Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 23.3mm, f/3.2, 1/45 sec, ISO3200 “Marathon Swag” Cedar Park, 2022
The swag bag arrived from the Austin Marathon people and it was filled with a lot of goodies. I’m impressed! Of course the best thing is my race bib and I was fortunate to receive number 900, which I like because 9 is my favorite number.
Other items include the finisher medal/belt buckle, long scarf, hat, coffee mug, hand sanitizer, gummies, tote bag, t-shirt, and long-sleeve running shirt. Those last two items are really nice Under Armor shirts. Pretty good, right?
In the photo, I also show my black On Cloud running shoes which I am retiring. I’ve put almost 600 miles on them so it’s time to switch to next pair of shoes (same model). Thank you, shoes, for helping me finish two marathons. Enjoy your retirement!
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/2.8, 1/100 sec, ISO2000 “Home Office” Cedar Park, 2022
Hi all! We’re back home in Texas, after a wonderful week in Maui. I’m still catching up with my photos and posts from the vacation, so the blog will appear a bit mixed up for a few days if you’re following the blog closely.
Today’s photo is of our home office. I keep that lamp on to nourish the Scotch Bonnet seedlings. I hope we have a good harvest this year!
Today we flew back home to Texas. While at the airport I took a photo of the boxes of Hawaiian Host candies. My grandfather was an artist and teacher, and drew the original tiki that has been on the box since the beginning. (see below)
For the past year or so, the company has been transitioning to a new box design, and the tiki is now embossed in gold, but I noticed that the drawing is slightly changed. Small details like the shape of the hands, the nose, and teeth have been updated. I’m sad to see the original box go, but at least we have photos!
Anyways, our vacation to Maui and Molokai has come to an end. It was a spectacular trip with plenty of excellent experiences and good memories created. I’m very happy!
Today was book-ended by two of Maui’s classic landmarks: ʻIao Valley and Haleakalā Crater. First up was ʻIao Valley, which is just a few minutes away from our house. I’ve been here several times but I always enjoy visiting and reading about the history of the valley, especially the battle that was fought here between Kamehameha I and Kalanikūpule.
Later that morning, we visited my grandparents’ and great-grandparents’ graves. We laid flowers down and noticed that someone (probably my brother or nephew) had left a golf ball for my grandpa, who was an avid golfer. The place where they are laid to rest has a nice view of ‘Iao Valley and their old house on the hill. 💜
For lunch, we headed over to Paia Fishmarket in Pā’ia. It’s a popular restaurant with a few locations in the islands, but it wasn’t too busy today and we got a nice table to enjoy our lunch. We’re eating so good on this trip!
Next, we headed upcountry to Haleakalā Crater. The park has a truly otherworldly feel to it. What a fun place for photographers! Someday I’d like to hike into the crater and even stay at one of cabins or campsites there. Wouldn’t that be awesome?
On the way down from the park, we stopped at Mahalo Aleworks in Makawao for a beer and a bite. The sun was setting and the view was really cool because you could see the ocean on both the north and south sides of the island. Very neat!
We got home in the early evening in order to get ready to fly back to the mainland the next day. I did take some time to set up my tripod to take a photo of Kahului and the airport with planes taking off and landing. I think it turned out pretty good!
