Obviously you get the joke. Julie & I took a vacation to visit her parents in Maui, and when we got there her parents had a couple beautiful fresh flower lais for us when we got off the plane. Which leads to the biggest reason for our trip, like you really need an excuse to visit a paradise like Hawaii, but it was Larry's 60th birthday. So here's a shot from his birthday party that Joyce threw for him the first day we were there.
So for those of you that didn't know, my in-laws live in a small condo-hotel-apartment in Maui for 6 months out of the year. It's a garden view, but a very short walk across a courtyard to the beach. And so that we didn't have to sleep on a couch or floor, they hooked us up with room of our own. Which the manager surprised us by upgrading us to an ocean-front room, and as you can see from these shots...we could've spent the whole trip just enjoying the view from our balcony.
But we didn't, after Larry's birthday and chilling on the beach on the first day, we got to go scuba diving on the second day. Our trip to us to an area just off the island of the Lanai, called the Cathedrals. It was our first experience diving in the ocean, and not only did we see some cool fish, but we got to go inside one of the underwater caves. The cave has some openings in the ceiling that let in gorgeous natural light, giving it the same effect as a stained glass window in a church. Hence the name, Cathedrals. I did have my underwater camera with me, but found myself not experienced enough at diving to use it underwater. But I do have a couple shots from the boat.
The next day we played some tennis at Kapalua. Kapalua is the resort that Larry & Joyce work at part time. Here's a shot of the Tennis Garden, which is where Joyce primerily works.
We then got to go to one of the most authentic Luau's in the area, at Old Lahaina. We ate pig cooked in the ground, had some island drinks, and watched alot of dancing. Here's a shot of Julie & I that her dad took of us there. And also a shot of the dancers that Julie took playing with the exposure settings on her new camera.
Then Larry & Joyce took me out on short cruise on the America II. It was built as a race boat for the America's Cup, and took 3rd place in 1987. Then was sold off and changed to be a tourist boat. The mast was shortened, and strengthened. A motor was added (cause race boats are towed when not being raced), and the deck was changed to add a couple benches for 12 or so people to ride in it. It was alot of fun, cause as you can tell from the pics, a boat like this in the trade winds runs at like a 45 degree angle, and the chop was splashing all over. (Julie didn't come, cause she was afraid of getting seasick, and she'd already been out on the boat 3 years ago).
The other benefit of working at Kapalua, is the ability to golf on a PGA course. So one day the four of us golfed 18 holes at the Plantation course, which hosts the Mercedes Open in January. And on another day, we did a round on the Bay course, which is hosting an up-coming LPGA tournament this year. Both courses are amazing. The Plantation is a VERY long course, with alot of elevation changes. But even though it's set up the hillside, you still get views of the water from most of the holes. The Bay course isn't quite as long, but it takes you right up to the water, including a par 3 that has you shooting over a cove (see pic below). Surprisingly enough, I didn't put it in the water, I actually cleared the cove, but put it into the bunker right in front of the green. :)
So aside from everything mentioned above, we did alot of shopping, and ate REALLY well. We had seafood like every other day. Including sushi at Sansei, fresh ahi tuna a couple nights, and a night at Mama's Fish House. Mama's is a very high class place, right on the water, with it's own private beach front. And the fish is so fresh that they actually tell you right on the menu who caught your fish, and what boat he was on when he caught it! These shots are from the beach at Mama's.
So that was our trip. It was amazing, and thanks to Larry & Joyce, we got to do everything we planned, and didn't have to take out a loan to afford it either. We can't wait to go back.
