A New Bob-ism

I hope you all have had a wonderful, relaxing weekend. Mine has zipped by quickly, but it's been pretty great. Every day is great in paradise, though.

I ventured up the southwestern coast of Maui on Friday with Bunny and enjoyed seeing all the coral, sea life and landscapes that side had to offer. Although Maui is small, I'm beginning to learn that every side has its own varying type of beach. The north side is perfect for wind-related ocean activities, the east has lots of rocky beaches (and sea life, like big black crabs) because of all the lava. My side (yes, MY side) is more calm, so it's good for sunning and kayaking. Up near Lahina, where I was on Friday, it is perfect for snorkeling and surfing. We stopped at a wildlife refuge beach and ventured to the tip of the island before returning back to Lahina (a road goes all the way around the tip, but it becomes very narrow and sketchy; rental cars are not permitted there).

At Lahina, we walked through a historical Hawaiian village, complete with totem poles and A-frame huts. We explored a few art galleries, as well, before driving to the Buddhist center. Although I believe people actually worship there, they permit tourists to walk the grounds and take pictures of the statues (although a low rail discouraged tourists from entering the actual church building). We drove through the center of town, which was very small but very packed, viewing the famous Banyan tree and a few historic buildings along the way. The Banyan tree was an incredible sight. The oldest Banyan tree on the island, it covers an entire block! The area is a designated park, and at first glance it looks like it is full of multiple trees, but upon closer inspections, all the "trunks" are connected.

We checked out a few more areas in town before going to Baby Beach, which gets its name from its shallow waters. The waves crash some 75 feet out, allowing the ocean to lap calmly at the water's edge. A big cruise ship was anchored in the distance as Bunny and I just watched the sunset for a while.

The rest of the weekend has gone fairly quickly. Copy editing, tending to a heat-rash of some kind, and generally taking things slow. I did, however, attend church this morning and am proud to introduce a new Bob-ism! The pastor was an energetic, sharp, well-educated man in his late 70s. Although he tended to wander from his outlined points, he did make for an entertaining sermon. He used the expression "half a bubble off." Well, at first I didn't know what that meant. But neither did half the congregation apparently because he went on to explain that its "when you're using a level, and you're just half a bubble off to one side." It reminded me of Dad, right off. And most of you know I like to balance levels on top of my head...

I haven't gotten around to transporting my pictures, but I'll do so soon. Take care and have a great day! Aloha!

P.S. A side comment for those familiar with the Kittitas County wind-farm disagreement: Remember how half the locals were arguing for the wind-farms to create more usable energy and the other half were arguing against wind-farms because they would look "unattractive" and ruin the natural beauty of the horizon? Well, Maui has a prominent line of seven or eight wind towers in plain view of over half the population. It hasn't seemed to hurt their tourism one bit. Surprising, wouldn't you agree, that such an "unattractive" feature wouldn't deter millions of people from visiting the island? Perhaps, they aren't so unattractive after all. ;)