Saturday, April 03, 2004
Life on Mars
We spent the day on Mars yesterday.
Okay, it wasn't really Mars, but it really looked like it. We drove out to the Hawaiian Volcanos National Park. It was spectacular! Neither of us had been there before.
We drove around, and did a little bit of walking within the park for about 4 hours. It was unlike anything we've ever seen before - miles, and miles of lava rock formations. The last major lava eruption lasted for a day in 1982.
Anyway, here are some pictures of us near the crater, and on Mars.
Okay, it wasn't really Mars, but it really looked like it. We drove out to the Hawaiian Volcanos National Park. It was spectacular! Neither of us had been there before.
We drove around, and did a little bit of walking within the park for about 4 hours. It was unlike anything we've ever seen before - miles, and miles of lava rock formations. The last major lava eruption lasted for a day in 1982.
Anyway, here are some pictures of us near the crater, and on Mars.
Thursday, April 01, 2004
Day 2 in Paradise
what a great day. It's really beautiful here. We had a nice breakfast this morning (belgium waffles w/fresh strawberries) then laid out by the pool for a few hours. (yes, we were quite diligent about using sunscreen)
Here's our view from our "lanai":
We drove around a bit during the afternoon - found a great pub for a late lunch (Hawaiian pulled pork sandwich!)then found our way to the local Costco! Yes, Costco - you read it right. Can you believe I got Dick to agree to go to Costco? We were looking for some little rubber slip-on shoes that we can wear into the ocean. The Costcos in Hawaii carry some different merchandise than the ones on the mainland - obviously, Hawaiian oriented things like Aloha Shirts, beach wear, etc., We didn't find what we were looking for, but I did have a MINI sighting (2 actually). I couldn't resist, and simply *had* to take a picture.
thought you might enjoy that. ;)
Here's our view from our "lanai":
We drove around a bit during the afternoon - found a great pub for a late lunch (Hawaiian pulled pork sandwich!)then found our way to the local Costco! Yes, Costco - you read it right. Can you believe I got Dick to agree to go to Costco? We were looking for some little rubber slip-on shoes that we can wear into the ocean. The Costcos in Hawaii carry some different merchandise than the ones on the mainland - obviously, Hawaiian oriented things like Aloha Shirts, beach wear, etc., We didn't find what we were looking for, but I did have a MINI sighting (2 actually). I couldn't resist, and simply *had* to take a picture.
thought you might enjoy that. ;)
Wednesday, March 31, 2004
Welcome to Paradise...
(I've got that Greenday song in my head now...)
We're here! We made it! We're back in Paradise!
the flight went well, and was fairly uneventful - always good. We were able to upgrade to first class using our frequent flyer miles - we had been wait-listed, and didn't think we were going to make it, so that was a nice surprise!
It's gorgeous here. Really beautiful.
And yes, I do have high-speed internet access - in our room! Actually, they charge by the day, so I think we'll touch base every few days, not every single day. It's really nice and convenient, though. I'll try to take some pictures, and upload a few of them here to share with you.
more to come... :)
We're here! We made it! We're back in Paradise!
the flight went well, and was fairly uneventful - always good. We were able to upgrade to first class using our frequent flyer miles - we had been wait-listed, and didn't think we were going to make it, so that was a nice surprise!
It's gorgeous here. Really beautiful.
And yes, I do have high-speed internet access - in our room! Actually, they charge by the day, so I think we'll touch base every few days, not every single day. It's really nice and convenient, though. I'll try to take some pictures, and upload a few of them here to share with you.
more to come... :)
Tuesday, March 30, 2004
Closing, and packing....
Wow - what a week it's been!
We accepted offers on Dick's house last night. It all went well, but I can't really say anything until all is said and done. More on that later.
We also closed on the downstairs condo TODAY! Yep, we're now the proud owners of both units - upstairs and downstairs! It's very, very exciting. We've been busy scheduling contractors to do the work downstairs, so we can move in (hopefully) during the last week of April.
PHASE THREE HAS BEGUN!
I say "phase three" because this is the third house that we have had all of this work done on in the last 2 months. We started by doing the floors and painting my upstairs unit, then we had the interior of Dick's house done for the staging. (it looks gorgeous). Now, we're having some minor contractor work done downstairs, then we'll have the floors done, and have the whole unit painted. The good news here is that we've interviewed/used so many contractors now, that we know exactly who we want to go with for each type of job!
Here's the VERY EXCITING NEWS:
We're leaving for Hawaii TOMORROW!
WHAT?
Yep. Hawaii. The Big Island to be exact. We can't wait. We've been so busy and stressed with all of this moving stuff, and poor Dick hasn't really been able to enjoy his sabbatical from work. So, we scheduled this vacation just last Sunday. :)!
We accepted offers on Dick's house last night. It all went well, but I can't really say anything until all is said and done. More on that later.
We also closed on the downstairs condo TODAY! Yep, we're now the proud owners of both units - upstairs and downstairs! It's very, very exciting. We've been busy scheduling contractors to do the work downstairs, so we can move in (hopefully) during the last week of April.
PHASE THREE HAS BEGUN!
I say "phase three" because this is the third house that we have had all of this work done on in the last 2 months. We started by doing the floors and painting my upstairs unit, then we had the interior of Dick's house done for the staging. (it looks gorgeous). Now, we're having some minor contractor work done downstairs, then we'll have the floors done, and have the whole unit painted. The good news here is that we've interviewed/used so many contractors now, that we know exactly who we want to go with for each type of job!
Here's the VERY EXCITING NEWS:
We're leaving for Hawaii TOMORROW!
WHAT?
Yep. Hawaii. The Big Island to be exact. We can't wait. We've been so busy and stressed with all of this moving stuff, and poor Dick hasn't really been able to enjoy his sabbatical from work. So, we scheduled this vacation just last Sunday. :)!
Monday, March 29, 2004
New site Launched!
Just launched my latest site for a new client, Buck's Restaurant:
http://buckswoodside.com/
I'm pleased with how it turned out. Buck's (like it's owner) is a very colorful restaurant, with lots of interesting things to look at when you walk in. I really wanted to convey the atmosphere of the restaurant into the site of the design.
I especially love the animated roll-over navigation elements. They're pretty funny. The butter dripping down the pancakes in the background is fun, too.
http://buckswoodside.com/
I'm pleased with how it turned out. Buck's (like it's owner) is a very colorful restaurant, with lots of interesting things to look at when you walk in. I really wanted to convey the atmosphere of the restaurant into the site of the design.
I especially love the animated roll-over navigation elements. They're pretty funny. The butter dripping down the pancakes in the background is fun, too.
Sunday, March 28, 2004
Weekend of Pageantry and Movement....
What a nice weekend! First of all, the weather has been just perfect - that's always good.
Last night, we went to see a performance by Company Chaddick. We have several friends who dance in this company, and have been supporters for many years. It was a great evening. The performance was very good - I especially enjoyed the "4 Men" piece, and the last piece. After the performance, we attended the gala reception. Dick's band played all evening, as we all mingled, and ate yummy foods and chocolates. A good time was had by all.
Today, I spent the day in Hayward at the WGI Western Regional! Most of you know that this was an activity that I was involved in for about 12 years from ages 13-25. Going to the local regional is great fun - get to watch some great guards, but (more importantly) get to catch up some several very old friends (old in the sense that I've known them for years. Not in the sense that they are "old" per se) ;). It was wonderful.
Last night, we went to see a performance by Company Chaddick. We have several friends who dance in this company, and have been supporters for many years. It was a great evening. The performance was very good - I especially enjoyed the "4 Men" piece, and the last piece. After the performance, we attended the gala reception. Dick's band played all evening, as we all mingled, and ate yummy foods and chocolates. A good time was had by all.
Today, I spent the day in Hayward at the WGI Western Regional! Most of you know that this was an activity that I was involved in for about 12 years from ages 13-25. Going to the local regional is great fun - get to watch some great guards, but (more importantly) get to catch up some several very old friends (old in the sense that I've known them for years. Not in the sense that they are "old" per se) ;). It was wonderful.
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