking to get in shape. We’ve been able to do 3 hike2 (one a week) in October. These have been usually 5 miles with about 1500 ft gain – just about what we plan on doing.

I’ve also been walking around the Edmonds bowl. Usually I walk along the waterfront which is flat but I’ve switch to going up towards the top of the crest above Edmonds. I have been using MapMyWalk website to get ideas, plan my walk and measure my mileage. It has been a great tool. Today I did a four mile walk that I found from the suggested walks. It was a beautiful day. I started downtown – parked right across from Rick Steves and the walked over to Walnut and the up to Yost Park. Then turn south and then back to down to the sound on Pine. The view was gorgeous. The Olympics were all dusted with snow. We had an early storm and it brought snow to all the mountains. Mt Rainier where I hiked last week had 18 inches! How quickly it changes.

I walked all the way to the waterfront where I was greeted with the beautiful scene in the picture above. I walked along the marina and then back up to my car. It took me an hour and half. Not great but a good workout. And I got about 400 ft elevation workout on the way up.

Planning for Maui

Posted on October 24, 2010 by MartaNovember 2, 2014

Maui is coming up soon. I am soooo excited. We spent today planning what we wanted to do. It was perfect way to spend a rainy stormy windy Fall day. Dreaming about beaches and warm tropical winds. Here are some of the items we are considering.

We’ll arrive mid-afternoon. We’ll get our car and then head for the Costco. We want to check out what is available especially for lunch and beer items. We do want to also get local food so we may not get anything at Costco. Then we’ll head for Napili and check into our condo which will be available after 3pm. We figure it will be about 1 hour to drive from the airport to Napili which is north of Lahaina. We’ll check and see what is in the condo and then head out for supplies. We’ll probably go back down into Lahaina for groceries at one of the Foodlands but I do want to check out what is Honokowai.

We will take it easy the next day – exploring around Lahaini maybe going to Aloha Mixed Plate for lunch. Next day we’ll explore the beaches of South Maui (Kihei).

Next is the big event – Crater hike at Haleakala. We are not going to get up early for the sunrise but arrive a little bit later. We plan on doing part of the Sliding Sands hike. I read that you can hike to Ka Lu’u o ka’ O’o crater which is about 2.5 miles and 1,500 ft down into the crater and see silverswords in situ. We figure that it will be about a 3 hour drive up – 4-5 hour hiking and another 3 hours returning so this is going to be a whole day event!

Next day – recover! We’ll do a couple of drives and explore central Maui. Several people have recommended ‘Iao Valley so we’ll explore in this area. I also want to pick up a couple more Hawaii quilt pattern pillows and may go to a garden. Just depends upon our energy level.

We saw that there is a guided National Park hike to the Waikamoi Cloud Forest . This sounds so much more different from the high alpine desert of the crater. We’re going to call and see if we they are doing the hike and reserve a spot. This will only take 3 hours so we hope to also explore some of the Upcountry during the afternoon.

Next is the drive to Hana. We originally were going to do the Pipiwai Trail at the end of the road but decided that we wanted to do the cloud forest instead. If we have time, we may hike to the first falls or a bit beyond to the Bamboo Forest.

Our last day is open. Of course this is all subject to change. We hope to spend time relaxing in the late afternoon at the beach at our condo. We’ll see. Hopefully this isn’t too much…..

Photohunt: Orange

Posted on October 23, 2010 by MartaOctober 14, 2014

This week’s Photohunt theme is Orange. Orange is a popular theme. Previously I posted about orange flowers I’ve found in California and South Africa and just last month about the orange sunsets. Today – I decided to post a picture of the beautiful orange and red Japanese maple that is just off our deck. The colors are gorgeous.

And for your amusement – here are some weird orange carrots that we have harvested from our garden.

Have a great weekend.

Putting the garden to bed

Posted on October 21, 2010 by MartaOctober 21, 2010

October in the front yard

It is time to put the garden to bed. We have been enjoying the last few sunny days. This October has actually been very good. We have had several days of rain and overcast but we have also had several streaks of 3 or more days of sun.

The tropical plants have appreciated the long season. Many of the salvias have bloomed accenting the garden with their hot bright colors. But the forecast is for torrential rains and wind on Sunday. It may not happen but we’re preparing. Plus it could freeze at anytime. Sometimes we get a hard freeze the week before Halloween. Other years it has gone almost until Thanksgiving. But more often than not, we should get a hard freeze in the next week or so.

We have moved our potted tropicals into the garage. These are cannas, abutilon, fuchsias, brugmansias and agapanthus. We cut back the cannas, fuchsias and agapanthus but we do not cut down the brugmansias and abutilon. We move them in, strip off the leaves and keep them dry over the winter. They go into hibernation.

G is also adding more insulation to the greenhouses. He has heavy bubble wrap on the ends of the greenhouse and he wanted to add another layer. We ordered a regular shipping grade roll of 1/2″ bubble. It is pretty thin but probably will help since we have another layer already on the greenhouse.

Not much left in the vegetable garden. We have moved a few pots of salvias to make a nice grouping. Otherwise we have a few carrots and some lettuce or endive. We can’t figure out which one it is.

Now, we just wait for La Nina.