Images of Kauai -- July 10, 2009

This is the mid point of our vacation.  The midway point is always a little melancholy for me, as it's a reminder that while the glass is still half full, it's also half empty and the busy world we left behind is only another week away.  This is silly, of course, since even though I love to visit places like Kauai, I know I couldn't make my home here.  In fact, I think vacations would do less to recharge my batteries if I always lived in paradise.  I think that the fact that vacations are fleeting is part of what makes them precious.  What I need to get better at is taking a little bit of that peace that I find and stashing it away inside myself so that I can find it again when I need it.

Today was a lazy day with no particular plan.  There was a morning dip in the ocean and after Z settled in for her nap, John and I headed west and had lunch at a restaurant with a lovely view not too far past Hanalei, the Mediterranean Gourmet (very passable Lebanese inspired food... and a Macadamia Tart to die for).  One thing that often gets forgotten amongst all the beach pictures is that Kauai is much more than her beaches.  Kauai also has a stunning mountain scape courtesy of her long dead volcano.  It's almost impossible for me to take the panoramic pictures that would really show off the landscape -- but that's okay... somethings have to be experienced and no photo can really capture their grandeur.  Such is true of watching the sun set throught the clouds casting stunning rays of last light over the mist on the upcountry. 

One thing that has stood out to me, compared to our last visit, is how much real estate along the north shore is available for sale.  I'd say it ranges from 20-50% depending on the area.  It seems that Kauai is no stranger to the same housing issues plaguing the mainland.  And it's clear that unemployment is hitting the island hard, too.  A number of beach parks that we've seen that have full amenities (i.e. showers and toilets) have clearly become more than temporary camping sights for some.  Not that this makes the beaches less enjoyable (the main camping area at Anini Beach is only a couple hundred yards from us and you would never know there were a bunch of people there), it's just a reminder to me of how lucky John and I are to be where we are in life and to be able to take a vacation.