A Leisurely Day at Black Rock Beach and a Luau

The day began with a sunrise that looked very much like a sunset! Turns out it was sugar cane fields burning -- which is apparently a regular occurance on Maui!

We then took off for a day at Ka'anapali Beach where we did some boogie boarding and snorkeling. More than once, we reminded each other that it's DECEMBER... and that our neighborhood is still without power, five days after the worst windstorm in recent Pacific Northwest history! It's 45 degrees in our house... poor animals! And the forecast is that it might even be a few more days before our neighborhood -- which is both fairly rural and in one of the hardest-hit areas -- has electricity.

I asked Tom to "put his arm around his daughter." What a goof-ball!

In the evening, it was off to the Drums of the Pacific Luau at the Hyatt Regency -- where the drinks just kept flowing! It was entertaining (especially the fire dancer!), but it didn't compare to the Old Lahaina Luau, which Tom and I saw in 2002. That was much less commercial and seemed to be more authentic.

Still, some of those bodies... niiiice!

When they offered hula lessons on stage, Danelle, Elisabeth and Kat decided to give it a try (fourth, third and second from right). Danelle, being part Hawaiian, definitely looked like a natural. What fun!


Tomorrow we'll head for the North Side beaches again and then into Kahalui. Hopefully the power will be on again in Seattle so we can stop feeling so dang guilty about this glorious (and I mean GLORIOUS!) weather! Where else does outdoors just sort of "flow" into indoors? Some buildings have only a roof... no doors or windows. With the temperature around 72 - 79 degrees year-round, why bother?!