I've finally had some time to download the Hawaii pictures I stole from mom and dad's house while they were away a couple weeks ago. So here's the last batch of vacation pictures:
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Pilfered pictures...
Happy weekend, everyone! I'm actually already looking forward to next weekend, because it's one of those elusive, sought-after three-day holiday weekends. Oh, Three-Day Holiday Weekend, how I love thee...
I've finally had some time to download the Hawaii pictures I stole from mom and dad's house while they were away a couple weeks ago. So here's the last batch of vacation pictures:
The view from the Beach Tree restaurant where we ate dinner a few times... I think dad must've taken this picture, because the horizon is a little crooked -- and dad has a habit of taking crooked-horizon pictures... ;)
This is what all of the hotel bungalows looked like. They kept everything very natural outside... lots of green and wood and lava rock...
Mom and dad...
Dad and me... this is when we stopped on the side of the road to get waterfall pictures...
Me and Rick and Eric and Debbie...
Aw... nice picture of Debbie and Eric... :)
Fairly decent picture of me and Rick... :) (Although I'm not a fan of the hair... mine, not Rick's... Rick's hair looks great...)
Aunt Carol found a little blue plastic shovel in one of the tide pools... score! :)
Every time we go to Hawaii, we have to seek out "Leilani" signs for mom... Hawaii is the only state where mom can go to Starbucks and they don't have to ask "how do you spell that??" when they put her name on her cup...
The whole group at breakfast...
I don't think I got any good sea turtle pictures while I was there -- so here's one from mom's camera...
Leilani sighting! (Fun fact: my grandfather played steel guitar and he and my grandmother loved Hawaiian music -- their favorite song was called "Sweet Leilani," and that's how mom got her name...)
Eric, Debbie, me and Rick at dinner one night. This table was literally steps from the beach, which was nice... but because of our proximity to all things outdoors, we had a slight flying roach issue... the food, however, (sans roaches) was very good...
The adorable shirtless Hawaiian guy who ran around the resort to light all the torches every evening... and I do mean RAN -- I believe Debbie had to actually shout at him to hold still so she and my mom could snap a few pictures. I wasn't there to take a shot myself, although I did happen to see him running down a path a day or two later, and apparently I stopped whatever I was doing to gawk at him... at least that's what I'm told... I'm not sure... you can ask Rick...
And this is what happens when you've been at the airport for a few hours with nothing to do, knowing you have a long journey home ahead of you... things start to get a bit strange... :)
I've finally had some time to download the Hawaii pictures I stole from mom and dad's house while they were away a couple weeks ago. So here's the last batch of vacation pictures:
Sunday, June 20, 2010
This weekend...
...is, unfortunately, almost over. Why does the weekend fly by so quickly, but the week drags on and on?? Sigh... oh well. Anyway, for the first time in a while, I have about a million things I could blog about. But I don't know where to start. No, wait -- I know where to start:
Some other not-quite-as-exciting stuff that happened this weekend: We tried a "famous Texas landmark" barbecue joint for lunch on Saturday called Louie Mueller Barbecue. It's out in the tiny town of Taylor (alliteration not intended... :)), which, we concluded, must only exist because of the barbecue place. I mean, there was really nothing else in the middle of town, except a Mexican restaurant and a party store that sold pinatas.
Louie Mueller is housed in its original building, which was apparently constructed some time during the industrial revolution. I say this because not only is the building OLD, but the owners have decided to revolt against the conveniences of industry and refuse to install air conditioning. And since this place gets extremely busy at lunchtime (I believe the entire population of Taylor was inside that building), that means everyone has the privilege of standing in a painfully slow-moving line in an un-air-conditioned, stifling hot warehouse building filled with meat smokers... in the middle of Texas in June.
Now, I can understand wanting to preserve the "rustic" atmosphere -- the rickety tables, the patched wooden floor, the exposed rafters and ductwork, the old pictures of celebrities who've patronized the restaurant and magazine articles proclaiming it "The Best Barbecue in the Country" -- that's all well and good. But I have to say -- two or three anemic fans and a broken "swamp cooler" blowing warm air around do NOT make for a comfortable dining experience. Add to that the fact that there were about two people working at the counter during the lunch rush, which meant more than an hour in line -- and I have to admit the obviously air-conditioned Mexican restaurant next door was looking better and better. I even considered going across the street and buying a pinata, just so I could eat the candy in my air conditioned car...
But eventually we survived the long line and the heat (only to find out they were completely out of chicken and had only a third of a pound of turkey left -- they only sell the food until they run out), and when we were FINALLY able to eat some of this famous barbecue, it WAS good. But the only way it would've been worth the miserable hour and a half wait in the heat is if the brisket and turkey had jumped up off the table and immediately constructed an air conditioner in the window next to our table. Now THAT would've been good barbecue...
We decided it was an "experience," however, and sometimes you have to do something just for the experience. But if I ever go to Louie Mueller Barbecue again, it will either be a) at 10 a.m. before anyone is in line, or b) in December. I'm just not THAT desperate for barbecue...
I have more to blog about, including pilfered Hawaii pictures from mom and dad's house, so hopefully I'll have time to post later this week. Have a great week, everyone!
ERIC AND RACHEL ARE GETTING MARRIED!!!!! Woooooohooooooo!!!!!! My little bro is engaged! To a really awesome girl!! I'm so excited!!!!! (I know it's hard to tell, what with all the exclamation points and everything... ;)) Congratulations Eric and Rachel -- love you guys!! :)
Some other not-quite-as-exciting stuff that happened this weekend: We tried a "famous Texas landmark" barbecue joint for lunch on Saturday called Louie Mueller Barbecue. It's out in the tiny town of Taylor (alliteration not intended... :)), which, we concluded, must only exist because of the barbecue place. I mean, there was really nothing else in the middle of town, except a Mexican restaurant and a party store that sold pinatas.
Louie Mueller is housed in its original building, which was apparently constructed some time during the industrial revolution. I say this because not only is the building OLD, but the owners have decided to revolt against the conveniences of industry and refuse to install air conditioning. And since this place gets extremely busy at lunchtime (I believe the entire population of Taylor was inside that building), that means everyone has the privilege of standing in a painfully slow-moving line in an un-air-conditioned, stifling hot warehouse building filled with meat smokers... in the middle of Texas in June.
Now, I can understand wanting to preserve the "rustic" atmosphere -- the rickety tables, the patched wooden floor, the exposed rafters and ductwork, the old pictures of celebrities who've patronized the restaurant and magazine articles proclaiming it "The Best Barbecue in the Country" -- that's all well and good. But I have to say -- two or three anemic fans and a broken "swamp cooler" blowing warm air around do NOT make for a comfortable dining experience. Add to that the fact that there were about two people working at the counter during the lunch rush, which meant more than an hour in line -- and I have to admit the obviously air-conditioned Mexican restaurant next door was looking better and better. I even considered going across the street and buying a pinata, just so I could eat the candy in my air conditioned car...
But eventually we survived the long line and the heat (only to find out they were completely out of chicken and had only a third of a pound of turkey left -- they only sell the food until they run out), and when we were FINALLY able to eat some of this famous barbecue, it WAS good. But the only way it would've been worth the miserable hour and a half wait in the heat is if the brisket and turkey had jumped up off the table and immediately constructed an air conditioner in the window next to our table. Now THAT would've been good barbecue...
We decided it was an "experience," however, and sometimes you have to do something just for the experience. But if I ever go to Louie Mueller Barbecue again, it will either be a) at 10 a.m. before anyone is in line, or b) in December. I'm just not THAT desperate for barbecue...
I have more to blog about, including pilfered Hawaii pictures from mom and dad's house, so hopefully I'll have time to post later this week. Have a great week, everyone!
Monday, June 07, 2010
Breaking the rules...
I have about a half hour before I must succumb to my ridiculously early bedtime, in order to prepare for another early morning. But in the meantime -- a few more Hawaii pics! I need to raid my mom's picture stash sometime soon, because I know she took a bunch of great pictures, too -- and she always manages to get more "people" shots, so you'd have an opportunity to see all of our smiling faces... a big plus, I'm sure... :)
Anyway, these next two pictures aren't all that impressive, but there's kind of a funny story behind them. We stayed on the western side of the island, but decided to visit Hilo (on the eastern side of the island) one day. The main road to the opposite side of the island pretty much follows the coastline -- the more direct route would be to cut across the MIDDLE of the island. And there IS a road that cuts through the middle of the island --it's called Saddle Road. Unfortunately, there was a message stamped at the bottom of our rental car agreement that said something along the lines of, "driving on Saddle Road may void your contract..." So after a long day of driving and spending time in Hilo, what did we decide to do? Why, we decided to cut down on our driving time back to the resort and take a chance on Saddle Road, of course!
The first few miles were fine -- there was absolutely nothing unusual about the road that we thought would be cause for rental-car-company panic. A bit narrow, perhaps... and maybe a few more twists and turns than most roads, but other than that, it was typical. And then, about ten miles in, we saw a sign that said "Pavement Ends, 1 Mile" or something like that. Hmmm... generally, pavement is appreciated when driving down a road. So we were a bit apprehensive. Sure enough, we reached a stretch of road that was under construction, and had to maneuver our rental car over a dirt road. But it only lasted about a quarter of a mile, and then it was back to smooth pavement. "Just a little hiccup," Rick remarked. And then we saw another "Pavement Ends" sign. And then another. And another. Hiccup... hiccup... hiccup... By the time we drove through the construction area, we'd probably driven on those dirt roads seven or eight times.
Fortunately, once we were through the Hiccup Zone, Saddle Road turned out to be quite pleasant. In fact, sections of it were smoother and wider than the main highway (although the last few miles were nauseatingly twisty and turny and up and downy...). All in all, though, it was no worse than dozens of other roads in Hawaii we've traveled down in rental cars.
And one of the best parts of Saddle Road is that it passes right by Mauna Kea, which is "technically" the highest mountain in the world... IF it's measured from where it starts on the bottom of the ocean (about 17,000 feet of it is underwater...). It's also frequently covered with snow at the peak (although we couldn't see any when we were there), which means you can ski on it -- yep, skiing in Hawaii. And it's the site of an observatory (which I would love to actually visit someday... except that they don't LET tourists visit the observatory... so unfair. Although that reminds me -- one of the days we were at the resort, an astronomer was out on the beach with a huge telescope -- she had it pointed at Saturn. Everyone was taking turns looking through the lens -- it was pretty awesome. You could actually see the rings...)
Anyway, all of that just to explain that the tiny bit of mountain peeking through the clouds in this picture is Mauna Kea. It was much more impressive in person:
Yeah. You'll just have to take my word for it.
More of the scenery along the forbidden Saddle Road...
A gecko friend at the hotel...
Sunset from our room at the hotel...
This was the day we left -- the airport on the Big Island is all outdoors...
Like so outdoors that you can practically reach out and touch the planes behind the bushes...
Sunset at the airport the night we left... sigh..
Off to bed!! (Well, you guys can stay up if you want... :))
Anyway, these next two pictures aren't all that impressive, but there's kind of a funny story behind them. We stayed on the western side of the island, but decided to visit Hilo (on the eastern side of the island) one day. The main road to the opposite side of the island pretty much follows the coastline -- the more direct route would be to cut across the MIDDLE of the island. And there IS a road that cuts through the middle of the island --it's called Saddle Road. Unfortunately, there was a message stamped at the bottom of our rental car agreement that said something along the lines of, "driving on Saddle Road may void your contract..." So after a long day of driving and spending time in Hilo, what did we decide to do? Why, we decided to cut down on our driving time back to the resort and take a chance on Saddle Road, of course!
The first few miles were fine -- there was absolutely nothing unusual about the road that we thought would be cause for rental-car-company panic. A bit narrow, perhaps... and maybe a few more twists and turns than most roads, but other than that, it was typical. And then, about ten miles in, we saw a sign that said "Pavement Ends, 1 Mile" or something like that. Hmmm... generally, pavement is appreciated when driving down a road. So we were a bit apprehensive. Sure enough, we reached a stretch of road that was under construction, and had to maneuver our rental car over a dirt road. But it only lasted about a quarter of a mile, and then it was back to smooth pavement. "Just a little hiccup," Rick remarked. And then we saw another "Pavement Ends" sign. And then another. And another. Hiccup... hiccup... hiccup... By the time we drove through the construction area, we'd probably driven on those dirt roads seven or eight times.
Fortunately, once we were through the Hiccup Zone, Saddle Road turned out to be quite pleasant. In fact, sections of it were smoother and wider than the main highway (although the last few miles were nauseatingly twisty and turny and up and downy...). All in all, though, it was no worse than dozens of other roads in Hawaii we've traveled down in rental cars.
And one of the best parts of Saddle Road is that it passes right by Mauna Kea, which is "technically" the highest mountain in the world... IF it's measured from where it starts on the bottom of the ocean (about 17,000 feet of it is underwater...). It's also frequently covered with snow at the peak (although we couldn't see any when we were there), which means you can ski on it -- yep, skiing in Hawaii. And it's the site of an observatory (which I would love to actually visit someday... except that they don't LET tourists visit the observatory... so unfair. Although that reminds me -- one of the days we were at the resort, an astronomer was out on the beach with a huge telescope -- she had it pointed at Saturn. Everyone was taking turns looking through the lens -- it was pretty awesome. You could actually see the rings...)
Anyway, all of that just to explain that the tiny bit of mountain peeking through the clouds in this picture is Mauna Kea. It was much more impressive in person:
Off to bed!! (Well, you guys can stay up if you want... :))
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