Rainy Day in Paradise

Another gray day in paradise. The view from the lanai this morning was not much different than the one
yesterday - cloudy and rainy... BUT that didn't deter us from having a great day!

In addition to our usual morning coffee on the lanai while looking out for whales, we had a special treat for breakfast. Yesterday Susan baked a Macadamia Nut pie! She made it very much like a pecan pie, but better! Yumm! What a way to start the day!

The adventures of the day began with a rainy and wet visit to the Hanalei Bay Farmer's Market. Despite the weather, the market was bustling with locals and visitors buying and selling fresh pineapple, papaya, avocados, flowers, goat cheese, bananas, coconuts, orchids, oranges, grapefruit, etc. I also found a few folks selling jewelery and bought myself some very cool pearl earrings!

We left the market and headed down the road to an annual craft fair held at the UCC Church of the Pacific. Susan found a handmade apron to give as a gift. I just thought it was cool to be at a UCC church in Hawaii.




The next stop was for a quick pizza and salad lunch on our way to the Kiluea Lighthouse. The view from the lighthouse was spectacular! The only thing more amazing than the view was the wind! The gusts up there had to be 45-50 mph! We weren't able to see any whales or dolphins from that vantage point, however, we did see some very cool birds, and a monk seal.

We did spend some time on a couple of different beaches today... but not much. Mostly we sat in our raincoats watching the surf. Susan practiced a little beach yoga, and even convinced me to do a yoga pose for a picture!

Dan told me that one of the beaches we stopped at today (I can't remember the name) was the filming location of the very first Gilligan's Island tv show pilot. Cool, huh?

On the way home from the day's adventures we stopped by a fish market to get some fixin's for dinner. Susan and I stepped into a boutique next to the market only to find that the owner of the shop was originally from Vancouver, WA, and was selling a lot of items made by Portland artists... small world.

After a long day of driving (riding) and sightseeing we returned to the condo for a delicious dinner of fish and chicken burritos, followed by a viewing of "South Pacific" which was filmed right here in Hanalei Bay, Kaua'i. But I'll let you in on a secret... the island /mountain that is Bali Hi in the movie doesn't really exist. It's magical!

Well, I'm beginning to droop here, so I'm off to bed in paradise.
Hope you are all warm and cozy (I heard about the snow... sorry).
Aloha!
Gail