2/11/2012 February Fun

What a fun filled week!  It started off on Super Bowl Sunday with a two mile hike down the hill in my development with Dave, my neighbor.  The trail leads through the coffee fields to a secluded beach.  I had no idea it was even there. I understand it is only accessible through the coffee fields. Since all beaches in Hawaii are public, not private, it was OK for us to be there. Evidently, Kauai Coffee Company permits people to hike through their fields, as long as it doesn't negatively impact their harvesting season which is in the fall. 

2/5/2012 Aloha!

Aloha from Kalaheo :)    All is well here, I've just been very busy playing tour guide to many friends from the mainland.

My cousin, Diane, who was here in December, came back already.   She was only able to be here for one day this time, so we had a whirlwind tour of the island.  Great fun!  I think she is already planning her next visit.  Gee, do you think she loves it here?

My dear friend, Robert, and his girlfriend Pamela were here in mid-January for a week. I so enjoy showing 'my island' to my friends. There is SO much to do here, it's always hard to choose what to see and do during the short time each has been able to spend here.  They stayed on the east side, near the airport, and I was pleased to hike with them up Sleeping Giant Mountain, visit Kauai Coffee, and share a few good meals. I introduced them to some of my friends during Happy Hour at Casablanca, too.

1/13/2012 Reading, Relaxation, Rejuvenation Required

Aloha, Friends and Family ~   There is not much to talk about this week.  It has turned out to be a quiet week; a time of Rest, Reading, Relaxation and Rejuvenation; not by choice, but by requirement. 

I've been struggling with a minor sore throat / head cold all week and am trying to fight it off by staying home and resting.  I haven't been around anyone who was sick to my knowledge, but here I am anyway. 

My body and brain are both tired, so I'm not reading as much as I would like.  Having said that, I started reading two books this week and both look like they will be very interesting.

"Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness" - Jon Kabat-Zinn  

and: 

"Getting the Love You Want" - Harville Hendrix

Neither were books I sought out. Both were given to me. Interesting that they both deal with healing in one sense or another.  Have any of you read either one?  If so, I'd like to hear your review. 

Will keep you posted on my thoughts as I read through each. 

Aloha and good health to all!  

1/11/2012 Geckos and such.....

We have geckos in Kauai and lots of 'em!  I took the photo below of this colorful little guy on the lanai yesterday. Officially, he is a Gold Dust Day Gecko. 

You lookin' at me??

They can be brown and rather drab, or incredibly colorful. Check out his turquoise feet ~ so cool! 

1/5/2012 "What do you do all day? "

Several friends have asked "What do you do all day?"  Perhaps they can't conceive of a life without a full time job, yard work and/or shoveling snow, family responsibilities and endless rushing around trying to accomplish everything on the never ending 'to do' list. 

Indeed, the standard question I received after announcing that I was leaving the corporate world and moving to Hawaii was some variation of "When are you going to start working again?"  It seems many believe that one must always be working at a paying job to be complete / whole. I never thought that to be true for me. Indeed, I've always felt that working interfered with my life. 

I can happily say that life can be fulfilling, busy, interesting and fun even without working.  Today's post is an attempt at describing of my "typical" week in Kauai. I use quotes around typical because a lot of what happens here.... just happens.  

Christmas 2011 at Kokee!

Photos I took at Kokee State Park on Christmas Day. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves....

If you click on one of the photos you will be able to see the photos as a slide show.

Enjoy! 

12/30/2011 Kayaking in Kauai

Did I mention I bought a kayak?  

It's a Pungo 120 Ultralite; a 12' hybrid ocean / river kayak, with an emphasis on river.  I've only had her out a handful of times on Kauai rivers, so I'm not yet confident enough to take her out on the Pacific.

Narrow passage on Hanalei River