Did I mention SNOW?

Today I heard that it was going to be a rain / snow mix. Sure enough, late in the morning it started to snow, but nothing was sticking. Then my boss pointed out that it was turning to big flakes. They were. I told him that back in Vermont they called that sugar snow and it tasted great with a little maple syrup poured over the top of it.

After work I drove home, the snow was gone, until I started up the hill to our street. Suddenly I noticed that snow was still on the lawns and in the trees! What the heck? We got 5" and the garden is still all white tonight. The weatherman says we will get more of the same on Monday. 
Hmmm ,,,, Spring, where art thou?

Home Again, and What the Heck? Snow ....

We returned safely from Hawaii and ready to get back on the plane. Especially when it started snowing, then rain, then snow.  Guess what is forecast tonight, tomorrow and next week? Well, spring in Utah can be a wet and cold experience.

But today after work it was sunny and cool. So what better to do than to rototill the garden? Oh?, that wasn't your first guess? Mine either, but it was what Christine was in the mood for. So as I type this, the garden is tilled up, the new planting beds formed up with Bumper Crop applied and the spinach plants have been put in their new homes. Tomorrow the peas will get planted. I must admit it was fun, even if Mr Bayer and I will have an appointment tonight to take care of a little back pain.

For dinner, Christine made this delicious stuffed steelhead trout. It was impressive!

Last Day in Hawaii

Today is our last day here in Hawaii and we have some fun memories to take home with us. While this vacation has not included helicopter flights, kayak trips or day long hikes in the mountains, it has been fun and relaxing for both of us - which was our plan from the outset.

On Wednesday's they have a hula show at the shopping center next to our hotel, so we walked over and really enjoyed it. The young dancers were fun to watch with their colorful costumes and beautiful smiles.

For our final hours, we plan to get in some more hot tub and pool time and basically take it easy before heading to the airport for the overnight flight home.

Another day in Paradise

We have been enjoying our vacation here on Kauai. Since our scare with the tsunamie, it has been fun and peaceful and just what we needed.

On Saturday Christine went to a sweat box disguised as a Yoga class. It was a type where you work out in a very hot room. While she did that, I enjoyed a walking tour of Kapaa. We both had fun, but I was more comfortable. Since then we have been making good use of the hot tub, pool, sun lounges and our convertable. Today we went on a hike up a muddy trail to nowhere, but the views were nice. Then we drove to Keo beach, which is the end of the road on the north side. We had wanted to rent snorkel gear and see the fishes, but the shop was closed and the beach was off limits because of rough seas and strong currents. So instead we enjoyed the sun, spashed around a little and watched the chickens. Did I mention they have chickens on the loose all over the island? I understand they got loose during a hurricane and with no natural enemies, they have multiplied, well, almost like they were rabbits.

Sunday in Paradise

Today was our Sunday in Kawai. We relaxed early on, but then went to the War Memorial Conference Center in Lihui where the Kauai HI Stake had stake conference today. It was a nice drive as we put the top down on the Mustang convertable and the weather was sunny and 80. With nice Hawaiian music from the Ipod playing through the stereo, well, it was nice. Christine closed her eyes and asked, "are we in heaven?".

After Church we decided to tour the meetinghouses on the Island. There are five. We drove first to Kekaha,

then toe Kalaheo, then to the stake center in Lihue. By then it was getting late, so I dropped Christine off at the hotel to get dinner going while I went to take some photos of the Kapaa meetinghouse. Tomorrow we will drive out to Hanalei to complete the tour.

On vacation in Kauai

At last it happened. Our long planned trip to Kauai, HI went smoothly enough as we flew from SLC to LAX and then to Lihue. From there it got a little shaky with a long line at Alamo rental car. But we got a Mustang convertable, and life was good. We drove up to our hotel, a one bedroom apartment in Kapaa, got unpacked, went to the grocery store for provisions, and got ready for a quiet week of relaxation.

By 9pm we were set, when I logged into the Internet to get an update on the weather forcast. It was about the same, 30% chance of showers. But there was a red flag across the top TSUNAMI WATCH. What the heck? Things changed in a hurry as we watched on tv about the earthquake in Japan and the big waves headed our way, expected to arrive just after 3am. At about 11pm they changed it from a watch to TSUNAMI WARNING, which translates into mandatory evacuation.

We were very tired, but somehow the thought of waking up to the ocean crashing through the patio door was unappealing. So we talked to the front desk clerk and she told us to go up to Kapaa elementary school. Even though it was late, and still, we quitely and quickly repacked our luggage and took most of our food and headed for the hills. Soon, we realized that the directions were easy to forget, but thank goodness I had our GPS unit and Tom Tom came to the rescue.

The school was closed, but some people were already there. We found a good parking space and waited. Eventually I realized I either needed to find a restroom or a bush. Thank goodness for the school staff who arrived to open up the restrooms. A little later they also opened up the big cafeteria building and set up a tv on local news. For the rest of the night we slumbered in our car with ocassional visits to tv and restroom. The spirit was one of a lot of good people who were sharing a scary experience, but grateful we were in a safe place. 3am came and went with no big wave.

The tv guys with their web cams on Hanalei main street were finding it a little awkward and the authorities were not talking. Still we all kept waiting and then heard there was some wave action and damage on other islands. We waited and waited as sunlight came up and now we were all feeling anxious to get back to our hotels. But they kept the roads closed until about 7:30am.

Then, as quitetly and peacefully as it started, we all left the schools and started our first day in Hawaii. Later, on Saturday morning we went for a walk to see the sunrise over the ocean (it is across an open field from our hotel). It was beautiful, but we could also see several places where the ocean surge had come up over into the edge of the field, leaving a ring of driftwood scraps and a reminder to us of how close the tsunami had come.

Like everyone all over the world we are in prayers for those in Japan who have lost so much, and will struggle for a long time to overcome their tragedy. Still, we are also greatful for our blessings, and the messages of comfort, love and support we received while we were refugess for a night in Kapaa, HI.