What I really miss is the pineapple garnishes, pt. 1

So, things have been busy since we got home on Wednesday. After spending the rest of that day catching up and napping, Thursday was back to real life--laundry, groceries, phone calls, Paul was back at work. We had dinner with Paul's family on Thursday and Friday, dinner with friends on Saturday, and church and baseball with Paul's family on Sunday.

I finally had a chance to wade through the 275 +/- pictures that we took while on vacation and write about the trip here. I lost a few pictures I'd taken with my camera phone when I dumped a bottle of water in my purse on Thursday. Paul has a few more from his phone that I've got to hound him to send to me.

Hawaii was a fantastic trip and happily (and surprisingly), Paul and I survived all that togetherness with only one fuss that occurred the last Monday after 8 hours in a car together.

So, here is what I did on my summer vacation.

I tend to be just a wee bit even more high-strung about usual when traveling with the worrying about getting packed and actually packing and getting to the airport and getting luggage checked and everything else. We left the car at the off-site parking and as we were driving off, I was so nervous, I asked the shuttle driver go back by the Subaru so I could check if I locked the car. I doubt someone would have left with the car but it became an actual fear at that moment. But I did get everything in the suitcases (we decided to add a third smaller bag so that we'd have something if we decided to buy something big and wonderful). The third bag actually came in handy when we were leaving because we packed out toiletries and clothes in it the last day to use in the hotel hospitality room. The car got locked, luggage got checked (and showed up on time in Honolulu) and everything went fine.
Our home away from home for the ten days we were in Hawaii. Elvis and several presidents have also slept here.
Diamond Head from the hotel beach. We didn't have an ocean view room--although you could see the ocean if you leaned way out over the balcony and looked between the two other hotel towers. We did have a (partial) view of Diamond Head from our balcony, if you overlooked the construction crane and other high-rise hotels.
Some of the critters on the hotel grounds. There were also various macaws and similar birds that were brought out daily, several koi ponds, flamingos, turtles and some Hawaiian ducks.
So, every time I try to take a picture of Paul, he never will just smile and look generally pleasant. This is what I get:
Sunday, we spent the day just wandering around, getting acclimated to the resort and the area and playing on the beach. Sunday evening, shortly after Paul registered for the conference, the "fun" began for him. Things got pretty stressful with work things. I told him I'd see him on Friday because I was not going to let his work stuff bring me down. I was in Hawaii, darn it, and I was going to have a fun, even if it just involved reading the newspaper on the balcony (which I did, like, every day and it was good). The vacation was basically split into two parts--my solo adventures while Paul was in the conference and Paul and Carrie do Honolulu. Part one is the conference week. Part two will follow in another post.

Monday, I didn't have any plans so I opted for a little pampering at the resort spa. I had a pahoehoe wrap. That is pronounced "pa-hoe-uh-hoe-uh" with a soft lilting Hawaiian accent (not my super-Texan "puh-hoe-hoe") and it was wonderful. Slathered in mud, swaddled in blankets and left with soothing music playing in a darkened room. Oh, and a head massage. That was the best 30 minute nap I've had in a long time. Definitely worth the splurge.

Monday evening was the conference social. We've never had one of these before, at least that we've attended, and we don't have to do it again. I was really thankful for my massage and complimentary mai tais when things started getting heated about work stuff between Paul and one of his coworkers and the two other men on the other side of the company (they're affectionately termed "The Weasels" and are the primary source of Paul's stress for the past 12 months). Thankfully, they all just avoided each other as best possible for the next four days and things were better.

Tuesday was the "companion trip" to Waimea Valley Audubon Center, formerly the Waimea Valley Adventure Park, if I understood correctly. The Waihe'e Falls--swimming is allowed in the pool and diving from the falls was once allowed (I think--I should have paid more attention to the tour guide). I chose the calmer, drier adventure of "photo op." Gigantic lily pads at the Audubon Center.
After lunch, we visited the Dole Pineapple Plantation--I now know more about pineapples than a girl from Texas probably ever needs to know but it was quite fascinating. We didn't do the pineapple maze but we did ride the Pineapple Express, the train that went around the plantation. There was an audio tour on the train that explained how the plants were grown and harvested. Fascinating stuff.
A banana tree.
Pineapple plants.
A rainbow eucalyptus--the bark of the tree is various colors of red and green in addition to the brown trunk.
Wednesday, I did a walking tour of Waikiki. One of the stops was the International Market Place--a tourist trap to end all tourist traps. Need an aloha shirt? In all sizes for every member of your family (including pets). Cheap souvenir t-shirt? Check. Bobblehead hula doll? Check. Hula girl bottle opener? Of course. It was both fascinating and scary. I also went to some of the historic Waikiki hotels and Waikiki beach.
Some fans of the television show Gilligan's Island may recognize this from the opening shot. The Ala Wai Marina was the starting point for that fabled 3-hour tour. Wednesday evening was the conference social--a luau. Paul joked that all of history should be summed up by dancing girls at tourist places. Bring on the Russian Revolution!

Paul and Eric with their shave ice before the luau--they really are just oversized boys. They tried to eat from children's buffet at the dinner on Tuesday because there were chicken strips and corn on the cob but they were kicked out of line. Neither one was quick enough to throw out a "the children are with their mothers"--I saved the day by simply acting like I should be there. And apparently, I had a very hungry child who would eat a mound of chicken strips and three or four cobs of corn.

Self-portrait. I have such a big smile because I, a 32-year-old, got carded when I picked up my complimentary mai tai upon entrance into the luau. They said they carded anyone who looks under 30. I'll take it, especially since the 28-year-old we were with didn't get asked for ID. It's the little things in life.
Bring on the dancing girls! And the dancing boys! And the jovial emcee! And the "authentic" buffet pig and fried chicken! We did try the poi. Eh. It just sort of is--it wasn't bad. It wasn't good. It was just thick.


The Samoan fire dancer--if I could have figured how to bring him home as my souvenir, I would have. After I'd fought off every other female at the luau.
On Thursday morning, I went for a run in the park next to the hotel. I stuck my phone and my key card in my sports bra since I don't have pockets on my gym shorts. I forgot that it's really humid and sweat doesn't just disappear like it does back home. My phone kept sliding out the bottom of my bra and I ended up with a rash between, um, The Girls because of the metal from my phone. I gave it up after about 25 minutes and just took the stairs to our 13th floor room to finish out the exercise. After I'd showered and cooled off, I decided to go for a drive around Diamond Head. This is from the overlook--if you look closely, there are quite a few surfers and windsurfers in the waves.
Another view from the overlook.
I couldn't get a good picture of a mongoose--little ferret-looking creatures. This little guy was digging diligently until I snapped the picture, when he decided to skedaddle. The conference ended around noon on Friday and Paul and I decided to hike Diamond Head that afternoon. It's not really a "hike," per se, as there are people doing this climb in flip flops. It's more like a "strenuous walk up a big hill."

Paul had the camera on the drive up to Diamond Head. We always end up with lots of "interesting" pictures when Paul has the camera. Of the 275 pictures, one can definitely tell which ones were taken by Paul--we have, there are many, many of people Paul found amusing, things we were zooming by, the sky, the ocean, etc.

The tunnel driving to the Diamond Head visitor's center. No one else honked.

And we're off. The beginning of the hike is a nice stroll on a sidewalk, switching over to a dirt path with switchbacks.
And then you see the stairs. 76 stairs to begin. (Sorry, I don't know how to turn the pictures.)
Finish those, go through a tunnel, think things are great, turn the corner. 99 stairs.
Another 50 or so stairs in a circular staircase and climb through the opening that was an overlook built in 1910 or so. The view of Oahu is definitely worth all the stairs and the tunnel and the switchbacks. Looking toward Waikiki beach.
Lighthouse on Oahu at the Diamond Head overlook.
School spirit at the top of Diamond Head. We should make this our Christmas card--I'm hot and red-faced and Paul is sweating through his shirt. Nothing says happy holidays like that.
Going down was much easier. Some of the wildlife--a Brazilian cardinal.
Down at the bottom, another shave ice (See a pattern here? We had lots of shave ice.). A bee decided it wanted it's share as well.

We ended the afternoon splashing around in the water and sitting on the beach, plotting out the next four days of our vacation and trying to decide if we could afford to chunk it all back home and move to Hawaii for a year.