HAWAII - Kauai 2013

 

I went to Kauai Island in Hawaii to attend my oldest son's wedding March 7-14.. I shared rent of a house in the Poipu area on the south side of the island with my brother Mark and wife Denise, and with my son Jay and his family, wife Amy and children Natasha, Melody & Elisha - there were 8 of us in a lovely house.

 Front Deck of our house in Koloa

 

 Backyard of our rental house on Puku Street

 

 

SUN and BEACH

About 12 people from both sides of the couple's families had come to Hawaii to celebrate the wedding with Derek and Cindy. Several days on either end of the wedding festivities were filled with relaxing on the beaches or adventurous activities for all of us.  First on the list was lots of beach and sun time.

 Poipu Beach

 

   Derek playing with Jay's kids

 

There was lots of boogy boarding in the smaller surf.  Natasha was unstoppable and quite good at catching those waves.  All three kids, Natasha, Melody & Elisha, had a wonderful time with their first ocean beach time. Elisha and Melody especially loved their sand castles and buckets of sand. I only have one picture of myself (Teena) coming out of the surf with my boogy board.  Because the waves had so ravaged my hair and I was exhausted, I just can't post the horrible picture. However, I'll just have to show the picture to my brother Eldon some day, because he specializes in taking pictures of me that show how hard I work and play.
:-)  Ha ha.

Derek and Melody

 

 Melody & Elisha in the sand. Boogy board surfers in background. 

 

 Ocean fun for all ages

 

  Adventure

One day Jay and family and I drove up and up the winding road to above 3400 feet to see parts of the amazing Waimea Canyon, called the “Grand Canyon of the Pacific”.                                                          

Teena  with Natasha, Melody and Elisha at Kalalau Lookout over Waimea Canyon

 

Looking way down.

 

   Jay and kids

 

 

River Kayak Adventure

One fun expedition was a guided kayak trip up the Wailua River and then a hike to the Secret Falls on a trail through the amazing trees and foliage that give Kauai the name of “Garden Island”.  This was another outing I did with Jay and family.  It was over 6 hours long.

 

Wailua River Kayak Trip VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

 

		Wailua River Hike and Secret Falls VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

 

  

Plants and Flowers

A trip to Hawaii wouldn’t be complete for me without a visit to a Botanical Garden. How I love all the beautiful greenery and flowers!  Below is just a very small sampling of pictures.  Most of these pictures were taken in the McBryde Gardens on the western side of the island.

 

		Flowers & Plants from Kauai, Hawaii VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

 

 

 

 

THEN THE WEDDING

 

Derek and Cindy were married in the beautiful Plantation Gardens (& Restaurant) on March 11th.  It was a beautiful outdoor wedding, with a small group of guests, a beautiful setting, and lots of gorgeous plants and flowers. The ceremony ended with a pair of white doves being released by the newly- wed couple to signify the new marriage. We also had a wonderful dinner, were entertained with local singers and hula dancers, plus a fire-dancer after dark.

 

 

 

 

		Derek & Cindy's Wedding VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

 

Derek and Cindy with Derek’s mom Teena and brothers Aaron and Jay.     

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                                         

 

 

Final Day In Kauai

Early on the day I had to leave Kauai, my brother Mark drove Denise and I all around the east and north shores of the island. There were so many beautiful beaches, bays, mountains nearby, farmland, and the famous Kilauea Point Lighthouse and National Wildlife Refuge.

Kauai - East and North Sides VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

 

A wonderful time was had by all!