Waterfall

Looking down on the hotel's waterfall from our room at the Westin Maui at Ka‘anapali.

Lines

I took this looking up from one of the structures at the Grand Wailea Resort.

Foggy Drive

After going up to the summit of Haleakalā, we are still in the clouds as we leave the park.

Hali‘imaile Window

This etched glass rendition of the Hali‘imaile General Store sits above the bar.

It's one of the best places to eat on Maui!

Decadent Dessert

While playing tourist around Wailea (on Maui), Kathy & I stopped at the Shops At Wailea shopping center. One of the stores there is Tommy Bahama, which includes their clothing store and a cafe. Kathy and I had lunch there ... suffice it to say, the food was yummy!!! Dessert was a tough decision ... we decided to share this concoction called Blackbeard's Butterscotch. All Kat & I can say ... if you ever go to a Tommy Bahama's Cafe ... you gotta have one of these desserts!

‘Āhinahina

‘Āhinahina, or the Haleakalā Silversword, is one of Hawai‘i's native, and rarest plants that can be found only at the Haleakalā National Park on Maui. Today's photo was taken at the 10,000-foot elevation mark.

Watch Out For That Pole!

While walking around Makawao, we came across this witch on her broomstick, who became one with the utility pole, at the corner of Olinda Road and Makawao Road.

Tubular Bells

Along Makawao's Baldwin Avenue was a shop that had a bunch of large wind chimes hanging on their awning.

Protea

UpCountry Maui is one of the best places to get fresh cut protea flowers. Everywhere we went, there was always an abundance of these flowers. I got this shot as we walked around the Kula Lodge.

At The Edge

I got this shot while at the crater lookout of Haleakalā National Park, which shows us above the clouds. However, in a matter of several minutes, we were covered in those clouds.

Artist's Studio

Makawao is also known for its arts and crafts, as a majority of its shops are clothiers, artwork, and crafts. Sherri Reeve is one of those artists whose gallery / studio is a part of the Makawao artist community. She specializes in watercolor, and even doing 3-D layering of her work.

Hali‘imaile General Store

In the town of Makawao, is the restaurant called the Hali‘imaile General Store. It's owned by Beverly Gannon, who is one of 12 chefs credited with creating the Hawai‘i Regional Cuisine (a.k.a. Pacific RIm or Fusion - combining Asian and European cuisines). Kathy & I stopped here for lunch on day one of our Maui honeymoon ... and the food ... oh my gosh! It was so good! It was once a real general store, but now a full-scale restaurant and catering service.

When on Maui, you gotta try this restaurant! Great tasting food, large portions & reasonable prices! It's worth the drive!

Lavender

This month's theme week takes us back to Maui, but specifically UpCountry Maui.

Today's photo of a lavender flower comes from the Ali‘i Kula Lavender farm in Kula. It was one of our stops before making our climb up Haleakalā. Kathy wanted to go the lavender farm, and it was a great suggestion. There were a lot of photo ops of flowers, and views of the northern half of Maui. The scent of lavender was so relaxing too!

Ooh! Donuts ...

The only place to find Krispy Kreme Donuts in Hawai‘i is in Kahului, on the island of Maui, and it's located near the Kahului Airport. One can get their donut fix either before just leaving, or right after arriving on "The Valley Isle". Kat & I did both ...

Today's photo was taken right after arriving on Maui to get our Krispy Kreme fix ... priorities ... we knew where our first stop was to be.

One-Sided Tree?

I noticed this tree in Hali‘imaile, Mau‘i, when Kathy & I had gone there to have lunch at the Hali‘imaile General Store. I saw that only one side of this tree was flourishing, while the side closest to the utility pole was barren.

At The Beach & Our Flight Home

Kathy's photo (top) captures this boy outrunning the waves on a Lahaina beach that is between waterfront buildings along Front Street. I had seen the boy challenging the waves as we walked along Front Street, and thought nothing of it; but it was Kathy who took out her camera and got the shot.

My photo (above) is the Mokulele Airlines Embraer E170 (N868RW) that will take us home to Honolulu. We highly recommend Mokulele when you fly inter-island.

In the following weeks, I will be posting more Kathy's photos and my photos from our trip to Maui. This was our first trip of many more we will be taking.

Maui Ocean Center

One of our adventures was at the Maui Ocean Center, loacted in Ma‘alaea. It was a quite an attraction, and we both ended taking quite a few pix there.

Kathy's photo (top) was taken in the walk-thru tube in the main display tank that features sharks, ‘ulua, stingrays, and other sea life.

My photo (above) shows a cylindrical tank of jellyfish illuminated with blue lights from above and below.

Hammock & Kā‘anapali Sunset

Kathy's photo (top) has us laying in a hammock right outside the Westin Maui, between Kā‘anapali Beach, and the beachside walkway that runs the length of the Kā‘anapali Resort area. What a way to kick back and relax!

My photo (above) has the sunset view I captured from our room (mentioned yesterday). The island outline on the left is of Kaho‘olawe. The boats are near the beach are sightseeing boats that come to shore to pickup (and drop-off) the tourists.

Balconies & Heavenly

Kathy's photo (top) shows the balconies of the The Westin Maui where we spent our time on Maui. She got this shot one afternoon, after we returned from sightseeing. I must say that Kathy's got a good eye for creative shots! I sure have a talented wife!

My photo (above) features us in our Heavenly Robes and laying in our Heavenly Bed in our room which was upgraded to ocean view, which meant sunsets every evening! The Westin hotel chain is known for their Heavenly® branded features in their rooms, namely their beds, towels, and robes. We thought this would make a funny photo, thank God I brought along my tripod.

The Grand Wailea

The Grand Wailea Resort Hotel & Spa is one of the few five-star resorts in Hawai‘i. Kathy & I drove to the south side of Maui to sightsee, the Grand Wailea was one of our stops. Just walking through the lobby, you could feel the luxury.

For Kathy's photo, we had one of the hotel's staff take a photo of us in front of their wedding chapel, which a koi pond and coconut palm trees surrounds it. The chapel was not open for dhowing, but from what we could see, it was spectacular, especially the stained glass windows. According to Kathy, her brother got married in the chapel several years ago.

For my photo, I got a shot of the famous water display and dolphin sculptures that lead to the pool area. The long promenade is one of the signature features of the hotel, among several others.