 |
| Street rod. We weren’t certain as to the model or year. |
When we recall living in Kauai, Hawaii a year ago at this time with yet another three months until we were scheduled to depart on the cruise from Honolulu to Sydney on May 24, 2015, it seems like years ago.
 |
| Although not an American-made car, Tom got a kick out of this Volkwagon Beetle, similar to Herbie from the movie, the Love Bug, on the street in Opunake. |
Many memories of the eight months we spent on four islands in the Hawaiian archipelago remain fresh in our minds, when we consider the past nine months since leaving Hawaii, it feels as if we’ve had a wide array of experiences.
 |
| There were dozens of hot rods in the annual AmeriCARna procession. |
Yesterday, Tom received an email from a friend, he’d made in Kauai, Pat from Wisconsin, with whom he’s stayed in touch via email. Pat and his wife had recently returned to Kauai for their annual vacation/holiday, sending Tom a new photo of our temporary home in Princeville during our four-month stay.
 |
| The local children got a break from school to visit the car show. |
A pang of pleasant memories washed over me in seeing this photo. As long as the four months living in Kauai seemed at the time, we loved every moment, in the same manner, we’re feeling during these three months in New Zealand.
 |
| 1949 Mercury as shown. |
 |
| 1959 Cadillac. |
Yes, time does “fly when you’re having fun” as evidenced during these exceptional days and nights in New Zealand. We always ask ourselves the question, “If we could live here long term, would this location appeal to us?”
 |
||
A classic car.
|
The answer is clear to us…we don’t want to live anywhere permanently unless it becomes absolutely necessary due to poor health which logically will occur at some point. Although, we do hope to return to a few favorites down the road for shorter periods, health providing.
 |
| Mid 60’s Cadillac. |
The dream of continuing in our travels until the very last days of our lives is lofty if not impractical. What percentage of seniors in their (hopefully) 80’s and 90’s or more, continue to be able to travel on a regular basis, away from medical care and able to haul luggage, often spending hours in airports, boarding cruises, and visiting points of interest requiring hours of walking and standing?
 |
| Another classic car we weren’t able to name. |
 |
||
A ’67 Pontiac GTO, one of Tom’s favorites.
|
Also, it may seem as we’ve aged as if time flies more quickly since we retired and no longer awake to an alarm clock in order to get to work on time. Perhaps the daily maintenance of our lives becomes less cumbersome as we choose to no longer spend endless hours engaged in strenuous tasks we undertook in our younger lives without giving it a thought.
 |
| ’60 Cadillac convertible. |
Many give this “winding down” process more credit than it deserves. Maybe the quality of our lives is extended by staying active and engaged in the many tasks and activities we enjoyed in our younger years.
 |
| ’59 Cadillac, two-door hardtop. |
Is it possible if we stay active, stopping to embrace many of the most simple pleasures in life as well as the heart-pounding profound experiences we often find in front of us, that we can enhance those later years taking advantage of every seeming fast-flying moment in time?
 |
| 1933 street rod with a license plate, HER33. |
We’re making every effort to capture those types of moments in our hearts and minds through preserving the fine memories in our posts and our photos living every moment in time to the fullest in the process.
 |
| As the cars entered the venue, they were parked in neat rows. |
Instead of spending a lot of time recalling past experiences as the basis of our existence, as seniors often do, we’re attempting to live in the moment as much as we possibly can and, of course, looking to the future in order to continue the process.
 |
| We wandered up and down the rows in case we missed any of the American-made vehicles. |
This moment, a sunny day on the farm, I’ll soon step outdoors to perform the simplest of tasks, hanging the laundry on the clothesline, finding it to be a pure pleasure with the soft grass under my bare feet and the gentle humming sounds of the alpacas, music to my ears, as times seems to standstill.
 |
| Another street rod. |
May every moment of your life stand still long enough for you to stop and embrace its magic.
Photo from one year ago today, February 28, 2015:
 |
|
Spring flowers began to bloom as spring came early in Hawaii’s tropical climate one year ago. For more photos, please click here.
|