Part 1, a day to remember…Thanks to new friends…The albatross story begins…

Stained glass, whether antique or newer, attracts a tremendous amount of interest for its often fine workmanship as in the case of this piece in Elaine and Richard’s home.

Yesterday morning, about the time we finished posting, we received an email from our new friend Richard, a 17 year homeowner in Princeville and 7 year permanent resident. 

The view from the lanai at Elaine and Richard’s lovely home.

He said he had a gift for us and would be at the golf club until noon. We were planning on heading over there anyway since it was my day to workout. Shortly we were on our way. 

Elaine and Richard’s inviting living room filled with comfortable furnishings and amenities.

It was cloudy by the time we were out the door, preventing us from lounging by the pool after my workout. But Tom could visit with Richard while I worked out.

The huge master bedroom is warm and appealing with its fine furnishings and décor.

Giving a gift to people you’ve only known a few days was beyond gracious of Richard and accepting such an unexpected gesture was a new experience for both of us. 

This antique desk and handmade wood ship are eye-catching.

After the discussions of our love of wildlife and Richard’s perusal of our site, he easily determined that this gift was better given sooner rather than later while we could enjoy the depth of its meaning during our time in Princeville.

The gift Richard gave us yesterday, The Majestic Albatross by Robert Waid, a neighbor of his.

Perusing these photos certainly triggered enthusiasm on our part, anxious to see even one of these majestic birds up close, if possible, during our time in Princeville.

Having discussed the wonders of the albatross on the island of Kauai and the many currently nesting near his home, this book, written by albatross expert and aficionado, Robert Waid, also lives in Richard’s neighborhood. 

These bears reminded us of all the Santa Bears we had in our old lives. This large China hutch contains many photos of family members, all of which Richard treasures.  We too had such treasures in our old lives. Now, we have all the scanned photos as opposed to the frames and places to store them. Oddly, we don’t miss having “stuff” but can easily admire the stuff of others.

Of course, we were chomping at the bit to have a peek at this amazing phenomenon, occurring right here in Princeville. With this book in hand, our desire to witness these birds first hand only escalated.

Richard sat behind the impressive magistrate’s desk giving us a feel as to how a visit to his office in St. Louis might have been. Richard, an attorney from St. Louis, Missouri, sent his English magistrate’s desk and other treasures to Hawaii years ago via a container on a ship. This method is often used to transport cars and belongings from the mainland (and other countries) to Hawaii. Note the other antiques in his “man cave,” a converted garage.

This stained glass window, of which Richard and Elaine have many, reminded us of the zebras drinking from our pool in Marloth Park, only one year ago. A grandfather clock in Richard’s man cave.

Of course, Elaine was gracious and welcoming while we attempted to be as unobtrusive as possible while Richard gave us the full tour of his beautiful and interesting home with expansive views of the sea.

Although not antique carpeting, this pattern is definitely befitting the environment.

Today, we’re sharing photos of the tour of Elaine and Richard’s lovely home, and tomorrow, we’ll be back with our video and photos of the “majestic albatross” (per Robert Waid).

This is Elaine and Richard’s wedding photo, 28 years ago.

Thanks to Elaine and Richard for their hospitality, kindness, and generosity and of course, to their neighbor, Robert Waid, for his inspiration and exquisite book

A Hawaii themed stained glass window built into a stone wall.

We’ll be back tomorrow with some of the most exciting and heartwarming wildlife photos /videos we’ve been able to share in quite some time.

Happy Monday, dear friends.

                                             Photo from one year ago today, January 26, 2014:

Three giraffes crossing the road when we were on our way to the local market. Even Tom couldn’t stop smiling whenever there was this type of traffic jam.  For details from that day, please click here.