i heart thursdays

Day 10: Haleakala

2009-03-20T23:58:00.000-07:00

Holding for post!

Day 9: Snorkeling, Whales, Sea Turtles…Oh My!

2009-03-18T23:30:00.000-07:00

The sun was up and shining first thing, and we were delighted! The 5-hour snorkeling/whale watching ‘tour’ was everything we’d hoped for and more. First, I carefully chose the tour that best mapped to our personalities – a smaller catamaran that holds just 38 guests, whereas most of the tours hold 100. It also visited Turtle Point instead of Molokai Island, so instead of 10 boats with 100 people (re:1000 snorkeling neighbors), we had our boat, which today only had about 25 people aboard. The boat departed at 8 a.m.

We headed out and saw humpback whales within minutes – about 5-6 of them in this particular group. Throughout the day, there were more and more – some breaching 100% (that’s whale-speak for Shamu-like-up-outta-da-water jumping!). We saw a calf who was just a couple weeks old and still very translucent gray hopping in and out of the water. They are majestic creatures and it was amazing to be so close!

Once we reached Turtle Point, we were in the water within 10 minutes and as soon as our masks hit the water, the show was spectacular! The coral alone was worth the trip, but add in the copious species of fish, and of course, the green sea turtles (who were HUGE!) and we were feeling true bang for our buck. After about an hour, we went in and had a nice buffet lunch, and then jumped back in for one more whirl before heading back. More and more whales on the way home…

The crew was so nice, the food was good, the other passengers (the biggest variable in these things, imho), were really cool people. We had fun, and mostly kept to ourselves because there was plenty of room to do so.

After we hit the pool and enjoyed the sunshine since we seem to never know what tomorrow will bring!

Tomorrow we are debating the ridiculously early rise of 3 a.m. to head out to see the sunrise over Haleakala, a must-see as told by oh, almost everyone I know whose done it. We may save it for next time…or not. Tomorrow night is our last big fancy dinner out to celebrate Jill’s approaching birthday at Mama’s Fish House, lauded as the best seafood restaurant on the island, and by some accounts, in all of Hawaii. Should be a lovely last day!

We ended today with another sushi dinner with Todd & Tanya, great, amazing fish here! YUM!

Day 8: The Fairmont!

2009-03-17T21:16:00.000-07:00

Today was pretty basic, chill day for us. We switched hotels early and were set up poolside at the Fairmont by 11 a.m. It was overcast but kinda nice to not squint the whole time.

The hotel is lovely and has many pools and amenities. Our suite is very nice, ocean view and quite spacious. Due to my 2-month+ residence at the Fairmont Acapulco for yoga training, we are fancy-pants Platinum club members so we got a killer welcome basket to boot! ☺

We both had noted many, many children tossing footballs around with one another while by the pool. More than is normal. There were no Frisbees, or other balls – just footballs. And then there were many, many large, barrel-chested men. And lots of sportswear, Nike, etc. Turns out, there is a NFLPA convention here – NFL Players Association – and aside from a few biggies I wouldn’t know who was who, but if you happen to be an NFL fan, this would’ve been a good week to be at this hotel.

Otherwise, this was a relaxation day with mediocre weather. We pooled, napped, ate, napped, ate, walked around the property, etc. and then hit the hay early for our 6 a.m. alarm for snorkeling and whale watching tomorrow morning!

Day 7: Wow – The West Maui Loop

2009-03-16T23:10:00.000-07:00

This was my most favorite day here so far. In fact, it was probably one of my most favorite days I’ve ever spent with Jill. We drove the 60-mile loop around West Maui, enjoying some amazing sites, hikes and food along the way.

Though we took off around 8:30 a.m. and really got going by around 9 a.m. after stopping to see some birds at the wildlife refuge along the roadside, and grabbing gas. Because we’d just visited Lahaina the night before, we were able to drive past it and onto the vast Ka’anapali beach area along the far west side of this section of the island. The beaches here are similar to the Wailea beaches, gigantic, golden sand and sunshine!

We determined quickly that this area would not be our first choice for lodging. Unlike our ‘hood, it really seemed to just be condo after condo – they all kinda looked the same. If I had kids, this would be perfect – as most are right on the water and it’d be easy to transport you/your stuff without dealing with loading/unloading a car.

We walked a beach path down to a snorkel area and watched a zillion folks in the water around Black Rock, a rock that separates the two major beaches in this area. On our way back to the car, we wandered through The Whaler Village shopping mall where there was a Coach, Louis Vuitton and a bunch of little shops. We just picked up a few trinkets at the ABC and then moved on.

We hit a fabulous little farmer’s market/grocery and got food for a picnic lunch (turns out, my sister and her husband visited this shop daily on their trip here a year ago for his 40th bday!). The store had a ton of homemade goodies and Jill got pineapple bread that was to die for! We also got a few spreads and dips and fruit for lunch. We then blew past a ton of beaches, since we’ve seen plenty of sandy beaches, and got to the rougher part of the coastline.

Our first amazing stop (there were 3) was a lava formation called Dragon’s Teeth. We walked a little bit along the edge of a golf course and came to this lava-made rocky area right on the ocean. The waves were incredible, the water was so blue…and we saw a bunch of whales. We couldn’t believe how amazing this place was just a hidden little stroll from a parking area.

Next we stopped roadside at an overlook hanging over the last sandy beach on this side of the island. We had a gorgeous view, situated our beach towel and ate our goodies before driving on the mile or so, parking and hiking down to the beach. We had it completely to ourselves and hung out a little bit there. The beach had a lot of rocks, and within the water were HUGE boulders that we had seen from above but they looked so different from the same level.

Our second killer stop was the Nakalele Blowhole. The hike down among a lot of lava rocks, many of which were really dry and sharp, was a good workout. The return trip was too! The blowhole itself was a little lazy and though we saw it perform, it wasn’t anything really exciting. But, the view was amazing! And again, the waves crashing along the shore made the trip worth it, along with the various species of little fish and crabs moving about.

The most stunning of all our stops were the Olivine Pools a couple miles down the road. This was by far the most treacherous hike in, not far but steep, again among sharp, dry lava rocks. When we got to the bottom, we were again alone – this time amongst pools formed by ocean waves crashing up and over the rocks behind them.

Some of the pools were shallow and quite warm, but the best one was cool, blue and deep enough you could cannonball into it! We didn’t though, because you could also see the many species of tropical fish swimming about. They didn’t seem to mind us being there...they’d just swim around you like you weren’t even there. It was like snorkeling without ever going under water! Departure was difficult as the wall of lava rocks looked all the same, but after a few roadblocks, we found enough of a path to get us out.

The rest of the drive was a lovely, winding road through green lush hills. It reminded us a lot of the drive to Hana, but was way more accessible. We both agreed that Hana was cool, and we’re glad we did it – but don’t really feel like we need to do it again. The West Maui loop, though, we figure on doing every time we come here. Great return on investment! We were gone about 8 hours, and were probably only in the car for 2 hours, tops – we got the most sun of any day here because we were in it for 5 hours! We both tend to get a little bored after a couple hours of lying around by the pool or at the beach – we had a blast being active, seeing some of beautiful Maui, and getting sun!

The day wrapped up with sushi with Todd & Tanya, and way, way too much to drink for me. Oy! We won’t go into that, though.

Tomorrow we move to the Fairmont Kea Lani in Wailea, about 5 miles down the street. Should be fun to be in a fancy hotel for a few nights before heading home!

Day 6: Rain, then no rain...

2009-03-15T20:18:00.000-07:00

We woke up this morning to the clunk of our outdoor swin-suit drying ‘coat rack’ tipping over on our lanai at 6:30 a.m. It was the craziest rain we’d seen yet. It looked a bit like those hurricane shots on the Weather Channel.

To compensate for my sadness about the rain, I got up and made us a kick-ass breakfast, figuring if we were stuck inside for a while we might as well enjoy it. So, I made breakfast potatoes out of Big Island yams and Maui onions, fried an egg, and then cut up pineapple to round out the local-food meal. We also finished off our Kona coffee. Yum!

At this point, we were both pretty disappointed in the weather – not that it can be controlled, of course, but still…so we decided to go to a movie at 11 a.m. and saw The Reader. Not exactly an easy breezy vacation film, but it was very well done and we both enjoyed it.

Better though was emerging to blue skies and sunshine! It was a little bit cloudy, but no rain = fun! We got beached out and headed to the Four Seasons to sit by the pool with Todd & Tanya, turned out though Todd was napping so Tanya kicked it with us for a little bit.

From there, it was only 5 p.m. so we decided to drive to lovely Lahaina. This cute seaside town is riddled with shops and restaurants, and we hit it right at sundown. It was so pretty. We walked through and saw the Banyan Tree Park that features a single tree that covers an entire block. We strolled along the boardwalk as the sun set, shot a few photos and then grabbed dinner at Kahuna Kabobs – the Ono fish kabob came on top of rice and veggies. It was tasty, though the young bucks working there did overcook the fish a tad.

From there, we headed back to Kihei and hoped for sun tomorrow!

The Four Seasons Pool; drive and then shots of Lahaina, including the huge Banyan Tree Park.

Interlude: Jill's Hana Highway Photos

2009-03-15T11:56:00.000-07:00

Jill took a slew of fabulous photos on our Hana Highway trip - and so I thought I'd share them with you here. Enjoy!

On the black sand beach: Some fun photos, abandoned shoes, and me just after being unexpectedly smashed by a wave. Look at that fat lip! :( The rest are shots along the way, including the carcass we had to climb around to get to our first waterfall. Ew!

Day 5: Crazy Maui Weather

2009-03-14T22:20:00.000-07:00

Today we woke up to a seemingly sunny-ish day with a few clouds in the sky. Jill was going to try to go to 8 a.m. yoga, and then bum around while I took Craig Villani's 10 a.m. "master class" - a little backgroud - Craig was the director of my Bikram Yoga Teacher Training almost a year ago now in Acapulco. For me, his instruction and guidance resonated more deeply than anyone else I experienced at training. I learned so much from him, and so, when we arrived last Tuesday and saw he was teaching a class today, I was *there*! Jill, on the other hand, wasn't so keen on a 2-hour ++ class while on vacation, and who could blame her. However....

We didn't wake up until 7:15 and so in the end, she joined me for the 10 a.m. class. Once we parked and got inside, the weather took an unexpected turn - we looked out to see hurricane like rain and wind that was insane! Just like that! The owner of the studio told all of us to move our cars off the street, as it tended to hold water and unless we were up high, our car may flood. Another woman who was in the 8 a.m. class (that was just finishing) ran out because she'd left the top down on her convertible.

Jill ventured out, barefoot in her yoga clothes, to move the car...I couldn't see her feet in the water that had accumulated in just those couple minutes. Some local fella drove up next to her and asked, "So, ya goin' for a swim?"

Class started a few minutes late and it was fantastic. The room was pretty much to capacity and the humidity was again, a lot for me. Still, the class was great. He started off saying "I didn't come up with the term "master class" and I don't look in the mirror and think of myself as a "yoga master" or anything like that, but I have some tips that I hope will help your practice." And from there, we started class. It was almost 2.5 hours long, but with some demonstrations and breaks. He pushed us in good ways and at the end, we both felt pretty exhilarated. Jill was glad she opted into this one, as it turned out too. :)

After, we went in the bumper to bumper traffic to Pa'ia for lunch at the Pa'ia's Fish Market - everyone whose been here that we know insisted on it. So we made it and stood in line and waited some more and then our fantastic lunches arrived! I had the Mahi & Chips, Jill had the "Obama Burger" which was a cajun blakened fish with all sorts of fixin's on a bun, with what turned out to be a giant blob of wasabi (re: NOT guacamole...ouch!) on top. The fish was fantastic and the fries delicious. It was community seating and we chatted with an elderly couple from Chehalis who were sitting across from us.

We then bummed around Pa'ia and took in some of the shops, one of the small buddhist temples there (which had a 6' tall prayer wheel inside!) and then had some locally made Ono gelato. We got a medium with two flavors, as they had a whole case of dairy-free flavors to Jill's lactose-intolerant delight. We couldn't even finish it, but it was tasty! Around 4:30, we headed back home...I went and got my toes re-done as they took quite a beating in the surf yesterday, and Jill chilled out.

As mentioned, Todd & Tanya arrived yesterday so we went to meet up and had Thai food with them for dinner. It was fun to see them and catch up! They are staying a little more south in Wailea (where we are moving to on Tuesday) and had pretty decent weather today. Tomorrow is supposed to be quite rainy, but we just figure we'll plan out the day once we see how things go. We've discovered some rainy day activities and both have books and sudokus to do! It's vacation, and we're happy to just relax and do nothing...
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Crazy weather (enlarge to see by clicking); Craig in class; Jill & I after class; Pa'ia Fish Market lunch - YUM!; pretty gelato above; Buddhist temple and Tanya & Todd, hamming it up!

Day 4: Big Beach Day

2009-03-13T20:57:00.000-07:00

We seem to be keeping time with home, so we wake up before 7 every day and we’re ok with that – we seem to run our day about 3 hours ahead of everyone else and we like it! Today the sun was up shortly after we were, and that got us excited for the beach!

After breakfast at home – which, an aside here – this place we are staying is working out so great. We have averaged two meals ‘in’ and one meal out/day. Note that food costs here are horrendous, but you know that going in. It seems even the most basic meal out – like, two salads or two simple fish sandwiches , is $30. It’s ok, it is what it is…but that said, having breakfast and coffee here before heading out, and then making simple dinners has been wonderful. We switch over to a huge hotel next Tuesday, so we won’t be able to do that then, so we’re taking advantage of it now.

Plus, I like to cook and lately life has been so crazy I’ve not been able to cook much at all – teaching or taking yoga in the evenings, there have been many’a “open a can of soup” nights for us. It’s so nice to have such lovely, fresh, summery food to cook at our own pace, no rush.

Anyhow, we headed out by 9 a.m. and drove to Big Beach in Makena. It is one, BIG beach! Again, arriving before most, we showed up to a sparsely populated beach and spent about 3 hours boogie-boarding, reading, listening to music and just staring at the sea. The waves were just right, though we both got a little beat up by the surf at times from either not paying attention or it just getting ahead of us.

So, riddled with sand in all kinds of places, we headed back to Kihei for lunch at Pita Paradise - a nice, simple, healthy lunch. We did a little shopping/stopping before heading back to our hotel for some pool time. And again, being off everyone else’s schedule, no one was here and we had the place to ourselves. After downtime, we headed out to Sansei Sushi upon the recommendation of our friend Carol who was here a couple weeks ago. It was delicious! Evening brought us back to relax at our place…

Our friends Todd & Tanya arrived here today – a happy accident, they had a trip planned here which overlaps with ours now until we head home. We hope the weather is good and we’ll see them tomorrow!

Below: Us on the beach, and our hotel "private" pool...

Day 3: The Road to Hana!

2009-03-12T20:11:00.000-07:00

We decided today would be the day we drove to Hana, rain or shine. Well, it was RAIN - unbelievable amounts of it, too. But we figured if you're going to be in a car all day, why not on a rainy day? Plus, our guidebook assured us the rain would clear up 2/3 of the way through...and it did, more like 3/4 of the way, but still.

So what can I say? We drove from Kihei all the way around the island via the Hana Highway, and then on through the supposedly "rugged" lower part of the island back through Kuhului to Kihei. We left early - normally, 1500-2000 cars *per day* drive this amazingly beautiful road. Usually folks leave around 8:30 - 10 a.m., so we thought, "why not beat'em all?" and Jill set the alarm for (yawn!) 5 a.m. We were on our way with breakfast in the belly and gas in the car by 6:30 a.m. - and returned home near 5 p.m.! The odometer clicked us at about 100 miles - but with so many stops and exploration, we were glad we left as early as we did.

The road to Hana is twisty and legend has it there are over 600 turns - you can read the Wiki and learn lots more about the drive. The rain was torential at times, it was freezing cold and wet. Though I brought a bevy of extra clothes, most were intended for warm swims in ocean pools and woody streams - alas, there would be none of that. Our first waterfall stop was noted in our book and was lovely, though we had to traverse the strewn carcass of two large dead animals to get to it. Seems the ignored "No Tresspassing" sign was not doing the trick, so this was meant to deter us - it did not. Just about 30 paces and we saw the first of many glorious waterfalls!

If you saw Jurassic Park, you have a sense of what we saw. Huge, steep cliffs riddled with every shade of green you can imagine, dipping down out of eyesight to volcanic-rock-lined waterways below. Since it was rainy, the haze of low-lying clouds created a mystic scene. Jill's photos show this as well, though it was more due to the steaming up of her lens with all the weather changes!

We'll admit to wondering at times, especially during the first part of the day, if we were stupid for braving the drive despite the rain. Then, we came upon our first stunning, worth-getting-soaked-for attraction: The Pa'iloa Black Sand Beach at Wai'anapanapa State Wayside Park. O.M.G. Seriously. We parked and climbed down the beach, riddled with volcanic rock formations and of course, the black sand a direct result of this. There was a lava tube - re: a short little black cave that once carried lava up to 20 miles losing only 20 degrees in temperature - to the right. We headed down it and found an idyllic site: The opening framing a perfect shot of the ocean crashing against the huge volcanic rocks. The sound of the stones during the undertow was deafening and amazing (watch/listen to video above!). We each took photos and enjoyed viewing this amazing scene while DRY :) From there though, we ventured onto the beach and each got fairly soaked either from the rain or from being a little too optimistic with our foot placement vs. the waves.

Many short waterfall stops, a coffee stop, and driving lead us eventually to Hana proper, which, itself, is not too much to see. We ate lunch at the recommended little burger shack on the waterfront at another state park. It was mediocre and overpriced, but hit the spot nonetheless. Next up was the Red Sand Beach - and it was pretty amazing as well. Located in Hana, it was accessed first through a small green field, then down a fairly rugged cliffside that was doable using your hands for leverage and balance. Once there, the rain stopped for a bit and we even saw a ray or two of sunshine! We again played around on the beach, and again, I sorely misjudged the strength of the waves and ended up soaked. On to another set of clothes...

From here, the sun started to be a more regular occurence and the cloudy skies dissipated, opening us up to the other side of the island. Our big stop here was the pools at Haleakala National Park - a stroll through the pineapple grove led to a set of amazing pools settled in among old, gray lava formations. The ocean at it's foot, the pools invited swimming but we were both still warming up from our morning, so opted to just wade through and take photos.

The rest of the drive home was sunny and blue skies - beach after beach, stunning cliff-side views of the ocean to the left, with rolling, green (and I mean GREEN) hillsides to the right. Since not many had ventured out it seemed, we didn't struggle with too much traffic or cars in front of us blocking our view - for the majority of the drive, we 'owned the road' which was our goal and intention by getting up so early.

We arrived back in Kihei around 5 p.m., stopped at a little fish deli near the yoga studio and picked up fresh Mahi Mahi for night #2 of tacos (because really, how do you only make fixin's for one night?), came home, started the laundry (what a load!) and then settled into a bottle of Sake and dinner.

Was it worth it? Indeed! Would it have been nicer if it was sunny the whole way? Indeed. But no regrets - it'd be something I'd want to do again on my next trip, aiming for better (warm, sunny) weather and thus having (likely) a very different experience. That said, it was in many ways the Hawaii you see in pictures, and think of when you think "dream vacation to Hawaii" and for that, it was well worth the trip!

I can't help but post a lot of photos, because the whole day was a feast for the eyes!

Waterfall #1 - Jurassic Park!; Waterfall #2 - Note the CRAZY rain in the foreground; Ocean; The black 'walls' at Pa'iloa Black Sand Beach; A shot from the Lava Tube there; Black Sand Beach; and then, Red Sand Beach; Waves and blue blue blue water!; Roadside waterfall with a bunch of locals selling snacks and crafts; Us, there; Pools at Haleakala (photo does not do it justice..sorry); Blue skies & beauty the rest of the way!

Day 2: Beaches & Sunshine!

2009-03-11T23:23:00.000-07:00

So, turns out the weather has been crappy here lately. Today, however, was a much-needed (according to locals) sunny day. We hit 8 a.m. yoga and I finished off my 30-day challenge (yay! Me!) with a near-perfectly-taught class by a Kiwi named Monique, whom Jill especially loved. She (and I) also both loved the lower incidence of humidity at 8 a.m., when the studio is as fresh and new as the morning sun. Ahhhh! After we had breakfast (and I indulged in the local favorite breakfast meat: Portuguese Sausage…yum!) we headed out for some easy, close-to-home in South Maui time.

We went to the in-town beach after stopping home to slather sunscreen upon ourselves and changed into swimsuits. We were in the ocean by noon and then lay on the beach reading and relaxing. (Our hotel has beach chairs, boogie boards, beach mats, towels, snorkel gear – all for the borrowing. Super nice!) We then got a local treat of a mini-sized shaved ice (upon ice cream in my case) at the Rainbow Mall before heading to Wailea to check out the fancy hotels and beach path.

We arrived and found the public beach/park parking nestled between the Four Seasons and the Wailea Grand hotels. It’s genius, really, in that you can park and go to the same beaches for free! Overall, that is one stunning aspect of Hawaii – the beaches are amazing, and you just drive up, park and enjoy. Period. Anyhow, along these beaches is a nice walk-able path where we meandered and took photos, saw whales and checked out the Fairmont Hotel Kea Lani where we will be spending our last 3 nights (we had a freebies!). It looks lovely and has a totally different vibe/feel to where we are now, it’ll be a nice way to end our trip at the fancy-pants hotel with all the fixin’s – our place now is perfect though, we are both pleased at how we planned the trip to be in two different spots/accommodations.

For dinner, we found a second natural grocery – this one, not vegetarian! – and picked up some local, grass-fed beef tenderloin, local blue corn tortillas, and a bevy of other items to make steak tacos at home. We also stopped at a gourmet wine and cheese shop and got a bottle of Rose and some fancy French cheese to enjoy before/with dinner. Our hotel has a really amazing outdoor kitchen we are free to use (as well as a nice one inside, too). I made pineapple salsa (with local pineapple and maui onions) along with other toppings and Jill cooked up the meat and tortillas. We sat outside and had a great dinner together by the pool. From what we can tell, only the onsite manager is occupying one of the other 5 units, otherwise, we own the place ☺

Tomorrow we are planning to drive the road to Hana – an all-day event, so we’re getting up early to avoid the car-crowds!
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Gorgeous beachy day - yes, that is a *mini* shaved ice, neither of us could finish it! Koi at the Grand Wailea. p.s. More photos soon, Jill has all the pix of me :) We tend to shoot photos of one another, so I have to gather up ones of me from her....

Day 1: Arrival in Maui!

2009-03-10T23:12:00.000-07:00

Today we flew 6 hours from Seattle to Maui…uneventful flight and we landed to warm breezes at the airport. From there, we grabbed our rental car and immediately found a Natural Foods Grocery – mind you, everyone told us “go to Costco, it’s right by the airport! Or Wal-mart…” and we were so excited to see this option instead. In addition to grabbing groceries, we were lucky they also had a hot buffet, Whole Foods-like (though, no meat :( ), that we were able to get a simple, healthy lunch right away.

Our boutique hotel proved to be everything it said it was – it’s really lovely overall. Nice pool, we have a little Koi pond outside our door, two lanais and the ocean is just across the street. That we knew, but still, a small bummer not to stumble out the door onto the sand…but stunning views and a great location in Kihei.

We headed to 4 p.m. yoga for Day 29 of my 30-day challenge. The studio in Kahului is really nice.Good size practice room, small changing room but with two showers! A fella named Doc taught class and it was just fine....aside from the raging humidity, something neither of us are used to at all. By the end of the warm-up I was, as I would say, “training soaked” – still, made it through just fine. The locals are very kind and happy to see you, which is fun too. Always nice to chat and meet new people...

From there, we headed home and just made a simple dinner at home and hung out, planning a little bit of our week-and-a-half here, but without too much structure, of course…it is vacation!

Above and below: Us on the beach across the street from our hotel.

Little Dude with Peas

2008-12-12T20:45:00.000-08:00

37.5 Today!

2008-12-11T20:48:00.000-08:00

Cafe Flora with Jill & Mikey

2008-12-03T19:50:00.000-08:00

Missy, Jenn & Rox at Poppy!

2008-11-28T22:52:00.000-08:00

BJ's First Class!

2008-11-19T12:55:00.000-08:00

Art Coffins!

2008-11-15T20:57:00.000-08:00

Little Rock: Last Day in Arkansas

2008-10-31T22:34:00.000-07:00

Today was a nice mellow wrap-up to our time in Arkansas. We hit a few of the thrift/antique shops we'd missed after breakfast with Jill's mom. Then, we met her dad for lunch and I met him for the first time. He was very nice, more talkative then I envisioned and it was clear that he really loves his daughter.

We hit the traveling Andy Warhol exhibit which featured all of the super-cool Warhol pieces that were missing from the Pittsburgh Andy Warhol Museum we visited in January. They even had a little version of the cloud room! (If you've been, you know what I speak of...). Next up was a drive-through of the Air Force base, which I'd never been on before. Jill grew up here and I got to see the two houses she lived in, along with the services they offer on base. I did not know what this was like at all, and somehow missed the face that Jill lived on base from the time she returned from Germany (grade 7) through graduation.

Our day wrapped up with dinner out downtown for Anita's, Jill's sister, birthday. We had good'ole southern food - fish & chips & boiled shirmp & hush puppies and a variety of other fried things. YUM.

All in all, I really liked Arkansas. Jill did a bang-up job of planning us a really nice, varied trip. The weather was amazing, we saw several parts of the state, I met lots of Jill's friends and family, and had a nice time visiting more with her mom. Aside from the lack of Bikram yoga (or ease of exercising at all) along with the bevy of unhealthy but tasty food, I have no complaints! It was fun to experience something different, see a piece of Jill's life.
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Seriously, Palin Power shirt! Oh my. Andy Warhol exhibit; A "Herk"; And dinner... Above, Jill's family.

Fayetteville to Little Rock: Day 8

2008-10-30T21:47:00.000-07:00

Today was gorgeous. We started out going to visit the University of Arkansas where Jill went to school. Here, they etch each and every graduate's name into the sidewalk...so we found 1992 and her name, and snapped the requisite photo. I learned a lot about the culture there - and the fact that due to a lack of professional sport's teams, the Razorbacks are all that to the folks of Arkansas. The amount of paraphernalia in the gift shop dedicated to this funny looking little pig was off the hook. I learned the little chant at games is "wooooo-pig-sooie" though Jill would not perform it with gusto (that is, no inflection, associated arm movements or enthusiasm) - she simply said the words and I still have no idea what this means nor could she explain it to me. However, I picked up a subtle sale-priced Razorbacks top at the shop, as a souvenir.

We wandered campus and enjoyed the nice day, before heading on to Devil's Den State Park, where we took a nice hike and saw two really cool fractured sandstone caves, along the woodsy path. It was one of those perfect temperature days for a hike, and we both really had fun taking photos and getting some exercise. I somehow spotted a walking stick on the path (look closely below)- and the Devil's Icebox, one of the two outdoor caves, was freezing cold when you approached it.

We drove the 3 hours back to Little Rock and went to Jill's sister's Anita's house to say hello as it was her birthday. She wasn't feeling well so we didn't go out, but rather just visited before heading back to her mom's house. It was a really nice day :)

Fayetteville, Arkansas: Day 7

2008-10-29T21:11:00.000-07:00

What a stunning day! Today was just gorgeous - perfect, fall sunshine. We had coffee on the patio and enjoyed the view some more, and then headed into town for lunch with Jill, and then a little bumming around.

At 3:00, we went to the dedication of a piece of outdoor art for a family who died while on vacation in Mexico (one member of whom Jill A. was very close with). They all were very active community members; the father was a sculptor and this sculpture was found, restored and made public art on the newly unveiled 4-mile wooded trail in Fayetteville. The dedication was lovely - Jill and I both almost teared up - clearly these folks were loved by their community and many people in it. The mayor spoke, the arts council director, and various others - also providing a nice sense of the community here.

We then headed off for a yoga class at the Arkansas Yoga Center. It was a nice class, though the teacher spent a way-too-long time on the first batch of warrior type thingys. I did do my first ever handstand (wall-assisted, of course) and we went outside on the grass along the Koi pond to do the final tree and savasana. It was nice, but we both can't wait to get back to the hot room for some Bikram!

Dinner with Jill and Chris followed, and then Jill played with some of Chris' photography lights - and is now hooked on the idea of getting her own. :)

Little Rock to Fayetteville, AR: Day 6

2008-10-28T20:23:00.000-07:00

Today we headed to Fayetteville, AR, home of the University of Arkansas where Jill went to school. It is a very "blue" town in this red state, and Jill's most favorite town. She lived here twice - once in college, and once when she was running a Hastings (a southern chain like Borders) in her 20's.

The drive there was really lovely, as the foliage here is in full bloom. Fayetteville is nestled in the Ozark National Forest. We arrived and stopped at Hugo's, a pub that was a favorite of hers when she lived here. We wandered around too - Fayetteville is a super cute college town. After, we headed to her friend Jill A.'s house (for the purposes of keeping the two Jill's straight...), and her boyfriend Chris, and their dog, Hoover...and their FOUR cats! We felt soooo at home :)

Their house was super cool and we just hung out with Chris, enjoying their stunning view of the hills and trees. When Jill got home, we headed out to dinner and to see Slow Dancing - an outdoor public art installation with three giant outdoor screens, each featuring a famous dancer doing a 5-second set of movements, recorded at 1000 frames/second, and then projected in super-slow, amazingly detailed 10-minute segments. It was really lovely to watch, and we were excited to catch this exhibit (it's also showing in NYC, LA, and Venice). Jill and Jill go way back, so they spent time catching up and visiting as well.

Little Rock: Day 5

2008-10-27T21:00:00.000-07:00

Today Jill, her mom and I bummed around a multitude of really cool thrift shops and junk
"emporiums" - we got some serious holiday shopping done. It's always fun to see 'junk' from a different part of the country. No photos, but here is one of my favorites from the trip thus far...a little bit Halloween; a little bit true.

Mountain View, AR: Day 4

2008-10-26T20:08:00.000-07:00

We had a morning 'on the farm' today - you know, gathering eggs, milking cows and shooting guns. Good times! Seriously, it was fun. I was a natural milking the cow, while Jill wasn't quite getting it...and she hit the target shooting the gun, and I just created some new divots in the grass.

Next we went Blanchard Springs Caverns - a really amazing, unexpected cave in the Ozarks. We took the one-hour tour, which was quite well done (Becky's daughter Shelly had worked there during the summer while in college, giving tours and caving). After, we went to the springs and the nearby campgrounds, lakes and creeks. Jill snapped some good photos of me, and we had a few of she and I and her and her mom. From there, we headed back to Little Rock.

Mountain View, AR: Day 3

2008-10-25T21:39:00.000-07:00

Beanfest 2008 was a trip. All the folks gather at noon for a bowl of beans with corn bread, and an onion. They fire up the pots at 8 a.m., each making up their best effort for winning the coveted first place. We hopped in line and ended up trying 3 different batches of beans - they were all a bit different but I had a definite favorite (the spicy one). Jill's mom drove up to meet us, as her best friend Sharon had surgery the day before and she had stayed to be with Sharon's husband.

Becky and the boys were also at the fest, but mostly Jill, her mom and I wandered around town, checking out the various junk shops (really nice, well-organized ones with super good stuff). We also caught the Outhouse Parade, lasting a mere 3 minutes, featuring a variety of mobile commodes. They went on to 'race' but we opted out of that in deference to the shops.

We headed home and ate two roosters that Eddie had "prepared" (that is, killed'em and cooked 'em) for dinner, and then we all just visited. Below, photos from Beanfest, and my favorite in-store sign...

Little Rock to Mountain View, AR: Day 2

2008-10-24T18:54:00.000-07:00

One of Jill's primary goals on this trip was to help me understand her better through exploring various aspects of Arkansan life. This of course includes food...and in the south, all roads lead to Waffle House. We started the day at the "nice" Waffle House in Cabot, Arkansas - Jill insisting on cheesy eggs with raisin toast. I ordered up a waffle on the side, a no-brainer based on the name. It was a pretty genius breakfast, truth be told, and I see the appeal - especially as a 24-hour joint that has helped many-a-southerner avoid vicious hangovers (in Ohio, we called it "Denny's" when I was in college). :)

After, we set out to visit her former college English teacher, Becky, and her family, in Mountain View, Arkansas - home of Beanfest & Outhouse Races 2008 this weekend. Nestled in in the Ozarks, this quaint old town sports a lot of natural beauty, and the festival brought about some serious people watchin'. On our way into town, we stopped off at the festival on its less-busy day. It was a typical small-town festival, but with a serious regional following - lots of people from all over, loads of biker folks who chase festivals like this around, and of course, those on deck to cook up their best beans in an effort to win first place tomorrow. We found a guy who let Jill sit on his commode, and I was left to sidecar duty; placed in the clawfoot bathtub behind. Also, we were delighted to find the centrally-placed office of Stone County Democratic Women - who were sadly a bit lonely in there, and very happy for Jill and I to pop in and chat. They said "there are more of us here than you'd think..." And interesting tidbit about Arkansas: They have Democratic everything - governor, senators, representatives, mayors, etc. - but despite that, they oddly always end up a red state for President.

We arrived at Becky's and visited with her and her 13-year-old son, Weldon. Later, her super-sweet uber-liberal *and* pretty traditional southern farmer husband, Eddie, and their high-spirited little 5-year-old, Bryce, joined us. Becky & Eddie met in junior high, got married around 19 and had a baby girl at 20. Then another girl 4 years later, at 24. Then, at 37, Becky found herself pregnant with Weldon - while unexpected, they were delighted. Then, at 45 she again found herself unexpectedly pregnant again! (She says, "I was 45 and on the pill...I have no idea how this happened...) So, in the end, she and her husband of over 30 years now have effectively raised two separate families - first girls in their 20's, and now at 50, they're raising their boys, ages 13 & 5.

Another super interesting aspect of their life is that they life nearly off the grid. Other than a roughly $50 electric bill, they pay no utilities. Eddie had engineered their house to utilize solar power in many places; they have 8 cows and a small batch of chickens for milk, eggs, beef & poultry; well water (reminding me of the lucky kids in my howetown who had super-yummy well water) and they produce their own biodiesel and have even made one of their cars run totally on veggie oil, in the summer anyhow. They are super smart, liberal and cool to observe as they teach and parent their kids. Eddie is proud to be 1 of 2 people in Stone County who voted for Obama in the primary (he said, "Well, there were two votes, and one was mine...so at least one other person voted for him!") Many were Hillary supporters as a fellow Arkansan. Their land is gorgeous, with little ponds and fields (sustainably "mowed" by the cows) and trees. Becky is a professor at the local college, and Eddie works for Arkansas Natural Gas - it's so cool to see non-hippie, normal people choosing to live this way simply put, "because it makes sense."

Oh, and how about that gas price? $2.09!