Dawg Tired and... New Friends

Aly, Ruthie and Sonny

Jasmine

Jasmine, Aly and Jonathon



Hooray, Hooray, Hooray...the last family member arrived today (actually on Aug 24/06)!! Bela was shipped by my sister, Betsy who (along with her family) cared for Bela for the past 2 months. Her flight left Winnipeg on the 12 noon flight and arrived in Honolulu at 1930 hr. Imported dogs require inspection and clearance through customs so she was only eligible for release the following morning. I grabbed an early flight(6am)to Honolulou to complete the necessary customs documentation and to wait for her inspection. She was finally released at 9am and we made the 10am flight back to Lihue, Kauai. Bela arrived in good health but shaken, stinky and anxious. She was bouncing off her kennel walls when she saw me in Honolulu but gave me the silent treatment in Lihue. I guess she didn't appreciate me putting her on another plane right away! The first day home, she really needed her space so she could acclimatize to her new surroundings. The next morning, she was her old self again and happy with her lot in life. Of course, I also made her favourite homemade dog treats and that perked her up pretty quickly. I think she is happy to be home.

Are we there yet??...Hanalei Bay

The Hanalei Bay Pier


KauaiOutrigger
Happy Birthday Grandma Warkentin!! We Love and Miss You!! God Bless You!!





By far the prettiest beach we've seen yet. The mountainous terrain reaches out and kisses the ocean. It is a favourite beach of parents and kids learning to swim as the bay shelters the water from large ocean swells.

Hanalei Bay is directly North of Kalaheo on the other side of the island. For us, it was about an hour and 1/2's drive at least. We stopped at Ono's Charburgers on the way to pick up lunch for Ed and the kid's and waited over an hour there between placing our order and receiving it. We got a hamburger and fries. How does that take over an hour?? Anyways, after several pit stops, driving past Hanalei town, turning around, hitting huge potholes, food trays flying and 1 argument later, we arrived at the picturesque beach and dropped our jaws. It was definitely stunning and worth the trip. Even the kids were in awe of this now 2nd favourite beach to swim at. The mountains are glorious, the sailboats anchored in the bay; a sight, and the pier off in the distance made it feel like a remote fisherman's village in Thailand. The gorgeous beach was empty in comparison to other beaches in Kauai. We spent the day swimming and building sand castles with a long walk to the pier to watch locals and vacationers leap of the pier. Several local outriggers were on hand to pick up their keiki and ride them around the bay. It was fun to watch but walking down the long pier with the locals made me very much aware that in my Canadian white skin, I am very much a haole (foreigner). I wonder how long it will take before I feel like I am no longer a vacationer but a resident of this stunning island.

By the way, click on any photo to get an enlarged version. Enjoy!



Photo taken on the way home.