I WANT TO GO HOME

I am so ready to go home.  I love it here but enough is enough.  I want to go home now.  I miss my dogs and kids and dog hair and getting mail and my mom.  I even miss rain and cold!  I know Bill would stay here forever but I think its time for him to go home too.  He has been getting chest tightness and pains and pain in his right wrist.  He WILL not go see a doctor here.  I am keeping an eye, but if I feel we need to, I will just call an ambulance.  He can get mad at me later.

Today the flooring arrived!  And it is beautiful.  On Thursday they are coming back to install it.  So, tomorrow we will be moving all that crap in the living room and master bedroom to......well I just don't know.  There is nowhere to move it.  And now that I am 60 I thought my furniture moving days were over. Dammit.

Don, head honcho here, came in this morning and put in our new garburator.  Thank goodness, we needed clean dishes pretty badly!  He is such a cool dude.  He knows everybody in the Maui world and is related to over half of them.  One of our most favourite places we love to go, a church way out the edge of the earth road, has been Kapu (forbidden) to us for a couple or three years.  Halfway down the gated drive is a house.  And if you try to go down that road a crazy old Hawaiian  guy comes raging out of that house, screaming and yelling and chasing you off.  Well, when we mentioned this to Don, he told us that that is his Uncle Manny and all we have to do is say "donald" and he will let us pass.  And if he doesn't just ignore him!!!  So, as soon as the floor is in we are going out there!!!!  I can't wait, it really is the most beautiful place anywhere.

IN TURKEY.....GRAND BAZAAR IN ISTANBULL

ON THE DANUBE

STANLEY PARK

YOU LOOKIN' AT ME????

TWO OLD LADIES   (MOM AND AUNTIE SHEA)

VANCOUVER

AINU VILLAGE LEADER JAPAN

LISBON

CHINA

LIONS   VANCOUVER

QUEEN HELLYAKALA

OFF PEARL HARBOUR  MEMORIAL

ALBERTA

NORTH VAN.......OFF OUR BALCONY

UP CYRESS MOUNTAIN...WEST VANCOUVER

ALONG TH HIGHLINE WALKWAY IN NYC

STANLEY PARK

HOLY MACKERAL!!!  I DIDN'T EVN KNOW I HAD THIS...THATS MONTE TUCKED UP TO HIS DAD...SOUND ASLEEP...HE WOULD HAVE BEEN ABOUT 4 YRS OLD

So, the pics today are from a bunch I separated out to put on flikr.  You have probably seen every single one of them but I don't have any current ones.  Sorry.  TTYL

PACKING

Well I have started!  I hauled the biggie out and opened it up and started to put things in that have to go home and before you knew it..it was full!!  And I haven't even put any of my clothes in yet, clothes I need now (summer stuff) because of the trip we are going on in February.  So it goes!

We finally went for our bbq.  The first one was a bust because of the lack of briquettes.  And yesterday we were heading out the door and with a last minute clean up in the kitchen, a certain garburator blew up and water water everywhere.  Five giant towels later, it was clear a new one was in order.  By the time we got out of here and to costco and bought a new one etc...it was too late to go bbqing.  It is dark by 6:30 here and there was just no time.

So today we headed out by three in the afternoon, found a perfect spot along the road to Lahaina and had a lovely time!  I spent most of the day over at the pool swimming and visiting so I am beat tonight.  The last couple of days have been pretty uneventful, nothing to report.  We go out every single day though.  Tonight there was a pretty amazing sunset.  On our way home we popped into the lighthouse spot and divided my time between taking pictures of the sunset and taking pictures with other people's cameras of them.  I have met people from all over the west coast and some from further away that way.  Lots of honeymooners and gay couples.  Not sure why!!

I WAS OUT SWIMMING AT THE POOL AND COULD SMELL THESE FLOWERS, PLUMERIA.  THEY MAKE LEIS WITH THEM...THEY SMELL INCREDIBLE

I MAKE HIM GET THE BBQ READY, TAKES ABOUT HALF AN HOUR LONGER BUT THATS OKAY...HE DOES A GOOD JOB

I AM PRACTISING TAKING SELFIES.  I USE MY IPHONE AND OBVIOUSLY NEED MORE PRACTISE...I SIMPLY SUCK AT IT

MY LITTLE BUDDY, A JET PLANE AND THAT WHITE DOT IS A MOON

THIS LOOKS LIKE A SEPIA PIC BUT ITS NOT...THIS IS EXACTLY THE COLOUR OUT THERE...BUT THAT CHANGED AS THE SUN WENT DOWN

I KEEP MAKING HIM HOLD HIS SHIRT TOGETHER.  HE HAS TAKEN TO GOING AROUND WITH IT UNBUTTONED AND HANGING OPEN....NOT SUCH A PRETTY SIGHT

I DON'T THINK THERE IS ANYTHING THAT MAN LOVES MORE THAN THE SUNSET

Now I have to go write my poem.  It is becoming something of a chore.  Oh well, I am determined to have 99 poems by Jan 1st.  I will leave them to my children when I die and they can burn them!!  Sorry about the sunset pics, yet again.  I can't seem to help myself.  TTYL (and sorry about the boring entry)

OH MY!!!

Well, all I can say is that has to be the best birthday ever....except as always, I miss the kids.  (when am I ever going to get over that)  We honestly had close to the best time Bill and I have ever had.  We only had one argument the whole time....he put a tiny piece of food (I won't say where he got it) and stuck it on my leg, so I grabbed it and stuck it to his cheek and he didn't know it.   Hahaha...he went into a store like that but when he found out he got mad.  Whatever....he did it first.  But all the rest of the time we had a blast.

The flights over and back are in tiny little jets that have 12 rows, two seats on each side of the aisle.  And...they are flown by crazy pilots that have been doing it too long.  Their white shirts are dirty, only one pilot of course and you are actually only in the air for 22 minutes.  But holy hannah! They swoop and dive and take sudden turns and scare the crap out of you. The stewardess doesn't even sit down and strap in on take off and landing.

We rented a convertible. Its the best way to get a tan without laying in the sun and being bored.  The first day we went straight to the outlet malls and bought jeans for April at True Religion.  They are half price there!  We did some touring around and then went and checked in.  The hotel was awesome but so high up!!  When you step out on the balcony your body parts shrivel.  But it was quite the view.  We walked (about 2 miles) to the RED LOBSTER and managed to get a table immediately!  Crazy!  And proceeded to have a most delicious dinner.

At bedtime Bill discovered he had not packed a certain cord for his cpap.  So, being the loving wife that I am, I gave him mine.  And I cannot sleep without my gasper now, but I also can't sleep with Bill's snoring..so I figured one of us might as well get a night's sleep.   Being awake, you see things you wouldn't normally know about.   You wouldn't believe the crap that goes on in Waikiki at night!  The cops were constantly going back and forth with lights and horns agoing.  People were fighting and yelling...too much booze and not enough sense.  The next morning he found the cord on the floor where he unpacked his bag...thank god...I need some sleep now.

We headed up to the north shore and on the Dillingham airfield, where all the parachuting and gliding goes on.  We sat there quite a while and watched.  We wandered back to Waikiki through the middle of the island.  Oahu is definitely not as picturesque as Maui.  Plus I didn't take my camera and Bill's just annoys the hell out of me.  So you guys are spared too many pics!  That night we went to the Cheesecake Factory.  Really good food and busy busy place.  I pissed the waitress off though.  We had a tiny table, covered with our salads and drinks etc.  I was halfway through my delicious salad when she arrived with my entree.  I just looked at her and said, umm...there is no where to put it and I am not finished my salad...can you please bring it back after I am done.  She was SO pissed off!  She stomped off.

Then,  we finished our salads, a guy cleared the table, and the cow didn't bring our dinners for fifteen mnutes!!!  But....two tables down there was an older couple, with many demands that kept her hopping.   After they left, she went and picked up the bill folder thingy and I could see she was shocked.  She went to her station and I overheard her tell her co worker that they didn't leave a tip, nothing.  I told Bill, cuz I kind of felt sorry for her.  And when she did bring our dinners (keep in mind this place was so busy it was like a chaotic whirlpool) Bill says "So I see those guys stiffed you!"  I almost died!  I couldn't believe he repeated that to her.  But she just looked surprised and then said How could you tell?  And then said that they were Australian and that was why (they don't tip in Australia).  At which point I piped up that they have a brain in their head, they know they aren't in Australia and its shameful that they would be that stupid and cheap.  After the waitress left, the couple right next to us on the other side, said that they were from Australia too (oh God)!  But she agreed with me and we launched into a very interesting convo from that point on.  We run into this on the cruiseships a lot too.  What is with Aussie's?  They should know better.  Anyway we left her 20% as per usual  I felt bad for her.

The next day we drove right out the very western part of the Island.  The beach there is where we almost lost April and Monte in a very unforgiving pounding surf.  So scary.  Then to the airport and a crazy trip home.  We were back here by 8 pm.  Bill bought me the most beautiful Fossil purse.  I will take some pics and put it here.

When we went to bed, Bill still had his bedside lamp on, I noticed something really big and black under his bedside table.  When he moved the table and took a look, it was one of those super gigantic cockroaches!!  OH MY GOD!!  If one of those had touched me it would have permanently rearranged  my molecules, and not in a good way.  After that I kept feeling things crawl on me.  "whimper"  Where the hell do they come from anyway?  Any way.....great great birthday!!!  TTYL

THESE ARE OCTOPUS BALLS, BUT YOU SEE THE VERY THIN THIN FLAKES OF SOMETHING SPRINKLED ON TOP?  WELL...THOSE THINGS WERE WIGGLING.  CREEPY.  THE HEAT FROM THE BALLS WAFTED UP MAKING THOSE THINGS WIGGLE...LIKE THEY WERE ALIVE...ALMOST PUT ME OFF EATING IT.  ALMOST

AN INCREDIBLY AWFUL PIC OF ME

THIS IS THE TABLE THAT SHE TRIED TO PUT MY ENTREE ON....LIKE...WHERE?

PICNIC

Today is a cleaning, do hair and picnic day.  I got up early today and did some necessary condo cleaning.  As Bill was heading back to bed for an hour or two (he was up super early), he said he had done the dishes and kitchen.  When I went in there I had to laugh.  He had unloaded and loaded the dishwasher, but all the pots and pans were on a dirty stove, and most his breakfast stuff was sitting on the counter, eggs, empty bacon package, toaster, bread etc......  So I actually cleaned the kitchen and did my morning tech ritual.  Check FB, check my scrabble game on my phone, write my poem for the day. Only today I did about five, Haikus.  They seem simple, and they are, but to really paint a good picture it isn't so easy.  Three lines....five syllable, seven syllable, five syllable.  But I am gone for the next three days and won't be able to write.  I am not taking my laptop this time.

So now here I sit with almost dry hair blogging away.  An antsy Bill is waiting...we are going out to Safeway to buy a picnic (we have successfully finished off the food in this place) and we are heading up the hill to this awesome place we found.  It is so beautiful up there and they have picnic tables and an amazing view.  I shall take some pics and post here before I go.

Well, forget Safeway.  And Times.  Finally at Foodland I found food I would be willing to eat.  Off we went up the hill.  Such a beautiful park.  And it was COLD!!!  Holy Hannah!!  I am simply never ever cold and I was cold up there.  It was 17C and windy.  I was freezing.  But I had taken a thermos of hot coffee which helped.  I took pics.  We had a lot of fun.

OUT OF THE BLUE SOME GUYS PARA GLIDED SILENTLY DOWN ONTO THE GRASS

Now its time to pack. We leave the condo at 6:30 am and we get back late Monday night.  Excited!!  TTY Monday