Ticket to Paradise

Hello, my Dear Friends. 

I have just come back from visiting my daughter, Jennie, 

son-in-law, Steve, and my little grandson, Jack in their 

new home on the big island of Hawaii. 

My daughter, Heather accompanied me and was such a 

lovely, considerate traveling companion. 

Jennie and Steve were gracious hosts and 'travel guides', 

and we had such a wonderful, magical time. 

I miss them already. 

Especially my little grandson. 

xoxo

So, come along with me and I will share the fun and beauty of Hawaii. 

Arriving at the airport in Kona was an interesting experience! 

We disembarked from the plane directly onto the tarmac and walked 

over to what amounted to simply a roof-covered, open-air airport. 

Little birds flew about the flowering hedges as we were directed to a single 

luggage carousel with a security gate that exited next to the road

where our sweet Jennie was waiting to pick us up. 

Oh, such a sight for sore eyes, to see and hug 

my daughter once again! 

We happened to arrive during strong trade winds, which continued 

for most of the visit, off and on, depending on the time of day, 

and the location. 

It was pleasantly warm during the day, but would get cool at night, 

requiring a light jacket or sweater. 

As we traveled toward Jennie's home, we could see the water to the left of us, along the way. 

The ocean was like a beautiful, blue jewel - shimmering in various shades

of turquoise and sapphire, depending on the depth and the light. 

(These photos were taken from inside the vehicle. The white dots

are a reflection of a beaded seat cover on the window!)

To the right we could see rolling hills and mountains in the distance. 

The topography in the lower elevations consisted of rolling hills of black lava rock with tufts of golden grass, interspersed with small trees. 

Wild goats live here - descendants of domestic goats that roam free in small groups. 

It was surprisingly arid and unpopulated for miles. 

Every so often we would see a road on the left with a sign directing

towards a beach or a resort. 

It took us about 40 minutes to arrive at our destination,

(not counting the stop at the store to buy a few things we couldn't pack

and some food items we liked). 

They live in a sweet, sea-green and cream-colored cottage, 

surrounded by flowers and palms and even a lime tree. 

It's in a lovely, neighborhood full of similar homes. 

They have an amazing roof-top deck where they can see the ocean and watch the sunset

with one of Steve's yummy Mai-tai's or Pina Coladas, although it was 

too windy in the evening to enjoy outside activities, unfortunately. 

This was very disappointing to Jennie, but we reassured her

that there would be many visits to come. 

They've been very busy remodeling, painting and customizing 

their home to suit their esthetics. 

They just had all the oak cabinets painted this gorgeous, 

beachy blue. 

The kitchen is still a work in progress, so I will save that for next time. 

The pretty, sunny eating alcove. 

Cozy living room. 

All the ceilings in the main rooms are open beam.

There's an electronic piano against the clock wall that is hidden

but you can see the music stand. 

Jack is already showing signs of being very musical 

and is taking piano lessons once a week.

  

The front door. 

They had all new doors recently installed. 

To the right is my guest room. <3

Isn't it pretty?

Me in the mirror. 

It was so cozy and quiet. 

There are two other bedrooms - Jack's room which is similar

to this one except for a navy-blue and cream color scheme, 

and the master bedroom suite. 

Heather stayed in Jack's room while Jack 

'camped out' in a little tent in his Mom and Dad's room. 

The guest bath that was just remodeled. 

The tiles look like bamboo and pebbles. 

There are three pretty bathrooms. 

xx

Me checking out my updo in the mirror before going out to dinner. :)

Fun photo wall in the living room which was left behind by the previous owners. 

xx

Sweet little 'Lovey'. 

Some of you might remember her from when I would pet-sit. 

She remembered me and was so happy to see me.

"Where's Kai?"  

xx

It was so nice to be able to see and experience the beautiful place where they lived! 

It is their dream and I am so happy for them!

A life they worked very hard for. 

xx

One of our first excursions was a trip to a secret little beach they had found. 

Besides goats, there are also chickens that roam free everywhere! 

There are no predators here. 

Ancient lava flows. 

My sweet grandson. 

He's getting so tall. 

xx

Me, enjoying the shade, with my pocket full of treasures :)

Heather checking out the horizon. 

Jennie testing the waters. 

Heather and Steve looking for shells.

This was an impromptu stop, so we weren't dressed for the occasion. 

A treasure-trove of coral, lava rocks and tiny shells. 

I found a few interesting finds, 

which I will show you in a later post. 

It was time for dinner, so we had to go. 

Cheers! 

We had dinner at a beautiful restaurant overlooking the water - 

'Tommy Bahama's' where their good friend, Dave is the manager.

The food and service were excellent.  

The beautiful sunset. 

Thank you for coming along on the first part of my wonderful trip to 

Hawaii. 

Next time I will share our drive into the Hawaiian mountains. 

xx