Maui--Day 3

I've been learning Hawaii geography. We pass through Lahaina to get to Kaanipali where we are. So Lahaina is the town just to the south of us. We are really in Kaanipali. Napili is to our north. We are also on what is called the windward side of the island. 'Windward' means the side that gets the wind. So the other side of the island is called the leeward side--or 'protected' side. The only time I have ever clued in to those terms was many years ago when Shaun was very little and loved to watch The Secret Of Nimh movie. Mrs. Mouse told her son to go to the lee of the stone. I never understood what that meant. Now I know that she wanted him to go to the protected side of the stone. Aha! It has become very windy. I couldn't get a good picture of the real trees practically sideways, so this will have to do. But you get the idea. We woke up during the night to this howling and the waves crashing. A storm, Hawaii style! Pretty cool!
The whales are completely amazing. It is hard to comprehend how many there are. I didn't take this picture, but this IS what we are seeing. We watched two friends play for about an hour together. They jumped up just like this and splashed down with huge plumes of spray. You could actually tell they were having fun.

Another seemed to want to join in. He was off to the north a bit and would come up and then dive down and splash his tail over and over again. Of course it makes sense, but they do have personalities. Ocean is obviously between Maui and Lanai, but space wise it is really just a 'channel'. The whales just play in this channel area and you can see them plainly. Very AWESOME!

We had breakfast down at the Beachwalk of the resort. This darling pirate ship play area/pool is a child's dream. The water shoots up and waterfalls down. There is a slide and the kids can play to their hearts content.

I finally GET IT! Everyone needs to do Honolulu at least once and on occasion go back to do the Pearl Harbor, Dole Plantation, Polynesian Cultural Center thing. But if you want to come to relax and regenerate, Maui is the place.

We sat out during the afternoon poolside/beachside. It is covered in these gorgeous Hibiscus gardens.

My poor little camera doesn't do these justice. Here is a bloom.

And here is another huge one. There are so many different colors. I remember my Grandma Davis having Hibiscus plants in big pots on her patio and side yard at the duplex in Manhattan Beach. I always loved them.

Richard stayed to read somemore and Patti, Duff, and I came back to freshen up a bit and headed for the grocery store in Lahaina to pick up a few breakfast and snacky things to keep in the kitchen. Did you know that the bellman unloads the groceries for you and brings them to your condo? I could get used to that!

Richard was back and we headed for dinner at the Cascades Grill down the beach.

Oh my! We had fresh lobster, scallops, shrimp, and ahi with rice and squash. It really does taste different plucked fresh from the sea! And of course, dad had to order some sushi. We had 3 different rolls, none of which we get at home and I just have to say--they were really, really good.

While we were dining, the wind increased and it started to rain. So on the walk back, we got rained on, not a downpour, but a light Hawaiian rain. Just enough to get you wet, and with the wind, a bit chilly. I had to remember: it is winter after all!

Aloha!