Sheilaclapkin's Blog;

Sometimes there are magic moments in time where everything works like a charm, works simultaneously with the spirits, works so to speak seamlessly in your favor. When you are counting on other people to make this happen, it is what I call the ultimate leap of faith. And so it was…

With the help of Glenda at Frosch, Will at Ohana Fun, NCL where the staff is the ultimate with kind attention, and our own great wits, we sailed off literally into the sunset.  The Hawaiian vacation planned for 15 members of our family included a stay on Waikiki and a cruise circling many of the Hawaiian Islands in July 2012.  When I tell you that everyone was on time for all of the excursions, all of the sit down dinners and meetings, and all had an enchanted and magical time, believe me.

Our special moments included a Pacific Cove Luau filled with food, activities pertaining to Hawaiian life and dancing. We had a moving experience in Pearl Harbor visiting the War Memorials and museums, remembering the attack of December 7, 1941. When you are there, if you close your eyes and breathe deeply, you can still hear and smell the horror and you receive an understanding of the valor of our brave hero’s, many who gave and many who saved lives.

Our next top was Maui where we experienced The Road To Hana, an extensive day trip where you drive around Maui seeing and stopping at all the sights. Maui is green and lush, right?  Soon you realize that it is not green all the way around and that during the latter part of the day, on the other side of the island we were driving on unpaved, bumpy roads in a desert wasteland where no rain comes to help match the other side’s verdant terrain.

As we explored the Volcanoes of Hawaii we visited Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, the rim of Kilauea, watched the earth spew steam, walked on lava, crawled through a lava tube, ran through the rain and spent a beautiful day in and on Hawaiian soil. We will remember Macadamia nuts and Kona Coffee, remember Kui Kui Nuts, hand painted Long Boo Necklaces and bracelets, and remember the beautiful harbor of Kona where you had to be tendered into the town.  I met a local lady in Kona with two little children. We were sitting under the town tree. She seemed to want to talk about worldly things and I told her to start thinking out of the box. She told me she and her entire family had never been off that island. I wonder what she thinks I meant by thinking out of the box. I wonder myself.

On Kauai, we visited the Waimea Canyon and grabbed a float on the Waialua River on our way to see the Fern Grotto. On the way to and from, we learned a few Hula dancing steps, which turned into dances. The day was perfectly serene.

Our lovely specialty sit down dinners are now legendary. A very distinct level of communication happened over those tables we inhabited. Huge decisions, ideas, thoughts, philosophies and deals were made and I do believe no amount of money or urging could have pulled off this positive and productive interaction between our family members.

We will remember the majestic waterfalls and the rainbows where the pots of gold landed right at your feet. We will remember the huge valleys, canyons, volcanoes, mini geysers,  lava, flowers, and fresh fruit.

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A special treat we will remember is sailing the Na Pali coastline of Kauai, which is a true wonder of the world full of exquisite sights of beauty as well sporting a multitude of rainbows with perfect gradations of colors and their pots of gold just out of reach.

We will remember that Hawaii does not grow sugar cane and pineapples for export anymore. The worldwide competition became too great, but the history, scenic beauty and the people of these islands are well worth the visit.  Yes, Virginia, you can still find sugar cane and pineapples grown in Hawaii for local consumption on the islands. Here is a photo for proof of pineapples in Hawaii and two photos of the closed sugar cane production site.

We will long remember the fresh island air and the energy we extracted from it. We will remember the tranquil, refreshing atmosphere and the exploring of the natural beauty to gain its restorative powers. We will remember working and being together.

Please stay tuned for our Extreme Doors Off Helicopter ride and photos; an astounding experience.