A Change in Routine

Yesterday marked a change in routine.  I decided to take a day off from running, and we also decided not to play paddle ball, because my joints were a little stiff and sore after playing some vigorous paddle ball on Saturday.  When one is not accustomed to maneuvering one's feet in sand, muscles and tendons in the feet and legs that are rarely used can get a little sore - especially at my age.

So we had a quiet morning on the beach, which was nice.  For the first hour or so that we were there, it was very quiet and very beautiful.

Then, later in the morning, the wind shifted and was blowing stronger than at any time since we arrived.  Everyone had to close their umbrellas and steel themselves against the sun and blowing sand.  In light of my post yesterday, I would have to say this is one time that poolside might have been preferable to gritty sand hitting you in the face.

Around 1:00, however, the wind again shifted and died down.  We had decided not to take a mid-day break from the beach because we would be leaving early to go to dinner at the home of a friend of a friend.  But then Mark suggested we go ahead and leave a couple of hours earlier so that we could drive up to Lahaina before going to Lloyd's house.

Lahaina is located on the west side of the northern half of Maui and was an old whaling town as well as the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii from 1820-1845.  It is now one of the biggest tourist destinations on the island.  Of course, Mark had been there before, but I sensed what we were in for when I saw, while still several miles from Lahaina, the biggest cruise ship I've ever seen anchored offshore.

The Baldwin House

Once in town, we found a place to park and started strolling.  As my guidebook (which I read once we got home) says, "The biggest problem with Lahaina is that it's crowded ... A secluded stroll along Front Street is about as likely as a snowy day in Miami."  Block after block of touristy shops interspersed with fine art galleries.  We could have spent an entire afternoon just meandering through the galleries.  One we visited had exquisite nature photography.  Another featured works of, among others, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Red Skelton and Anthony Quinn.

What caught my eye were examples of heritage Hawaiian architecture.  The Baldwin House, pictured above, is the oldest house on Maui.  We also passed an old Methodist Church I didn't have a chance to take a picture of, and there are apparently other buildings that would have been cool to see, but we didn't have the time, and I frankly wouldn't have enjoyed the crowds.

Historic Chinese Center

Another interesting site we saw in "downtown" Lahaina was its historic Banyan tree.  According to Wikipedia, the tree was planted by sheriff William Owen Smith on April 24, 1873 to memorialize the 50th anniversary of the first American Protestant mission in Lahaina.  Smith received the imported seedling, which measured approximately eight feet when planted, as a gift from missionaries in India. Since that time, the tree has grown to more than 15 meters tall and has 16 trunks covering a quarter mile circumference within two-thirds of an acre of the square.

As we were driving out of Lahaina, I was captivated by the beauty of the mountains to the east of the town.  I took the following pictures, but they don't really do justice to the beauty of the scene ...

  

 ... which is why I chose to include the following photograph which I found on the internet.  It portrays beautifully the panorama above Lahaina.

We then drove to Lloyd's house, which is in Wailuku, on the slopes above Kahalui.  Lloyd hails from Utah and is a long-time friend of my friend Colin, they having served together on their missions to Europe years ago.   They didn't realize they were each gay until a number of years later.  We had a nice evening, sitting outside with the lights of Kahalui below us.  It's a good thing we brought our jackets, however, as it was quite cool.  It's amazing to see the variations in climate on this island!

Today, we're off to Little Beach again, where we will again take up our paddles.  Our sustained volley record so far:  163.  We'll see if we can top that today.