One More Trip

Our very last trip this winter was another cruise to Hawaii.  We visited 4 islands.

Our first stop was Hilo.

 Then next port was Honolulu.  This trip we docked at Aloha Tower.

It was a very warm day. So staying in the shade was a good idea as we walked through town.

Beautiful trees everywhere, thanks goodness.

 This was a very interesting building, front carved from lava stone.

And lots of water features.

Next port was on Maui.  Here is a picture of our ship anchored in the harbor.

While walking through the neighborhood I spotted the interesting patio cover with whales and ship wheel cut outs.

The beach was so gorgeous and the water color was beautiful.

Caught a picture of the ship behind the old palace walls.

Beautiful flowers bloom everywhere.

And of course The Banyan Tree in the town square.  So happy it was not damaged by the hurricane that went through the islands.

It covers the entire city block.

So old and beautiful, planted in 1873.

And then everyone decided to go back to the tender for the trip back to the ship at once but the line went pretty quickly.

Lastly we visited the Garden Island Kauai.  Here we went on a tour of a Plantation where we ate fresh fruit from the trees, drank Mai Tai's made with fresh fruit and then visited the artisans shops.

Lining up for the tour bus.

Well, now back to business.  Time for Spring cleaning after the house was closed up most of the winter.  The yard needs soooooo much work.  I have a new patio swing on order.  My assistant loves to sit in the swing with me in the mornings for coffee and bird watching. She can't wait for it to arrive.  Me, too.

Happy Spring!

Week In Review

Here's a review of this week's posts.

Monday

Dollar Store Cross

Tuesday

Painted Hills

Wednesday

Weekend with the Artist

Thursday

Next Adventure Hawaii

Friday

Cruise to the Sea of Cortez

Happy Weekend!

Cruise to the Sea of Cortez

This was a fun cruise to 2 ports we had never visited, La Paz and Loreto.  The weather was perfect for the whole 10 days.  Mostly in the 70"s.

First stop San Diego.

Ship in port and we departed for a day of sightseeing.

Next port was Cabo San Lucas, again perfect weather .

There were two other cruise ships in port that day, too many people for that small town..  Since we had been there many times before we spent the day on our balcony watching the whales.  One even came right along the ship,

Next port of La Paz we spent the day on a tour.  We had an excellent driver who showed us the highlights of the town.

The first stop was at a weavers shop.  Here there was a very old wooden loom they used to make cloth.

We drove along the beach and stopped at a vendors fair.

The next stop was a short visit to the local cathedral and back to the ship.

There where about 6 of these crystal chandeliers, very pretty and old.

Can you believe the color of the water?  This was the view from our 14th floor balcony.  

And how about cactus on the shore of the ocean.  Not something you see everyday,

Next stop, the town of Loreto.  This was my favorite of the whole trip.  I am trying to convince my husband we should move down here for 6 months of the year.  One third of the population is from the U.S. or Canada.

At Loreto we took a walking tour of the town.  Our guide was great and had so much information about the history of the town and the marine life of the area.

There were crabs all along the shore on the rocks.

This sculpture is of a whale shark.  This is where they spend the Spring months.  I actually saw one swimming by our ship on one of our trips to Hawaii this year.

Don't you love the coconuts in the tree.  They where everywhere.

I thought this was such a pretty window.  Love the old architecture. 

Here the town hall is just a few feet from the beginning of the Camino Real, which runs from Loreto in Baja California all the way up to San Fransisco, CA.  The very first mission on this long road was built here in Loreto.

Beginning spot of Camino Real

Again we visited the local cathedral, at the time of our visit there was a baptism in progress.  We weren't able to go inside.  We did however go into an adjacent room which was the original sanctuary for the mission built in the 1600's and it still is in use today.

Original Sanctuary 

Bell and view of had cut stone walls

From the cathedral we strolled down the main shopping street that was shaded by trees.  Although not that hot, the shade was very welcome.  Loved the trees and the cobblestone road.

Walk along the shore back to the ship.  Good bye Loreto.

And our last stop was Puerto Vallarta.  Almost time to return home.

These life size skeletons where everywhere we went in Mexico. Two more days at see then a 8 hour drive and we will be home again.  This was our 5th cruise in 5 months.  It is going to feel good to stay home for awhile.

Happy Travels!