Vacation Time!

We left Maui at 6:00 pm local, which is 11 pm Indiana time. We arrived in Dallas-Ft. Worth an hour early, so that meant we got to enjoy a 3 hour layover instead of just 2. We grabbed some food, if you can call it that, at McDonald's and watched the same stories on CNN's Headline news 3 times. We left DFW and landed in Indy at 11 am - 12 hours later, yuck!  But, we landed safely. We flew with Indy's Park & Fly - where we park our car at the service and call them upon our return. We were picked up and bused to our running (i.e. WARM) car.  It's like $10 / day, so really worth it during the cold climes. Although time will probably sooth our butts & backs from the LONG haul to Hawaii, we both agreed that we do NOT have to do that again.  Sure as we say that though, our kids and future grandkids will want to go sometime and will just HAVE to go back.  Darn the luck. Overall a nice trip.  We got to soak up a FEW rays as it rained all day for 4 straight days.

We will lose our internet connection once we leave today. None of the airport WIFI connections are free, so I will not be posting any more here until we reach cold, windy, and snow covered Indiana. We will call and/or text when we arrive in Indy. Should touch down around 11:30 am Thursday. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad Location: Kaanapali, Maui, Hawaii

Got up this morning to, guess what, more rain. Sandy says that's 4 out of 7 days that it has rained on us. Not that we expect any sympathy from those of you in the wind, snow, and cold. It may be wet here, but it's still 70 degrees. We have to check out by Noon. On our way to return the rental Tahoe, we will drive around Kahului. All we've seen of that town has been the airport. Our flight leaves at 6 local tonight, which is 11 back home in Indiana. We've tried twice to upgrade our seats and have been told that the flight is full. They told us that on the way down too, and it was not. So we'll try again at the airport. First or business class beats coach all day (or in this case, night) long. From wet Maui, Aloha. Don't know if you can see the rain on the hand rail or not. But, you cannot see Molokai in the background - that's how cloudy and rainy it is. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad Location: Kaanapali, Maui, Hawaii

Got up to rain and overcast today. Ate snacks in the room for breakfast and then headed for the mall in Lahaina to complete our shopping lists. Drove north almost to Kapalua. Stopped in Puukolii, Honokowai, Kahana, and Napili. Just checked out the towns and local shops. Decided that we did not want to retire here on Maui because it's just too darn far to fly. Ate lunch at a small beef house. They made their own root beer from pure cane sugar and vanilla. Pretty tasty. Returned to the hotel and it's still raining. Read books and watched movies. Our mantra has become, "At least it's not snow!" Walked back up to Basil Tomato for dinner. We want to thank our parents because this was our anniversary dinner that they paid for. So Barb, Jerry, Janet, and Bill - it was expensive, but worth it! Thanks! We stopped at the local ice cream shop downstairs for dessert. Although we got different flavors, we each thought our own was the best. Typical. Texted back and forth with T

The rain stayed overnight. Slept in til 9 this morning. Headed down to ole town Lahaina. Spent about 3 hours shopping and then ate at local Cheeseburger in Paradise. Close to the harbors in Alaska or Main Street in Brown County. Neat local shops with some brand names thrown in. Back to hotel to put on suits. In between sprinkles sat at the pool to catch some rays. In and out trying to avoid sprinkles. Changed and walked to Basil Tomato for dinner. Made the half price special. Good timing as it poured while we ate. Back to the room to catch up on email and ESPN. We had purchased gifts but are now considering returning Nick's. He and his mother were sending hazing text messages and she got one that I had to reply to. No words, just a picture of my grill full of venison steaks and my beer in Nick's hand. Oh well, I'm still winning. I posted an update today on Facebook. A picture out our window on the way down to the pool. Steve Beaver replied, "Shut up!" and Tim Jone

We were in section J, row 28, seats 7 & 8 - which means lower level orange section, on the yellow/gray sideline toward the 30 yard line at yellow end zone. We were on the W side of the stadium, so that all action faced us. Introductions lasted forever, but overall well done. Not as flawless as The Queen's Theatre production of Phantom of the Opera, but still not bad for a sporting event. And yes, the rain kept coming. Rule changes made kick-offs a thing of the past, the ball started on the 25. Also, 2 minute time outs at each quarter and those quarters functioned as halves. The players were having fun and the crowd appreciated it. Plus the stadium is an awesome location / venue for football. Knowing that it was going to rain all day, we should have gone upper deck and been covered. Oh well. We took a couple time-outs ourselves and hid on the concourse when the rain got heavy. We were wet to our underwear. But hey, at least it wasn't snow! Props to my wife who suggested we b

Landed at noon and grabbed a taxi. Airport to Aloha Stadium is like 2 whole miles. The first mile on HI 1 was no problem. As soon as we exited the highway - Bam! Gridlock. Enough that it made the news for shutting down the city. Lucky for us our cabby Kenny Lao from Hong Kong was not capable of being quiet for 2 seconds. What do you want to know about his life? Go ahead, we can answer. I looked up the address of the stadium and Kenny punched that into his GPS. He pulled out into the turn lane, bypassed about 50 cars and then jumped back into line. He then took a side street and got us to within about a block of the entrance. $40 and an hour later, we got out. We walked past about 45,000 tailgaters and into gate 5. Oh, backpacks are not allowed. Have to put everything in a clear bag. Oh, we're all out of clear bags. Go put it in your car. What? Your car is on Maui. Too bad. I guess we should have read the rules... I emptied my contents into Sandy's purse and my pockets. I walked

Got up at 7 his morning and took showers. Drove down to Lulu's in Lahaina for breakfast. I had the Waikikian omelette (ham and pineapple) and Sandy had hash browns and a roll. Stopped along Highway 30 lookout and took photos of whales. Then drove on into the airport. Stopped along a sugar cane field to take some Magnum PI pictures on the cell phone and text to Family, especially Nick - as I was rein acting his favorite scene. Flight rolled at 11:30. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad Location: Kaanapali, Maui, Hawaii

Got up early this morning, like 4:30 because I forgot to set my phone to silent. Seems folks were wishing me a happy 46th birthday REAL early. Many thanks, but turned it off. Headed to the airport and hopped over to the big island - landing in Hilo. Trent and Chris picked us up at the airport and we hit the market for breakfast and shopping. Drove up to Volcano National Park and did some hiking. Walked through a lava tube, and yes, even Sandy went in. Back to The Lava House for a late lunch before catching the 5:30 shuttle back to Maui. Stopped for dinner at Lulu's in Lahaina. Awesome eats. It's 8:30 and we're catching up on Sports Center before crashing. Heading over to Oahu for the Pro Bowl in the morning. Some photos from Volcano Nat'l Park. Top of the crater - world's largest active volcano. No, you can't go down there. Entering the lava tube. Rain Forrest all around. Trent spotted native birds. Sandy and Trent in the lava tube. Wet and dark. Lower cauldron

Up at 7:30 to a sweeper in the hallway. Got dressed and drove back to Lulu's in Lahaina for breakfast. The wind has all but stopped. Thus, it feels warmer. I don't reckon we're gonna get any sympathy, but the pool and ocean waters are quite chilly. That's okay. Quite refreshing when we overheat from the sun. Very few cloud buddies to provide any relief. Sat down to lunch here at the resort. While we were eating, we saw dozens of whales swimming by - from blow spouts, to tails, to full body jumps. We didn't even have to pay to go on a whale watching tour. Sat out in the sun until about 4. Came back up to shower and then headed out to take sunset photos. Walked up the beach, past the golf course, and ate dinner outside at the Basil Tomato again. A few things to note about Hawaii: 1) the service people here are exceptionally nice - all around, very pleasant; and 2) the drinks are stronger than what I make - two is the limit without having to be carried back to the roo

Got up at 7:30 am local, which is 12:30 pm at home. Drove down to Lulu's in Lahaina for a wonderful breakfast. Did some shopping and stocked up our room fridge with snacks and drinks. Returned to the resort and did a self walking tour. Not a lot to see. There is a tennis tournament here - one step below professional. Nice place to play tennis. Spent the afternoon by the pool and beach soaking up the sun. Ate lunch at the resort. Drank a local Maui brew - coconut porter. Sandy said it looked like a coke because it was that dark. Took showers and headed back into Lahaina for dinner. Had to fight the crowds as there are two luau's tonight. Ate at a local restaurant, Honu - pronounced oh no. I had spinich and shrimp brick oven pizza. Sandy ordered the dungeoness crab macaroni and cheese. Unique and interesting. Trent texted. He has arrived in Hilo and we are meeting up on Saturday. Weather has been cool for the locals. Sun does not come up over the mts until about 8 am. Did reach

Wow...what a long flight! We left home at 5:30 am and -10 F. Checked in at Indy and plane had an engine deicing malfunction. Sat an extra hour on the Tarmac. Made Dallas/FW with 40 mins to switch gates, eat and board again. Then we sat for 9 more hours. Smooth flight but fought the head winds. Roller coaster ride coming into Maui over the mts. Arrived in Maui at 5:00 pm local, 5 hours behind Indiana time. Best news so far? Our luggage made it too. Picked up a rental Tahoe at Hertz and drove to the West end of Maui, North of Lahaina to our resort, the Royal Lahaina in Kaanapali. Private / gated resort on a golf course on the beach. We walked down the street to the Basil Tomato for dinner and ate on the open balcony across from the #5 tee box. Excellent Italian food. We will be eating there again. Although it's 73 here, it is Winter. Most of the locals are wearing jackets. We find it very comfortable. We hit the bed at 9 local, almost 2 am at home, making one long 21 hour day. Wh

Got up to -10 F this morning. Shivering on the bus to the airport in our light jackets; which in the next 12 hours will become a heat laden burden. It's winter in Hawaii and we're looking forward to the 80 degree sunshine. The 9 hours on a plane? Not so much. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad Location: Airport, Indianapolis, United States

Taking off for a week and heading out to Hawaii.  Wife and I are staying on Maui and then island hopping over to watch the NFL Pro Bowl live! Nick and Shelby are staying at the house to care for the pets, but the real bonus is getting out of this below freezing weather and S-N-O-W for a week. Will be keeping this blog updated while out.  Feel free to lurk, leave comments, or not.