Aloha friends,
Every year Kauai celebrates the holidays with the Lights on Rice Parade. I’ve always wanted to go as I’ve heard it was quite spectacular. This year we finally got to attend. There were 61 decorated floats and about 13,000 spectators. It was so much fun!

This is the float with the snow....it was actually bubbles. The kids loved it.

Lots of folks were making an evening of it, packing in dinner picnic style. I think we may do that next year. If you’re on island during the light parade, I highly recommend you check it out.

​Thanks for reading my diary!

Aloha Friends!

Here's a few photos from the second half of our vacation...

As you can see we really took it easy on this trip to Kauai. On the last 5 days we went to Lydgate beach again, it's a family favorite. The guys can fish (outside of the ponds), snorkeling and swimming is safe and it's lifeguarded! We did a little shopping at the brand new ABC store at the Coconut Marketplace, it's a short walk from the condo. There's also a Farmer's Market there where we picked up more fruit and veggies. The rest of the time was spent on the beach directly in front of the condo...just relaxing. On our last morning we went to breakfast at the Tip Top in Lihue and had a delicious local style meal. We ordered Oxtail Soup, Loco Moco, and 3 Grand Slams with Macadamia Nut Pancakes. You can't go wrong here friends...everything was great, staff was friendly and the portions were ample!

With full bellies we headed to the airport with my son's live betta fish in tow! The TSA guys were super cool and joking about the fish. We had a pleasant flight home to San Diego on Alaska Air. The fish arrived safe and sound :)

Thanks again for reading my diary!

Aloha All,

Feeling great with jet lag pau, it's a good day to share some photos with you from our recent trip to Kauai...

These photos are from our first 4 days on the island. We spent an afternoon relaxing on the beach in front of the condo, went to the Farmer's Market at Kauai Community College, had fun at the Kamalani Bridge Playground and enjoyed a day snorkeling and swimming at Lydgate Beach Park.

I'll share more photos with you in a few days...
Aloha Friends!

Aloha All,

Kauai was a beautiful place for us to begin healing the loss of my dear mother-in-law. We shed some tears but, had many happy moments as well. Here are a few photos...

We spent most of our afternoons on the beach in front of the condo. Pack a lunch, soak up some sunshine and let the hours pass...

Recent storms left a lot of driftwood...perfect for building forts! Lots of fun for the keiki!

My husband and son enjoyed fishing...

Caught one! For bait they used left overs from last night's dinner, bbq'd teriyaki chicken! :) The fact that the bait worked gave us a laugh! After we took his photo, we bid the little flounder a fond Aloha and released him back to his ocean home.

Thank you for reading the Coconut Diaries.

Aloha to you!

Aloha Friends!

2 blissful weeks on Kauai...

We felt so blessed to be there and made great memories of fun times with family and friends, relaxing sunsets on the beach, delicious island food, adventures and the incredible beauty that is Kauai.

I have so much to tell. I'll enjoy sharing our experience with you over the next few diary entries. Here's a few photos...

Our family walked often along the ocean-front path behind the condo in the evenings. On this occasion the girls discovered  a hammock. The perfect sunset hang out! :)

This is one of our favorite beaches on Kauai. Just a mile from the condo Lydgate beach boasts clear sheltered water-- perfect for swimming! The experience is like walking into an aquarium...there are so many fish and sea creatures to see! Puffer fish, striped Convict Tang, bright Wrases, BIG blue fish that swim in schools...too many fish to try to name!

Please keep the people of the Puna district on Big Island in your thoughts. Lava is flowing dangerously close to the town of Pahoa,and the highway, possibly cutting off thousands of residents from their homes. Hugs and positive thoughts to our friends on Big Island!

Aloha!

Aloha Readers!

There are some good changes happening at one of favorite beaches! Lydgate beach park is undergoing renovations!

The bathrooms closest to the lagoons (by the lifeguard station) are already demolished and in the process of being rebuilt.  The work should be completed by May.
Photo below by Dennis Fujimoto with The Garden Island Newspaper.

All of the bathrooms at Lydgate park are scheduled for renovations over the next few months.  As well as the picnic pavilions.

The Kamalani Bridge Playground will also see some maintenance, but never fear...it'll be the same play structure everybody loves.  Kamalani has got to be one of the best playgrounds ever...with a multi level maze-like structure! See my post from November 2012 for more information and photos.

Now that is a playground! Good for Kauai, that those who oversee it's care...understand the need to maintain it's awesomeness for future generations!

The whales are back! Humpback whales are already being spotted in the waters off Kauai!

Every year humpback whales make a long journey from Alaska to the warm waters of the Hawaiian Islands to mate and give birth. Didn't they pick the ideal location?! You can usually spot these amazing creatures from December through April. This year they decided to vacation early! We all love an early vacation!

The whales can put on quite a show! Breaching high up out of the water, slapping their tails and tall blowhole spouts! They're exciting to watch...you'll never forget it!

You can watch the whales from the lanai at the condo. Pour yourself a cool drink, relax on one of the chairs and look out towards the horizon. Watch for the water spouts!

Or walk out the 200 yard path from the condo to Waiohai beach and watch from there. You could spend an afternoon just relaxing and watching these awesome animals. It never ceases to amaze me how far these huge 40 ton whales can propel themselves out of the water!

Another popular way to see the whales is by taking a boat tour. We've never taken a tour ourselves, though I'd love to one day. People rave about them! I dug around on the internet and did some research for you. The highest rated boat tours are from Captain Andy's. The price for a tour on their website ranged from $69-$159 for each adult, you do need to book at least 3 days in advance to get these discounted prices .http://www.napali.com for more information.

Thanks for reading my diary! As always, I welcome all comments and questions.

Have a great day friends!

Aloha!

Photo from Captain Andy's.

Even if you've never been to Kauai, you've probably seen it many times. Kauai has been the background for movies since 1933!

Here's a few you may know...
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides-Arrgh Matey...Johnny Depp! 
The Descendants-Filmed a scene in a favorite dive bar, Tahiti Nui in Hanalei.
Soul Surfer-A  lot of Kauai in this film. The inspiring story of surfer Bethany Hamilton!
Lilo and Stitch-This is stretching it, but, if you watch the movie you'll recognize Kauai.
Jurassic Park- Breath-taking shots of Kauai!
6 Days 7 Nights
George of the Jungle
Outbreak-Morgan Freeman & Dustin Huffman! You can see the set along the Wailua River.
North
Honeymoon in Vegas-Sarah Jessica Parker, James Caan and Nicolas Cage.  "Kapa'aa?"
Lord of the Flies
The Thorn Birds
Uncommon Valor
Raiders of the Lost Ark-Harrison Ford. Indy swings across the Huleia stream.
Fantasy Island-Not a movie, but the opening scene  is Wailua Falls. "Da plane, Da Plane!"
Gilligan's Island-Also for TV, one of my favs, opening scene filmed at Moloaa Bay.
Donovan's Reef
Blue Hawaii-Our favorite Elvis movie! Lots of Kauai and the Coco Palms Resort in Wailua.
South Pacific-Based on the book Tales of the South Pacific many scenes were filmed on Kauai.

It's fun to see something you recognize from Kauai even if the movie is animated!

Which movie is your favorite?

Have a great weekend!

Aloha!

Aloha All!
I got us on Pinterest! I've been busy "pinning" lots of photos of the condo and fun stuff for you to look at.  Some Kauai eye candy!

 http://pinterest.com/alohasusanz/

I wish you a happy Sunday!

There's no shortage of fun activities to do on Kauai. You could fill an entire vacation with zip lining, hiking, surfing, helicopter tours...But, what about a perfectly lazy day? We  like to spend a few of these days when we're on Kauai.

Here's a Perfectly Lazy Day itinerary for you!

• Sleep in until after sunrise. Watch the last of the pink and purple sky change to blue as you have a cup of coffee or tea on the lanai.
• Breakfast of fresh fruit that you picked up at the nearby farmer's market the day before.
• Relax and read your favorite book or magazine on the lanai.
• Slather on plenty of sunscreen, grab some snacks, water, and the Tommy Bahama beach chairs. Walk 200 yards to the beach.  
• Spend the afternoon looking at the beautiful, blue Pacific and feeling the Kauai sunshine. 
• Head back to the condo. Take a nap. Wake up refreshed.
• Stroll over to the Hukilau Lanai restaurant. Order a tropical cocktail and an appetizer (our favorite is Adam's Poke Nachos). Enjoy the view of the gardens, pool, and ocean beyond. Listen to sweet, live Hawaiian music.  For your dinner entree, consider ordering Hukilau Mixed Grill, it's a wonderful sampling of grilled fresh island fish.
• After your delightful dinner, walk back to the condo along the beach. Notice the millions of stars and moon reflecting on the ocean.
• Fall asleep to the sounds of waves hitting the shore. Dream of another perfectly lazy day on Kauai.