I guess I better regress just a moment and explain “our house”. Neil and I decided we would like to live together last July. We started looking for a two bedroom place on the ocean in Kihei but have not yet found anything we like enough. We both had great places on the ocean but were afraid they were too small for the two of us. Well, in November the commuting and constant packing finally got to me (it was a 45 minute drive between us) and we decided I would move into Neil’s one bedroom cottage (since my place was only a studio) while we continue to look for a larger space. The cottage is in a great location in north Kihei right across the street from the ocean. We have a wonderful lanai and lots of windows. We watched dolphins swim by the other morning at breakfast. It is truly wonderful to be together and we grow closer each day.

Our Christmas tree was on the lanai as there was really no place inside. We have enjoyed the colorful lights each night but I didn’t put many ornaments on the tree, as it can get pretty windy in the afternoons. The tree is a live Norfolk Pine and might get planted this year when we find our new place. Both Christmas Eve and Christmas night dinners, we spent a wonderfull time at different friends homes. We missed family but look forward to visits from them in the next several months! We had Jason, Vajra and Quentin, my family on Maui, for dinner before Christmas as they spent Christmas day with her family (she was born and raised here). Neil’s work Christmas party was at an Italian restaurant where the food was excellent and plentiful. Someone snapped a good picture of us. There was a small gift exchange; I ended up with a Poker Set. It hasn’t been opened yet but I know it will be used this summer when Neil’s daughters are here. They know all kinds of poker games that I had never heard of. We played several nights.

Earlier in December, I had 2 uncles, an aunt, and 2 cousins with one fiancé visit from Ohio. They were headed to the Big Island for a basketball tournament (my cousins were participating) so Neil and I flew to see them. Turns out they had more free time than I originally thought. We upgraded the economy car to a van; Neil drove 9 people touring around the Hilo area for 2 days. We had a great time. I enjoyed it as I had not seen Hilo myself and we could visit as we toured around. I have a friend who recently moved from Maui to Hilo and we got to visit her. She took us to her parents’ property, which is as beautiful as any tropical botanical gardens in the rain forest: amazing flowers, fern trees, and “lava trees”. We hiked out along lava cliffs where the surf was pounding and sending spray high in the air, wetting the daring cliff-edge walkers. We drove a road that suddenly comes to an end as it disappeared under a lava flow. The lava flowed from Kilauea volcano in 1986 and created “new land” on top of existing land and beaches; a few homes were covered up too. We also visited a friend of Neil’s who is starting a small exotic fruit farm north of Hilo and my uncles enjoyed sharing farm stories. Sunday we went to Rainbow Falls and Pe’epe’e Falls and ended up swimming and cliff jumping. This was my cousins’ favorite part. I hear they went back the next day.

My uncles and aunt decided they wanted to meet Quentin, the newest addition to the family, and to see where I lived. They flew to Maui the very next day. I am afraid I kept them moving the whole time trying to show them as much as I could in their 6 1/2 hours on Maui. We walked a short trail into Iao Valley, an incredible rock-walled gorge, then went to the old whaling town of Lahaina for lunch with a little shopping at Hilo Hattie’s thrown in, drove to Kihei to see my home and visit Jason, Vajra and Quentin, visited the farmer’s market for fresh pineapple, and finally walked across the street from my house to the white sand beach where they took a swim in the Pacific ocean before having to head back to the airport. I hope they can come back again to enjoy more of the beauty of Maui.

Thanksgiving is becoming a tradition to spend with our friends Jeff and Suzanne on Lanai. Last year Mom and I went to see them on Lanai and enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner with them as well as a wonderful night in the hotel. And then they spent a week on Maui where Neil and I were able to enjoy their company and teach them diving. This year Neil and I went to Lanai to stay with them. What a beautiful resort island it is. We spent the day at the beach, then went up to The Lodge at Koele for Thanksgiving dinner in the English lodge-like atmosphere. What a feast! We arrived at the Lodge while it was still daylight so we could tour the gardens and see the orchid conservatory. There was still time left before our reservations so the men decided we needed to take advantage of the lawn bowling facilities. Very civilized! We had to go back up to the Lodge that next day to play golf on the 18-hole putting green course since there just wasn’t enough time on Thanksgiving.

The next day was a real treat: we were able to swim with the dolphins! A pod of spinner dolphins make the bay in front of Manele Bay Hotel their “home”. They are in the bay most mornings. You can snorkel out and if the dolphins are inclined, they will cruise by to check you out and say hello. They always keep their distance but we got a good view of their sleek bodies flying through the water under and around us. Plus you can hear them chattering away in their high-pitched signals. I wonder what they are saying about us? Neil and Jeff were able to see them the next afternoon also. We snorkeled over coral reefs and swam through little tubes in the coral. Also saw an eagle ray gliding solo over the sandy bottom. And if that is not enough, we went out for a two-tank dive on the Trilogy Catamaran. Suzanne had not been diving since being certified last year, although Jeff had gotten in a few dives in at the British Virgin Islands. We dove in incredible clear water at Shark Fin Rock, and then Second Cathedrals so Jeff had the chance to do a cavern dive.

Jeff and Suzanne spent the following week on Maui. We did our best to show them some of the great spots we know. We hiked back through a bamboo forest to some waterfalls. We all climbed the first waterfall. Then Suzanne and I watched Jeff and Neil climb the second huge waterfall and they hiked farther back to more falls. You would have thought we were in Africa with all the Tarzan calls! We had some great dinners out, had them over to “our house” for dinner, and ended with the week with dessert of soufflés at the Four Seasons.

Neil and I drove over to Hana one Saturday in December with our dive gear. There hadn't been any trade winds for several days, so the bays were flatter than usual (no surf). This is about the only time you can dive the Hana side. We had a great dive in among the lava flows and boulders. Very different than diving this side! It was still flat the next weekend, so we did another dive on the southeast side for a little more cave diving. On the way back we hiked down into a huge lava pit and through a tiny opening into a huge lave tube. Neil had heard about it but finally got good enough directions to find it. We took our dive lights, as it is completely black in there. I only hiked half way down because my feet were getting cut up. I want to do it again but this time with long pants and enclosed shoes. It is quite inspiring to see these huge caverns and know that there was once red hot molten lava flowing through them toward the sea.

I had a fantastic birthday month in October. Neil gave me little presents the whole two weeks around my birthday. And in the middle of it we celebrated our one-year anniversary. Plus the day before my birthday, my great nephew was born. I won’t forget his birthday. Another present was a weekend to Hana. I wanted to stay on the ocean so Neil got us a studio on Hana Bay. We hiked both days, swam in pools beneath waterfalls, and climbed around lava rocks at Waianapanapa. We wanted to snorkel but it was just too rough. (Thus the December trip to dive when it was flat.) We had a special time together.

One of the activities we have enjoyed together is reading the Harry Potter books to each other. It was a fun way to do it because then we were both “at the same place” in the book and we would discuss what might be the next plot twist or what certain characters might do next. They are very light, fun books to read with good imagination and true friendship.

Another joy for me has been spending time with Quentin Jason. He is now 2 1/2 months. I started babysitting him at about 1 1/2 months. I have him 1 or 2 days a week (since college got out the sixth of December, I had a few more days free). He definitely takes lots of attention, but it is fun to see him change each time in what he can do and his own attention and focus. I can tell he recognizes me and is getting comfortable with me. Neil is wonderful with him after having raised two daughters.
 

And finally we come around to New Years. Neil and I spent it at a friend’s (house-sitting) in Kahana; a kind of getaway back to where we used to spend our weekends (my old place). We had an incredible night dive finding several oval squid that turned a myriad of colors trying to hide from our lights. They are amazing creatures, staying so close to us at times that we had to move so they didn’t bump into our lights. On New Years Eve, we were quite the social creatures having dinner out with Peggy and friends, going back to Peggy’s for Champagne where we ended up toasting the New Years in New York watching the ball drop (7 in the evening our time). We then met a friend at a ballroom dance party where we had a few dances. And finally ended at the Peace Odyssey Angelic Ball where they lit the peace flame at midnight to open a new millennium for peace.

May peace and love be with you this New Year and this new millennium!

Written January 2001