Mew-sical cat (January 9, 2026)

Whenever Tom turns on the keyboard, Colette comes running for her "mews-ic" lesson. Usually she is on top of the keyboard batting at Tom's hands to prevent him from playing. 
 

Aloha, Maui! (January 2, 2026)

We and the Moraga Lewises flew home on January 2. At the Maui airport, our bags were inspected by the US Department of Agriculture. No pineapples allowed?

According to Polynesian myth, the demigod Maui captured the sun at the summit of Haleakala. After the sun promised to traverse the sky more slowly for the benefit of humanity, Maui released his captive. The sun represents life and knowledge.

Ah yes! We arrived on Christmas Day and flew home on January 2. The tree was still up.

We flew from Maui to Seattle, where we changed planes. Then to Austin early on January 3, where the moon greeted us.

Red sand pocket beach (January 1, 2026)

We almost didn't find the very secret Kaihalulu Beach (Red Sand Beach) in Hana. Accessed by a steep, slippery trail near the Hana Community Center. Google maps kept taking us to the hidden trail head. Do you see the sleeping monk seal?
 

The Hawaiian monk seal is a critically endangered tropical seal known for its solitary nature. Only about 1600 monk seals remain. The Hawaiian name ilio-holo-i-ka-uaua means "dog running in rough water." We stayed at least 10 feet back as required. This seal sighed in its sleep. So cute!

River really wanted to visit the red sand beach. We did!

More Happy New Year (January 1, 2026)

 At the end of the Road to Hana (actually about 10 miles past Hana) is the portion of Haleakala National Park that contains the Seven Sacred Pools. We took the Kuloa Point Trail for views of the pools and ocean. Swimming in the pools has been banned since 2025. Can you tell which shadow is who? I took the photo.

There are far more than seven pools and they are not technically sacred. The name was coined for marketing purposes. Which begs the question: is nothing sacred? The real name is 'Ohe'o.

Papa Tom and Ryder on the 0.5 mile Kuloa Point Trail. The banyon tree is unique because it is a "walking" forest-forming ecosystem, capable of living for centuries and covering acres from a single seed. The complex system of aerial roots descend from the branches to become new trunks.

Piper in a banyon tree.

Happy New Year! (January 1, 2026)

Happy New Year! (with a lei that Mya or Piper made)

 On our way to the Road to Hana. My belief is that how I spend New Year's Eve and New Year's Day is a portent of the year to come. 2026 promises to be a year of family and adventure.

On our way, we stopped at Ho'okipa Beach to look for sea turtles. The beach is recognized as perhaps the best place in the world for windsurfing. Brandy's looking over her shoulder.

Not surprisingly, strong current and high surf warning flags were up. River in the foreground, Mya and Piper at the water's edge.

Sure enough, sea turtles had dragged themselves on to the sand among the rocks. Good camo!

Chickens like the beach too!

Down the road, we took a dirt trail through the woods to arrive at Waioka Pond (Venus Pool). The ocean pounded just outside the freshwater pool. Are you crazy, Ryder? 

After the plunge

Opposite the Venus Pool is the Pacific Ocean. Coconuts litter the beach.

Mya worked very had to crack a coconut on the rocks. 

Delicious success!

Maui--more New Year's Eve (December 31, 2025)

We stopped at a Farmer's Market. Limes! Lemons! Coconuts! (No, we didn't go to a concert. Papa's wearing the resort wristband.)

Bees must love all the flora and fauna in Maui.

Coconuts guard their milk and meat with a very hard shell. Machetes are the best tool for cutting them open, I think. The pineapples must have been sold out.

How did we spend New Year's Eve? We watched the final episode of Season 5 of Stranger Things. And cried. If you know the ending, you know.

Maui--more New Year's Eve (December 31, 2025)

 

Papa and I visited the Kepaniwai Park & Heritage Gardens near the 'Iao Valley to learn more about the Chinese, Korean, Filipino, Puerto Rican, New England, and African-American immigrants who worked shaped Maui's culture. Above is a Hawaiian thatched-roof hut, called a hale (HAH-lay).

'Iao Stream runs next the park with a sign that advises swimming at your own risk.

The park features Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and Portuguese structures, as well as a New England saltbox house.

The Chinese exhibit features a "cooling gazebo" like those that used to dot China's rural countryside so that farmers could rest in the shade and catch up with neighbors. The statues are of Sun Yat-Sen, who lived in Honolulu from 1879-1883, age 12-16. He returned to China and is credited with overthrowing the imperial dynasty in 1911. He is honored in Taiwan as the "Father of the Nation" and in China as "The Forerunner of the Revolution."

Papa and a Banyan tree in the park. The tree's branches drop roots that become additional trunks.

Maui--'Iao Valley (New Year's Eve 2025)

The 'Iao Valley is a sacred burying place for chiefs and the site of Maui's last great battle for supremacy. Invaders from the Big Island defeated Maui's warriors in 1790 thanks to a cannon they'd seized from a captured British vessel. The carnage was so massive that bodies clogged the stream. Strange to stand here today in the peaceful valley, where the stream once ran red with blood. 

 Papa, Mya, River, Piper, Brandy, Ryder stand before the 'Iao Needle, the 2250-foot high peak that is known as he phallic stone of Kanaloa, the Hawaiian god of the ocean.

River, Ryder, Brandy on the trail to the lookout point.

Papa with a banana from the trees flourishing along the stream.

Ryder, River, Papa and somebody's legs in front of Ryder. Piper's?

On August 8, 2023, a wildfire fueled by Hurricane Dora's winds and dry conditions devasted the historic town of Lahaina, destroying 2,200 structures. Tragically, 102 people died.

Maui, Day 6 (December 30, 2025)

We hung out at the pool and the beach for a quiet day. Mya and Piper made leis.

Piper shows us her lei made of plumeria, prized for its intoxicating scent and vibrant colors. The flower is native to the tropical regions of the Americas (Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, parts of South America). Plumeria was introduced to Hawaii in 1860 and thrives there.

Mya

Piper

We started every day with coffee on the balcony. Hmm. Mya and I are sitting with a knee up. I always sit that way. Genetic tendency for Mya?

Piper and River in the living room.

A beautiful end to a beautiful day.

Maui (December 25, 2025-January 2, 2026)

Dinner at Duke's Beach House, an open-air restaurant at the Outrigger Kaanapali Resort, where we stayed. Piper, Brandy, me, Tom, River, Ryder. Mya took the photo.

Duke's Beach House's version of hula pie, a Maui dessert. Hula Pie is made with vanilla ice cream piled high on a chocolate cookie crust and topped with chocolate fudge, whipped cream, and macadamia nuts. The original version at Kimo's was made with macadamia nut ice cream.

Maui, Day 4 again (December 29, 2025)

The Haleakala Observatory at the summit is above one-third of the Earth's atmosphere and excellent for star gazing. We were sad that it isn't open to the public except by appointment.

Sunset above the clouds from the summit

Ryder, Brandy, and River at the top. Mya and Piper waited in the car because it was so cold and windy. Brandy mimicked several girls who were videoing themselves, probably for TikTok posts.

Overlooking the crater from the upper visitor center. The last eruption was in 1790.

Ryder at the summit visitor center. 

• Total Height: Measured from the ocean floor to its 10,023-foot summit, the volcano is about 28,000 to 30,000 feet tall.
• Underwater Depth: Roughly 19,680 to 20,000+ feet of the mountain is concealed beneath the Pacific Ocean.
• Ranking: It is the third-highest mountain on Earth when measured from its seamount base.

Tom and me, maybe overlooking the crater from the top? Not sure.

Brandy and me, freezing at the top in mid-40 degree temps, awaiting sunset.