CatHouse Chat

Roy's Restaurant in Orlando still continues to deliver a FANTASTIC dining experience

Since my Mom lives in Orlando, we're down here frequently to visit and we usually go out for dinner almost every night. One of our favorite restaurants has always been Roy's, but - for one reason or another - we haven't been there for two or three years.

Well, last night, we took Mom out to Roy's - and I confess I was a little worried. Sometimes it happens that a favorite restaurant decides to rest on its laurels or management lets things slide or some other thing happens and you just don't enjoy eating there any more. It is sad, but it's true - and I am so glad that it hasn't happened with Roy's Orlando!

We have always loved all the Roy's we've visited for the superior service and the excellent food, a combination I've long considered to be a very good bang for the buck. No, they're not cheap, but I believe that Roy's really gives excellent value every single time. Of course, they're not quiet, intimate restaurants with classical music playing subtly in the background and waiters smoothly catfooting around your table, but Roy's are always full of boisterous energy, cheerfulness and good humor - exactly my style!

Last night we were served by two lovely and attentive young ladies: Carolyn, our server, and Elizabeth, who bussed the table. They were both very focused on providing an excellent dining experience, and they did wonderful credit to the Roy's reputation. Carolyn took care of any needs we had and struck the perfect balance between hovering and ignoring us; she never interrupted conversation, but it seemed we only had to glance up for her to be there, ready to bring us what we wanted. Elizabeth whisked away dirty dishes, filled water and iced tea glasses and kept everything running smoothly with a smile. Her friendliness and hospitality would grace any fine establishment!

There was only one bobble the entire evening (and it was only a mere bobble) - Carolyn misheard me and thought I'd ordered the signature blackened ahi appetizer instead of the dinner. However, with the typical "can-do" attitude I've encountered at each and every Roy's, she took care of the mistake quickly, courteously and very professionally - I had the proper order in front of me in about five minutes! That attitude is one of the best things about eating at Roy's: if you have a request, they can accommodate you; if there's a problem, they will fix it to your satisfaction with speed and grace - Roy's loves their customers, and makes sure they know it.

Finally, of course, my daughter and I finished with Roy's signature flourless chocolate soufflé, served with a drizzle of raspberry coulis and a scoop of vanilla ice cream; no trip to Roy's, as far as I'm concerned, is complete without this deliciously decadent flourish! Mom is a bit sensitive to chocolate (although she loves it - drat those allergies!) and truly enjoyed her vanilla crême brulée. And you can imagine our surprise and delight when the manager, Sid, came over to make sure everything went well and comped us our desserts! He was very gracious and wanted to welcome us back after our long absence - now, isn't that the aloha spirit taken to the max?!

So, if you're going to be in Orlando and want a wonderful, fun, and top-notch dining experience, I earnestly urge you to go visit Roy's - and tell 'em the kooky ol' Kat sent you!

 

Israel 2010 - 10July - Part 1: worship on the Sea of Galilee, the Mount of Beatitudes, and the Primacy of Peter

OK, I think I'm sort of motivated after getting Day 2 posted. They are here and here, in case you need the links - and don't forget, you can always access ALL of the posts about the Israel trip (including the ones I posted via my Droid while still traveling) by clicking on my "Israel Tour 2010" category, down on the left column.

At any rate, our first morning on the Sea of Galilee was beautiful! We woke up to the sun beginning to shine over the Golan Heights

And after breakfast (yummy, yummy - I love Middle Eastern cuisine!) we went out on a boat on the Sea of Galilee, and had an absolutely INCREDIBLE morning worship service:

More awesomeness under the fold...

Israel 2010 - 09July - Part Two: Megiddo, Nazareth, Cana and Tiberias

Wow - I finally seem to have come up against a size limit for a post here on TypePad! So, here's the second part of my post about Day 2 of our Israel tour... (part one is here)

 

 

Israel 2010 - 09 July - Part One: Caesarea Maritima and Mt. Carmel

As you can see from the title of this post, we had a very busy day - and that was the norm throughout the trip. (UPDATE - I should have said, "from this post AND the next one" because I had to split the day into two posts! LOL) I asked our guide, Fabrizio, how our tour stacked up against other groups he'd guided, and he replied that Pastor Jim's groups always had very full and complete itineraries.

We had two buses, called "Garnet" and "Gold" in honor of the FSU Seminoles (quite understandable, since this trip was sort of sponsored by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and Bobby Bowden was the co-host with Pastor Jim). Each bus had its own driver (Ziad, who drove the Gold bus, was awesome!) and guide, and Malcolm and Fabrizio, the guides, were extremely knowledgeable and helpful - we all loved them.

Don't forget that I thought I didn't have batteries for my Canon xSi (they were tucked securely away in an obscure corner of my suitcase all the while), so most of the pictures will be from my Droid (and thank you to Verizon Wireless for having an excellent international data plan and wonderful connectivity throughout Israel!). So, I was able to post from the Droid as we were touring - see here, here, here, here, and here, for my moblogs from this day - which was great fun; international moblogging, woo-hoo!

Anyway, on to the day - and this is going to be fairly long and have lots of pictures, so I'm going to put it under the fold:

 

 

 

Israel 2010 - 08Jul2010 - Arrival in Tel Aviv!

Image via Wikipedia

All right, I've lollygagged long enough; it's time I got off my lazy rear end and started posting my pictures and commentary on my ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC trip to Israel from 07 to 17July.

First off, although I left on the 7th, I arrived the morning of the 8th. I traveled with another couple between Newark, NJ, and Tel Aviv, and not with the vast majority of the group; there was a small mix up figuring out connecting flights, and since I wasn't leaving out of Orlando, I used different flights.

Continental actually had a good schedule, and I very much liked the fact that eash seat had its own viewscreen - plus, there were over 170 movies available to watch at no charge! Loved that, both going and coming, because I can never get proper sleep on a plane. However, when Judy and Larry (the other couple) and I arrived in Tel Aviv, I encountered a wee problem: my luggage apparently didn't travel with me! I had seen my bag when I left the arrival plane in Newark, and I'd deliberately left TONS of time for the connection, so I don't know what happened.

But, in spite of that inconvenience, I must remember that when the plane's wheels touched down on Israeli soil, my heart leapt and I had to choke back a tear or two. To be in the Holy Land where Jesus walked and preached and healed and died and triumphed over sin and death...! I cannot express how wonderfully moving that was (and is, even just in memory).

Anyway, Judy, Larry and I landed at Ben Gurion International fairly early at about 930am, and the rest of the group wasn't going to land until around 1pm. Our driver took us to the hotel - the Dan Panorama in Tel Aviv - right away to wait for the rest of the group, so I had some time to dither and fret about my lack of luggage (oh, I wanted a shower and fresh clothes!!!) for a while. But, the rest of the group got in at about 4pm (after a brief stop at Joppa on the way from the airport), and my wonderful roomie, Barbara, went with me to shop for some emergency clothing.

At dinner, I got to meet some of my fellow travelers (76 of us in all, two buses - Garnet, and my bus, Gold), and learned of Verizon's international data plan - so I texted my Beloved back here in the States, and he got me set up right away (oh, I DO love modern technology!!!). After dinner, there was a brief orientation meeting, and we went to our rooms to crash for the night.

I walked into the room while setting up my Droid for the international plan (roaming and wireless access permissions and whatnot), turned around, and THERE was my blue Delsey bag, waiting for me! God is indeed good... ;-)

Of course, then I found out that (I thought) I'd left both batteries for my canon xSi DSLR back in the States... So, all of the pictures I took of the trip - until we got in to Jerusalem - were taken with my Droid. Frankly, the Droid did a very, very good job for a cell phone camera, AND I really think God used this little bobble to remind me that my main purpose for being in Israel was NOT to go hog-wild with pictures and video and blogging, but rather to learn and soak in all that He had planned for me.

So, the very first day was a bit of a trial, but by God's grace I was able to maintain my calm, and He took care of me the whole way. Even if He hadn't returned my luggage to me, I knew I was in His hands and that things would all work out - one way or another. It was a wonderful, practical, real-life illustration of 1 Peter 5:6-7:

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

All right then, since I've broken the ice on getting started, I hope to have my round up of our first full day - 09 July 2010 - up by tomorrow or Saturday mid-day! Keep bugging me, people; I need a little extra motivation. As a matter of fact, threatening me with 20 lashes with a wet noodle might not go amiss! ;-)

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Testing: Have I wrestled Google Maps into submission??

I am hoping so, because it's REALLY starting to Piss. Me. Off! (I know, I know - "better to be pissed off than to be pissed on..." Grf!)

I'm going to try to embed the map I have for the first two days of our tour in Israel (08 and 09 July, 2010):

View Israel 2010 - Day one and two - 08/09 July in a larger map

Please, God, I hope it works!

UPDATE: Ah-hah. Well, the image won't embed, but it DOES send you to the right map... I suppose that's progress...

UPDATE 2.0: Well, there was some code for the embed that didn't copy over; hopefully this will fix it... UPDATE 2.1: *darnit! drat! GRF!!!!*

Another one off the check list - I've been in the Dead Sea

... well, sort of...

 

OK, so *I* didn't actually swim... But I was in it!

Very salty: 20-25% salinity, and boy-o-boy, you'd better not have any open cuts!

Hello from the country of Jordan!

After waking up this morning, we left out hotel in Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee and wnet to the southern end to perform several baptisms. We then continued south along the Jordanian border and visited Gideon Springs (see Judges 6 and 7, I think) and then Bet She'an, where King Saul was killed back in the Old Testament. In New Testament times, it was a GrecoRoman city called Skythopolis and was one city - the ruling city, I think of the Decapolis area where Jesus ministered.

Then we passed through security checkpoints (both in Israel, leaving, and in Jordan, arriving) at the Jordan River crossing - the northernmost point to go through, I think.

Once our new drivers and guides had picked us up, we had a *ahem* rather hair-raising 2 hour trip to Mount Nebo, where God showed Moses the promised land, and where Moses then died. After another, um, stomach-challenging hour, we arrived at our hotel on the north eastern side of the Dead Sea (totally awesome hotel, BTW, but I'll really blog about it after I return to the States). Time to relax and have dinner!

Tomorrow we go to Petra (UPDATE: here is an excellent site for information about Petra: there's a LOT more than I knew was there!)

View Larger Map

I will definitely be out of moblogging range all day, because it's a 3.5 hour trip down to Petra (and another 3.5 back, of course), and I strongly suspect that cell reception is marginal at best. So I'll use the airplane mode to preserve battery and take pics.

Dinnertime!

Time to eat. We've just ended the Sabbeth, which goes from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday. Actually, they add an hour after Saturday's sunset, which is why we've started dinner at 9pm!
Since today has been so awesome and HOT, I'm rewarding myself with a glass of Gewurtztraminer from Upper Galilee.

Lunch!

This is how they do tilapia over here... yummy!

CapernaCat

The Primacy of Peter (UPDATE: Picture corrected)

This is a church on the north shore of Galilee commemorating the event in John 21 where Jesus asks Peter if he loves Him.
  

Praying on the Mount of Beatitudes (UPDATE: Picture Fixed)

This is the Church of the Beatitudes, and w went to an area where each one read a verse from Matthew 5:1-17, and then all of chapter 7. We then broke for individual prayer, and, oh.... Oh, oh!

Please God, grant my plea, and I praise You for all Your grace abounding in my life.

From Israel, 2010

The "Jesus Boat"

A boat from around the time of Jesus. Twelve guys - 13, actually, including Jesus - would have been an uncomfortable fit!

The American National Anthem on the Sea of Gallilee

Good morning from the Sea of Gallilee!

Another busy day: two boat rides, many baptisms, visiting Cesarea Phillipi... and it's going to be HOT: 105 is projected max. I will be sucking down the water, that's for sure!
Also found out I can use Foursquare here, so my Facebook friends can see where I am, too!
I can't get over how fantastic (I'm going to run out of superlatives, I know!) Israel is... Definitely the trip of a lifetime!!!

Well, darn...

It may be that I won't get any full posts up until after I get back. Late already tonight, tomorrow will be even longer, so I may continue with the "popcorn" posts, and then do a daily recap after I get home (omg, gotta remember the family reunion right after I return... eeeep!)

I'm keeping everything in order on my hard drive, and my cell phone battery handled today well, so my CAMERA battery (you know, the one I LEFT AT HOME???!!!) isn't a critical issue. Now, I hope I get one soon, because the pic quality will be far better, but I confess that juggling only TWO devices is allowing me to really soak up all the wonder and history that is Israel.

On the shore of the Sea of Gallilee

... also known on the map as the Sea of Kinnereth.... Checked in to the hotel, and dinner is soon.
Tonight begins the Sabbeth, which will be a busy day for us: a boat ride and devotional in the morning, visiting the area where Jesus multiplied the loaves and fish, baptisms in the Jordan River, and an evening boat ride as well.

Church of the Wedding at Cana

Israel is AWESOME!

Currently in Nazareth where His neighbors tried to kill Jesus (see Luke 4), and on our way to Cana. Then to Tiberius, where we'll spend the next couple of nights.
Hopefully, power issues will be resolved, so I'll - hopefully! - have a big post up tonight.
Just awesome - I'm completely blown away!

On top of Mt. Carmel

... overlooking the Valley of Megiddo (and how cool that I'm blogging this real time?!)
Mt. Carmel is where Elijah confronted and defeated the 450 priests of Baal and Ashteroth by God's power.

This is our awesome guide

His name is Fabrizio ("fah-bree-tzee-o"), and this is a terrible pic... I hope to get a better one later. We have two busses, and each bus has its own guide, of course.

First breakfast

And this wasn't even HALF of what was available... We certainly won't go hungry!

Israel, day one!

First full day in Israel...
Finally got my suitcase (yay, God! Thank You!), but have discovered I left my CAMERA battery at home (headdesk). My cell phone will have to do until I can buy a new battery and charge it up. Fortunately, I now have an international data plan for my cell, so I can blog from it!

Today, we see Mt. Carmel, Cana (where Jesus performed His first miracle), and will end up by the Sea of Gallilee. Jordan river tomorrow, and I'm considering getting rebaptized as a rededication. Thoughts?

The Kindle app for Android has arrived!

Image via Wikipedia

And this is fanTAStic!

Who needs an actual Kindle? ... Well, OK, it would be nice, but dealing with reading on my phone has proven to be quite convenient.

Anyway, this is awesome timing  considering that I leave on my tour of Israel next Wednesday. I've also found several excellent theological works - John Calvin, Jonathan Edwards, Charles Spurgeon, John Bunyan, Aquinas - available via the Kindle store that are very inexpensive-to-free. So assuming that my battery holds out in "airplane mode" for a decent time (and yes, I'll be able to charge it in Israel; I'm mainly worried about the flight to/from Tel Aviv), I'll have all the reading material I could possibly want!

Life is good - and God's provision is wonderful!

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"Well... I'm back."

Certainly not quite the journey that Sam and Frodo had, but extremely worthwhile, and we got to do things that very few people who visit D.C. have the opportunity to do. I just got back home, however, and have about 200 photos to process through, as well as video to edit, combine and upload.... AFTER I relax with a glass of wine and maybe the latest episode of Bones!

The four and a half hour drive from D.C. went fairly quickly (especially after I stopped for some Starbucks in Rte 3 in Fredericksburg!), and I'm home early enough that I have the whole afternoon and evening to unpack, wash all our souvenir t-shirts, and see if my Beloved likes the tie tack (an American Eagle cut from a Kennedy coin, and then plated in gold), t-shirt, and beer glasses ("Beer is proof that God loves us." - Benjamin Franklin) that I picked up for him. ;-)

So, I hope that I can get a round up post published by tomorrow afternoon... One thing about this trip, though: D.C. is a LOT closer to me than I think, and I really ought to make a practice of getting up there for a week once or twice a year, if only to be reminded of the abundant blessings of this country and her Providential history.

Happy New Year: TSA displays government efficiency and transparency... NOT!

Via Wired:  "TSA Threatens Blogger Who Posted New Screening Directive" -

Special agents from the TSA’s Office of Inspection interrogated two U.S. bloggers, one of them an established travel columnist, and served them each with a civil subpoena demanding information on the anonymous source that provided the TSA document.

The document, which the two bloggers published within minutes of each other Dec. 27, was sent by TSA to airlines and airports around the world and described temporary new requirements for screening passengers through Dec. 30, including conducting “pat-downs” of legs and torsos. The document, which was not classified, was posted by numerous bloggers. Information from it was also published on some airline websites.

“They’re saying it’s a security document but it was sent to every airport and airline,” says Steven Frischling, one of the bloggers. “It was sent to Islamabad, to Riyadh and to Nigeria. So they’re looking for information about a security document sent to 10,000-plus people internationally. You can’t have a right to expect privacy after that.”

Transportation Security Administration spokeswoman Suzanne Trevino said in a statement that security directives “are not for public disclosure.”

“TSA’s Office of Inspections is currently investigating how the recent Security Directives were acquired and published by parties who should not have been privy to this information,” the statement said.

My gosh, it's like TSA is doing it's best to replace the Keystone Cops!

Frischling, a freelance travel writer and photographer in Connecticut who writes a blog for the KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, said the two agents who visited him arrived around 7 p.m. Tuesday, were armed and threatened him with a criminal search warrant if he didn’t provide the name of his source. They also threatened to get him fired from his KLM job and indicated they could get him designated a security risk, which would make it difficult for him to travel and do his job.

“They were indicating there would be significant ramifications if I didn’t cooperate,” said Frischling, who was home alone with his three children when the agents arrived. “It’s not hard to intimidate someone when they’re holding a 3-year-old [child] in their hands. My wife works at night. I go to jail, and my kids are here with nobody.”

Oh, no, not the Keystone Cops - try the Nazi SS!

Frischling wrote on his blog that he decided to publish the TSA directive to clear up much of the confusion and speculation that was circulating among the public about changes that were being instituted in airport security procedures after a passenger unsuccessfully tried to ignite a bomb Dec. 25 using a syringe and explosive chemicals hidden in his underwear.

“We are a free society, knowledge is power and informing the masses allows for public conversation and collective understanding,” Frischling wrote on his blog. “You can agree or disagree, but you need information to know if you want to agree or disagree. My goal is to inform and help people better understand what is happening, as well as allow them to form their own opinions.”

You would think that TSA would WANT the traveling public to know about new security measures so there is less confusion and fewer delays at airports. Accurate information also helps keep frustration levels down, because travelers are not surprised with unexpected restrictions and packing requirements.

*sigh*

What a bumbling mass of idiots - but then, look at their "leadership."

God help us.

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Arrival at LAX

We still have two more flights - into Chicago and then Greensboro - plus driving home (about 90 min). But, we're back on the mainland...

Waaaaaaaaaah! Leaving Hawaii for another year

*sniff* Time to leave Hawaii and begin our trek home. We should be boarding in about an hour, and should arrive back at CatHouse Base in roughly 18 hours *sigh*

Found!

Earlier this year, in May, my Beloved's cousin came out here to the Big Island with his partner, and hid something for us to find when we came out. All Tom sent us was this picture, and a note that said it was within 20 miles of the resort area:

 

Well, my Beloved, being the genius that he is, enlisted the aid of our two nephews and the Darling Munchkin, and set out this morning to find the geocache. Of course, we had no actual coordinates, just the picture, but in a masterful display of deductive genius, they found the cache!

 

Wooot!

Meanwhile, my sister is halfway through her 90 minute massage, and then it's MY turn! ;-)

Last day in Hawaii for this year... It's been awesome!

FOOOOOOD! Must. Order. NOW!

Time to devour some lunch after HUGE fun with the dolphins...

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God is faithful - and He has His people EVERYWHERE

We had a nasty scare today: we accidentally left my Hilton Grand Vacations beach bag at A-Bay today, and when we returned for it -within about 20 minutes - it was gone. A nearby family said that a gentleman had asked them if it was theirs, so we went looking for him and didn't find him.

Up and down A-Bay beach we went, and I confess that I fretted quite a bit. That wasn't surprising, since it had BOTH our wallets, BOTH our cell phones *AND* my beautiful Canon Rebel XSi camera!

But before I went completely off the rails, God in His kindness and grace reminded me to focus on HIM and His plan. Whatever happened - whether the bag turned up untouched or whether we had to wade through the nightmare of identity fraud - whatever happened, He was watching over me and my family. He would take care of it one way or another, and EVERYTHING would work out to His glory and to encourage me in my faith and help me learn to walk closer to Him.

God gave me opportunity to give a small witness of confidence in Him to several people, and I pray that His name will be glorified by it.

And God does not leave His children floating in the abyss! He didn't have to, but He chose in His grace to reward my poor effort of active faith with the return of the bag - the Beloved Husband is picking it up at the Hilton hotel's lost and found right now. The gentleman who picked it up did not leave his name, but I firmly believe that he was one of God's "earthly angels" doing the work of service and encouragement.

God is good. He is kind. His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He's watching over me.

Thank You, Lord!

Sailing the Kohala coast

A wonderful morning snorkle and sail with Ocean Sports out of ABay. Continental breakfast and lunch combined with great snorkling and aloha spirit make this money well spent. Highly recommended!

GOATS ON THE GOLF COURSE! (Is that as bad as "Snakes on the Plane"?)

I have NO IDEA what Waikoloa's golf pro thinks about all this... *grinz* However, feral goats and some feral donkeys are not that unusual a sight here in the Kona-Kohala area of the Big Island...

 

 

Of course, this poor plumeria tree got the worst of things - several of the goats stopped o give themselves a good scratch!

Introducing, with great pride, the Hilton Grand Vacations new King's Land resort!

We bought into this particular resort perhaps about 20 months ago; we've been Hilton Grand Vacations Club® owners since 2006. We've been extremely happy with HGV, and have really used the resort stays. Combined with our Hilton HHonors points, we've really been able to leverage our resort ownership into some wonderful travel benefits!

As I say in the video, I've been quite frustrated that I could only find very basic information online, so now that we're here for our first "home resort" stay, I want to show the world how beautiful and luxurious these resorts are, and how wonderfully well Hilton builds, furnishes and manages them.

I haven't taken any video of the little pool they currently have open. It's the precursor to the large pool, which I think should be done, along with the other buildings, by October of 2009. But I do have pictures! It's a salt water pool, and I think it's quite charming (click to embiggen, of course!):

   

We are in building Five at the moment, which is a few buildings to the left (as you face it) of the Club House complex (still under construction). From the mock up in the Member Services Office, the main pool will be behind the Club House, and will be quite an elaborate affair. Last year, the manager, Phil, implied that the water slide here at King's Land might be bigger and better than the one at the (hotel) Hilton Waikoloa Village! Of course, I don't know for sure, and last year Phil wasn't either - but there's a bit of friendly competition going on, that's for sure!

 

My pictures of the mockup don't really do it justice, and it only includes the Club House and a building on either side.

Here are some of the other pictures I took, interior and exterior:

 

Beautiful Anaeho'omalu Bay

I forgot that I didn't upload some pictures of A-Bay here to CHC! When we visited the other day, I took a lot of neat pictures, but then got caught up in finding a Flickr uploader that would work with my Ubuntu operating system. I did find one, and although it took a few tweaks, and has one or two small quirks, it's working like a champion! So don't forget that you can see all my Hawaii photos from this year in my Hawaii 2009 set.

One wonderful thing about my little photographic excursion along the Bay was this handome little fellow (he was about 2 feet from lead-edge-to-end-edge of his shell) -

 

I don't believe I've ever seen a Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle so close to shore. They are a protected species, so they're supposed to be able to come and go as they like without people chasing them around.

Here are some more pictures of A-Bay for you to enjoy. As always, click to embiggen!

Sansei at Waikoloa, redux

Well, now that I've had a night's sleep and digested some of that delicious sushi from last night, I can post some pictures for you.

I cannot say how yummy it was! Sansei did a wonderful job, and my only quibble (and only a quibble) was that the fit was rather tight at the sushi bar. However, the place was packed - and was the whole time we were there, with people waiting when we left at about 8p - and I do need to lose some weight, so... ;-)

 

This restaurant is located in the Queen's Market, which opened last year (2008). I was delighted that almost all of the storefronts were occupied when wee returned this year, and that the Market was bustling with activity.

We went in and were seated, as I said, at the sushi bar...

And we ordered Agedashi tofu...

 

... the hamachi kama (which is the "collar" of a yellowtail fish - the area around the front fins and gills)...

 

... and the Kohala Crunch roll...

 

It was all absolutely delicious, and you can go read my full write-up at Yelp...

Crazy-busy day today...

... but we had to do something to blast ourselves (particularly the Munchkin) out of our we're-on-vacation-so-we-can-be-slugs-and-do-absolutely-nothing mentality. So, we got rolling at about 9am and ran a couple errands - checking on an upgrade to our car for next week, getting some books to read on the beach, swinging through WalMart to get some supplies - and then went down to Kealakekua Bay (Wikipedia also has some good info), where Captain Cook landed in Hawaii so many years ago.

If you check out the map at that link, we launched the Diveyak at the boat landing near Napo'opo'o Beach, and paddled across the bay to the Captain Cook monument. We only had the little water-resistant Olympus camera with us, so please forgive some of the fuzziness in the photos (caused by water on the lens).

 

Actually, the Beloved and I think it makes for some pretty cool pictures! And it's kind of fun to use his camera - then *I* get some pictures of me on vacation, LOL

This one was taken right near the Cook monument, which is the white monolith you can see in tee photo above. This is just down and to the left of the monument from that photo's perspective. And you can see our wonderful, tough, and versatile Diveyak there with me - it's DEFINITELY been worth the price paid for it!

Here's the monument

 

And here's a view of the Bay looking out from the monument and towards shore

 

And here's a whole bunch of thumbnails (as always, click to embiggen) so I can get them uploaded here and then take some Tylenol and go to sleep - all that paddling REALLY tired my shoulders out, and I'll be paying for it tomorrow!

   

Anyway, it was one of the most beautiful snorkling spots I've ever seen, and it's too bad that the pictures look rather gray; it was a little overcast, but nowhere near as dismal as is seems. But then, I suppose it does add a bit of "mood" to the pictures...

One last shot, and then I'm going to bed:

 

AIIIIGH! ;-)

And on that note, good night!

More food-from-Hawaii blogging....

Well, I took pictures from Merriman's Cafe yesterday, so I really ought to post them, don't you think?

First of all, the delicious white wine sangria -

 

While the Beloved and I were sipping our sangria, the Munchkin enjoyed her virgin lava flow and messed around with her cell phone. You know, the one that's never charged - or, if it is, isn't turned ON...!

When it came time to order, the Munchkin decided to go traditional and get the French fries. But, Merriman's makes their own ketchup and also serves a tasty mustardy mayonnaise on the side...

 

My Beloved and I, however, decided to indulge our love of Mediterranean food and got some olives and some grilled flatbread with onions and tzatziki sauce

   

But the soups special also caught our attention, so we ordered a cup of the curried broccoli soup

 

Everything was delicious, which is why we keep coming back year after year!

Sansei at the Queen's Marketplace Waikoloa

... gotta feed my addiction! We've ordered a hamachi kama, which is the "collar" from a yellowtail. Also some agedashi tofu, and a Kohala Krunch roll which is a house specialty. I've got pix, so I'll post 'em when I get back to the room! Mmmmmmmmmmmm!

Merriman's Market Cafe

... at the King's Shopping Center here in Waikoloa. We stop by here regularly for the cheerful service and yummy Mediterranean-style food. Today with our pupus (that's Hawaiian for appetizers), we're going to have some white sangria. The Munchkin, of course, will be having a virgin Lava Flow ;-)

Another slice of Paradise

This is Anaeho'omalu Bay, or "A-Bay" as the local folks call it, and it's one of the loveliest beaches on the island. If I recall correctly, it was "kapu," and reserved for royalty alone back in the day.

I'm planning on taking a lot of photos here in between swimming and sunning, so I hope to have some uploaded (to Facebook, at least - anyone know a good Flickr uploader compatible with Linux?) tonight.

Back by popular demand: the annual waterslide picture! (with bonus video!)

You demanded it... (well, some of you did!) You got it!

 

And now your bonus video!

Yeah, yeah, and now you greedy-guts are gonna demand both from now on, right? ;-)

UPDATE: Oh, and for those of you who are new here, the annual photos are here, here, and here.

But then again for all its faults Paradise DOESN'T SUCK!

Truly, I am blessed beyond all measure! And for my blog family, not only will you be blessed with the traditional waterslide pic, but the Beloved Husband also took a video. So, when I get it uploaded, you will get live action of me making a fool out of myself!

At the pool at the Hilton Waikoloa Village

... and planning to try and get my annual Kat-makes-a-fool-of-herself-on-the-waterslide picture. Of course, my cell phone camera won't be able to take it properly, so y'all will have to wait until I post it - most likely in the middle of the night, your time...

It may be Paradise but it ain't perfect...

... Milk at $7+ a gallon. SKIM milk, at that. I pay something like $3 a gallon at home.

So Hawaii may be Paradise, but even Paradise can be terribly expensive!

The remains of a Thai dinner

Just waiting for my mango sticky rice for dessert... Yummmmmm!

Ahi poke - mmmmmmmm!

I'm not certain that marlin is a type of tuna, but I'm pretty sure... This is a dish that's a standard in Hawaii, and it's simply delicious! Everyone has their own mix, but it always starts with the freshest of fish - uncooked. Um, well, unless it's tako poke (octopus)...

Oh, and it's pronounced "poh-kay" or "poh-keh."

Aloha from the beautiful Kona coast of Hawaii!

And, really, what better way to start a day in Paradise than with Mimosas on the lanai?

Successful arrival in Kona!

Beloved Hubby has gone to get the car, and we'll make a stop at WalMart to stock up on staple foods... Then it's time for a glass of wine and VACATION!