So glad you enjoyed your trip to Hawaii. How beautiful.

Can't wait to see the other photos.

Gayle

Wow, that must have been hard to take! LOL

Isn't it beautiful!? Lucky you, you were there for quite a while. I can see why it was so relaxing.

Had to laugh when I saw the black sand beach. My oldest friend told me it was covered with lava,, during a conversation we were haveing late last year. Made me a little sad because I always wanted to go back to see it as an adult. I was about 11 years old when I bought three little vials of sand--- white, olivine and black some where near that beach and decieded one day to return. Anyway, For the last couple months, I though I would never get to see it again. :(
``Yea! its still there!!! I'm so glad you took a picture.

Beautiful beaches.
I can't wait to see more. Thanks.
Ron

Beautiful!! I love that last picture! It sounds like it was lots of fun.
Its good to see you back!

You make me wanna move! I know life is expensive there but I can live under a tiny hut and eat on seafood and tropical fruits. As long as I have warm weather year round, I'm content.

Sigh... keep dreaming... maybe one day...

Btw, those post card photos you took are perrr-dy =o)

Sounds like a wonderful trip!

I still have black sand in a bottle from trip there oh so long ago.

My Hawaii album is available on Webshots now. Enjoy!

(You can always get to my Webshots page thru my GW member page.)

Here is a link that might be useful: Hawaii photos

Beautiful pics. Boy those sunsets are to die for, especially the last two pictures. Thanks for the peek!

Looks like you had a wonderful trip! Thanks for sharing.

The Big Island is my favorite. Love the diversity from east to west, north to south.

Did you drive across Saddle Road? It takes you from the Kona side to the Hilo side and is a bit of an adventure. One that I would not want to repeat, ever.

How about snorkeling on the Kona side? Great sites like giant green turtles swimming next to you and puffer fish.

Where did you stay?

Jodi-

OMG was this fun to look at! If you had a long lense on, when you took the pictures at Kahaluu, you could have seen our old house!The farthest point from you, is the north side of the property!You might remember the house, it had a typical high lava rock wall, but the house is serparate buildings that look like huts, but with copper roofs. We lived there when construction was finishing up, and then we stayed almost two years afterwards, taking care of it and doing final details. It is quite the place, and we have stayed in contact with the owners, so have been back several times to use it. My SIL lives in Kona, and one of my daughters lives on the other side in Puna.Glad you enjoyed your trip, it is a wonderful place.

Oh, just what I needed on a snowy, chilly morning! Lovely shots, Uxorial. I'm glad you had a nice time. Did you see any whales?

That first picture is just calling to me! lol

Thanks for looking and posting! We just love Hawaii and keep returning there. I'd like to live there, but can't convince my husband to move (yet). It is very expensive. Gas was about $3.70, and food is outrageous. I've thought about buying a vacation rental condo, but haven't moved on that either. DH is still kicking himself for not buying a condo when we first visited in 1993. Now those same condos that were $200,000 then are over $500,000 now.

Jodi--We didn't go across Saddle Road, because it would have violated our rental car contract. Our friend who lives there said she drives it once in a while and it's quite an experience. She's really beaten up her new 4Runner on that road. We planned to snorkel at both Kahulu`u and Place of Refuge, but never did. Both times we were at Kahulu`u we were just too unmotivated and ended up just sitting on the beach. And at Place of Refuge, by the time we hiked the 1871 trail and walked around the historic site, we didn't feel like changing into our suits. DH doesn't really care if we snorkel; he says he sees the same fish every time. And I won't go in without him...

We stayed at Hale Kona Kai, which is a small, 39-unit condo building between Kona Reef and Royal Kona. Got it thru VRBO. I highly recommend it if you just need a 1-bedroom unit and want to be able to walk to town. It was very convenient. We loved watching the turtles from the lanai.

Cathyid--How lucky you were to have lived there! When was the last time you visited?

flamingo--Yes, we did see whales from our condo and from other points on shore. We also saw a couple when we were on the dinner cruise. One was slapping his tail on the water, which I haven't seen in a long time. DH saw a couple breaching from our condo. When we were on Maui several years ago, we went on a whale watching boat trip. One whale and her baby swam right under the boat and hung out for a long time! It was spectacular and we will likely never have that experience again. So now we don't bother going on a boat to see whales.

I'm glad you all enjoyed my photos!

Kathy
who woke up to snow this morning :(

Thank you for sharing those pictures....they made me cry! I have spent many months on the Big Island and dearly love and remember all those places. The last time I visited was 17 yrs ago. The Place of Refuge is soooo special!

Welcome home, Uxorial. Really great pics. Um, what are you doing back here? I'm not sure anything could have pulled me away LOL. But then, returning home is always nice, too. Glad you had a great time.

Thanks for posting the pictures.

I, too, love Hawaii. Went there last July (Oahu and Maui).

Plan to go again when the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center (in Waikiki) construction is finished.

~ Carol ~

Kathy, it has been several years since we have visited. I have been the caretaker of an adult so, getting away has been impossible, but that is changing. Our plans are to go over late Spring or next fall. We have a real love affair with Hawaii, but I am sad it hs been so discovered now. The Big Island, was lucky enough to have held on to its charm, long after the others.

Uxorial, thanks for posting these - they are gorgeous. We were there over 10 years ago. We loved it.

To go off track for a second, does anyone know why so many things are called Waimea? I think there are 3 cities on the Big Island called Waimea. Then Waimea Canyon on Kauai, Waimea Bay and Waimea Falls Oahu, and who knows what else. We spent only a couple of days on each island, so I was confused to begin with.

Ok, back on track.
Thanks