"Whale Tale"

I have some of our pictures from our "Whale Tale" adventures yesterday.... it look a while to get all of the dried sea salt off of my skin... and as for the boat ride tour... all I can say is: Mahalo Bomine!


Originally, we were supposed to go to up to the Waimea Canyon in KokeeKokee today and stay until Monday... but we leave Monday night, and we've felt like we've been on-the-go with no downtime, since we've been here... we haven't been able to do all of the dorky touristy stuff that we were jonesing for. So, we decided to delay meeting Jakki and her friends up there until tomorrow... There is a cabin they've rented for the winter solstice.... but it's cold there... (well, normal-fluctuating-Dallas-temperature "cold")...

Today, we planned to try and sneak into the Mariott hotel pool and beach... but we never made it that far...

We started out at Small Town Coffee, for breakfast and a much needed caffeine jolt... then, the tattoo pang hit Bek... so we went by Little Tsunami Tattoo... there is a tattoo artist there, Acacia (who could be Maggie Gyllenhaal's twin), who was VERY highly recommended... so we went by there to see if there was anyway Bek could get in to see her.

She was booked... and had been (yes, she's THAT good).... so, we went and got very touristy drinks... I had a fresh cracked coconut with a straw and a little umbrella in it,

and then we walked up and down a beach on the west side... I picked up some interesting coral that had been washed on shore... that was before we drove to another tattoo place, but got a really bad/creepy vibe... So, after much pleading with Tsunami Tattoo, Bek got an appointment with Acacia...

We went to a couple of places to shop for Christmas presents... and trinkets... and *gasp* postcards! I have been sending postcards from here like crazy... of course, I doubt anyone will get them until after I get back, but I hope it's still: "the thought that counts"... right!?!

We went to go eat at Shaka Tacos... OMG! sooooo delicious! (seriously.... I will crave them for the rest of my life)... and then went to the tattoo place..

What I loved about the tattoo place, was it was so homey... there are nice couches and a found object/collage artist who is showing in the store..... and the library of books on the bookshelf were so... "me"; Books about symbolism and mythology, birds, religions, iconography... and art.

Bek had been so inspired by our whale watching trip that she wanted to get a tail of a humpback whale on the back of her neck, with seven sunbeams...

Whales are hard to photograph with a crappy disposable waterproof camera... but if you look at this pic... you can kinda see one... the dark thing sticking out of the water...


I have to admit, I was actually considering one too... not the same tattoo, but a different one. And, I will say: if I ever get a tattoo, I'd want it done by Acacia... A lot of tattoo artists are so typical: stylized and masculine.. and their portfolios are full of scary skulls with eyeballs hanging out... and other disturbing images... the kind of images that are easily found on most any tattoo shop's wall of "fame" ... But this tattoo artist has a different style... it's feminine, but not girly. Her lines are precise and her use of color is more art than "tattoo art." Her style is very.. well... (for lack of a better term) organic...



She drew out Beks tattoo in no time. And it was exactly what she had pictured in her head... but better! ... the tattoo (i could tell) HURT... ouch! But it looks great, and she's excited about it... and it's something unique and artistic...


maybe one day, i'll get one... when I'm 60 (I know... I just added another decade)....

Tomorrow we drive up to Kokee... and then Monday we have a helicopter tour of Kauai... and then we leave late Monday night...

i wont be able to blog tomorrow night... but I will on monday.. promise.

OOTTAT oh no!

("OOTTAT" is because of what it looks like from inside a tattoo place... see pic below)



I was so tired this morning... I decided to sleep in, rather than hike.

It's been raining here... a lot. But it's still so beautiful. Everything is so green and the mountains, cliffs and beaches are amazing...

Bekki's sister's restaurant is called Olympic Cafe. This morning, after they went on the hike (which was very wet and muddy, and early), they brought me back breakfast. The syrup for the pancakes was coconut syrup.... OMG! SO good! I ate a HUGE pancake, just because of the syrup! So much for my "Hawaii Dieting".... After that, high on carbs... I did a face-plant on the bed and snoozed a bit longer....


We woke up later and drove our convertible, white (very touristy) rented car, to the north shore of the island, to Hanalei. There is a great little shopping center there, and an incredible beach.

Bekki has wanted to get a tattoo here... I have to admit: I've been thinking about getting a tattoo... for a long time. But, I've never gone through with it. A few years ago, I decided that I'd get a tattoo on my 40th birthday... but then, I freaked out, and thought that was TOO soon... and then decided I'd get a tattoo on my 50th birthday.



But then, 6 months ago, I changed my mind.... I wanted one sooner. I thought about it... and decided I wanted to get, "This Too Shall Pass" but in Hebrew.... but then I googled it online, and found a forum where someone had written "if you like it so much, why would you get it in another language, why not English?"

Good point.

So I thought about getting it in English, so I drew it out.... except for I wrote "this to shall pass".... i was horrified when I realized my grammatical error... and decided it was a sign that I shouldn't get it at all! But then... well.... that thought passed....

on the drive to Maine, I told kel, and she wanted me to go to a tattoo shop in Asheville.... The thought of actually getting one made me nauseous... and the name of the place, "Forever Tattoo," also didn't seem to fit in with my concept for the tattoo... So, I was SOOOO relieved when we got there and it was closed...

Well, nether Bekki or I got a tattoo today.... I think I'll wait until the thought of getting one doesn't make me nauseated...


After we toured the shopping center... we walked on the beach.... it is so gorgeous here... it truly is... sometimes I have to remind myself: Can I even believe I'm in Kauai?!

Jakki is so great! In the room we're staying in, there is a Christmas Palm Tree with lights and everything... there were a bunch of wrapped presents under the tree.... she got them for Bekki and me... fun Hawaii stuff.... I'd really like to get/do something nice for her for being such a wonderful host!