A balancing act...

Well, if the past two weeks are anything to go by, I am failing miserably at Resting, Relaxing and Rejuvenating.  I just might have to commit to staying longer... until I get it 'right'? 

I was supposed to regain 'balance' once I settled into my new place in Kalaheo.  I know I'm happiest when I have a nice mix of productivity and play. (The Libra in me, perhaps?)  Anyway, the past few years were completely exhausting, so I intended to add resting, relaxing and rejuvenating to the mix.  

Instead, I found so many fun and interesting things to do recently, that my calendar became a replication of Ohio days ~ This is Not Good!  

Here is a recap of what I've been doing lately: 

•  DANCING ~  Two weeks ago, I danced five out of seven nights!  I found a small, but active, group of West Coast Swing (WCS), Hustle and Night Club Two (NC2) dancers here. They have been incredibly nice and have invited me to their Tuesday and Thursday night dancing at Roy's.  They also offer a lesson and open dancing on Sunday nights at the Neighborhood Center in Koloa.  Once per month, there is a dance at the Nawiliwili Yacht Club and that happened to be Friday, Oct 21st.  On Saturday, Oct 22nd, the local ballroom community sponsored their 7th Annual Ball and I 'had' to go to that. Heck, it's only once per year.  How could I miss the opportunity to attend the ball and meet 250 other attendees?  So, lots of dancing that week and great fun, too.
• ALOHA KAUA'I WEEK ~ The Grand Hyatt Kaua'i sponsored the four day event last week, and I chose to participate in the Hula Aerobics, 2.5 mile ocean view hike, and Water Aerobics.  I also went back last night to watch a show of traditional Hawaiian music and dancing at Seaview Terrace and attend the Pa Hula Na Kane o Keoneloa: a demonstration of the ancient traditions of native Hawaiian male chants and hula dancing. Let me tell you, the male version of hula is completely different that the beautiful and graceful female version. This was strong and powerful; very impressive, so I'm glad I went. 
• ZUMBA ~ A local church offers free Zumba classes at 7:45 am on Mondays and Wednesdays, but I only went once last week.
• COMPLIMENTARY SHOWING OF WHALE MIGRATION DOCUMENTARY ~ The movie, shown last Thursday evening, was narrated by Patrick Stewart and described various types of whales and their migration patterns and summer and winter 'homes'.  The whales are starting to arrive in Kauai now and will be here until March, or so. The movie was informative and enjoyable.  I look forward to going 'whale watching' with my new friends; one of whom is a boat captain for Captain Andy's. They have an incredibly good reputation for wonderful catamaran sailing tours and whale watching excursions.  
• BELLY DANCE DEMONSTRATON ~ Ok, I guess I could have passed on this one, but belly dancing has always fascinated me. How the heck can they do that???  I recognize that I have the same body parts, but mine certainly cannot move like that. I'm in awe and impressed, for sure :) 
• 22 NORTH HAPPY HOUR ~ 22 North is a wonderful restaurant that creates their daily recipes based on the produce they grow on Kilohana Plantation and grass fed beef raised in Kauai.  The food is delicious and the atmosphere is relaxing and upscale / trendy.  The Happy Hour and live music was just too tempting to pass up. 
• TACO TUESDAY @ DUKE'S ~ Duke's is a great waterfront restaurant in the Marriott complex in Lihue. It's right on the harbor and it's a fun place to go. My new neighbors, Dave and Rose, go each Tuesday and they've invited me to join them and 'the gang'. It's been fun to meet their friends (locals and visitors) each week and the $2 fish tacos are a bargain, for sure.  They are regulars there, and I guess I will be a 'regular' soon, too...

I really did relax a bit, though.  I finished reading one library book (fiction by Rick Riordan) and read a little bit of each of the other four books I'm reading.  One of them is "The Power of Now", by Eckhart Tolle.  It was recommended to me about 8 years ago and was recently given to me as a gift.  It's an interesting read, but one that has to be read in small doses and pondered along the way.  Good stuff, for sure. 

I also cleaned my apartment, washed the car, visited the pool a couple of times, and ran some errands.  

I recognize the error of my ways and vow that this week won't be quite so jam packed with 'activities'.  

Maybe I'll only go to Zumba once;  Rob's once;  the 2.5 mile walk at the Hyatt once; and, oh wait... I forgot... I've been meaning to go to the Hanapepe Art Walk which is held on Friday evenings. I hear there are 16 galleries!  

And, I have a book listing 55 Day Hikes on Kauai.  I should check out of couple of those so I can recommend them to my cousin, Diane, when she visits me in early December. 

And, a gentleman at the pool suggested that I go to the Barking Sands Military Base restaurant, because the meals are inexpensive and good, and the sunset views are spectacular. 

And, I've been meaning to drive up to the North Side to visit Kilauea Lighthouse, Hanalei Bay and Princeville. Each of those areas is beautiful and I haven't been there since my vacation in August.  

Drats!  See, what I mean... I really do have the best intention of Resting, Relaxing and Rejuvenating, but with so many fun and interesting things to do, there just really isn't enough time...Maybe November will be better?  Wait, November is in two days.... How about December?  

No, that won't work. I'm going to Honolulu for the first five days and then Diane is coming to stay with me for the next five days.... 

PS - For those of you inquiring if I have a job yet, the answer is NO!  Where would I find time for a job?   Gee, I wonder if I can recall the resume I sent out today?? 

A friendly neighbor....

This little guy hangs around my apartment... we sometimes fight for my parking space.  He looks like he is a young one to me, but I'm no ornithologist..

I hear a lot of beautiful bird calls each morning, but have yet to match the birds with the appropriate sounds.   I'll take more pics as I identify 'who' they are :)

Kukuiolono Park & Golf Course

Kukuiolono Park and Golf Course is only 1/2 mile from my house. I pass it every single day, on my way to and from my apartment.  It sits high up on the hill and overlooks the Pacific.  Yesterday was the first day I actually stopped and checked it out.  

In addition to the golf course, there is a lovely, peaceful Japanese Garden with gorgeous views of the ocean.   

Club Kauai

After being here for a little over three weeks, I've come to realize that moving to Kauai is like joining an exclusive club of happy and contented folks.  The members are warm & welcoming and so happy to have another member join them on their adventure. 

I've talked to dozens and dozens of people and our stories are all so similar.  We are all here because this is where we choose to be!  

Each of us has fulfilled the common dream of living in Kauai. We are excited to be here.  Each of us has made similar choices, and paid the literal and figurative costs to be here. We've all left family and friends behind. We all appreciate the beauty and spirit of Kauai. 


I've been told 'Welcome Home' by natives and transplants alike. 


It is a wonderful feeling to be welcomed with open arms by so many.   I invite you to visit and feel what the Kauai Aloha Spirit is all about.... 

~ ~ Kauai Kathy ~~ 

Don't Dream..... Do! 

Lani Nu'u, Apt. B

Front and back of my place on Lani Nu'u Street ~ 

Front ~ (Garage is theirs; I have street parking privileges)

Back ~ (The 6 small paned windows are their garage; not part of my small place)

Pics as Promised

Here are some photos I took during my sunrise walk this morning....

The daily walk down the hill (of course, I have to walk back up afterwards...sigh) 

At the bottom of the hill....another spectacular sunrise: 

 

 Local neighborhood foliage:

Now for the harder part ~ Going back up....

Internet Access Woes... and living frugally in Paradise!

Aloha from Kauai!   Long time, no updates..... My internet access here is 'poor' at best.  I don't have my own service provider and am struggle to figure out a method for gaining a stronger signal through the 'guest' access provided by my landlords. 

So, frustration abounds when I try to catch up on emails, post to the blog, pay bills, etc.  Seems like evenings here are next to impossible.  So far, my best times are when everyone else here is either sleeping or working. 

It's been a week since I posted, so let's see... where to start?

Daily Dirt....

 Well, don't get too excited.... Daily Dirt does not refer to gossip; just... DIRT. 

The dirt is is plentiful and RED.   Here is an excerpt and link about Kauai's dirt: 

  
From:  http://geology.rockbandit.net/2008/05/04/the-red-dirt-of-kauai/ 

Red Dirt of Kauai

dirt, Hawaii, Kauai, Volcanoes

"One of the things that the island of Kauai is famous for, is its very vibrant (and somewhat annoying – if you get it on your clothes) deep red dirt. One popular application of the dirt is its use in dyeing t-shirts, the most well known of which are Dirt Shirts.

Image credit: Richard Puzio on SmugMug.

What causes Kauai’s dirt to be so red? Since Kauai is one of the oldest Hawaiian Islands, the high iron content of the volcanic soils has had plenty of time to oxidize, especially with the wet conditions of the island (Kauai is home to one of the wettest places on the planet)."

So, one of my daily habits, along with walking the neighborhood each morning and evening, is Swiffering my floors and wiping down the counter tops.  It takes 1 1/2 Swiffer pads per day to do my little Ohana.  Truly useless trivia you didn't need, but now you may have learned something new about Kauai. (Tip: If you come here on vacation, don't bring lots of spiffy new white clothes!)

I'm settling in to a nice quiet routine and I am loving the peaceful neighborhood (except for the chickens which start crowing between 4:30 and 5 a.m.)  The unofficial history of why feral chickens are so numerous is that many chicken farms were destroyed by Hurricane Iniki in 1992 and the chickens escaped and continue to live / bred happily and freely throughout the island.   

Honestly, although I've read posts where people complain about the numerous chickens, I find it part of the island charm and the crowing is in the distance, not under my bedroom window, so I'm sure that makes a difference. 

I promised pics of my place, so here are a few: 

• My Kauai home is the very small section, (2b/1b), in the back, behind the palm tree. The family who lives in the main house are SUPER nice. I am so lucky to have found such a great place and wonderful people.   I have an  ocean view from both my bedroom and office. I love waking up and checking out the gorgeous view each morning. Every sunrise and sunset is 'different' and spectacular in its own way. 

• My eat in kitchen with my bargain antique Craigslist table and chairs.....  :)

• My sparsely furnished office......  (My friend, Diane's, bedroom one day??) 

• My bedroom..... Someday I will find a bargain dresser, but until the rest of my clothes get here (a story for another day) I don't really need one. 

• So far, the only two pieces in my living area are a wicker shelving unit (a freebie from the real estate agent who gave me the tip on this rental Ohana), and this cool coffee table.  Rumor has it that it is an antique pie cooling table. Fact or fiction?  I don't know and haven't checked it out yet. I just know it will look great with the love seat I will eventually find.... I will know it when I see it, I'm certain.

 So, the current plan for the weekend is to check out more of the island, browse some garage sales, and pick up the bistro set I purchased from the gentleman from whom I bought the antiques.  

There is also a "Healing Garden Fair" at Kilohana Plantation, which should be interesting... 

Tomorrow, I plan to register my Lexus which finally arrived earlier this week. It feels WONDERFUL to have my own vehicle again.

The sun has set and its a balmy 72 degrees; quite a lovely evening!

 Aloha! 

~  Kauai Kathy ~

Pics of Beautiful Kauai

These are photos I took during my last visit to Kauai. Perhaps they will give you a sense of why  I feel so blessed to be here!  

Later this week, I will take and post pics of my new place and my neighborhood. 

~ Kauai Kathy

Island Time!

I am FINALLY on Kauai time!  Instead of waking up between 3 and 5:30 as I have been doing each morning, I actually went to bed at 10.30 last night and woke up at 7 AM.  Ahhh.  I finally feel refreshed and ready to go.  Thinking more clearly, too.

Heading out to walk the neighborhood for the first time now, too.  Hoping to make that a daily habit since I'm now waking up to daylight instead of darkness.  

Before, I'd start working on photography editing as soon as I woke up and by the time the sun came up, I would be ravenous. Then, of course, the day gets started and exercise just doesn't happen.  

My goal is to get back into shape.  I'm waaaay tooooo flabby these days. Can't wait to feel fit and toned again.  On my way.... :)

Typos and such...

Now that I am awake and the brain is functioning again, I re-read my posting from last night.

A couple of points....

• I promise that future postings won't be so L.O.N.G!
• I could only see one typo.... I crawled into the trunk of the car, not the truck. They offered to let me have a truck instead of this car, but it was a standard. I haven't driven a stick shift in many years and I thought I'd pass on that adventure. I don't plan on buying / moving any furniture in the next couple of days. And, even if I found the 'perfect' bargain, I would ask them to hold it for me until my SUV arrives ON WEDNESDAY. 
• Dale and Genevieve are going to take care of  my closet door issues and the light bulb.  I keep forgetting that I am renting and all those pesky problems are no longer mine to take care of. I have landlords!!!!  Yay!  I think I am going to like renting for awhile!  Let someone else have all the joys of homeownership :) 

Going snorkeling today!  

Week One Highlights!

Aloha to all my friends on the mainland ~  Per your (not so numerous) requests, I now have a blog!  I look forward to updating you with my adventures, thoughts, high points, challenges and tips about visiting and / or living in Kauai. 

In four short hours, I will be an official resident of Hawaii for an entire week. YAY!   I cannot believe I am really here and that I GET TO LIVE HERE.  

Just like I suspected when I visited in 1992, it really is possible to live your dream.... Others live here; I saw them, and I wanted to be one of them.  Little did I know that my desire would become my reality.  True, it's been almost 20 years since I first visited Hawaii and went back home with thoughts of relocating 'for just a year', but I am finally here!  I'm still pinching myself to be certain it is true many times per day. 

Every time I look at the incredible  mountain and ocean views, I am washed over with feelings of peace and happiness. There are no words to describe how beautiful it is here. You really must come and visit / experience it for yourself. 

Perhaps others feel this way about other areas, but Hawaii is my 'spiritual home', I think. Not sure what that means exactly, but I hope to gradually understand it as each month passes. 

I feel refreshed, even through all of my exhaustion. It's been a whirlwind 7 months of planning, preparation and execution.  I still shake my head in wonder at how 'magically' all the doors opened for me along the journey.  The 'glitches' have been so minimal and the positive outpouring of assistance from my friends has overwhelmed me with their love and kindness.