Neil has continued to explore the cool features of our new camera (Sony Cybershot HX9V) including the HD video features. He shot several segments and has edited a three and a half minute video of whale activity viewed from our lanai. [Clicking on the link will open a window in youtube. You can click on the gear looking icon in lower right of the play screen to choose HD 1080p (high definition) if you have fast bandwidth downloading and then expand to full screen.]
While Quentin and Sophie were here, they got to open their Christmas gifts from us, Quentin’s dad, grandparents, and great-grandparents. There was much more excitement about that than watching how the fish settled into their new home! Imagine!
Sophie specifically requested to visit the aquarium. Quentin has been there “a thousand times (he says with a dramatic sigh)” and has no interest in going anymore, but of course he wanted to come too when he found out I was going to take Sophie on one of her last days here. We all had a great time exploring and moving from exhibit to exhibit. What a fun visit!
We woke to a beautiful sunny warm morning on Christmas day. Yes, like every morning we enjoy on Maui! We have started a ritual of having our morning tea, fruit, and scones on the lanai. We like to watch the antics of our freshwater fish in their aquarium as we give them their breakfast. We also like watching whales frolic offshore.
We find it hard to find surprise gifts for each other so we wrapped some little things for the stockings and also wrapped some of the things we already knew we were getting.
Later, we went to our friends Roger and Wanda’s for a Christmas feast and enjoyed time with their family, watching college football, and playing a game of cards.
It’s the time of year when we think of our family and friends and are grateful for all that we have in this beautiful life. We pray for love and peace in the world that we may all be as one family.
My mom, Audrey, and Bill just visited us on Maui for two weeks and we had a wonderful time together. It is a very restful and rejuvenating time when they are here. They are in good health and still love traveling.
My dad, Bob, and Jane are also in good health in Ohio and enjoy car travel. I expect I will visit in the spring.
We are fortunate to have Neil’s mom, Jean, and her husband Morley living in the house right next to us. They enjoy the Maui climate and we can share sunsets together.
We were able to visit both of Neil’s daughters this past year. We visited Ari in Tucson in February where she was working on her nursing degree and she and her friend Eric showed us around the area. Ari completed her degree in August and is now an RN. After a difficult job search in a competitive market (they all want someone with at least a year of experience) she took a job at a hospital in Santa Maria, California in the telemetry department. After one year there she hopes to transfer into labor and delivery which is where she really wants to be. I previously posted photos of our visit with Mailea and Greg in June.
We look forward to sharing the holidays with our local family and friends, feasting and celebrating. And we will think of all of you in your own celebrations and sharing the joy of this time of year.
What a wonderful birthday day, week, and month I am having. So many wonderful thoughts and wishes sent my way. Thank you!
At the beginning of the month, Neil asked “How would you like an aquarium for your birthday?” I was leery but a few hours later he found a fully operational 55 gallon fresh water aquarium from someone moving to the mainland and by the end of that same day it is was sitting on the lanai! It is perched up so we can see both the aquarium as well as the ocean from our computer desks. We sit outside on the couch each morning with our tea and watch the fish enjoy their breakfast. The real gift is that he does all the maintenance! (That’s no small thing since it sits outside and gets a few hours of direct sunshine each day.) Neil posted some videos of the fish at different times of the day on youtube. New Aquarium 05 – Evening Feeding is link to one of them and you can view any of the others from there.
Tuesday, we drove up country to Ulupalakua for the winery tour, wine tasting, and picnic lunch. My great nephew, Quentin, turned 11 that day, so on the way home we visited him at his after-school boys and girls club to have him open his presents. Neil and I sat with him outside with the present pile from the grand and great-grandparents plus his dad and ours. Soon there was a whole group gathered around him to watch him and wish him happy birthday. He was loving being the center of attention as well as getting all the gifts. He had a cake Saturday night at his birthday sleepover and was getting another cake birthday night with mom and Grandma Marjorie, so I just brought some birthday cookies thinking he could share with some friends. I had to break them in half so make enough to go around for the whole group!
Since I don’t really need things, Neil has spent the month pampering me with delicious dinners and special chores. On my birthday, he beautifully detailed the inside and out of our convertible. He said he did it on my actual day because that was the only way he could make sure I didn’t come out to help 🙂 It really shines! Well speaking of things, we have gotten a few new technology items this month that are taking time to learn. We needed a new camera in time for birthday photos and got a new Sony Cyber-shot to replace our old broken one. Plus our phone contract was up, so now we both have new phones to learn. And my real treat was getting a new Android tablet. It arrived the day before my birthday and I only had it on twice. I can now spend the rest of my birthday month playing with it.
My birthday morning, Neil put a candle in my scone and we had our tea on the lanai with the fishes. We drove south for the day visiting several beaches and just enjoying our Maui home. We shared another picnic on Makena Beach and played in the sand. For dinner we went to one of our favorites, Monsoon India, and enjoyed the sunset as well as the food. Oh, and the day wasn’t complete until we made a stop at Ono Gelato for birthday ice cream!
Thank you for all your love and wishes. What a special birthday!