Hawaii: Scuba Diving 3 '08

 Bruce took a number of scuba diving trip on this visit to Hawaii

All of them with  his favorite Dive Shop: Jacks Dive Locker

One of the dives was a night dives where he photographed large manta rays

Schools of colorful squirrel fish

And reef shark

puffer fish in coral reef

On the day trips he was impressed  by the quality of the coral

Especially since the reef is being threatened by the coral eating

Crown of Thorns.  If this invasive species in not eradicated soon, Hawaii could lose all its reefs.

Crown of Throns

Hawaii: Renewing our Vows 3 '08

No trip to Hawaii would be complete without visiting the place we were married

We even try to find the exact place where we were standing

and then we renew our vows to one another

Hawaii: Golfing 3 '08

BJ on the Kona Coast Ocean Course

Bruce enjoyed a lot of golf during this visit to Hawaii.  and tested his skill at four different courses on the Big Island

Kona Coast Resort Ocean Course

Of the 36 holes offered by the Kona Country Club:  The Ocean course offered a no brainer starting point for the games. Amongst other things the fairways run  right between our condo

and the ocean, making it not only convenient, but beautiful.

BJ on the Ocean Course

The Kona Coast  Resort Alii Mountain Course is more challenging, demands more concentration, and is a little cooler in temperature than its sibling, the Ocean Course.

Kona Coast Resort Alii Mountain Course

Perched above beautiful Keauhou Bay and the Kona coastline, The Mountain Course offers golfers gentle trade winds and sensational vistas. It also delivers what may arguably be the best five consecutive holes in Hawaii golf It typically plays into the wind, with water hazards on both the golfer's tee shot and approach. But water isn't the real problem. The challenge is to thread the drive between two lava-rock formations.

BJ playing with pals on  the Big Island Country Club Course

The Big Island Country Club situated at an elevation of over 2,000 feet, offering both a cooler climate and panoramic views of the nearly 14,000-foot Mauna Kea volcano above and the sweeping coastline below

There are some very long fairways on the Big Island Country Club Course

Hawaiian Nene

and a lot of wildlife including the endangered Hawaiian goose known as the 'Nene"  At least on this golf course the Nene doesn't seem at all endangered by anything but flying white objects.  They were everywhere and judging by the number of chicks we saw were breeding successfully.

 

Malakei Golf Club wanders through a colorful landscape of indigenous flora and fauna, providing a home to a variety of wildlife including peacocks, pheasants, and wild turkey. Situated in the Kona region of Hawaii, which is widely renowned for its coffee farms, the course offers dramatic elevation changes that range from 1,800 to 2,850 feet

One of many peacock parading around the Malakei Golf Club.

  It is definitely the steepest and most challenging course that Bruce played on and one of the most interesting. The golf course plays through lush forests accented with lava tubes, cinder cones, and an ancient stone wall that dates back over a century. The fast bentgrass greens, rolling fairways, and cooler climate are reminiscent of a course in northern California but the stunning panoramic views will definitely remind you that you are in Hawaii. Malakei Golf Club's 15h hole is a signature hole thanks to its memorable scenery. It not only offers an incredible view of Maui's 10,000-foot Mount Haleakala, it is also your best chance for a hole in one.

Hawaii: Trip overview 3 '08

The  Kailua - Kona Coast is our favorite place to vacation in Hawaii.  We always pack a lot of activities into these trips, so I thought I would give you the highlights in this post and let you read the specifics in some of the other more details posts which will follow.

The sunny Kona District stretches for about 60 miles from Kona International Airport to beyond Kealakekua Bay on Hawaii Island’s lava-lined western coast. Along this expansive area, you’ll find everything from coffee farms to historic Hawaiian landmarks.

The sleepy little village of Kona is always quiet and laid back.

But that doesn't mean there isn't  a lot to see and do here.  In fact you can visit the royal Hawaiian Hulihee Palace ( the last residence of King Kamehameha I), the  Mokuaikaua Church, and the the Ahuena Heiau., all within a few short blocks of one another

Of course the Island offers other  more modern attactions

The Keauhou farmers market is two blocks from our condo

Like a  the Kona and Keauhou Farmers Markets  which are two of  the best on the island.

We always make a visit to the farmers market one of our first stops after signing into the condo.

Nothing tastes as sweet as just picked fresh Hawaiian papaya or pineapple

and the fresh  caught fish and baked goods are outstanding.

CC at The Keauhou Hotel

And of course dining is always a pleasure on the Big Island

CCs favorite is The Keauhou Hotel  which has a great little indoor out door restaurant perched over a lagoon where you can watch the reef fish swim below you.

Bruce prefers  dining at the small local eateries, especially there is  a  Hula dancer performance

One of our favorite things to do together is visit the Volcano National Park

Kilauea  Volcano in the distance

We always do a lot of hiking. Mt. Kilauea is one of the world’s most active volcanoes and is constantly changing the landscape so there is always something new  to see.

CC with an active caldera crater in the background

This trip we concentrated most our our hiking to trails in the rain forest near the Volcano House where we were able to see a lot of native Hawaiian birds. 

( There will be more on our bird sightings in a later post)

We spent an afternoon visiting our wedding garden by the sea where we were renewed our vows .

(More in a later Post)

Bruce took a couple of scuba dives (more in another post)

and golfed (more in another post)

CC's acrylic still life of a Pineapple ( before we ate it)

 While CC painted  ( more to follow)

BJ with artist M Fieldson

 and we both did a lot of  Art Gallery Hopping ( see follow-on posts)

New Year’s Resolution. 2 '08

Bruce and I have been faithful to our New Year’s Resolution.  We have not only been following our health plan’s eating regime, but exercising regularly as well.  The results in five short weeks have been remarkable.  Bruce has lost close to twenty five pounds and two pant sizes, and I have lost fifteen and we won’t even talk about how many pant sizes (the photos might give it away).  Both of us look and feel a lot better.  We can’t wait to show off our new fitness in Hawaii.  But seeing is believing, so I’ve included a few photos that demonstrate our progress.  The next report will be when we return from Hawaii in March.

McClellanville 2 '08

After the hike Jim, Becky, Bruce, and I went to the nearby fishing village of McClellanville to get some lunch.  The town has a large fishing fleet and arguably the best seafood in the state. (It certainly has the freshest seafood we have ever had.)  Unfortunately, Hurricane Hugo came ashore right atop of the town, and nearly wiped the once thriving town off the map. There are whole streets no, without a single building on them.   Hurricane or no, there is a certain beauty about the area can’t be found elsewhere.  Many of the survivors decided to stay put as evidenced by all the little local shops.  I plan on coming back to paint the uniquely southern town.

Palmetto - Awendah Trail hike 2 '08

Guide and Group meeting for Awendah Trail Hike

Today we had an action adventure. 

Becky Sullivan

 We went with our good friends, Jim and Becky Sullivan, for a short hike along the Palmetto trail. 

Jim Sullivan

 The Palmetto Trail leads east west between the low country marshes at the coast, to the mountains on the Western side of the State. We joined up with about twenty other nature lovers for a docent led hike along the eastern most section of the trail ( also known as the Awendah Section).   It was a short walk (only four miles) but very pleasant.  There were plenty of birds to watch, and lots of beautiful views of the marsh and inter-coastal waterways.  

Guide dog, Casey

 Our guide was very informative about local flora and history, and his dog, Casey, made sure that no one got lost.  Later this year we hope to walk other sections of this trail

Hawaii: Gallery Hopping 3 '08

One of our favorite things to do in Hawaii is go Art  Gallery hopping. That's easy to do on the Big Island, as there are a lot of fine galleries representing both off island and local artists.

Volcano Art Gallery Volcano NP HI

The Volcano Art gallery in the Volcano National Park represents the best of what the Hawaiian Islands have to offer

We attended a reception there where we met glass artist

Marian Fieldson

BJ and Mariion

and bought several of her beautiful  glass plates

Each is unique and cast in lava molds

I love their organic form

And she doesn't skimp on her color... red glass is becoming very rare..

A Red Glass Plate by Fieldson

On the opposite side of the Island we visited all of the little galleries in Hawi which offer  fine art crafts from the local area.

A gallery in Hawi

One of many studio galleries in Honolua

And of course we had to visit the artist colony of Honolua  which is the home of one of my favorite regional artist: Darrel Hill

Darrel Hill Studio