The Next Chapter

After dinner at Marco's we drove around the western coast of the island of Maui. Great-googly-moogly, it's dark at night on the edge of the southern Pacific Ocean! We were treated to a celestial show the likes of which I've never seen, though. The stars are indescribably beautiful out in the middle of nowhere. I saw constellations I've only read about. There is so very little light pollution on the road between Kahului and Kapalua that the sky fairly bristled with stars.

Dear Daughter slept in the backseat of the rental while the Loved One, sleep-deprived after 48 hours of travel from the Alaskan interior, drove and I attempted to navigate from the scanty map given us at the car rental place. Mostly I hung on and prayed we didn't die a horrible, fiery death smashed up against a cliff wall on some narrow, twisty coastal road. I love the man, but his driving scares me to bits.

We finally reached the resort of Kapalua, world-renowned for it's private and pristine beaches, the Ritz-Carlton hotel and world-class golf courses. The Loved One has been playing golf longer than I've been alive (okay, he started early and there's a sizable gap in our ages), so this was a very important aspect of the trip for him. We checked into our condo overlooking the 10th and 18th holes of the Kapalua Bay Course. Our view was delicious. Beyond the trees was the ocean, and out there lay the island of Lanai. Our back patio was spacious and tiled in red, and we were visited by a number of the amusing birds native to Hawaii, including a cardinal that looks more like our woodpeckers, and a member of the quail family.

As it was 11 p.m. when we finally got settled, that was pretty much it for the first night. The next morning, we dropped the Loved One off at the golf club to play 18 holes with his sons, friends and his ex-wife. Interesting group, no? Dear Daughter and I hooked up with Grandbaby Riley and her mom and headed for town in search of breakfast. We found Longyi's, a little place on the surf side of Lahaina, with open windows, lazily rotating ceiling fans and a great view of the ocean. Okay, so breakfast for two adults, one middle schooler and an infant shouldn't cost $50, but we had a great time. GB Riley loved the place and was delighted to see her Lalah so far from home. After lunch, Dear Daughter sat on the seawall looking at baby crabs and we watched a cruise ship riding at anchor just past the harbor. There were parasailers and surfers in the harbor enjoying the water and sunshine. I had a sudden urge to try parasailing--one that was, lamentably, not fulfilled this trip. Oh well, now I have incentive to return again!