Our Anniversary in Maui

Monday, August 22nd

Because our earlier summer trip to Orlando was so highly scheduled with non-stop activities, the girls requested that we make sure this trip had plenty of down time interspersed with our planned outings. With that in mind, we spent much of the day today at the beach.

Unlike yesterday, we had plenty of sun, evidenced by our "sun-kissed" skin upon arriving back at the ship. Our shuttle took us to a beautiful golden-sanded beach in Wailea, complete with palm trees, crystal-clear turquoise water, beach chairs and umbrellas. We watched kayakers and paddle boarders, as well as the novelty of a water trampoline. Who knew?

 

Arms of lava rock on either side protected this beach from too many people. Two resort hotels overlooked the beach, and across the water was a view of a red-tinged volcano. What a view!

  

Relatively calm when we arrived, the wind picked up and within an hour the surf became rougher, though still quite swimmable, accompanied by blowing sand. Adjusting our chairs took care of the latter problem, though we did find sand in surprising places later on! The water was cooler than I expected at first, but it didn't take long to acclimate, especially as the day grew warmer. Sarah and I enjoyed reading, taking in the view, and the occasional romp in the waves. Larry and Emily were more active, Larry alternating between water and walking about; Emily lived in the water the entire time.

A lovely, relaxing way to start our anniversary.

That evening, we sent the girls off to find their own dinner and entertainment, and Larry and I had a romantic dinner in the Jefferson Bistro. The ship's French restaurant, it was suitably special for our 30th anniversary celebration.



I enjoyed a delicious four-mushroom soup and Fruits de la Mer: a puff pastry filled with scallops, shrimp, and lobster in a silky cream sauce. Larry declared his swordfish beyond reproach, as well. We shared chocolate fondue for dessert, dipping strawberries, bananas, pineapple and melon chunks, grapes, and pastry rounds into liquid dark chocolate. Healthy and sinful all at once! LOL!

Just as we finished, we were presented with a cake while three waiters serenaded us with "Let Me Call You Sweetheart". Very sweet! There was a lot of singing going on that night. This was clearly the place to celebrate special occasions! Stuffed, the cake accompanied us back to our stateroom, where we enjoyed it over the next few days - and shared it with Sarah and Emily, of course...

In an attempt to walk off some of those decadent calories, Larry and I walked around the ship's upper decks, as we made our way to the Big Island. Admiring the stars, so apparent in the ink-black sky, I witnessed a shooting star for us to make a wish on! A perfect ending to a pretty perfect day.

Wet and Wild

The day Leakycon ended was a sad one, to be sure. To cheer up Sarah and Emily (and to give us a break from the heat), we spent Sunday afternoon at Wet 'n Wild water park. Located just down the street from us, and on our way to the convention every day, we had to check it out and see what all the fuss was about.

What a place! Towers surrounded us on all sides, but "water slides" doesn't begin to describe what this place has to offer. It has eight multi-person rides with rafts holding 2 - 6 people.

   

Four more "attractions" accommodate one person at a time, some with mats, some without.

   

There's a wave pool and a Lazy River for the less adventurous souls (or, those with hip/knee problems, like moi). I LOVED the Lazy River!

They even have a rope pull out on a lake where I watched people wake skating and knee skiing. Now, that looked like a blast!

 

A white sand beach with volleyball, a kids' play area (which we had no use for), and a Tiki-type bar (which we did!) rounded out the offerings.



Boy, did it feel good to just play in the water all day. I alternated my water play with time lazing under an umbrella with a good book - my kind of perfect day. And I had plenty of birds in the adjacent cypress tree keeping me company.

 

Larry and the girls (and their good knees) were much more  adventuresome, and covered almost everything in the park.



Pricey, but loads of fun - especially on a 90+ degree day!

Girl Scout Beach Trip

Just returned from a delightful beach weekend with "my" girls. After 11 years as a troop leader with Girl Scouts, we have decided to fold as a troop - just not enough girls able to remain active members. We decided to spend one last weekend at the beach together - and spend what money we had left in our treasury.

After buying gas, groceries, and one nice meal out at a restaurant, we looked at what we had left and the girls decided what to do with it. The Gearhart beach house was free (thanks, Barb and family), and the beach was two blocks away. That part of the stay didn't cost a thing. What did we find to spend our money on?

We rented a surrey and the girls pedaled all over Seaside; we rode the Tilt-a-Whirl; the girls spent money on candy, the Outlet Store, and Dairy Queen; we had Italian sodas.

The freebies included going to the beach - and we had two beautiful days there. It was sunny, but not scorching, with a slight breeze. We got some welcome sun, but no one got really burned. We played Frisbee, keep-away with the football, walked down the beach collecting sand dollars, jumped from cliffs, and played in the surf.

At the beach house, when we weren't cooking (and cleaning up the kitchen!), we watched movies and episodes of Glee; played Clue; played Phase Ten; learned to play poker(!), and just acted silly. We got pretty good at balancing spoons on our faces with just a little practice...



I am going to miss seeing this group of girls regularly. They are a great bunch. We have a plan to continue to meet as friends quarterly; I hope it happens, but I'm not holding my breath.

I see big things ahead for these young ladies. I hope I'll be able to follow their progress as time unfolds for them.

Good-bye, Girl Scouts!

We're off to the coast today, my Girl Scout troop and I. It's a bittersweet trip; I'm really looking forward to being next to the water. But this is the last gathering of "my" group of girls.

I've been with some of these girls since kindergarten - they're now entering 11th grade. That's a long time! I've watched them grow and mature into fine young women with so much potential. It will be hard not to be involved in their lives any more...

For the moment, I just plan on enjoying their company - and their antics - and the beach. Sun and sand, here we come!

Beach Day!

I spent my final day in Mobile at the beach. Laura and I drove to Dauphin Island and spent an afternoon in heaven. The water was the perfect temperature and relatively calm. It was nice and warm, but not unbearable. We played in the water, walked along the beach, ate a picnic lunch, and basked in the sun. It was delightful, and well-deserved after a whirlwind week of party prep and clean-up. We must have been living right because even a threatening storm provided a welcome breeze before blowing over without a drop!