Hawaii Trip: How I Spent My Summer Vacation

In third grade in the United States, it is customary for teachers to assign homework on the first day of the new school year - write an essay entitled "How I Spent My Summer Vacation." Having just gotten back from a week in Hawaii, I will pretend I am a third grader. My wife, Sheryl, and I traveled with my sister, Patti, and her husband Rickey. We stayed on the island of Maui at a condo named Hale Ono Loa.

Saturday
	Travel Oakland to Honolulu; Honolulu to Maui - I am used to paying to rent headphones for in-flight movies, but was surprised Hawaiian Airlines charges a $5 "audio fee" even if you use your own iPod headphones
	Check into our condo which was right on the ocean
	Walk to a local grocery store for the essentials: soap, shampoo, Oreo's, milk
	Check out what the condo has to offer - steps right down to the water
	Watch sunset
Sunday
	Two hour walk
	Snorkel at Hale Ono Loa
	With Rickey and Patti's arrival, we had to shop for four - stock up at local grocery store
	Watch sea turtles from the condo lanai
	Visit fresh fish market for Ono, Mahi Mahi. and shrimp; grill at the condo
	Walk around the beach at Kaanapali
	Drinks at Whaler's Village
	Watch sunset
Monday
	Two hour walk (previously had gone south; went north instead, but turned out there was less to see in this direction)
	Visit Maui Nui Botanical Garden - disappointing (internet search for "Maui Botanical Gardens" and iPhone Map search for "Maui Botanical Gardens" yield different results as there is more than one garden on Maui)
	Browse art galleries in Lahaina - really liked the work of Rino Gonzalez - due to fine brush strokes, actually argued if these were paintings or photographs
	Drinks at The Maui Brewing Company
	Dinner at The Plantation House in Kaapalua
Tuesday
	Two hour walk
	Snorkel at beach near The Westin - lots of corral and fish
	Pizza at Maui Brewing Company
	Wedge salad prepared at Condo - confirmed that adding bacon, even in bit form, to anything makes it better
Wednesday
	Two hour walk (Sheryl joined us)
	Visit Tropical Gardens of Maui - splendid, wish iPhone had sent us here first
	Shopping at Maaleau Village
	Sunset cruise on Alii Nui - raising the sail, a highlight of the trip
	Watch sunset from boat
Thursday
	Two hour walk
	Snorkeling at Black Rock
	Lunch and happy hour at Cane & Taro
	Watch sunset
	Dinner at Maui Brewing Company
Friday
	Two hour walk
	Paddle boarding at Black Rock - Sheryl was a natural, I was less successful
	Happy hour at Duke's House at the Beach
Saturday
	Check out of condo
	Travel Maui to Honolulu; Honolulu to Oakland - lots of screaming children (back to reality)

So my essay does not have many words. It's really all about the pictures. (By the way, I was able to select multiple high-resolution pictures and resize them all to a width of 1024 pixels with one click using SnagIt). A good time was had by all.

Relaxation is alive in the lab.