Home from Hawaii

I arrived home yesterday from Hawaii after a very exhausting trip. It wasn't the vacation that was exhausting it was the trip to get to and from Hawaii! These are a few pictures of the nearly 200 that I took.

We arrived in Honolulu on Friday and spent the night in a hotel before boarding the ship on Saturday evening.

This is the view from our hotel room 

This is the entrance to the Hilton Hotel across the street! 

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We could walk across the street and through the Hilton complex to the famous Waikiki beach.

This is the first look at the ship at the dock in Honolulu.

Ship's wake as we leave the port of Honolulu.

Our first port of call was Kahului on the island of Maui where we took an excursion to the Maui Plantation and Iao Valley.

This is a coffee tree at the plantation.

These are some of the beautiful flowers at the plantation.

This is the mountain range around the Iao Valley.

Our next stop was Hilo on the big island of Hawaii. Here we took an excursion on a helicopter over the volcano.

This is the side of the volcano that wasn't touched by the eruption.

This is what it looks like on the top of the volcano. The orange is hot lava. Sorry the picture is a little blurry but it was taken through the window as the helicopter was gong in a circle!

There are patches that the lava flow missed. After we left port we went to the side of the island where the lava still flows into the sea. It was at night and the ship turned off it's lights so that we could see the glowing lava. Unfortunately my camera couldn't get a picture. The next port of call was Kona also on the Big Island.

The harbor in Kona isn't big enough or deep enough for a large ship so we had to tender from the ship to shore. You can just see the tender boat to the right of the ship.

This is the sign that welcomes you to Kona. Here we took an excursion in a glass bottom boat across the coral reef but between the boat rocking, the glass and the water movement I couldn't get good pictures. We were lucky to see spinner dolphins out between the dock and the ship. Apparently they are not always there.

I wasn't quick enough to get a picture of them jumping and spinning around!

Next stop Nawiliwili on the island of Kauai. This was my favorite island, the most pristine and least commercial. After someone decided to build 15 story building they made it a law that no building could be taller than the top of a palm tree.

The harbor at Nawiliwili on Kauai island was the only time we saw a lighthouse. 

This is the little tugboat that got us safely in and out of port. In Kauai we went to a luau but I didn't get pictures as there were too many people between me and the Hula dancers! We spent the night in Kauai and when we left port the next afternoon we went around to the side of the island that can only be seen by boat or air.

There are caves and small sandy inlets on this side if the island. 

 We saw beautiful rainbows.

The rock formations were unbelievable!  

 The bluest water around the islands is right off the coast of Kauai. Away from the wake it is navy blue.

Then it was back to Honolulu and an excursion to Pearl Harbor before going to the airport.

A navy ship entering Pearl Harbor

 

USS Arizona memorial

 These are just a few of the pictures I took but I hope you enjoyed seeing them.

How does your garden grow?

When I got up this morning and opened the blinds what did I see? Three little kitties visiting me!

What is that growing in the flower pot behind the geraniums?

These kitties do not belong to me, they are the babies of a feral cat that has been around here for about 3 years. There are four kittens, two black like their mama and two gray ones. They come to visit occasionally but I hadn't seen them in a few days until this morning.

This will be my last post until I get back from vacation. Today I have to get everything together ready to pack tomorrow for an early flight on Friday.

I fly from here, San Antonio, to Houston and then to Honolulu where I will meet up at the airport with my friend from St. Louis. We will stay in a hotel in Waikiki on Friday night and then make our way to the cruise ship on Saturday for a cruise around the islands. Our first stop will be Maui where we will visit the Maui Plantation and Iao Valley. Then it is on to Hilo where we will take a helicopter ride over a volcano. At the next port of call, Kona we will go in a glass bottom boat then it is on to Kauai where we will go to a Luau. Back in Honolulu on Saturday we will visit Pearl Harbor and the USS Missouri before getting an overnight flight home...........Then I will probably sleep for a week!

Thinking of you

This card will go in my stash for OWH (Operation Write Home). The collection is growing and when I have enough to fill a flat rate box I will mail them off. This is a great cause to donate to especially if you make more cards than you can use.

I was looking in my stash of images I had colored and thrown in a box and found this one from Dover Publications. It was a freebie from long ago. The sentiment is from a clear set from My Sentiments Exactly.

Sun hat and flowers

As you have probably guessed from following my blog it is very rarely that I use ribbon. Usually it is because I never have the color I need but in this instance I happened to have the right ribbon and the card needed something in the upper left corner.

This card took some figuring out and it ended up being an unusual size 5" x 6" but it will at least fit in a 5" x 7" envelope. I used open passe partout EH 1833 stencil and a Nestie heart. The 3d is another from my stash and the salutation is a gold peel off sticker.

Foxgloves and Morning Glory

I found some time to make a card after straightening up my messy stamping room! The stencil I used is Anja Style FE 6119 and the 3D sheet is another that I bought from England. Here is South Texas we can't grow Foxgloves or Morning Glory, it gets to hot....in the middle 90's today! I hope to find some more time to make cards after I do some shopping for the few things I still need for my vacation. I hate shopping so I go knowing what I want, get it and come home!

Vacation time is nearly here!

I am sorry I have been missing for so long. I don't know where May went! Most of my time has been spent getting my yard in shape before the really hot weather sets in. In two weeks I am leaving for a vacation. I fly to Honolulu on Friday and then on Saturday I will be boarding a cruise ship for a seven day cruise around the Hawaiian Islands. 

I am going with two other ladies who I will meet up with in Honolulu. I made these cards to send to them before we set off.

 I found the lei image online colored it and cut it out. The sandals are part of a $1 stamp from Michael's that I also colored and cut out. The greeting is from a clear $1 stamp. The lei and the sandals are raised with dimensional tape.

I found this image online too. I colored it and cut it out. I used a MS punch on the green panel and Nesties to cut out the ovals. The ovals are glued together and raised with dimensional tape as is the hula girl.

Now that the yard work is done I hope to have some time to craft before I leave!