Two Wonderful Weeks in Hawaii -Part 1 Hana (Ala aina Ocean Vista B&B)

There are so many waterfalls near Hana. This is one of the tallest in the area.

Kirk cut off the end of a coconut with a dull saw (!) and we drank the sweet milk with a straw.

A brief downpour brought our dinner inside to eat from the tray on our bed. We played Yahtzee and read in the evenings. It was so relaxing and romantic.

Here's another view from our deck. The mother-daughter team who run the B&B own 7 acres that were part of a banana plantation. They are off the electricity grid and are solar and propane powered.

Here's part of the view from our deck/lanai. We had an outdoor kitchen and table where we ate breakfast and dinner. We picked up tree ripened mangoes and bananas from the property to eat daily.

Here is the King size bed at our B&B ten miles beyond Hana. Each morning we awoke to a light rain and the birds trilling in the trees. The B&B has only one room, so we were the only ones there. It was so quiet! Only rain, winds in the mango trees, frogs at night and birds could be heard.

We picked up delicious smoked tacos here at "Up in Smoke BBQ". They were delicious!

Here we are in the Garden of Eden on the road to Hana. The road has 613 curves and 57 bridges. It takes about 3-4 hours to traverse. I rented Kirk a Sebring convertible for this part of the trip. It was so fun to have the roof down while traveling this beautiful road- one of the most scenic in America!

Mom & Dad's 60th Anniversary Celebration!

Yesterday we all came together for a celebration of Mom and Dad's 60th wedding anniversary. We gathered at our house ( which is a MESS because of redecorating!). We caravaned down to The Laguna Art Festival. First we ate a lovely dinner at Trivoli Terrace, the outdoor restaurant on the grounds. Then we walked around the looked at the beautiful jewelry, paintings, sculptures and other lovely artwork. The Pageant of the Masters with the living Tableaus is always enjoyable. What a lovely evening!

Did you know you can freeze eggs??

I read that you can freeze eggs!
If you ever get a bargain on eggs or your hens lay too many at once, here's the solution:
Crack each egg into one section of an ice cube tray. Freeze them like ice cubes. When frozen, pop them out into a zip top freezer bag to keep. When ready to use, take out as many "square eggs" as you need, and let them defrost at room temperature. Cool huh?
Thought you'd like to know.

Peach & Blueberry Cobbler

I used Mom's modified Light-Tasty recipe for this yummy cobbler. The peaches are from my peach tree in our front yard. They are white peaches and SO sweet!

Heather & Kirk's Big Date

Last night Kirk & Heather went on their long anticipated Father-Daughter date. When asked what Heather wanted to do, she said, "I just want to have dinner and talk with Dad!". They ate at the 5 star Napa Rose restaurant at the California Grand Hotel in Downtown Disney. They said that the service was impeccable. They had 5 various servers. The food was amazing. Their caesar salad was served warm. It was actually half a head of romaine lettuce with 2 anchovies and croutons. They both enjoyed a delicious entree. Kirk read her the following after dinner (I'm only sharing some of them):
-How proud & blessed I am of Heather.
-Your deep sense of righteousness will serve you well through the years.
-You are a loving daughter. I just love those hugs when I get home. Always keep being a hugger.
-I still have vivid memories of you bouncing in your crib or playing tickle wars. Always keep that same bounce in your life when life throws you curves.
-Your Mom & I have enjoyed going to musicals in your college years. We have been so blessed to be a part of that.
-Your relationship with your brother is superior. Now it's great to see it extend to your sister-in-law, too.
-There are many parents who wished they had a daughter like you!

Isn't that sweet? Of course, they both got teary. What a lovely evening.

Father's Day & Heather's celebration

Here is Heather enjoying a "red plate" dinner. Here's the deal. She pays for her college tuition, then I pay her back for all A's and B's. This semester, she got ALL her money back! She even got a B in college level math!! Way to go Heather!

Daddy, Jerry & Philip enjoying a pre-dinner chat on Father's Day.

The proud barbecuing Dad and his kids.

Redecorating

Robin and I went to M&L Fabrics and chose 5 coordinating fabrics to redecorate our family room, kitchen, office and living room and dining room! I'm going with a Country French look, something like Mimi's cafe.

Saturday Robin graciously came over and we cut out all of the pieces! I have a friend doing the sewing for me. I'll take another picture when we get them up.