Hawaii ~ Maui~ The Road to Hana

To celebrate two milestones: Noah's 60th birthday and our 35th anniversary, we decided to go to Hawaii. In order to get to more than one island, we flew to Honolulu and then boarded a cruise ship that would take us to visit four islands in seven days. We have never cruised before, so that was exciting! We didn't have any trouble with sea sickness at all. Sometimes we would barely know we were moving. We cruised at night and were in port during the day where we could go ashore and explore the islands or go on excursions. We went on excursions every day except one.

 

This was coming into port on Maui.

 

Getting closer to the dock.

 

Do you see the faint rainbow in the clouds?

 

The first day we went on the Road to Hana. The road is narrow and curvy and follows the beach. There are a lot of old bridges which were only one lane. So if there was oncoming traffic, we would wait or they would wait. The trees above have various colors in the bark. I forget what they are called. We saw these several times along the way.

 

That is the ocean in the background.

 

You can see the top of the ancient bridge that spans this stream.

 

Gorgeous scenery.

 

We stopped by this beach. The black stones are from volcanic lava many years ago.

 

Some years ago this area had a tsunami, and when it was over, this church was the only remaining building. I wanted a picture from the front, but there were worshipers inside whom I did not want to disturb. Enjoyed listening to their praises.

 

More from the same beach.

 

The view behind the beach.

 

Again the ocean in the background.

 

We saw lots of waterfalls along the way.

 

 

 

Here is a black sand beach.

 

Noah gets his feet wet in the Pacific.

 

This is a lava tube. Like a tunnel in the rocks to the beach.

 

Another waterfall.

 

Do you see the philodendron climbing up these trees?

 

And over the rock?

 

Another beach we visited.

 

The view to our backs. Notice the bridge spanning the falls.

 

This is part of the narrow road, following the coastline.

 

A storm two days earlier had sent rocks off the nearby mountain and washed out a portion of the road. Fortunately we could go around, albeit slowly. Noah was afraid we would have to retrace our route, and given that this was close to the end of our excursion, it was nice to not have to go back!

 

You can see that the coastline is rugged.

And that is all for today.

Andrew's Accident

Last Tuesday, our son, Andrew, took a load of hogs to the slaughtering plant, which is approximately 80 miles north of here. This is something that happens almost weekly here, and has for at least fifteen years. Usually the hogs are delivered in the morning, requiring the driver to go through Des Moines during drive time. Right now (and the last two years, for that matter) the road is under construction with a barrier dividing the north and south bound lanes. The north bound lane actually goes down to one lane for just a bit.

Andrew was on his way home, and was just getting south of Des Moines when he noticed a semi swerving in the north-bound lane. The next thing he knew, the semi crashed through the barrier and hit a south bound semi, and laid over on its side. The cab pretty much just fell apart. Andrew was following the south bound semi, and he had to stop. He doesn't really know what he hit, but his truck is totaled. The front is all smashed up, and thankfully, his air bag inflated. The gooseneck crashed up against the back window of the truck and broke it, but fortunately, did not go further. I like to think that the angel of the Lord stopped that trailer from going further. Andrew crawled out of the window. He walked over to see if he could help the trucker from the first truck get out, but he was already out. As far as we know, he was okay. The driver of the second semi suffered a collapsed lung. There was one other car involved also, and we don't know that he was hurt either, although all of the other drivers went to the hospital. Andrew declined, but later went to the doctor because his knees hurt so much. The x-ray showed they weren't broken. I guess they slammed up against the dash during impact, which caused the soreness.

The interstate was closed for nine hours following the accident. Andrew and Nicole went to Des Moines Thursday and saw the truck and trailer. Nicole's comment, "It's sobering." Andrew's comment, "I don't see how anyone got out of there alive." There are certainly a lot of miracles associated with the whole accident. God is faithful. And good. It is a loud reminder to celebrate the people in our lives.

There are photos at the following link if you want to see them.
http://whotv.com/2014/09/30/semi-rollover-completely-blocking-i-35/

Sibling Retreat

Last week Noah's siblings and spouses met in Northern Illinois for a sibling retreat. We are scattered from Pennsylvania to Colorado, representing six states. We stayed at a resort on the beach of Lake Michigan.

 

 

We enjoyed strolling along the beach and took couples' pictures.

 

Every family has a clown, right? Sam showed us that he is still able to stand on his head.

 

Some of the men sitting around the fire ring and chewing the fat.

 

Later we all hung out in the lobby.

 

At 5 a.m. the next morning twelve of us went fishing on the lake.

 

Coast guard regulations require no more than six on a boat, so we split into two boats.

 

Israel displays the king salmon he reeled in.

 

Our catch of the day ~ some rainbow trout, lake trout, and one king salmon.

 

After a delicious meal, which included part of our catch, we all gathered in front of the resort to have group photos taken. There are ten siblings, so with us spouses, we totaled twenty.

 

A hug from our sweet server, whom we sweet talked into doing the photo shoot.

 

This group came from Pennsylvania and Virginia in this motor home.

 

Noah and I enjoy wading in the shallow waters.

A Wedding in the Family

 

The Rehearsal

 

 

Nicole and her dad

 

I love how happy Andrew looks on here... and his dad doesn't look unhappy either.

 

We were able to have the rehearsal dinner in a nearby park. 

 

Enjoying the food.

 

Signing the marriage license.

 

The Wedding Day

 

Nicole's mom did all the decorating.

 

 

Each table was done in one of these three settings.

 

A large picture of Andrew and Nicole adorned the mantel.

 

Reception overview.

 

Ready for the ceremony, which was outside, on a beautiful June day.

 

Nicole's mom did these decorations also.

 

Karen buttons a few of the many tiny buttons.

 

And then I take a turn while Nicole's mom looks on.

 

Stunning bride.

 

Dave and Jana pose for me.

 

Karen takes responsibility to attach the boutonnieres.

 

The wedding was held at the Iowa State University Alumni Center.

 

 

The departure. (I let the photos in between up to the professional.) It was a lovely wedding, and we have gained a sweet daughter.

Homespun Stars

When I asked Nicole if she wanted me to make a quilt for her and Andrew, she promptly said, "Yes!" She paged through several of my quilting patterns and books. But her search ended abruptly when she came across this pattern. Her words were, "It is so me!" And what fun I had putting it together for them!  

 

 

The wedding is less than three weeks away! We are all getting so excited!