Back From Kauai, Orchids In Hand
 

Well it wasn't our most stellar vacation ever but we had fun anyway. It rained the entire week! We had a maximum aggregate of a grand total of about 6 hours of sunshine! :(( The rest of the time it was pretty much a torrential downpour, heavy winds and flash flooding. That however did not dampen our spirits (no pun intended). We went out and got wet. Not a big deal when it's 80 degrees outside. Hope you survived OK Steve! I was thinking about you!

I found Kauai Orchids on the north shore and picked out an out of bloom Epc. Siam Jade, on my list, and #1 on my list of must finds a Hwr. Lava Burst 'Puanani'. :D Yea! They had kind of a piddly selection compared with other greenhouses I've been to but at least I didn't come home empty handed. The Hwr. Lava Burst is incredible. It has 5 blooming spikes on it. It's been in a box since Thursday. I opened it this evening and everything looks fine! I'll post some pictures of it this weekend probably in Orchids in Bloom.

We did get to see Waimea Canyon on a partly cloudy day. It actually added to the texture of the canyon. There were lots of waterfalls that weren't there many years ago when we visited in the summer. We saw Humpbacked whales spouting from our lanai the first morning, and Nene the endangered native Hawaiian goose, as well as the native Hawaiian owl (can't remember it's name).

The news reported it was the worst storm (excluding hurricanes) in 30 years and many people on the north shore of Oahu are now homeless because of the flooding. A small tornado touched down in Hanapepe, a small town about a 10 minute drive from where we were staying. Fortunately nobody was injured. My snorkel gear never left it's bag. The surf was so big and the water so murky (the color of tomato soup) from the run off it would have not only been dangerous but impossible to see anything.

Anyway, I missed you all, and I'm kind of glad to be home. It's a little weird going from 80 degrees to 15. :shock: And I'm certainly not looking forward to going to work in the morning! :( What's a girl to do? I know! Retire! :evil:

Terri, glad to see you back! The worst in 30 years?....those are some odds! As I was reading your post, I thought of that movie, "The Out of Towners." Glad you enjoyed yourself in spite of the lousy weather.

Looking forward to seeing the pics of your newbies!

Hi Sandy! This was my 7th trip to the islands and my only one in the winter. I think my number was up! :lol: It was fine, you just work with what you've got. We had some awesome fish tacos in Hanapepe by a gal who cooked under an awning on camp stoves. They were incredible!

Great words to live by, Terri!!!!

I always thought Hawaii is even beautiful in the rain, although it's a drag to mess up your vacation. Waimea Canyon is incredible! I've seen Spathoglottis growing wild near some of the waterfalls there several years ago.

Marc it really is beautiful in the rain. The misty clouds kind of shroud the mountains, and when the sun finally does peek out everything looks just a little greener.

Terri, my words of wisdom: Warm rain beats cold snow anyday! Glad you had a good time. My only winter adventure was the dry island (the Big Island) and we didn't get any rain, just wind and sun.

Terri, we missed you too! I'm glad to hear that you made the best of your vacation - regardless of the weather. And to add your #1 wish list orchid to your collection is fantastic! Can't wait to see that photos!

Glad you are back!

Terri...welcome home :clap:

I'm happy to hear you made the best of it...weather or not ;)

Someday, I will get to Hawaii and I'm sure it won't matter what the weather is like...I'm still gonna love it :)

Can't wait to see your :photo:

Bummer about the timing of your vaycay! That storm was really gnarly here on Oahu, though I think Kauai got the brunt of it. Most people come to Hawaii in winter which is unfortunate because summer time is waaay better. Im glad you've been able to come during our dry season so youre not one of those people that leave the islands with a bad image of Hawaii. Next time!! BTW, the owl is called a pueo.