criplomats

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wow, what a great vacation! We had such a good time in Hawaii and really didn’t want to leave!

We spent the last week in Upcountry at Waiki’i Ranch, in a house we rented. It was so quiet I couldn’t believe it. Sunday evening, we met Mary and her cousin Mary for dinner at Merriman’s in Waimea (excellent food), then went to a Marcia Ball show at the local theatre – she was so fun and reminded us of seeing “long, tall Marcia Ball” back in our old Juanita days in Little Rock. I don’t know how exactly to describe her music – kind of Cajun honky tonk. She’s in her 60s now but still can play the piano like nobody’s business!

Tuesday morning we got up before dawn and drove an hour or so down to Kona for a whalewatching trip – it was overcast and a bit rainy, but still fun to get out on the water and see the whales splashing around! Afterward we went back to Daylight Restaurant for another excellent breakfast and did a bit of shopping before heading back up the hill.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mary came over Tuesday night for dinner – John built a fire in the fireplace and cooked us up some great grass-fed Hawaii steaks.

Thursday we went exploring – we first drove up over the mountain to the north side of the island – beautiful views and topped off by a gorgeous look over the Pololu Valley – the road ends there, so we backtracked back to Waimea and went east to see the Waipo Valley – lovely!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday was too much fun – I went on a cattle drive at nearby Dahana Ranch! There were four of us plus the woman who owns the ranch – it was my favorite thing from vacation. It was a beautiful day and we herded our 100+ head of cattle into a pen, then we learned how to sort and move some cows out while leaving others in the pen – a great way to end the vacation!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click to see all of our photos from vacation. Here’s a quick list of things I loved:

1. Daily walks in Upcountry to see cows, horses, baby sheep, baby goats, wild turkeys, owls, grouse, quail, and pheasants – and I loved that they all just stopped to look at you – very curious.
2. Not checking my Blackberry.
3. Grilling almost daily.
4. Peace and quiet. Quiet. Dead quiet.
5. Coffee ice cream.
6. Being in a place that’s sort of like being in a foreign country but still being in ‘Merica.
7. Seeing our good friend Mary, and OMG those chocolate caramel dipped shortbread cookies that Mary brought for dessert.
8. Playing cowgirl.
9. Pancakes the size of plates at Hawaiian Style Cafe in Hilo.
10. Dreaming about retiring there!

R&R continues in Hawaii! This has really been a fabulous break – I am not checking my Blackberry at all, so it’s especially relaxing.

Last Tuesday the four of us (Mary, Lynna, John, and I) drove to the southeast side of the island and visited a mom and pop coffee farm (John found it through his coffee connections). Phil and Merle have a lovely ranch (Angus cows) and coffee plantation (their brand name is Aikane). It’s not a commercial set-up for tours, but if you call ahead, they will take you on a tour. We spent over three hours touring the farm, tasting their coffee, and hearing about their family’s history in Hawaii – really fascinating. They sent us off with bags of oranges, limes, and macadamia nuts that John picked and cracked at their kitchen table. The view from their house is amazing – and they are such nice people. We really enjoyed the morning – it was really a glimpse into daily life on the island.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We left Phil and Merle’s and headed to Volcano National Park – what a great place. The drive alone to get there is incredible – miles and miles of lava flows. We saw several craters, then walked along the lava flows next to the ocean. Just beautiful – you feel like you’re on the moon! We stayed until it got dark so we could see the firy crater at night – incredible!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday we all went to downtown Hilo for their market day and some shopping and sightseeing around town. Thursday we all drove over the beautiful Saddle Road to Kona on the west side of the island to try some Kona coffee. We had coffee and a delicious breakfast next to the ocean – very lovely. We drove home along the northern side of the island where is was rainy and foggy (it’s amazing how the climate and landscape can quickly change here).

Friday John and I hung out in Hilo and did some shopping and walking. We had dinner with Mary and Lynna at Hilo Bay Cafe, a very nice place overlooking the bay.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday morning, Mary and I hit the market again and did some shopping before meeting John and Lynna and Mary’s cousins for lunch at a tiny little cafe with great food. Afterwards, John and I packed up and drove to the house we rented in the Upcountry, near Waimea – it’s a lovely place on a mountain, set on 10 acres. It’s so quiet and peaceful with pastures all around us. On the drive up here, we saw four different gaggles of wild turkeys, pheasants, two owls, and some other birds that look like grouse (Erckels’s Francolin). I can’t wait to get out and explore!

We arrived in Hilo, Hawaii, late Saturday afternoon and were met at the little airport by our good friend Mary, complete with leis! She whisked us to a great dinner at Pineapple’s in downtown Hilo, then we crashed in the condo she’s rented here, listening to the sound of the waves. Ahhh!

Sunday we were still pretty pooped even though we slept like logs (great cool breezes), so we sat on the balcony and drank coffee for hours looking (and finding!) whales. We made a quick trip to Macy’s to pick up a couple of essentials (don’t laugh – we live in Mexico!), then stocked up at the grocery store.

We got the groceries home and unloaded, then went to pick up Mary’s friend Lynna who is staying nearby. We had a yummy dinner out, then came home and went to bed.

Today we got up early and were at the airport a little before 8AM for our helicopter ride – it was so fun! It’s a small helicopter and we opted to have the doors off (yes, OFF) – it was amazing! We had a 45-minute tour of an active volcano, and watched it burn the trees in its path. We then flew over the crater and saw lave bubbling up through the steam and smoke. Luka was a great pilot and got us so low we could feel the heat! Next we flew over some beautiful waterfalls, then before we knew it, it was time to land.

We topped off our adrenaline rush with a delicious breakfast (their pancake “sides” were literally bigger than the plate), then headed home for a while before heading out again for some spa treatments – a nice punctuation to the day!

I ventured out for a walk through the neighborhood and part of downtown Hilo, and was pleasantly surprised to come across the Hawaii Veterans’ Cemetery, with hundreds of graves of Hawaiian soldiers from the Greatest Generation – a very lovely and peaceful place up on the hill overlooking the ocean.

Here are a few photos!

Lava!

Over the crater!

Waterfall from the air

We’re on the 9th floor of the white building!

We made it!

John and I love watching the hummingbirds on our balcony, and always wish that we had more types of birds come visit us, so we’re really happy that a Scott’s Oriole has decided to stop by to visit!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

John and I will be bidding on our 2017 post this summer and we’re already starting to look at what might be available – it’s fun! It’s sparked a lot of discussions about what should drive our bidding process (lifestyle? the kind of work we want? weather?) and we daydream a lot! It’s fun to think about next moves, but it’s a bit scary, too!

Thanks to a great suggestion by my friend Pamela, we watched an excellent series called “The Honorable Woman” – we really enjoyed it.

We laid pretty low this week, staying in for New Year’s Eve and Day. David and Alison sent us a cool care package of pizza dough and sauces, so we whipped up a yummy pizza for New Year’s dinner.

I’ve never been so glad to see a year put behind me. This was by far the hardest year of my life, so I’m very happy for a fresh start in 2016.

But, as they say, “it wasn’t all bad.” Thanks to being in Guadalajara, I was able to get home quickly when I needed to. My bosses at work were total mensches and were completely supportive of the time I had to be off work. The good folks at the hospital did what they could, with Mom’s best interests at heart. The people who are close to me were there when I needed them, as well as Mom’s good friend Sandy, her former co-workers, and her neighbors. And for all of that, I am very, very grateful.