Thursday February 2nd, 2023 Jeff and Lizzie

 This morning was a lounge about the condo sort of day. Clayton got in a full day of work starting at 4 am local time (that's 8 am central). Kellan and I read and wrote. We breakfasted on bagels and  cream cheese and fed the local brazilian cardinals, magpies and sparrows some cheerios on the lanai. I had some Hawaiian Sun orange juice drink mixed with tonic water and a slice of fresh lime I had taken off the tree behind our building. After a lunch of sashimi, poke and seaweed salad we drove to Lihue and made a scenic stop in Kapaa where I video called my family chat group. We took some selfies and went on our way to Costco to buy those needful items for our 3 week stay. There was this van painted in Minecraft patterns in the parking lot. We HAD to take a picture.

Dinner was the same as lunch but with some fun mochi for dessert. We walked to the cliffside where Kellan commandeered the hammock and enjoyed the magnificent view while talking to Tegan on the phone back home. It's been misting all day off and on.

We made our way to the hot tub by 6:30 pm where we first met a young couple who had been kayaking in the ocean down by Poipu. They were very tired from a long day paddling. Soon after they left another couple of ladies from California chatted with us. They were a mother and daughter here on a trip given to them by the mother's sister. The daughter had not been to Hawaii before so was very excited to do "all the things." Before they left the hot tub a delightful firecracker of a lady, Lizzie, joined us. She was from Maui and has been coming to our resort since the late 90's. They trade with their timeshare in Tahoe. Lizzie is a master gardener and works with the University of Hawaii. She has a fabulous garden and raises chickens, of course, on 2 acres of lush tropical land. Her husband "Red" joined us later and he was as gregarious as Lizzie. They had been vacationing with Lizzie's cousins from Wisconsin and Georgia for the last two weeks in Maui and then in the south of Kaui in Poipu. She and her husband had just spent the day on the catamaran cruise to the Napoli coast. Breathtaking views! 

Originally from Northern Wisconsin she had lived in central California until they moved to Maui when she was just 50. I asked if she ever regretted it. She said "immediately" which I found quite surprising because every time I come to Hawaii I want to stay forever, until I remember my kids.  She was far away from her family "stuck in a tree house" fighting the mold. They live in rain forest climate and have to bleach and power wash their sidewalks every 4 months to combat the mold. She went to visit her grandkids for a month one time and when she returned she wiped her finger across her kitchen cabinet and it was green! That's WITH dehumidifiers in the house! I asked her why they moved to Maui. Get this... she said "because my husband didn't want to wear pants anymore." LOL!  When he joined us later he verified not only that but that he also doesn't wear shoes either. He's a riot. Red grew up in a sports centered family and now works at the golf course or golfs for fun. He chatted with Clayton for a while. I think he was a construction contractor at some point. She also told us about the centipedes that get into the house and will sting you. Much like the scorpions in Arizona. They'll get into your bed.... ew. Here is an example of the beasts.

I hope to see Red and Lizzie again tonight.  What a fun and fabulous couple to get to know. 

Another family joined us briefly, from California as well. Theirs had been a long day of travel and getting situated. This is their first trip to Kauai so were asking where to go and what to do. We had to think about all the family friendly places. They were blessed with at least one set of grandparents here to help them out. They'll sleep well tonight.