Portland trip summer 2011

We made it. After 6 hours of driving and almost two with lunch, gas and coffee. Hit the hotel for a refreshing swim and now at Woodburn tree watching the kids climb. I'm beat! Just had a coffee craze Jamba juice, so that should do the trick.

Let the summer of 2011 begin

Here we are down at Jericho beach with Dwaine and his girls. Kyle just finished a week at Science camp (scienceworld), Zoie her first week of Renfrew daycamp. Let's just hope for some more sun. Stay tuned for more adventures this summer.

Some final numbers before we leave Maui

Mango Salsa

What to do with the Costco size bag of limes? Not enough Corona's to stuff, so why not mango salsa. Yummy! Went through 24 cans of Hawaiian Sun Passion-Guava drink, 24 bottles and 1 gallon of water, 2 bottles of white, 4 packages of turkey bacon, 3 loaves of bread, 24 yogurts, 3 containers of Haagen Dazs ice cream (recommend the peanut butter chocolate), 5 java chip fraps, 1 shaved ice, 5 papaya, 3 mangoes, over 500 kilometres of driving, hours and hours of applying suntan lotion, 4 movies (Killers was the worst), hours at the pool and the beach, 1 wipe out at Big Beach, 7 sunsets, 1 sunrise, and a whole bunch of fun! Great trip.

Sun almost set on Maui 2011

Yes, our final sunset watched at Makena Landing. Packed up our dinner for a picnic hoping to catch turtles come onto the shore - no luck. One sleeping further down, but we missed it. Dinner was great and a good way to end our evening.

Sugar museum was interesting. Amazing the procedure to cultivate and produce raw sugar.

Final beach day was actually quite hot, but still fun as always. Kyle and Zoie had a huge hole to play in (thanks to daddy getting it started). Wen actually got into the water - only took her 6 days. Lots of walking and playing amongst the rocks.
Last dip in the pool and to finish off the night off, a Popsicle on the lanai.
Now the packing begins.

Mmmmmaui Tacos!

To get a small break from the sun (mainly for the kids - heat rash), went to the Maui Ocean Centre and then Lahaina for an exploration lunch. The Aquarium was fun, but no Vancouver. Lots to see. The best part was the tunnel and the large tank with the divers.

Then off to Lahaina to check out the town and have lunch. Went to Maui Tacos for Taquitos and a Burrito. Soooo good. Lots of different salsas to try. We were all quite full. Zoie was fading (getting up at 5:30 doesn't help - again) and little difficult. Had to bribe them both with the idea of ice cream so we could walk the strip. Bought some Honolulu cookies. Lots of free samples to try. Sorry Zoie, none for you because of nuts.
Park on the way home - no matter where you are in the world a swing can be the cure for anything.

Didn't know that.

Once a coconut has been broken open, to get the meat out you just put it in the freezer. The natural expansion and contraction once taken out will help out peel off the shell. Didn't know that. Also everything was used with the coconut - apparently the water is very good for excema. Zoie maybe? This was a demo at the Plantation. Maybe not worth the $30 tram ride, but the info was interesting and you know kids, they love train rides.


This was pay back for Kyle and Zoie. Mind you it was very relaxing, especially on the back. I was hoping for the opposite, but no takers. Quite a dig down. Always finding something new to do everyday at the beach. Endless possibilities. Off to the Aquarium and Lahaina and back to the beach.

To market - To market.

Went to the Saturday only Swap Meet at the Maui Community College. Lots of things to buy and try. All local crafts. Kids had their first coconut drink. Kyle loved it, Zoie - not so much. Very windy, even a little sprinkle of a shower, but of course walking walking on a hot sidewalk for a couple of hours was getting to be too much for the kiddies. Wen could have bought more. Oh well next time.

After an afternoon dip in the pool(it was actually cold and had to jump in the hot tub - 81 I think. Brrrrrrr!) it was off to the Luau .
The place was packed at the Marriot. Great setting, but as all high priced touristy entertainment something had to give. Too bad it was food. From Zoie's review of the food, the best part was the bun. The pulled pig was actually pretty good (pulled out of the ground) and the pina colada's not bad. Entertainment was a lot of men and women in grass skirts dancing to the history of the Islands. Of course it was too loud for Zoie and she had to retreat to the back with mommy. Kyle was entranced with the whole performance though. Maybe it was the hula dancers? Probably the fire dancers. Still a good time and great birthday night.

Yummy Food!

Ahi tuna - pan seared with soy sauce, lime juice, olive oil and S&P. It was so good. Best I've tasted. Wen and I, of course, were the only ones to eat it. Kids ate pasta.
Now that was a "snow cone" or shaved ice as they call it. It was huge! Deal breaker was both Zoie and Kyle got to pick their own flavour (coconut and mango). Whew! Stay tuned for pics from the Luau we are going to tonight. Can't wait. A good way to celebrate 41 years - Hawaiian buffet, open bar, entertainment, Wen and the kids.

Maui Sunrise

Amazing! I got up early (before the kids) and drove an and a half up to the Haleakala Crater to watch the sunrise. It was soooo cold (and Wen laughed when I brought my touque)! 37 miles up a windy road at 30 Mph. 10,000 feet above the entire island. I couldn't feel my fingers after awhile and it took a long to get warm. Couldn't wait to get back to the beach. G would love this!

Day 3 Maui

Ice cream at the upscale Wailea shopping mall. That was Kyle's second scoop as the first one fell on the floor after the initial lick. Classic. This was after a morning at the beach. It was great! Kyle tried boogie boarding, but of course I had to get him out where the larger waves were and he swallowed a little too much water. We'll try again today. This 3 hour time change is not helping the sleep in factor; kids up at 5 (Zoie for sure). I could retire here. The weather is amazing. Vitamin D is so healing. Off to the "Big Beach" this am. Swimming pool in the pm (everyday in the pool - Nice!).

We are in Paradise!

We made it. The kids rocked the plane ride. Good old Little Mermaid on the iPad to finish the last 2 hours. Didn't realize we were 3 hours behind? Oops, didn't do my homework there. So nice to have that 85 degree heat hitting you. Feel better already. Kids hit the pool with mommy while daddy shopped and cooked (and a few cold ones).
The beach is amazing even at sunset in our PJ's. Kyle was a little upset they got wet as he really wanted to wear them to bed (dryer).
Can't wait for a day of nothing but sand tomorrow.

Arrived at Quality Inn SeaTac

Good thing it's only one night. A week here wouldn't be "quality".
If you haven't got a Nexus pass, get one. It saved us at least an hour and half at the border. Awesome!
Off to Target.

Gearing up for Spring Break 2011

In just over two weeks, we will be on the road to Seattle for a night, then board Hawaiian Airlines on our way to Maui. Can't wait. Stay tuned throughout our 8-10 days away.