Greetings fellow island dwellers.

Hanalei and Kilauea have nice shops. Re dw birthday: We bought soaps, candles, and a tshirt. We didnt buy handpainted shirts ($95) and handcrafted shell necklaces ($60).

Instead I drove through the terrible traffic in kapaa to the walmart where I bought a nice unhandcrafted shirt ($18) and a shell necklace ($1). On the way home I took a shortcut to avoid the traffic. I got lost. My GPS does not work here.

The rooster are loud and don't seem to know when dawn is. The frogs are also quite noisy. Its like being in a national geographic sound track.

But we kayaked to our local beach in this morning and again before dinner. Very pretty at dusk. Attempted frisbee with kids. Listened to ds#1 play the ukulele.

Rain tomorrow. After birthday celebrating, we'll head for the south coast, maybe Wameawhatchacallit Canyon.

You haven't heard roosters until you've experienced the full symphony during a clear full moon.

For your viewing pleasure. . .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EAe1s3vi_A

If you're still looking for some nice chotskies and will be driving thru the traffic infested Kapaa, in pouring rain while being attacked by giant mosquitos, try The Kauai Store.

Local artists selling some very nice things at decent prices. thekauaistore.com/

Scored Mrs Kal some very nice earrings this past January.
She then had to go back and get a bracelet to match. Silly me....

Plus you can pick up a few bars of Kauai Chocolate Co's chocolate bars or Opihi.
Saves you the drive out to Eleele

Honestly, I don't know how I would react or feel if my beloved husband gave me soap for my birthday.

Sorry kal, don't step aside. We can never have too many outstanding KAUAI Posters Like you too

Funny thing, after you've been away from Kauai for a few years (speaking personally), you actually miss the roosters.
And the mother hens, with all the chicks scurrying around them.
A real ohana!

I'll try the kauai store. We headed out this morning on tour #1 to pancakes and the canyon but my brother, bless his heart, didn't want to wait half an hour at the Kountry Kitchen so we had huevos rancheros down the street. Maybe we shoulda waited. Then we drove to the Wimea Canyon except I neglected to get gas and we had to go back to Wimea and then back to the canyon but it was too cold and rainy to go on the hike so we went to the overlook which was pretty spectacular. The drive was almost as long as that sentence. I was with my two sons and nephew and they played 20 questions and strange word games. It was a lot of fun. We stopped again at walmart to buy me a Hawaiian shirt and a volleyball. I love this place. Dw loves her soap.

We stopped again at walmart to buy me a Hawaiian shirt and a volleyball

Was it your birthday?

Sounds like a great trip. Last time we were there we hiked the Canyon Trail, and then went up to the lookout which was 100% fogged in. When the fog lifted, the view was spectacular.

I'm so glad your lovely wife is squeaky clean. Did you name your ball Wilson?

If you're back by Hamura Saimans bring a chiffon pie home. They usually have some frozen which thaw out nicely on the drive and make for a bad bfast with some fruit and coffee.

Oh that chiffon pie sounds good. The volleyball is just like Wilson except it doesn't have a face and it's Franklin. It cost $5.61 which is quite a bargain. This morning we played with Franklin on the beach. This afternoon we're going to hanalei for ice cream and to look at the pier. Tomorrow we'll go for a rubber boat ride to look at the Napoli coast unless we get swept away and end up in the Galapagos. I like my Hawaiian shirt from Walmart. Surprisingly, it was made in Hawaii.

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=...ie&FORM=IRMHRS

Gotta get some pie.

Gawd I love Hamura Saimin. I didn't have the pie (next time), but the saimin soup is to die for as well. It's really hard to find so plan accordingly.

Our Plan B pie place since I'm always too stuffed at Hamura's.

http://rightslice.com/menu/

since you are renting a house and have a kitchen, "take and bake".

The only thing that precludes us from buying more is we only have a microwave so we bought them at the Puhi shop baked then ran red lights to get "home".

They are now at The Harbor Mall by the Marriott at Kalapaki Bay/Nawiliwili so less red lights to run. (Also have a Kalaheo location near BOP and Kalaheo Cafe).

The Mango Passionfruit is "onoliscious". I bought one for the Sand Bar one evening and the "Dec/Jan Irregulars" still talk about it.

Their chicken pot pies and vegggie pies were also very good.
Good dinner plan sitting up on the lanai watching and listening to the ocean do it's thing a few yards away.

>>Their chicken pot pies and vegggie pies were also very good. Good dinner plan sitting up on the lanai watching and listening to the ocean do it's thing a few yards away>>

Ah yes, nothing better, except being in the ocean!

Will put in a plug for Tunnels' great beach reef up on the North Shore. DD and I saw a large ell peeking out at us wedged into a rock. She nearly had a fit and almost drowned me.

Just returned from the BI, now I want to go back to Kauai! Whaaaaa!!

http://www.tropicalsnorkeling.com/sn...g-tunnels.html

It's hard to find this beach so you might check with a local dive shop on conditions and directions. It's one of my all time favorite places. And it never seems crowded. I've been in the winter though so maybe in the summer it is more so.

84 more days.

Was there Pie or did you let them eat cake?

Lamentably, no pie yet. We have made some progress on our to do list, however.

We kayaked to our local beach at Moloa'a Bay a couple more times. We played volleyball twice on the beautiful beach at Hanolei. We sat on the pier in the sun, leaned back on columns, and looked across the sea at the long curve of beach and tall green mountains. Sweet.

I tried surfing. I took the board out and brought it back without loss of life. The kids surfed, sorta.

We went to Pink ice cream. The girl there, from Portland, was very nice and said "super" a lot.

I learned to mount a surfboard on the car roof fins up so if the binding slips the boards will catch on the fins instead of flying off the car.

This morning we got to Kountry kitchen and had macadamia pancakes. They are quite big and tasty. We bought earrings down the street at The Kauai Store.

Tomorrow, Friday, we go on a rubber boat ride to the napoli coast unless a whale eats us. We leave for home Saturday evening.

We may have to come back to finish the to do list which you all have so kindly provided us.

just reading the Hanalei Pier part made my BP lower by 20 points.