Lazy Day
sortta
Weird Day
for sure.
Tom and I just got back from Florida. (To see his dad and Mary. This is a trip that has its own special concerns, but it was totally the right thing to do and the right time to do it...)
But we just got back. We had to leave at the crack of dawn (before 6 a.m. Florida time), drive over an hour to get to the airport in Tampa, then catch a flight, transfer in Houston then get here. So we got her, had our Mexican food fix, then got home. Still lots of time left in the day to get stuff done---that is if you are anyone else but me. I can't get up to speed.
I did check my emails, caught up on the American Idol news that I missed, wrote down the 3 books I read while I was gone, and started the laundry.
Now I don't want to do anything except put on my p.j.s and watch t.v (or sleep until tomorrow starts)
Hohum.
Not so much of a late start gal....Tom is outside working in the yard, planting flowers, getting dirty, having fun.
I am being a slug...inside....
oh yes, worse part
we are home but no puppies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Our flight arrived at 11:55 a.m. and the kennel closes at noon! So it will be another whole day, until 4 p.m. tomorrow till w can get them. ugggggggggggg I miss my puppies...........
Do you feel my weirdness?

Paradise

This is the view from the patio at our second hotel in Hawaii. This is where I propped my feet, read my book(s), and drank my Mai Tai.
What a life.

Evil Elf

I am AFTER you, you rotten sucker!

The Evil Elf has been "at it" at my house. I have had enough and have wagered a full fledge war against the Evil Elf. He started before we left for Hawaii by hiding the scissors with the black handles that we keep in the knife block in the kitchen. Then when I got to Hawaii, I couldn't find my cell phone charger that I KNEW I had packed. Then yesterday my pink glasses that I keep in the bathroom were gone! That creep has been busy.
BUT, this morning I found my glasses, so surely I am closing in on him.
Watch out fellow, I am on your trail!

Hawaii Food

One word
WONDERFUL
I gained NINE pounds
need I say more?
These are photos from my favorite meal
cabbage salad with roasted pears wrapped in bacon
and vegetable wellington.
Yum Yum Yum
p.s. you would have thought I would have eaten lots of tropical fruit but the most fruit I ate was the garnish on my drinks!

Hawaii part Three

This is where we met up with Tom's golfing buddies and their wives. We were able to stay in the Hale Koa hotel which is usually just for military folks. (Guess the economic times has opened up the venue there for people with military sponsors) The other three buddies were all retired folks. Two of the couples have been going to Hawaii for weeks-long stays for years so they knew all of the ropes.
It was great to have some girl time. We did fun stuff like shopping and going out to girly lunch. Then we would all get together in the evening and have a wonderful meal. (More on the eating later.) (The girls) we went to see Doris Duke's home . Wooa, you just would have to see it to believe it. Have you ever been to Hurst Castle in California? Well imagine, similar except with all Iranian artwork.....whew! What money can buy. I have ordered the made for t.v. movie of her from the library. I saw it years ago now I need to see it again now that I have seen her real house. She was a little like Howard Hughes it seems.
So hear are some photos of us ladies when we went to the Doris Duke place. They gave us each a flower.

Hawaii part Two

Paradise.
From the big volcano area we drove all around the Big Island. Tom wanted to see where the big triathlon takes place. So we did lots of driving, some more hiking THEN we arrived at our second location and I was in paradise. Even driving into Kona I knew I had landed in pay-dirt! The streets were lined with shops, bars, restaurants, and beach! Now this is what Hawaii is suppose to look like! Our hotel ended up being this big high rise, almost resort type thing. It had this wonderful patio area, covered, with a pool, bar, shops, and restaurant all looking out over this (rocky) beach. I spent a great deal of time sitting on this deck, reading and waiting for 4 p.m. for happy hour to begin. My drink of choice was the Hawaiian margarita, also known as a Mai Tai. I showed great restraint waiting for 4 o'clock before ordering one.
By the way, it is a trip to be in a swimming pool looking out at the ocean.
Tom and I started going our own way more here, which is more like we do at home. He went golfing and I read, shopped, slept and lounged in Paradise. I read 5 books on the trip total.
We went to a few flea markets, toured a coffee farm (saw how they grow, pick and roast the stuff) I forgot to tell you, on the volcano part of the island, we went to the macadamia nut place. Bought many yummys, and spent the next 4 days finishing them off. Once again, I was a trooper. Those chocolate covered, coconut macadamia nuts goodies were heavenly!
So we settled in to Kona. Would walk to the "town" to get our meals and to look around. Tom bought a pair of sandals. Our last morning there we shared Pineapple upside down pancakes with macadamia nuts. Can you smell happy?
Ok so paradise only lasted 4 days, then we were off to part three of the trip--Oahu.

Hawaii part One

The Big Island. Funny name, but I didn't name it. That's where we went first. The first four days we did Volcanos. It was interesting, seeing all of the formations and results from deep inside the earth. We hiked and walked, exactly the type of vacation Tom loves! I don't have any photos to show you from this part of the trip. We had a death in the family while in Hawaii, Tom's hard drive died. He was able to get it replaced in the last third of the trip but we lost the photos I had downloaded up to that point.
So just imagine black rocks, all sorts, big, little, rough, smooth, tall, short, but all black. That is what lava, dried, cooled lava looks like.
We did go to the top of a volcano. The temperature difference was 40 degrees from bottom to top. We were there to use the big telescopes and see the stars. We did and it was ok/neat, but I was so cold. I had taken a coat and a sweater but could have used much more. Also, we had to stay up past my bedtime so this was kindda hard on me too. But I survived. such a trooper.
ok one little adjustment
I remembered I used my phone to take a few photos.

So here is the courtyard of the first place we stayed.