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Published: September 27th 2007
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To all those who doubted my ability to enter my early (albeit temporary) retirement without going absolutely stir crazy, I would simply like to say, “I told you so!” Not only have I adapted to retirement like a fish to water but I am thinking the whole “temporary” part of it might have to be reworked. In fact, I think the title of “Professional Retiree” might be a nice addition to the old resume!
I have spent the last 31 days in the Hawaiian Islands relishing the joy of doing virtually NOTHING! Now unfortunately, a blog full of nothing is not really conducive to keeping a following so I will do my utmost to share with you a few of the highlights of my Hawaiian adventures.
As most of you know, my parents reside in Kauai and our family is no stranger to the other islands. That said destination numero uno was the big island of Hawaii, which amazingly was a first time visit for me. With two of the world’s most active volcanoes, Kilauea and Mauna Loa, the island is largely volcanic rock and appears quite barren compared to the other islands. “Appears” being the key word here
Dock in Kona
We went for a late afternoon snorkel at this little beach. Despite the overcast weather there were plenty of turtles to see. because I soon learned that the island of Hawai'i has all of the major climate zones found on earth. In winter, you literally can ski on the slopes of Mauna Kea in the morning and be surfing Kona's beaches in the afternoon, without a wetsuit! Unfortunately I didn’t have the time to test this theory but we did spend a day driving around the island and observing some of the different offerings first hand. Volcanoes National Park was pretty incredible. Although there were no lava flows that could be viewed without the aid of a helicopter, I found the expansive craters and steaming sulfur vents intriguing enough. We also explored a lava tube which is basically a tunnel formed by flowing lava, but found it hard to capture the experience on film.
After a few short days in Hawaii we headed over to Maui. We have vacationed here virtually every one of my 26 years so in many ways Maui is a second home. And these days “home” is in short supply for me so it was nice to land in a familiar place. For those familiar with the island, we spent the first week in Ka’anapali and then
Road to Waipi'o Valley
The vistas along this route made the 12 hour drive worth it! moved over to our timeshare at Maui Hill in Kihei.
The lack of a daily schedule has given me ample opportunity to contemplate those activities pertinent to retired life and try my hand at a few.
1) Tennis. The fam hit the courts almost every morning in Maui and I would say my game is coming along nicely…that is if still being unable to hit a decent serve or backhand can be classified as coming along nicely. I assure you however, my performance if far more entertaining than any provided by Federer.
2) Surfing. Okay, not technically a retiree sport but the new 30 is 50 these days so the old folks are trying some pretty hip sports. I only managed to sneak one lesson in, the results of which I have proudly displayed as my blog photo. My 65-year-old mother kicked ass, catching as many waves as the rest of us youngins. We were a lesson of only 5 people and low and behold one of the other students was not only from Boulder, but the same class as me. We didn’t know each other but certainly had our fair share of friends in common. It
Waipi'o Valley
Coastlines don't get much more beautiful than this! never ceases to amaze me how Boulder kids manage to find one another…screw Waldo, we should have our own Where’s the Boulder Kids? It was an awesome lesson until we got an earful from our instructor because someone (okay yes, it was me) convinced each student one by one to ride their last wave all the way into the beach with the intent of carrying our boards back instead of having to strain our already weary arms paddling. Now quite frankly I thought I was a genius encouraging this but apparently there’s some sort of danger having new surfers ride into the shore break because they can’t handle their boards and they might get hit…about 3 minutes into this speech we were all rolling our eyes and mentally going yada yada, when we heard a squeal and turned back just in time to see my mom get knocked on her ass, clobbered by her board and struggle to regain her composure in the wake of being a little shaken…note to self, one surf lesson does not mean I know more than the instructor who has been surfing for his whole life. Even if he is a 24 year old who
Maui Sunset
The view from our first condo in Ka'anapali. Not too shabby! Just don't ask about the actual accommodations... thinks “dude” and “right on” are formal contexts of speech.
3) Early Bird Specials. When you see the ferocious 80 years olds lining up at 3:45 and foaming at the mouth to get 50% off their dinners you will understand why this qualifies as a sport. Do not underestimate the value of eating dinner at 5PM. And if you’re a New Yorker you can just call it a late lunch and go back for the late bird special after 10PM.
I had great intentions to add Shuffle Board and Golf to my retirement repertoire but somehow the rigorous schedule of sunbathing, napping and reading just did not allow for these to be squeezed in there. Not to fear, I still have 5 more months to solidify my new activities.
In addition to my retiree sports, we went back to an oldie but goodie and got out for a great dive trip to Molokini. Molokini is a lovely crescent shaped island about a 40 minute boat ride from Maui, boasting of sea turtles, sharks, fish life and coral. While not my first time there, I believe my new status as professional retiree allowed me to really be at
one with the marine life. I think they must respect my newly found mature status and air of confidence that I have nothing better to be doing than have a staring contest with a persistent moonfish. The Moonfish won!
We’ve rounded up the trip with a couple days in Kauai and I am currently preparing myself for tomorrow’s travels to Oz. Although I will be sad to say farewell to the rents, I anxiously anticipate the adventures that await me down under. Australia here I come!
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Brooke Faulkner
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How fun!
Hey Trace! Its so fun to read about your adventures. It looks and sounds like you are having a blast. And I can't stop laughing, your such a great writer! Anyways, please say hi to your mom and dad for me. Can't wait to hear about Australia, I have always wanted to go there! Love ya, Brooke