Sunrise and the Aquarium

Day 4 – Tuesday November 6

Tuesday morning I woke up early and couldn’t get back to sleep. I got up while everyone else was still in bed, and was struck with an amazing sight. One of the most spectacular sunrises greeted me. I grabbed my camera and snapped a few pictures. The colors were so rich and amazing I was dumbfounded.

The plan for this day was to do something that Sprout would enjoy. What were we going to do? The local aquarium (local being two blocks from our condo). Enjoy it he did. He ran from tank to tank exclaiming fish, more fish. The display were pretty amazing. The shark tank was a huge glass wall with some pretty deep water for them to swim in. The next room was a tunnel where the rays and other large fish could swim right over your head. Amazing.

Outside there was a turtle tank, and a hammerhead tank. The tanks where you could reach in and touch the animals were pretty cool, but Sprout would have nothing to do with them. The only disappointing part was the mammal display. I wasn’t expecting any live animals since that would have been pretty sad to see them in captivity, but the display was pretty minimal. Sprout enjoyed this section though, all due to the interactive displays.

Too soon we were done and it back to the condo for Sprouts nap.

Myself, my mom, and my sister then headed to the mall again for lunch, and some more shopping. While there we saw a very, very weird guy. He was dressed in the brightest red clothing I have ever seen and walked up to random people and tried to start a conversation. Weird. I poked around in the mall, bought some shirts, and marveled at the Christmas display.

Back at the condo Sox and I got changed and headed out to the beach for some sun and some swimming. We hit Kamaole Beach which was awesome. The surf was pretty big from the storm, and I tried my hand at body surfing. Wow, was that ever fun. I caught at least half a dozen good waves that took me right in to the beach. I got slammed hard a couple times too, and that really wasn’t fun. The surf pounded salt water into my sinuses. Yeuck.

While I was getting cleaned up at the condo I had a shower. While drying I reached down to grab my towel and when I stood up saltwater streamed from my nose. Again with the yeuck. That was a weird feeling.

For dinner we drove to Lahaina. We at dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company restaurant. This restaurant chain was inspired by the Forrest Gump movie and many of their dishes were created based off the movie. I had the Shrimpers heaven which was coconut shrimp, peel n eat shrimp, tempura shrimp, and one other kind. There were some amazing dipping sauces, and it came with fries. If you like shrimp, then this was the meal for you.

Sprout did really good at the restaurant but it was time to get back for him to go to bed.

Tropical Plantation Tour

Day 3 – Monday November 5

The morning arrived, and I didn’t really feel any jet lag effects, but I was a little more tired than normal. After eating a yummy breakfast, we headed out the Maui Tropical Pantation for their tour. Our plan was to get there soon after they opened to try and beat the crowds.

Their tour consists of an interpreted tram ride around their grounds, and includes a stop with a coconut husking demonstration. The grounds were beautiful, and there were lots of gorgeous tropical plants. I could have spent lots of time there with my camera equipment. Entrance to the grounds was free, but the tour cost money.

Our tour guide we had was hilarious. She kept using the word trippy, and reference a couple icky looking bugs she saw. She seemed local so it was odd she was so grossed out by the local bugs. I suppose I am grossed out by some of the bugs at home though.

We had lunch at the plantation restaurant, then headed back to the condo for nap time. While Sprout was napping, Sox and I took a dip in the pool which was deliciously cool, and very refreshing. I don’t think Sox enjoyed it as much as I did, but I liked getting a little chilled to cool me down. The pool water was cooler than the ocean water. Definitely not something I am used to from home.

Maui Welcome

Day 2 – Sunday November 4


Sunday was going to be a chillaxin kind of day. Catch up on sleep, relax, let ourselves (and Sprout) adjust to the warm humid weather. Of course it was raining so this allowed us to stay inside, and not feel guilty about it. The wind, and rain are both warm though and that is such a change from home. That is one of the most amazing feelings that I love: a nice warm wind.



We all climbed into the van and took a little drive. We ended up at the Queen Ka’ahumanu Mall which was really interesting. Besides being a normal mall filled with the types of stores I would expect at home, this was an open air mall. It was still warm and rainy outside, but inside it was just warm. The birds flit about inside, and chirp loudly. Sprout loved that.

Sox, Sprout and I took a load off at the Starbucks while my mom and sister did some shopping. After our little snack we toured a bit of the mall, and found a cool toy store that Sprout loved. They have a huge Thomas play table for all the kids to use and Sprout was fascinated with it. After a little tiff with another boy (Sprout did not start it), we hit the mall and found a shoe store with some excellent prices.

After collecting Gramma and Auntie our next stop was Foodland for some grocery shopping. This little chain store had the most amazing seafood display I have seen including a large (by my standards) section of whole fresh fish. Beauty. We stocked up for the week and headed back to the condo for the munchkins nap.


Once refreshed we wanted to see a beach so we drove back to Kihei and found a nice sandy beach and watched the sun go down. It turned out to be a gorgeous sunset, and I was kicking myself for not bringing my big camera. Thankfully I had my little camera. I even tried my hand at some panorama shots.





With the sun down, and the light fading fast, we piled back in the van and headed back to the condo for a pasta dinner. Mmm. Sprout ate topless and ended up with spagettini all over him. We are still finding bits of it on the floor.

Heading to Maui

Day 1 – Saturday November 3


What a long, long day. We got on the 11 am ferry after some frustrations with the ferry reservation system, and that part of the trip was fine. Sprout enjoyed the ability to stretch his legs. Then it was off to the airport and onto the plane. Sprout did awesome on the plane despite the fact that he did not nap until the last hour and a half of the flight. By this time it was around 8:30 Victoria time. When we landed he woke up and sure was spacey.


The coolest thing about the flight was seeing a lightning storm beside us. It seemed quite far away (not far enough for Sox), and it was spectacular. The cloud would light up from within, flicker then go dark again. This repeated lots in the short time we could see it.

After gathering our luggage, we grabbed our rental car from National. Neither Sue nor I were in any sort of my to deal with the way too chipper sales dude who tried to upsell us on everything. Then there was some confusion on where the tether for our carseat went and none of the staff was helpful at all. The Chevy Uplander we rented didn’t have a tether point, and it was the biggest vehicle they had on the lot (necessary for four adults, one toddler, and all the associated luggage).

After getting that squared away we headed to the condo which turned out to be awesome. Three bedrooms, two of them loft style, two bathrooms, a kitchen, and enough supplies and activities to keep us all busy. Also, this condo is beach front. Wow, such an amazing view form our lanai (deck), but when we arrived it was pitch black so we couldn’t see the water at all, but we could certainly hear lots of waves.

Sox got Sprout settled and into bed (now 11:00 pm Victoria time), and my mom and I headed out to get some supplies for breakfast the next morning. The first direction I took was towards Lahaina, but I quickly realized we wouldn’t find much along the way. After getting myself turned around we headed towards Kihei, and found a convenience store chain called ABC Stores. Shopping was interesting. They had a lot of the same things that we would in our stores, but things are always just a little different than at home. Their potato chip selection was more limited than I was used to for one.Just little things that you take for granted at home.

That ended a very long and tiring day 1.

Yoshi Racers

This was my weekend for walking Yoshi. It wasn’t planned in any real sort, but I was the one who was doing the errands, and had the time for Yoshi.

Poor dog. He is definitely getting shafted when it comes to exercise.

Yesterday he and I ended up at Thetis. Bad day to go to Thetis. There was a running race on, so we had to park in the main lot with all the runners. It was mayhem. Thankfully the race didn’t start for a while, so that allowed Yoshi and I to get our walk in without having to dodge racers.

Today we headed to Colquitz Park. There were lots of other doggies there, and we had a great time. Yoshi ran around quite a bit, but a couple times I had to call him to get him to follow. Our dog walker has been having some problems with Yoshi doing this too. More on that at a later date.

Both walks were pretty good from my perspective, and I think Yoshi enjoyed them. He always romps around in the bush chasing things, and having fun. I love to see his tongue hanging out and the ears flapping around. I can tell he is having fun then.

Thetis pictures and Colquitz pictures are available.

Disassembled Game

Yesterday was a bit of a sad day. I disassembled our Foosball table, loaded it into my truck (with some help from a friend), and transported it elsewhere.

Sox and I don’t use it very much, and her office was thinking about getting one, sooo, we sold our table. Our sunroom looks very empty now, but c’est la vie.

The sad part for me is that I can’t remember the last game Sox and I played on it. It also means that there will be no February Foosball Frenzy. At least the table will get some use from now on though.

Special Lame

In the pile of crap mail I got yesterday there was something from Petro Canada. This one was an ad for me to call them and sign up for a special credit card that allows me to collect Petro Points faster. Alongside this was a special card that when used at the pump gives and additional 5¢ off per litre.

I’ve learned to read the fine print on everything. These special credit cards inevitably have a crappy interest rate and are never worth the time it takes to fill out the form. Additional savings on gas might be a good thing.

Until you read the fine print. The 5¢ off per litre was for the first 100 litres. Do the math, and that means saving $5.00. Woohoo. $5 is not worth my time on the phone filling out a credit application. Also, 100 litres doesn’t go far in my truck which has a 70 litre tank.

$5. Lame.

SPCA Situation

The SPCA is a cause I believe in, and support in many ways. Sox and I take part in the walkathon each year, we donate to them, and Sox used to volunteer with them and walk dogs once a week.

Last week I got a glimpse of why I support this organization.

I was driving home from a friends place, and it was dark. Along Boleskine I passed a dark shaggy figure that was on the side of the road. After passing it I realized it was a dog and it wasn’t moving. As I drove, I debated on what I should do.

I decided that I couldn’t live with myself if I drove home. After turning around I headed back to the scene, but as I pulled up I could see the dog was now sitting up. I also saw another car stopping, and the SPCA ambulance was also stopping.

At this point there were a few other people on the scene, and there really wasn’t anything I could offer, so I ended up going home.

I was left feeling pretty crappy about this. I always imagined what I would do in a situation like this, and in my thoughts I wouldn’t hesitate. And yet, there I was presented with such a situation, and I did hesitate. I feel bad for the dog, but he will get patched up. I still feel like crap over my hesitation though.

Now I just hope that if something similar happens again, I won’t even hesitate.

Coffee Flavor

Well, I think I have this coffee thing figured out now. The beans are still a little hit and miss, but with good beans, I can make the most delicious double shot Americano, or a delicious latte (as seen here).

The key I found, and sort of knew previously, is the tamping of the grounds. Once I got a tamper, the flavour really started to come out.

Beans play an important role too. So far Kicking Horse Coffee Cliff Hanger Espresso have been amazing. Fair trade, shade grown coffee from a BC company. This past week I have been using some been I grabbed in Maui. 10% Kona blend with Maui beans. Mmmm, fresh and tasty.

The last thing I’d like to change in my grinder. I have a burr grinder, but I’d like a better one that doesn’t get clogged up quite so often. And it must have a timer switch, not a button that I have to hold.

Romping Wagon

Got out for a nice walk in the park this morning with Sox, Sprout, Yoshi, and another family with their dog Duke. The dogs had a great time romping about, and the boys really enjoyed the wagon ride, the tunnel walk, and the snack on the way home.

The boys (both around the same age) are really good friends. It is so much fun to watch them play together and do things together. Both of them have incredible vocab, and it was really cute to see them each pointing out different parks of the park, or objects in the park.

The great thing about dog walking with boys this age is that they want to get out and walk. The boys get exercise, the dogs get exercise, and the parents get a relatively leisurely walk in the park. It allows us to relax and catch up with each other.