Swimming With The Spinner Dolphins Video

Here are a couple of videos from our boat trip. The video imports kind of small in this blog so it's hard to see some of the details in the videos. I have also posted them on myspace and if you click the links below you can see them in a bigger format.

This first video if you look just beyond us in the water you can see the dolphins slapping the water and swimming toward us. They literally swam back to us and went all around and below us. It was one of the neatest things I have seen.

This video is a quick clip of the dolphins following our boat and swimming along side. Clearly when you watch the video you will hear how excited I was about it.

Here are a couple of spinner dolphins entertaining us. Sorry it was really choppy on the water so the video is a little bumpy but so worth the watch.

Here are the links on myspace if you want to view them in a bigger screen

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=49315731

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=49296409

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=49393178

Saving The Best For Last Apparently

The last full day of our vacation was as close to the perfect as it could get! We had booked a 5 1/2 hour snorkel trip on a 55 ft yacht. We were all pretty psyched for this adventure. To say expectations were running high would be an understatement.

We had to be up and out of the house by 5:00 AM to head to Port Allen. We got to Capt Andy's and soon we were on our way. We started out of the port before sunrise but shortly after we got under way the sun started to come up and it made for some gorgeous pictures. We had a quick continental breakfast and then we were up on deck to check out the sights.

It is Hump Back Whale season in Kauai so we were on the lookout. It's early in the season and apparently the whales are a little bashful at first. We saw one quick blow hole during the trip but that was it the whales weren't wanting to put in an appearance that morning. We were on the lookout for sea turtles too but no luck on that front either. We did however see an amazing rainbow, beautiful sunrise and the Napali coastline is so peaceful and pretty. On our way up the coastline we saw a handful of Spinner Dolphins.

Brendan and I were standing toward the front of the boat and we were getting soaked from the waves since it was a bit choppy but we didn't really care because we were having a great time. Charley as usual was busy snapping away with his camera and in his own world.

Once we got up the coast there was enough wind and the waves were strong enough that the captain had the crew put up the sails and we sailed for a bit. It was really nice but after awhile several people were kind of queasy from the choppy waves and we fired up the engine again and we were on our way.

We headed back down the Napali coast looking for a spot to stop and snorkel. We were a bit let down when we were told that we wouldn't be able to do any snorkeling but apparently the massive rainfall had created a bad run off situation and the waters were all murky and cloudy and not fit for snorkeling. However the captain did make the decision that he would try to stop along the way so we could do a free swim off the back of the boat in the middle of the ocean.

While we were looking for a spot to free swim, we came upon roughly 200 Spinner Dolphins. It was amazing and Charley got lots of good pictures and video of them swimming behind and beside the boat and a couple of them jumping out of the water and spinning in the air. It was so cool! But the best part was yet to come. When Capt Rock stopped the boat so we could jump in and swim, the dolphins turned around and came swimming back towards all of us in the water. The actually swam back to us and were swimming around and below us. It was one of the neatest things I've ever seen. Charley was jealous - he has been on over 200 scuba dives in his life and has never gotten to swim with a dolphin. He was up on the boat taking some pictures and getting his mask ready to come in with me and Brendan when the dolphins were swimming under us. By the time he got in the water they had gone past us.

After our swim we climbed back on the boat and had a delicious lunch capped off with some wine. Then it was back on our way down the coast to the port. The waves were huge white caps and we were getting air on some of them. This was incredibly good fun especially for Brendan. Charley and I had gone to the back of the boat to sit and relax and Brendan had stayed up front with some new friends he had made. Capt Rock was having a great time throttling up and down and making sure everyone in the front of the boat was getting soaked with big waves. On one or two occassions the waves came shooting over the front of the boat across the cabin and down on us in the very back of the boat - remember it was a 55 ft boat! so those were some big ol waves coming our way.

One of those ginormous waves actually took Brendan's glasses right off his face!! We thought they were gone to the ocean and I had just resigned myself that I needed to come up with a couple extra hundred bucks ASAP when we got home to get him a new pair since he is legally blind most days without his glasses and he can't drive without them. Well about 20 minutes later a woman found his glasses hanging on one of the ropes that go along the railing of the boat. It was unbelievable that they had caught on the rope but it was good fortune for him. They have a couple of scratches so we will still need to get new ones but it's not a dire situation now.

By the time we pulled back into the port we were all soaked with water, toasty tan and in great spirits. We all three agree this was the absolute best day of our entire trip. If you ever go to Kauai and want a great adventure take the Capt Andy's Napali Coast Snorkel trip and try to get Captain Rock and crew for your trip. It's pricey but it's well worth the money!

When we left Capt Andy's we went in a few of the shops to see what they had to offer and then started the drive back to our side of the island. We stopped at a craft fair to see what they had and then toward our condo to make dinner and relax.

We had a yummy steak dinner grilled by Charley and then relaxed and watched House Bunny together while I did laundry so we could pack up in the morning. All in all a wonderful day and evening with my boys.

Merry Merry Christmas From Kauai

We actually for the first time in my memory slept in on Christmas morning - now if you know us then you know sleeping in is like 7:00 AM but still we did things differently this year. No tree, lights or traditional homemade muffins that I make on Christmas morning. This was a different kind of Christmas and the very first Christmas in my 40 yrs on this planet that I was not with my mom on Christmas day.

We got up and I set up our chocolate Christmas tree and put out the couple of gift bags that we had to be opened. This year with the trip and expenses on top of how hard it is to drag big bulky gifts with us on the trip we opted to keep it really low key and simple. A couple of Brendan's gifts were actually back home for him to open when we got back. Charley opened his Geoffrey Bean tie and cuff links along with his cologne. Brendan opened his House Bunny video, aftershave soother, cologne and his newest hot wheel for his collection which was a totally cool VW bug with a surf board on top. I got a IZ CD that I have been wanting for awhile now and a Hawaiian calendar too.

- Special Note - It was brought to my attention that I never mentioned what I got for my birthday. I received a gorgeous sapphire and diamond tennis bracelet to match my earrings and necklace from last year. And Brendan got me a cool CSI field kit which is actually for kids but he knows I like forensics so he thought I might like playing with it. lol

After we opened our gifts we split the chocolate tree up and ate it. Then we made a nice breakfast and tried to decide what we should do for the day. We were supposed to go on a snorkel boat trip but the company cancelled on us last minute on Christmas Eve so we had to think up something fun to do. I did manage to schedule a boat trip with another company 4 minutes before they closed on Christmas Eve for the day after Christmas so that was luck!

We went to the Coconut Market and some of the local shops to see what they had to offer and I got a cute t-shirt for the grandbaby and a gift for my mom and my niece that was house sitting for us. After shopping we went up to Wialua Falls and took some pictures. Then we grabbed a glass of wine at a place on the beach. The rain moved in shortly after that so we headed back to the condo.

We were supposed to go see the movie the Curious Case of Benjamin Button however there is only one tiny theater on Kauai and they were only showing it one time on Christmas. When we got there the parking lot was overflowing and there was a line out the building. We opted to take a pass on the movie and see it when we got back home.

Overall, a nice relaxing day with the boys and it all worked out in the end.

Christmas Eve On A Beach

Christmas Eve we woke up and it was raining... We had a nice breakfast and tried to figure out what we could do for the day even if it was raining. As luck would have it by the time we ate and cleaned up the rain had started to dry up some. We decided to brave it and try to find a good beach in the area to hang out.

We found a really nice beach in Kalapaki and settled in. It was great the rain stopped, the sun came out and the wind calmed down a bit. We plopped ourselves down on our beach mats and let the relaxation and reading begin. Later the boys went up to Burger Hut and grabbed some burgers and fries and we had a perfectly nice picnic lunch on the beach.

I decided to try out the water and after much manipulation and nagging on my part I convinced Brendan to join me in the water. Slowly but surely I got him further and further out into the ocean into bigger waves. We had an excellent time and couldn't stop laughing. Charley opted to stay on the beach and read and snap pictures of us being silly in the water.

After playing in the ocean we headed to the shower and then we hit some of the little shops along the beach to see what they had. Everyone was closing up early because it was Christmas Eve so we headed back to the condo to clean up and make some dinner.

This wave snuck up on me from out of nowhere. Brendan found it amusing.

Brendan was worried his mommy was going to drown so he kept trying to save me.

We got splashed, knocked down, pulled by the under tow and we had a GREAT time!

Not So Happy Birthday To Me...

As you may know this trip was originally planned to celebrate my 40th birthday in a BIG way because generally my birthday gets overlooked, forgotten or combined with Christmas and that just sucks. So to save Charley trying to find people to come to a 40th birthday party two days before Christmas we opted for this trip.

We have had rain more days than not on our vacation but we had sun on Sunday and Monday so I was excited for my birthday to be sunny. I had every intention of doing something bold for my birthday to make it memorable and kind of as a screw you to cancer as well. But when I got up Tuesday almost as if on queue the rain started. So there went the birthday plans.

So after a bit of a crying jag from me - honestly I think the crying was more due to some pent up emotions from the cancer than anything else but of course I was disappointed that the day was rained out. Our day was spent sitting around the condo watching a marathon of NCIS on cable. Exciting eh?

We did eventually go back to Mariachi's for dinner but I felt kind of cruddy and really wasn't in the spirit of being excited that it was my birthday. Charley did give me a lovely card and a diamond and sapphire tennis bracelet to match my earrings and necklace from last year.

So there ya have it.... the less than eventful way my 40th year was ushered in. I think I'm just gonna give up on my birthday at this point - it's the curse of being so close to Christmas I guess.

This is a link to the video of my birthday morning http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twcLE3oDGUA

This is our friendly amusing waiter at Mariachi's and clearly he was having a better time that night than I was.

Waimea Canyon Trip

Monday was our second sunny day and we decided to take a drive to the west side of the island to check out Waimea Canyon - "The Grand Canyon of the island". It was a nice drive and we got some pretty pictures of the views.

Before we started up the winding road to the top of the canyon we stopped at Jo Jo's Shave Ice for a yummy treat. They have over sixty flavors and you can mix and match three if you want. I got Peach, Banana Colada and Blackberry. It was divine! Next stop I want to get Banana Colada, Chocolate and Coconut. Anyway we had a nice treat and enjoyed some time in Waimea.

Poipu Beach

Sunday we went to the south end of the island to check out Poipu beach. It's definitely the more touristy part of the island. Poipu beach was nice enough but crowded compared to the other beaches we have been going to. It is also really rocky which seems to be the case with many of the beaches here.

Brendan decided to give the boogie board a try anyway but ended up with a few cuts, scratches and bruises from all the rocks and the strong under current. He also lost a fin in the process so he wasn't a real happy camper that afternoon. But hey we checked it out and gave it a shot since it was the first day without any rain on our trip. This picture is of him taking a beating from a wave.

Charley was in heaven when we found a shrimp lady near the beach. It only took me suggesting once that he go get himself some yummy shrimp before he was off and running. He got some great garlic shrimp with coconut oil and then there was this yummy rice/cole slaw dish on theplate that included creamy coconut milk and some other ingredients. It smelled so good!

Sundays Big Adventures

Sunday we woke up to our first actual sunny day. We were set to go once we saw that we weren't going to be trapped in a condo most of the day. We first set out to see the Opaekaa falls which are the twin waterfalls that appear in the opening scenes of Fantasy Island. A funny story about this.. I was explaining to Brendan where we were going and about halfway through the explanation when I went to say the Fantasy Island part, I realized my child has no point of reference for that show. He is only 17 and has never seen one episode of it. So my story was lost on him.

The falls were really pretty. You can see them from a distant look out point but you can't get close to them unless you take a helicopter tour. We still got some good pictures of them though. We took a short drive to nowhere just to explore and then we stopped at an overlook on the Wialua River which is the river we took the boat trip on.

We made a quick stop at Longs Pharmacy to grab a Hawaiian CD for Brendan to give his dad for his birthday and then we were back on the road to the south side of the island. To see the Spouting Horn and check out Poipu Beach for Brendan.

The Spouting Horn was really cool. I thought this was neat and we braved the climb down onto the lava formations to get a closer look. In no time other tourists were doing the same thing. The Spouting Horn occurs naturally and Brendan explained it to me because he is smart that way. Basically the water rushes in under the lava shelf and then is shot back out through a natural lava tunnel.

We took lots of pictures and Brendan and I also took a couple of videos with our cameras. I didn't get any of the big spurts on camera - it shoots up to 50 ft in the air and I saw it do it too. Brendan did get some big ones on camera but I don't have his stuff uploaded on Charley's laptop. I was going to upload a video but the blog is being uncooperative this morning so I guess I can't. Oh well.

Spouting Horn

This was the first day of our trip that it felt like we were on a tropical island so I had to claim my palm tree in the sun.

Waimea Christmas Parade Of Lights

Saturday evening we made the trek from the east side of the island to the west side of the island to Waimea along with all of the other people living or visiting the island. You would not believe the crowd for the parade and the block party. We got there just in time to stake out a small section of grass to throw our grass mats on to watch the parade.

This was small town USA at it's best and the very best part is that they aren't afraid to say Merry Christmas or mix in religious with non-religious symbols of the season and no one protests, bitches or sues them. There must not be an ACLU on Kauai. LOL

We really enjoyed the parade and the atmosphere of the whole thing. We didn't stay for the block party because we were tired and had a long drive back to our side of the island but I am sure they were up late celebrating Christmas in the little town of Waimea.

We took a ton of pictures and I am still weeding through them to see which ones turned out and which ones did not. They don't have street lights in this town (or any town really) so the lighting was not the best.

There were lots of interesting entries in the parade and they all were good but I think my favorite "float" was the Kauai Harley Davidson shop float - must be that biker chick in me.

Brendan & Charley enjoying the parade

Harley float - a bear on a wicked cool chopper

Another cute float

Me and Brendan following the herd back to our car

Moving Day

Saturday was moving day for us. We had to pack up the condo in Hanalei Bay and relocate to the condo in Lihue. We had to be out by 10:00 AM so it was a busy morning. And what do ya know... but the last morning we are there it is sunny and gorgeous!

Brendan grabbed this quick shot of me right before we checked out. Not a drop of rain and lots of sunshine.

We started our drive from the north side of the island to the east side to check in at the Kauai Beach Villas. This is the timeshare we bought off of eBay so we were a little bit nervous not knowing what to expect. The website looked nice but you know how that goes.

The interior of the condo is nice and well appointed so that was a relief. Overall it is a nice place to stay I mean we plan on being out of it more than in it. And for $142.00 for the entire week, I'm not complaining!

The grounds are nice enough just nothing too fancy. The Hilton which is almost connected to this property has a cool pool with water features and an outdoor bar and we are allowed to use it if we want to pay $15.00 per day for the privledge.

We walked down to the private beach and that was not so great in our opinion. It was dirty and not maintained at all. And the locals sneak on it with their ATV's and booze and leave broken bottles and what not behind. This is the note Brendan wrote on the beach to express our discontent. It was pretty funny - in case you can't make it out it says THIS BEACH SUCKS!

We drove into town to find something for lunch. We found a place called Mariachi's and since I was having a craving for Mexican food we decided to give it a try. I'm so glad we did because it was delicious especially the Baltido's.

We had a very funny little waiter who amused us the entire time. He gave us a great seat out on the patio so we could overlook the entire little village. We had such a nice relaxing time, the food was yummy and the drinks delicious I have decided that we are having my birthday dinner there. Our waiter he called himself Corona ,because that's his favorite drink, took a family picture for us. He also gave me a discount thing to use for my birthday dinner. The other picture is what Brenda looks like after two very strong Baltido's and the last picture is Brendan after he tried my Baltido and decided Kahlua may not be the drink for him. lol

Rain Day.. Kind of

Friday started off as a pretty frustrating day for all of us. It was another day of rain and honestly family togetherness is great but it gets old spending 24/7 in a condo staring at the rain. Thankfully there was a break in the rain in the late afternoon. Hallelujah!!

So we decided to head out and see if we couldn't at least get in some beach time for Brendan. First we stopped at Bubba's for a late lunch. Apparently Bubba's is a big "celebrity" hang out when they are on the island which I didn't know until I saw all of the pictures on the wall. It's kind of funny because Bubba's is this little shack. The food was great though.

We were going to head toward Tunnels Beach and Hae'na Beach (I really wanted to score more banana bread but she wasn't there). As we were getting in the car after lunch we heard a huge ripping sound... that was Brendan's swim trunks ripping from one end of the crotch to the other. We had a pretty good laugh over that one. So we had to run across to the shops and buy him a new pair of trunks. The boys found a cute pink baseball cap for me -- apparently they wanted to make sure everyone knew I was a tourist.

What do ya think? Doesn't it just scream tourist? lol

We made our way to Hae'na Beach and although we had no sunshine the water was warm enough for Brendan and Charley to go out for a quick snorkel. It was a bit rocky on that beach so they didn't get to do a lot but it was better than sitting in the condo.

Brendan poked around looking for shells and just kind of splashing in the water some. It turned out to be a halfway decent day considering how it started out.

RAIN, RAIN GO THE HELL AWAY!

Yesterday we went to Boss Frogs to rent Brendan an RX snorkel mask and a couple boogie boards. Our trip to the beach was kind of short since we were rained out AGAIN. Day five ended with a huge storm that last ALL NIGHT LONG and has continued into day six. Which in essence trashed our plans to have a yummy breakfast and then take a hike Brendan has been dying to show us and then head to the beach to snorkel.

Suffice to say we are kind of bummed with how the vacation has been turning out so far. We have had rain in varying degrees every day of the trip and it's starting to really suck since this is not what we had planned as a tropical get away.

We planned to attend a Christmas Light Festival tomorrow afternoon in Waimea however they have had rock slides (some of the rocks are the size of mini vans) and all electric and telephone to that part of the island have been cut so I guess no Christmas lights or parade for us.

I think I've seen more of our condo than anything else on the island...

Here's a quick video clip off the balcony this morning.

One last blog for today - The View Just For Sharon!

By special request from my "avid" reader ;-)

Here are a couple of shots for the view from our living room balcony and Brendan's balcony. We actually have three of them one off the master, the second bedroom and then the living room. No matter which one you are on it is gorgeous!

Hanalei Bay is what we are overlooking. It is where they filmed the movie South Pacific.

Fern Grotto - Wialua River

We took the river boat cruise down the Wialua River to see the Fern Grotto yesterday. It was a nice little boat ride and the Fern Grotto was really pretty. I'm not so sure it was worth $20.00 per person but welcome to Hawaii....