"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.