Vowels are the romance language sounds (ah, a, e, o, oo like in Spanish), and every vowel is a separate syllable except some diphthongs, e.g., au is ow (kau kau is food), ei is a (lei is lay). It's really pretty simple, but when you look at some of the long street names it won't seem so--just keep pronouncing; there are only 13 letters.

Okole = a$$#ole

LOL, Lookin_Glass..........you're on a roll today!

onehundredthirtydays

FINALLY I can join you, HI groupies ;)

102.

25 days!!((r))

Careful icee...heart palpitations are common when one gets below 30 days. :)

108 days!!!

....and sometimes common at 320 days....

23 days for me...bring on those heart palpitations! Woohoo!

:( I can't join..I don't have a countdown yet!! gotta bat my eyelashes at DH and see what we can figure out. I won't last waiting another year!

gmac: Start batting...;;)!! You may get palpitations if you have to wait too long.
How long has it been since your last fix?

A little <i>this</i> ;;) and a <i>lotta</i> >:D< :* goes a long way!

Kal, did you see my picture at the Sand Bar? Met some lovely people there and saw whales off shore!

49 days for us!

I am batting away here! Last fix was 11 days in June. DH had 2 trips last year 3 weeks apart...he owes me :)

Leaving in three days for three weeks on the Big Island (Kapoho-Honoka'a-Ke'ei)- woo hoo! And since I like to plan ahead--291 days til we're back again in south Kona.

How far from Kona is Kapoho? I'm assuming it's north?

Kapoho is on the east coast of the island of Hawaii in the Puna district--it is about 125 miles from Kona by either the northern or southern route.

What do you enjoy there? We plan on driving there for a day to see the falls and botanical gardens, anything else you recommend?

In Kapoho, we enjoy hanging out at the house we rent www.lagoonhouse.com, snorkeling in the lagoon behind the house and swimming in the Champagne Pond that is between the house and the open ocean, having dinner at Paolo's Bistro in Pahoa and just relaxing. Kapoho is about 45 minutes south-east of Hilo and it sounds like the area you are exploring is northwest of Hilo (Akaka Falls, Hawaiian Tropical Botanic Gardens??), don’t know if you’d have time to drive on down there. If you do, you might enjoy swimming in the volcanically-heated pool at Ahalanui Park on highway 137 or snorkeling in the tide pools in Vacationland—the Wai’opae Tide Pools http://hawaii.gov/dlnr/dar/mlcd_waiopae.html (go close to high tide—DH says best coral on the island).

I would enjoy the heated pools but you are right, we probably will not have time. Thanks!

Oh well-you have to save something for next time! :)

3 months and 2 weeks!!! The tickets have been over a $1000 per person but last Thursday morning I checked and the tickets dropped to $883 so I did the fare lock and we bought them Saturday night!

Supposed to leave for Maui tomorrow but in the process of cancelling everything. :(

I'm too sick to travel and now I'm adding to the pain by not going to Hawaii. Sometimes life sucks.

Oh no sassy! I hope you get better quickly and then are able to re-book your trip.

Thanks wekewoody.. hoping to get through this and book same place, same dates for next year but really disappointed. Maui would have been the perfect place to recuperate!

daaaaaang sassy_cat
get well soon.
When you're feeling mo bettah, perhaps you could get some tuna and make poke (New Deal), order some tropical flowers or a couple of leis on line, make banana mac pancakes - or email me for my famous top secret "Auntie's Roadside Island Banana Bread" recipe which is way mo bettah den anyting you can get on da island.

Thanks Lookin_Glass... A friend recommended a trip to Home Depot and I was completely nonplussed until he explained that I needed a truckload of sand to turn my living room into a beach!

I like the tropical flowers and leis suggestions a whole lot more :)
No tuna or poke or pancakes just yet as I have gastritis :(

Today is exactly...3 months...until I'm back on Kauai soil!!! May 25 can't get here quick enough!!!!!

Today is exactly 5 days until we set foot on The Big Island! And, exactly 12 DAYS until I'm back on Kaua'i soil!!!

13 days!!!! When hubby asked where I wanted to go for much needed vacation of course it was Hawaii. Spending 1 week on the northshore of Kauai, 1 week at our timeshare near Kona and soaking up as much aloha spirit as we can in 2 weeks! This is our 7th trip to the islands but we havent been for many years. I'm "home sick"!

112 until I do the malasada dance.

Malasadas...........mmmmmmmmmmmm!

WW, I didn't know you can dance!! ((r))

Wave a malasada in front of me and watch me boogie!(({)) ((}))

4 more days until Oahu! We leave on Friday morning!! 6 nights in Waikiki and 3 on the North Shore. Can't wait!

Hmmm, I think it IS called the Malasada Shuffle!!! Will send pics! Did I mention we are only 4 days away???((r))

You southerners do the shuffle. We Californians do the boogie. Definitely send pics!

Hey, Mauna Kea got about a foot and a half of snow this weekend. You ganna go skiing?