Nothing New in Paradise

As we neared going to Maui for nearly a month, I had some concerns.
We had been going for ten years and I was worried that we'd become stuck in our routines and run out of things to do*.  Ah, the arrogance of a first world problem!  Earl could hardly wait for the chance to bike more in a warm climate.  Having a disability, I do less and do different things.  While I'm used to that and perfectly content with daily solitude, no longer driving ended our custom of Earl biking somewhere and me meeting him in the car*.

From sea level to 10,000 feet
We had friends coming to visit and were looking forward to their visits.  That pretty much solved my concerns.  Firstly, there's always something new to do.  Secondly, it's enjoyable to share familiar places with people who have never had that experience.  Thirdly, we had a friend to facilitate Earl's plan to bike up the Haleakela crater–his latest 'bucket list' adventure**.  I knew the way, she drove..and stopped...and drove..and stopped...and drove for 37 miles (longest paved cycling climb in the world).




From the bar to the roof
We had four Portland friends in Maui at the same time, but 20 miles to the west.  We met them in the middle for happy hour in Lahaina. We started at a round table (yea), in the bar (OK), near the live music (uhh...).  When we couldn't hear ourselves talk, we had to admit to being too old for loud music.  It was better on the roof, and I'm sure the waiters were glad to see us go outside.  Tough life— friends, peaceful entertainment on the roof, an ocean sunset and wine.



This is not your mother's sno–cone

We can get some of the best shave ice on Maui only about a mile from our home.  It has become a mandatory treat for us, and fortunately, for our flight attendant friend who schedules a layover to coincide with our trips.

So, what is this eating activity that we foist on visitors?  'Routine' sounds too boring and 'cultural experience' too lofty.  I'm going with 'tradition'.




The sipping tour
 When our final pair of friends came, we took them upcountry for the latest new thing.  Actually, it was our second tour in two weeks, but it was so cool!  Even though Earl and I aren't big hard liquor drinkers, the tour of the Ocean vodka distillery was fun, picturesque and Skeeter–navigable.  I just had to pay attention and not run into walls or concrete curbs.  Fortunately, our friends were game for everything.  They accompanied us on our long morning walk. Earl was conditioned, I rode and only expended battery power. We almost broke them.



The lesson:  Even paradise takes a village
*Previous post: The Travel Scooter
**Previous post: Driving Miss Tammy
***Previous post: The Bucket List Trip


Comments

  1. AnonymousOctober 26, 2016 at 3:40 PM

    This vacation looks like a dream :-) So glad it worked out so well for everyone. XOXO

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

We have contact

Image
Skeeter alerted me to an eyesight problem when I realized there were times when I had to navigate precisely while scooting.  I found myself dealing with my deliberate mono–vision by closing one eye in order to gauge available distance.  How much space was between Earl's car and my car, and between the telephone pole and the edge of the sidewalk?  How much asphalt before the road dropped off into dirt?  It was like my old "contact lens" days when one lens isn't in–blurry around the edge (not exactly double vision) .  Hmm, cataracts (at that time in life) , diminishing acuity (OK,  predictable... ) , Ataxia (a typical symptom for some people) ? Around 1993, I had radial keratotomy (RK) after years of wearing contact lenses or coke bottle glasses for being legally blind.  The surgeons gave me one eye for reading and one for distance (mono–vision) .  It was a good solution for someone in the 40s.  But, as I aged, the difference between the eyes was too significant.
Read more

Resume and Update

Image
It's been almost a year since I last blogged. I'd like to think that I was busy, but in fact, I was just too lazy and got overwhelmed at the thought of writing. The other issue is that not a whole lot new has happened and when friends would say, "You haven't blogged in a while," I just nodded my head and stared blankly. I thought maybe it was time to retire the blog and move on.  I mean-- geez! I started this in 2011. There are nearly 200 posts, two thirds of them after publishing my book.  How much blabbing can a person do?  However, the prospect of not being able to blab was just too much to deal with. So, I decided to dig in and update some old posts-- like, "Whatever happened to...?" or "w hatever happened after...?". Going through old posts was rewarding. I discovered that being honest has paid off in that most of my old observations were still valid.  I was relieved to know that there were few instances of "I wish I hadn't said t
Read more

East Coast Roadtrip

Image
East Coast Fall foliage It had been more than two years since we had ventured on our first roadtrip*.  It was time to move from using a walker to a wheelchair.  That was a particularly difficult humiliation bullet to bite.  I thought I had accepted the inevitability of progression, but I found myself whining, "No-o-o-o!"  Was this the end of the road before absolute immobility? Were my traveling days over?  More importantly, would I strain Earl's back and were my scooting days over? 😱 As with previous transitions, logic and practicality won out.  I was so freakin' slow with a walker. I didn't appreciate how frightening my precarious balance was to others.  Finally, I knew an injury was the bigger personal threat and was to be avoided at all costs.  Thelma and Louise ** became a permanent part of my next chapter.  Wheelchair use gave me greater mobility and freedom than I had expected.  It didn't impact my travel, scooting, and I didn't "
Read more