Sunday, August 31, 2008

Bentley gets another bed

These little beds are so cute.

Life is just a hat full of cherries



I found this hat and crocheted cherry appliques in the spring. Remember these doodads.


I think the finished hat looks so cute with my daughter's dress.

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Life Lessons That Are Difficult To Accept---- #1

Every selfish decision an individual makes, whether personal or professional, no matter how large or how small, puts an extra burden on someone else.
Some people have no problem with this.

Friday, August 29, 2008

I've had to say good-bye to summer vacation. There won't be any more beach trips for awhile.







But I still have this....







This one looks yummy...



yum...strawberry banana... let's see, what next?...


I want one of each...


Let's try this one first...yum...blueberry...next...hmmm... chocolate... how about peach...



How sweet it is! Here...have a taste for yourself.

I hope your day has been a sweet one.

Thursday, August 28, 2008



Drink deeply.
Live in Serenity and Joy
--Buddha

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Through the blogging community, I've learned about a young family in need. My thoughts keep returning to them.
The young couple in this photograph (Christian and Stephanie Nielson) were involved in a plane crash eleven days ago, and are in serious condition in a burn center. The pilot of the plane died. Stephanie and Christian have four small children. Several members of the blog community have set up sites to help them with the cost of care. You can read about the accident News report here.


If you are interested in learning about ways in which you can help, you can visit these sites.

Noodle and Lou

Nie Recovery


Stephanie's sister has set up an Etsy shop and on Sept. 23-24th, there will be several items for sale, all donated items, and the proceeds will be going directly to this family. A blog friend and artist I admire will be making a special doll for the benefit.

Please consider visiting the sites to see if there is a way you can help this young family.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

School starts tomorrow

It's been a great summer...I'm sad to see it end... we've had some fun times... made some cool memories and added a few inside jokes....


As you look toward a new school year...


take hold of your dreams...




smile...




remember to lean on each other... as you forge a new path...



and know that my love is always with you...







trees

I found the trees in Maui to be as beautiful as the flowers.

























Monday, August 25, 2008

The Road to Hana


A trip to Maui would not be complete without driving the road to Hana. It's the journey, not the destination...as they say. There are several things to keep in mind before starting your journey to Hana.

Start early
Fill your gas tank (no gas stations)
Bring food (no place to eat until you get to Hana)
Stop often
Take a lot of photographs
The road is poor, narrow and winding
The ground is muddy
Rocks are slippery
Steep cliffs are dangerous
You'll see amazing natural sights
You don't want to be driving it at night



The trip is well marketed. There's even a CD to listen to on your way, and a place to buy boxed lunches before you go. They say you can get to Hana in 2 hours if you rush...5 hours if you stop a lot and really take your time.


Well...what a memorable trip it was......617 turns and 56 one-lane bridges. Here's how it all began...

I wanted to be on the road by 6 am. It's never easy getting everyone out the door. We started our trip at 7:15am, after stopping at Burger King for a quick breakfast and buying a Rubik's cube(don't ask) at Walmart. I suggested the bug repellent be purchased too, but someone felt it wasn't necessary.


Even though we didn't leave when I wanted to, this was early compared to the recommended 8:30 leave time.


Our first stop was the town of Pa'ia...the last "commercial center" before you get to Hana. It's here where we filled our gas tank and purchased our boxed lunches. This town was a favorite hippie residence in the sixties.

We stopped at the general store for some mosquito spray (I insisted)..but they didn't carry it..."any bites we'd get couldn't be worse than cancer-causing chemicals." We decided to forge ahead, rather than turn back.
The Picnic Company is where we got our boxed lunches.


We took a few minutes to check out Ho'okipa beach (famous to surfers and windsurfers since it's known for huge waves) There were cars packed in the pull-off...no room, so we looked at it through the car windows. It was too early to see any surfers. We figured we'd check it out on the return trip home.
Here's the official Hana Highway marker. Sitting on top is Devil Squirrel. We take him on all our trips and photograph him on special landmarks.

All along the 52 mile road to Hana, there are stands selling fruit, banana bread and smoothies.




Our next "official"stop was Twin Falls. There are no road signs indicating where you are. You just have to look for landmarks and cars pulled off to the side. The hotel gave us an information sheet indicating recommended stops...and we had the CD. Even with this information, finding everything was hard.

There's about a half mile (so they say) hike before the falls. Along the way, there are wonderful flowers, trees and plants. In the picture below, my daughter has found a little hide-away.

Here's a little waterfall...
It was hot walking the trail. Finally, we got to the sign we were looking for...


After a short walk, we came to an old canal system. We had to take a few steps down...
We could hear the rush of water, but couldn't get an unobstructed view. That required a walk through the water. Too bad we didn't have water shoes. (that wasn't on the before you go list) The rocks were slippery. My son zipped through ahead of everyone. I guess my feet are sensitive because it took me awhile. Most people went barefoot...slowly.
But once we got there...look at the amazing view...


You can see my son behind the waterfall. It was like a scene from a movie...magical...

So much for the french pedicure my daughter got the day before...


This first little side trip took us two hours. We realized it was going to take a lot longer than five hours. We had only just begun...we had no idea what was ahead of us....
...to be continued...


Find a way

Find a way
a path will take you there...or make your own