January 22: Off to a Good Start

We are traveling with John and Dawn, my BIL and SIL. Dawn always likes to get a photo taken whenever she’s out with a group for a special dinner and so as soon as we arrived at our table at the Plantation House last night she asked the hostess to take our picture.  It was good that we did it right away because soon after the amazing sunset took center stage.

We hadn’t thought there would be much of a sunset since when we left our room the skies were filled with dark clouds.  The rays of the sun struck through with a captivating biblical affect, and we thought that was awesome enough for the evening.

But nature had other ideas and over the next hour the view from the restaurant kept changing in dramatic ways.  I was mesmerized and took 23 photos!  I have pared them down to these five.

Earlier in the day Ben and I walked over to Kapalua beach for our first snorkel of this trip, and we both enjoyed it. I’m always relieved during a first snorkel on vacation that indeed the snorkel does work and yes, you can swim with your face in the water.  It always seems like a little miracle. The water was warm enough and the fish colorful, and we had a good time.

I sat on the lanai in the afternoon and watched the whales until I got tired of holding up my binoculars.  They were very active and almost violent with all the pec waving and jumping they were doing.  Often there were more than one in an area and they seemed to be eager to upstage each other.  Well, that’s part of the whole mating ritual for whales!  But apart from mating behavior I understand that sometimes humpbacks just like to breach or are teaching their calves how to act.

It’s about time to head to breakfast so let me leave with with this lovely picture of one of the many orchids growing around the grounds here. Seeing them makes me realize how they are meant to grow and why my supermarket ones never seem to thrive!