Hawai'i Photo Gallery

The Hawai'i Photo Gallery is now open for viewing. Photos are in groups— Kono, North Kona, Volcano, Painted Church, Krimm's Farm, Place of Refuge, Hosts Ann & Jim, Fish & Turtles at Kahalu'u Beach. It was a wonderful vacation. Almost half the photos are fish, they were so beautiful, especially the blue ones, and I went crazy with my new underwater camera (Olympus SW850). Enjoy.
Later.

Hawai'i Goodbye

We arrived home from Hawaii this morning very tired but with all our luggage. Fay and Jillie left Kona on Friday and we moved to Ann and Jim's home for three more days. We had a great time with them. They introduced us to wonderful fresh foods of Hawaii. Their garden, while in the process of rebuilding, is amazing. I couldn't quite swallow the seeds in the passion fruit, but it sure did taste good in Jim's Mai Tias. We were served fresh from the garden— bananas, guava, papaya, mango, avocado, basil, lettuce, and more.

Ann and Jim took us to some spots we missed earlier in the week— Painted Church, Margaret Krimm's coffee farm, Place of Refuge, Two Steps, and Hilton Waikoloa Village. We were their guests at a bi-annual fundraiser to benefit Family Support Services of West Hawaii that was really fun. Even through it was raining during the weekend we managed to get in a day of snorkeling where I took another 300 underwater photos of fish and turtles. I hope to have our Kona photo gallery available tomorrow. Don't worry, I've managed to reduce the more than 1,000 snaps down to around 150.
Here's a snap taken at the Place of Refuge. I caught a moment of sun on the coconut trees with a storm brewing in the background.

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Hawai'i Snorkel LO

I took more than 300 photos when we snorkeled at Kahalu'u Beach yesterday. Here's a LO of the best of the beach, fish and turtles. As you can see, it was so beautiful.
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Hawai'i Sunset

We went snorkeling via a Zodiac boat to Kealakekua Bay on Wednesday. It's near where Captian Cook died and you get there by a very steep hike or by water. The fish and coral were so beautiful. This is a very interesting island with all the lava formations which can best be appreciated by sea or air. Our guides took us into lava caves and we saw a pod of spinner dolphins on the way back.

Yesterday we snorkeled at Kahalu'u Beach also known as Turtle Beach. There were lots of turtles and pretty fish.

Sunsets are always special. This was taken near our unit on Alii Dr.
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Hawai'i Volcano

Yesterday, we took a car tour of the island. We stopped at waterfalls, Hilo, Gardens, and the Mauna Loa Volcano. It rained most of the day and the wind in the afternoon could knock you over if you weren't careful. Here we are walking through the Thurston Lava Tunnel.
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Hawai'i Kona Arrival

We arrived late Friday night in Kona to heat, humidity and no luggage for Gene. American Airlines only has one flight a day from LA to Kona and we were told not to expect anything until the next evening. So we wasted our morning at Costco and Wall-Mart buying Gene a shirt, swim trunks, shorts, and other necessities.

Next day we were told that American no longer scans luggage so Gene's bag could be anywhere and they had no idea where that would be. In addition, American employees in Kona don't come in until 5 PM (found out later, it's really 7 PM) and they leave at 10 PM. They don't check on the luggage until the next day at 7 PM. Unbelievable!

Sunday we took a drive north into the Pololu Valley. Gene took the hike to the black sand beach at Kelokea Beach Park. I walked half way down and grabbed this photo. It was absolutely beautiful. We drove home through rain forest, grazing lands and desert.
We stopped by the airport on the way back to our unit to talk to the workers at American. They told us that usually the luggage comes in on Hawaiian the next day. Gene then went through both Hawaiian and American luggage bins and couldn't find his. He was bummed. But as soon as we got home he receive a call telling him that they found his luggage. It had been with Hawaiian Airlines since the morning and they notified us by calling our home. They delivered it an hour later and Gene was a happy camper. Such incompetence should not be accepted. American will be hearing from Gene.

Later.