Aloha from Napili!

This is what we were greeted by this morning at 7am, Maui-time.



Yes, we DO feel as if we are vacationing in paradise. Which is how vacations ought to feel, yes? We are having a wonderful time.

We are staying at Napili Point Resort, in west Maui. Here's the actual view from our living room and lanai:



I think that's Molokai in the distance. It's the perfect view for gazing, especially while holding a tropical drink in one's hand. (We have invented a drink we call "the Napili": white rum mixed with Dole's strawberry-orange-pineapple juice, over ice, in a tall glass. All it needs is the cherry and pineapple wedge and umbrella decoration.)

And, if you exert yourself to turn your head to the left, here's what you see:



That's another Napili resort. The other day we walked over, entered the bay via those steps, and Roger and Caroline had their first-ever try at snorkeling. We had a great time and were astonished at all the amazing, exotic, bright fish under the surface.

Oh, and if you turn your head to the right, toward the ocean, you see this:



Caroline has made friends with the 10-year old girl staying in the condo nextdoor. They are both dedicated artists, and the other evening sat and shared their drawings with each other.



The flowers are exquisite.



By the way, you should be impressed at how well these pictures turned out. The trade winds are blowing constantly, which makes for a lovely breeze no matter how hot it is...but it also makes it hard to take pictures when everything is jiggling.



We've had a lot of time at the beach, for just wave-gazing, body-surfing and snorkeling. But, having had several days in the sun (with the resulting pink shoulders and noses) yesterday we opted to go "inland" to the Maui Ocean Center. What a wonderful aquarium. Here are Roger and Caroline braving the wind to play in the touchable tide pool area.



Here's my favorite fish of the day... some sort of Butterfly fish. Don't you LOVE these markings? (This is the best shot I could get of this fabulous fish, sorry about the blur).



This guy was quite photogenic.



And of course, there are the wonderful sea turtles.



We see them poking their heads up in the bay outside of our window.

Dude! Welcome to Maui!