Sharry Miller

Snorkeling with Captain Cook

Okay, okay, we weren't really snorkeling with Captain Cook, after all, he has been dead for over 200 years. We did, however, snorkel at the only British-owned piece of land in America: the monument erected to mark the place where Cook was killed by native Hawaiians. This spot on the other side of Kealakekua Bay from where we're staying is the most amazing place I've ever snorkeled. The array of fish is vast in both... Read more →

Follow the Ahu

Thane and I had a day to ourselves today while the Moms took Rowan to Hilo. We decided to spend out day up on Kilauea volcano hiking the Kilauea Iki Trail. Kilauea Iki is the crater formed when Kilauea chose to erupt through a vent in this spot in November 1959. Fountains of lava spouted 1,900 feet high and a lava lake over 400 feet deep formed in the crater. As the vent continued to... Read more →

Lazy Day in Hawaii

We decided to chill today; we needed a rest and our skin needed a break, as did my shoulder. Lots of lounging around reading took place, as well as a bit of clarinet practice (Rowan) and a few walks to the shore nearby. Our longer walk was about a mile to Manini Beach, a rocky beach west along the coast of Kealakekua Bay from our house. Beachcombing was good - I found blue, yellow, and... Read more →

Not Quite Stand-Up Paddleboarding

Today's adventure was to address something on my vacation bucket list: stand-up paddleboarding. Happily, our friend Kyla has three paddleboards and was willing to take us out. Thane rented a fourth board so we could all go together. We left about 11:00 from the Kona pier at the south end of Ali'i Drive. The shallow lagoon was calm, but there was a swell right outside of the entrance. I managed to get upright and paddle... Read more →

Beach Day

The house we rented sits just 500 feet up the road from the wharf on Kealakekua Bay. We've taken to wandering down every evening to watch the sunset. This morning, we spent an hour or so exploring the cobble beach on the north side of the wharf. Rowan was channeling her inner sea goddess at Kealakekua Bay. We were very disappointed to learn that the State of Hawaii has forbidden the launching of vessels within... Read more →

Octopus, Eel, and Sharks, Oh My!

Okay, the title of this post was a bit of a teaser since I can't actually show you photos of all the wonderful things we saw while diving, but trust me, they were wonderful. Thane and I had Sven as a guide all to ourselves, and he found myriad wonderful beasties of the sea for us to feast our eyes upon, all within 60 feet of water. We saw an octopus hiding under a rock... Read more →

Hawaii Sunset

We spent the day in a little pool: Rowan was working on her dive certification, and Thane and I were doing a refresher course. Thane took some video of Rowan with his GoPro, but neither of us knows how to pull still photos off of it, so you'll have to be satisfied with tonight's sunset. Read more →

Kekaha Kai

The road to Kekaha Kai State Park is arduous, but it's worth it. At some point in time in the distant past, this track through the lava was paved, but now it's miles of potholes, hard rocks, and broken c0ncrete. Hold on tight or you'll hit your head on the roof. I did get a kick out of the road signs, though... It was worth it though... Read more →

Hawaii!

"Don't forget to put your snowpants and parka in the truck. We have to drive through the arctic to get to the tropics," I said to Rowan as we got ready to leave the house Thursday. We left this... ...for this. Oh yeah, life is good! Read more →

Five Sentence Fiction - Midnight

I’ve been busy this afternoon trying to track down, again, my dive certification information. My daughter’s going to be getting certified next weekend after we get to Hawaii, and the hubs and I will be taking a refresher class. I have to have proof that I was certified to begin with before they’ll let me refresh, so…. What does this have to do with Five Sentence Fiction? This week’s challenge prompt was “midnight,” and with... Read more →