More countryside photos…Lava update…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
Full moon over Maalaea Beach. Check out the shadows of that crazy trimmed tree in the condo’s yard.

Last night, we paid the balances on the two houses on the Big Island. The lava flow has stalled as indicated in this article and video from the local news, although it could begin again at any time.

The shoreline is a photographer’s dream.

We’ve decided to take our chances. Worse case scenario? While we’re all in the houses, the lava flow heads our way and we have to evacuate. However, there are numerous less disturbing scenarios that could occur as an alternate.  We’ll take our chances.

The Hawaiian Islands, like many other tropical islands, is an ever changing weather phenomenon.

Talking back and forth with our grown kids, everyone seems OK about forging ahead. In a mere 28 days, on December 6th, the first four of our family members will arrive. The remainder are coming around December 21st, most leaving by January 3rd with two staying until January 9th. 

Its hard to believe the time is almost here. It was two years in the making. It was last March that we began purchasing airline tickets as I was reminded yesterday when I found myself doing revisions for March while we lived in Morocco, mentioning the challenges of booking the many airline tickets.

The subtle colors in this hills is breathtaking.

Maybe now, for the next few weeks until Tom and I fly to Big Island on December 1st, we can relax in the knowledge that we’re moving ahead with our plans without a worry in the world. 

If the lava flow rears its ugly head again, we’ll deal with it at the time.  In the interim our goals are simple, spend quality time with our loved ones, maintaining our theme of low stress, easing our way through each day.

It’s odd at times to find lush vegetation in what appears to be arid and desolate areas.

Today, the revisions continue as I’m now midway through April 2014 with only seven more months to go. Doing this task has been painstaking in some ways but enlightening in others. I have had the opportunity to read back through every post since beginning mid March, 2012. 

The swirling ocean below the ravine where we stood and watched.

I’d assumed when I began this daunting task that I’d giggle over how naïve we were in the beginning. In some ways, we were. In other ways, we prepared ourselves well with the tremendous amount of research we’d done before ever leaving Minnesota, let alone leaving the US. 

The views of these hills is appealing to our desire for more remote locations.
It’s been rewarding to be reminded of where we’ve been, what we’ve seen and that which we’ll see and do in the future.
It’s raining now, an oddity for early morning in Maui and the sky remains totally overcast, another oddity. Usually, we can see the billowy clouds moving through the sky with the promise of sunshine on the horizon.
This orange buoy is a marker for a nearby scuba diver.
Rain or shine, we’re content with each day for the simple treasures we’ve been blessed to behold.

Have a happy weekend!


Photo from one year ago today, November 8, 2013:

The humidity in Kenya was so high that mold began growing on our deck of playing cards. For details on that date, please click here.

Wonders in the sea…Video….Delicious low carb fudge recipe after several requests…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment

Here’s our video of sea turtles swimming near the shore outside our condo in
Maalaea Beach, Maui.


On Tuesday, we spotted a number of people standing on the shore with cameras and cell phones in hand taking photos.  Curious, of course, and hoping they’d seen whales soon to arrive in the Hawaiian Islands, we dashed out the door with camera in hand.

Hard to see, we were still excited.

Slightly disappointed there were no whales, our enthusiasm was revived when we saw sea turtles, many sea turtles, swimming near the shore.  What a sight to behold. 


Looking carefully, one can see the outline of a sea turtle.  They are huge, much larger than we’d expected.

Wildlife fanatics that we are, I couldn’t wait to get a few decent shots. However, they move so quickly it wasn’t as simple as clicking away for a couple of good shots.  Tom spotted for me while I fervently attempted to get at least one decent video and a few good photos. 


We could only see their shells or an occasional flapper popping above the water.

We wish our photos could have been more clear.  One would have to have been on a boat or in the water to get good shots.  Please bear with us for our well intentioned but somewhat feeble attempts.


The water was shallow here when the turtles came close to the shore.  It was high tide.

We’ll hope you’ll stop by for more tomorrow.  Have a wonderful day!


Lava rock from lava flowing to the sea.  How familiar.

_______________________________________________________________

Yesterday, after mentioning our low carb fudge recipe, we’ve had several email requests for the recipe, including one request by a comment.  As a result, I’ve put together the recipe and have posted it at the bottom of today’s post.  Feel free to copy and paste it to any format you prefer. 

I realize many people are adamantly opposed to the use of Splenda (sucralose) or any other artificial sweeteners.  I understand your concern.  But, some people cannot have real sugar and don’t care for the taste of Stevia and other sweeteners, myself included.

Some have serious health concerns grossly effected by consuming real sugar, again myself included.  There are no valid studies confirming that sucralose is dangerous, including reports from the Mayo Clinic.  Although, there are 1000’s of internet pages devoted to the dangers of sucralose. 

There is a small faction of the population that is sensitive to artificial sweeteners in any form.  Obviously, I don’t suggest they try this recipe or any other recipes that anyone may post using artificial sweeteners.

However, there is a faction of us, that sacrifice many enjoyable foods and snacks for health reasons and an occasional treat such as this is definitely uplifting and pleasurable, especially when they suffer no ill effects from doing so.

Most of us enjoy the taste of sweetness, one of the many causes of rampant obesity and diabetes worldwide.  Please see your physician with questions as the appropriateness of artificial sweeteners in your diet.  If you have an aversion to sugar substitutes, please don’t try this recipe.  Thank you kindly for your understanding.

Jess’s Low Carb Fudge Recipe
(to be enjoyed in moderation – no more than four pieces per day)

(Using parchment paper is a must).
1 cup butter
8 oz. unsweetened chocolate (Bakers is fine), broken into 1” cubes
3 cups powdered Splenda for baking (or 80 drops of liquid sucralose which I use) or equivalent of other sugar substitutes
4 tsp. real vanilla extract
4 – 8 oz. packages full fat cream cheese (not light or low fat), cut into chunks, softened for one hour on counter
1 cup chopped nuts (may be omitted if desired) 

Butter cake pan (9×13) then place a piece of buttered parchment paper on top of the buttered pan for parchment paper to stick to the bottom of the pan. 
Melt butter on low heat in large saucepan.  (Don’t brown butter).  When completely melted, add chunks of cream cheese, stirring constantly until all are melted.  Don’t turn up heat, just keep stirring.  They will melt in about 10 minutes.  

Once the chocolate is melted remove pan from burner and add Splenda and vanilla, continuing to stir until smooth. Add nuts after smooth, if desired.
Pour mixture into the buttered, parchment lined pan.  Smooth with spatula for an even layer.  Place pan in freezer for three hours.

Remove from freezer and cut into 1” cubes.  This batch makes 80 cubes.  Place in plastic containers with lids, separating layers with parchment paper.  Keep frozen, taking out desired amount as needed.  Serve immediately.

Each piece has 80 calories and 1.4 carbs.          

_____________________________________________________________

Photo from one year ago today, November 6, 2013:

The post a year ago was regarding health concerns for travelers of any age that we gleaned for considerable research and a modicum of experience.  For details on that post, please click here.

First package arrived yesterday…Second today with Tom’s laptop…Tonight’s superb dining experience!

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 3 Comments



This was the only grass fed ground beef I could find at the grocery store.  I purchased two one pound packages which I’ll use tonight to make taco salads.  See ingredient list below.

Its concerning that wherever we may live we may not receive a package of supplies we’ve ordered. Its happened a few times, once in Italy, another in South Africa. When packages have to go through customs shipping may be precarious.  This time in Hawaii, I’m less concerned.

Here’s a photo our friend Linda in South Africa posted in Facebook last week of the post office in Johannesburg, South Africa. with packages backed up to be delivered.  Is it any wonder one of our packages never arrived?

The first of two packages we were awaiting arrived yesterday with my two new pairs of shorts which I needed desperately in this warm weather and six tee shirts, a brand I love.


The unsweetened chocolate in this photo was for making low carb, sugar, grain and starch free chocolate fudge which I made on Monday.  Tom has a sweet tooth although I’ll also have a few pieces as an evening snack.   If you’re interested in the recipe please let me know and I’ll post it tomorrow. The blue and white packages of cream cheese are used in making the fudge. 

Yesterday, I threw away the six old worn tee shirts and one old pair of capri pants to offset the weight in my one large suitcase of clothing.  Now, I’m about a half pair of shorts overweight (the capris were longer than the shorts and weighed more).  I’ll find something else to toss to make up the difference before we pack again in a little over three weeks.

Zucchini is one of the most GMO, pesticide grown vegetables on the market.  As a result, I only purchase locally grown organic zucchini when available as shown here.  All prices for items are listed on receipt posted below.

Also, the box contained a few “girlie” items, cosmetics I just can’t find in any stores anywhere, a favorite “stay-put” lipstick that was discontinued long ago but I can still purchase from a remaining stock at Amazon.com and a few other items that would bore our male readers.


These two fillet mignon were priced at $23.36 at $18.99 a pound.  In Minnesota, over two years ago, these steaks were priced at $22 per pound.  We grilled last night and Tom had one of these steaks, freezing the other for a future meal. I had the mahi mahi listed below cooked perfectly on the grill on a piece of foil.

Another item we ordered was a ear bud splitter into which we can each plug  our own pair of ear buds since there’s only one port in my laptop in order to better hear downloaded shows which always seem to have low volume. We always watch shows together and often and the volume s just too low. 


Ear bud splitter we purchased online which arrived in the box of supplies.

With Tom’s 42-years-on-the-railroad hearing loss, we can both hear through our own set of ear buds.  Good idea, huh?  (Yes, we’ve done everything to increase the volume on the laptop to avoid this necessity).

Today’s arriving parcel will be Tom’s new laptop.  My job is to transfer all his data to the new laptop from the old, a job I don’t look forward to.  Never have.  Last time, we had it done professionally for around $50.  Here in Hawaii, it would be three times as much. 


This piece of mahi mahi was expensive at $15.49 per pound but would be no more expensive on the mainland.  My serving was a total of $10.07 and was delicious.  I could eat this every night for dinner! 

As I write here now at 8:00 am, Tom’s still sleeping, an oddity, and I have the AC off and both doors open to ensure we hear the UPS guy.  Yesterday, the first box was left outside the door when we were here and we didn’t hear a thing.  Surely, a laptop would require a signature.

Today, I mentioned posting these grocery items photos, prices and receipts for those who may be interested or curious as to the prices in Hawaii should they ever consider living here.  Honestly, food prices aren’t higher here than they were in Minnesota over two years ago.


The two 18 packs of eggs are free range, cage free, organic at $12.49 for both packs.  Not too bad, considering.  We use zero carb mayonnaise to make our salad dressing.  Although it has a few questionable ingredients, it doesn’t have an effect on how I feel.  Also shown are organic uncured hot dogs at $7.49 made without icky body parts and fillers.   Below are Kielbasa for Tom.  He won’t eat the “healthy” dogs.  The Italian sausages were on sale, one for $5.49, the other for $8.49.

As we’ve perused prices of commodities in Hawaii, we believe the cost of living is high due to high rental fees, utilities, fuel and transportation, not so much on groceries.  Plus, the way we eat, although we buy no processed or junk food, makes the cost of buying groceries higher in general.

Buying grass fed meat when possible and organic produce in the US is pricey. For many items I cannot choose grass fed and organic when neither are available or far surpass a price I’m willing to pay, such as $7.95 for one organic sweet red pepper.  Not worth the price.  Wash, wash and rewash, the non-organic peppers in the bag as shown, still knowing that evil may lurk therein.


These two packages of pork chops, unavailable in grass fed, were $6.53 and $6.79 enough for two meals for Tom.  On those nights I’ll have something else, most likely a huge dinner salad with chicken and avocado.

Tonight, with little prep time available for computer transfer-day, I’m making taco salads, minus the awful shell with a huge bed of lettuce for the base using the following ingredients:

1.  Grass fed ground meat, drained and cooked with sugar, wheat and starch free taco sauce I found at the store
2.  Organic romaine lettuce, shredded into bite sized pieces
3.  Organic tomatoes, diced
4.  Celery, diced
5.  Organic avocado, small chunks (me, only)
6.  Shredded cheese
7.  Sliced green olives



Notice the total for this week’s groceries at $271.08. Next week, I’ll get $22 back when I return to shop bringing this receipt using my Safeway shopper’s savings card which I’d forgotten to bring.  Next time I shop, I’ll be on my own and will bring my wallet. This receipt is wrapped around my Safeway card in my wallet ensuring I won’t forget to get the credit, especially when the cashier always asks for the savings card.  Essentially, the credit makes this total $249.08.

Does this ever make a great low carb, grain, starch and sugar free meal!  A dollop of sour cream on top for me and I’m in heaven.  Tom, plain food Tom, won’t do the sour cream. 

In all, we have enough meat from yesterday’s shopping for approximately 10 nights of dinners and we also had some steaks and lamb on hand from the last trip.  Eating fabulous homemade meals in Hawaii for under $25 per day is all we can expect.

I’d better hurry and wrap this up.  Before too long, according to the UPS tracking number, that laptop will be here soon and I need to go chop and dice for tonight’s dinner.

Tomorrow, we have a great wildlife video to share.  Please check back.
____________________________________

Photo from one year ago, November 5, 2013:



Jessica L. Grain Brain Success Story
A year ago today we posted this photo that appeared on Dr. David Perlmutter’s website, regarding his new book, Grain Brain.  To see the full story he had on his website, please click here.

Our two year anniversary of traveling the world…An interesting morsel from a reader…Happy Halloween to all!

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 2 Comments
As we drove down the highway, we spotted a dirt road leading to what we thought was a lighthouse. After a distance on the bumpy dirt road our hopes we dashed when we saw this was a microwave or cell tower of some type. In any case, the scene was lovely.

Today, it is our two year anniversary since leaving Minnesota. In one way, it’s hard to believe it’s been two years and yet in another, it seems like yesterday.

Time seems to fly in by in either segments of exquisite adventure or while involved in gentle contemplation, deep in thought, individually, and together we consider how far we’ve come.

In the heat of the day, these grapefruit sure looked cool and refreshing. Believe it or not, one grapefruit without sugar added, has 16 grams of sugar, 40% as much as a can of Coke. Click here for details. Sure, the grapefruit is better, but sugar is sugar. See a Dr. Robert Lustig video on sugar here.

As I spend every afternoon deep into the revisions of past posts, now almost halfway through, I relive each experience, day by day, working my way through each photo, each entry, each challenge, and each resolution.

Last evening before dark, Tom and I walked to a park at the end of the road. As we walked we spoke of how wonderful it is to be able to go back and relive each day through words and photos. 

This appeared to be a variety of artichoke.

Currently, with almost 250,000 readers worldwide, growing each day (please forward our link to your friends to help us grow our site), that we so much appreciate. We’re in awe of their dedication to following us. If it were just us, writing and posting for ourselves, we’d still treasure (although not as much) that which we’ve documented almost each and every day.

At any time, we can search the archives to jog our memory as to date, an experience, or a resolution to a problem. Oddly, we seem to remember more than we’d ever expected by having documented it in the first place. Being able to verify the past, makes it all the more meaningful and memorable.

As much as I love fresh coconut, it’s just too hard to open. The cut halves in the grocery stores lose their moisture and flavor sitting out on display.

Add the fact that many of our readers reach out to us via comments at the end of a post or by email, we feel the joy of knowing that out there in the world, readers are traveling along with us in their hearts and minds, at times, finding comfort in knowing that the mundane aspects of our lives are not unlike our own.  Us humans, we’re kind of alike, aren’t we?

We cherish the fact that some of our readers find a little comfort and enjoyment reading our posts to discover that we aren’t so unique after all, although at first glance, we may seem so.

This rooster was strutting around showing off his pretty plumage at the vegetable stand.

This morning, I lumbered out of bed and pulled the sheets and pillowcases with me in order to wash the week-old bedding, a very “normal” activity. A moment later, I was sitting at my laptop searching for safaris in Australia after seeing a History Channel documentary a few days ago on wildlife in the Outback perhaps a little less than a “normal” activity. Our lives, barren of stuff, enables us to consider such possibilities for which we’re very grateful. 

We’ll be on our way to Australia and the South Pacific for over a year, in a little less than seven months. A few days ago while I sat entranced by the prehistoric-looking animals that wander the deserts in the Outback, I took out the bucket tossing in an Outback safari. I was hooked. It’s hot, arid, and dangerous. But now, after our past experiences, we feel we can handle it in the hands of a competent and knowledgeable guide.

At the Maalaea Beach Marina. Our condo building is on the far right across the bay.

Recently, I started communicating with Staci, a reader who stumbled across our website through CruiseCritic.com. As mentioned in a past post, we’ll be on the same cruise on April 12, 2016, from Sydney to Perth, Australia for a period of 16 days. How funny we connected! How small the world becomes through online communication!

She commented at the end of the post of October 29, 2014, which I quote here with her permission, in the event any of our readers may have missed her comment.

Staci writes:

“These are great pictures! I love the one of the tree on the beach.

I am still wrapping my head around the concept that you aren’t on “permanent vacation” but rather on a “planet-wide living arrangement” When you were writing about the blog post-correction project I briefly thought “Wow, shame they couldn’t wait to tackle that after they got….wait, they ARE home!” Projects don’t disappear just because your address changes every few months, do they!

Thank you for your commitment to taking us along your journey. It is a treat to see the sights, even from a computer. “

Staci’s words made us giggle over her perfect description of our travels as a “planet-wide living arrangement.”  Well said, Staci! We couldn’t have said it better ourselves, in fact, we never did. So, if I may, we’ll use this phrase from time to time to better explain that we aren’t on vacation. We’re living. Thank you, Staci. We love having you “with us” and can’t wait to meet you in person aboard the ship in 18 months.

Who would possibly want to tackle this nightmare?

Today on our two year anniversary, where last year we celebrated on a three-day respite in Kenya to a resort on the Indian Ocean, we do a low key day. Keeping tight reins on our funds in the event we all have to stay in hotels for weeks eating out each meal (on our dime, as promised) should the lava impede our plans, we play low key today. 

Do we go sightseeing today ending at a nice restaurant for dinner? Or do we stay put watching the news on the volcano enabling me to correct another month of posts which takes me from three to five hours? The dinner, we’ll do for sure.

A closer view of our condo building across the bay from the marina.

We’ll decide after our visit to the pool. There’s a couple of what appear to be lovely restaurants we’d like to try tonight located in the nearby Maui Ocean Center which may be perfect for celebrating our special day; Year Two…the World. 

Thanks to Tom, my dear husband and travel companion, whose courage, determination, and pension make our continuing travels possible. Plus, he carries the heavy stuff!

May your Halloween be safe and filled with ghoulish laughter! 

                                           Photo from one year ago today, October 31, 2013:

Ugh! I don’t like posting photos of myself. It seems so self-serving. I’m always complaining as to how the photo came out. Tom, on the other hand, blind love, encourages me to be visible to our readers. So, here is a revealing photo of me from one year ago today as we wandered on the beach on the Indian Ocean. Gee…I wish I still had that suit (in new condition). The elastic was all stretched out making it was easy to put on. But, it didn’t look so hot around the butt with no elastic. I tossed it to further lighten the load. For more photos of our three-day respite from the veranda in Kenya, please click here.

Today, we’re heading out to explore…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
The sun reflecting on the beach in the late afternoon. At the top of the hill, there are numerous windmills, a common sight in Hawaii.

We’ve been anxious to get out and about to check out Maui. Soon, we’ll be on the road heading toward the popular Lahaina and Whaler’s Village, places I’d visited over 26 years ago and have been excited to see once again.

We’ve been sitting in these chaise lounges with our backs to the pool enabling us to watch the beach during the daily 40-minutes we spend in the sun.

Most assuredly, this location is popular with tourists and will be crowded. Going earlier in the day will be to our advantage when later in the day on Friday, the weekend crowds will be daunting.

Tom’s head is shown in the bottom right of this photo.

Late yesterday afternoon, we walked along the shoreline at high tide taking these few photos and looking for Sea Turtles we’ve yet to spot. We’ll never tire of the view, the surf, and the sandy beaches.

These chairs set up outside the gated pool area were all occupied today. We prefer to stay in the pool area for easy access to a quick dunk in the pool to cool off.

We returned to the condo on time to watch the 5 pm Hawaii news with not so good news updates on the lava flow on the Big Island. We’ll keep updating as more information becomes available. 

The ocean looked less murky than a few days ago after Hurricane Ana breezed through the area. It was explained on the news that murky waters bring more sharks to the beach.

As of yesterday, the flow increased substantially, widening, and is moving at a considerably increased speed.  We continue to wait with bated breath as to what will transpire in the next few weeks and if this will have an impact on our holiday rental homes.

This is a path we used to walk further down Maalaea Beach but it ended and we had to turn around. Next time, we’ll follow the road to check out the beach beyond the cut-off point.

Gee…Hawaii is an exciting place. Between the lava flow, the shark attacks, and recent Hurricane Ana, we’ve been glued to the news.

Many of the condo complexes have steps such as these leading the sea with warning signs reminding bathers that the steps are slippery.

As our cough continues to improve a little each day, we find ourselves anxious for a full night’s sleep and the refreshed feeling that comes with good consistent sleep. It’s either Tom coughing and awakening me or vise versa. I suspect we haven’t had more than five hours of sleep in a single night since four nights before we left Waikiki when this virus began.

The perfect lawns along the beach look like carpet, perfectly trimmed and maintained. Although we prefer more “wild” natural areas, we’re definitely finding this location pleasing at this point.

It will feel good to get out and about especially when we’re confident that we are no longer contagious and at this point, only cough at night.

More flowers blooming near the beach.

We’re enjoying our home-cooked meals having little interest in dining out. All the tourist-packed restaurants in Lahaina will be jammed with little chance of getting an appropriate meal befitting my food restrictions or even getting a table.

Beautiful flowers are blooming in some areas.

Also, Tom has joined me in this diet and hasn’t had a morsel of anything not included in our way of eating.  We’re better off continuing to cook as we have since arriving in Maui eight days ago.

The foamy surf at high tide.

Although we’ve hardly been out, we’re loving Maui, fully understanding why so many people long to live in Hawaii, particularly in Maui, the most revered of the islands by travelers.

High tide at the base of the rocks on the shoreline.

We’ll be back tomorrow, looking forward to sharing many new photos of our day of exploration on this exquisite tropical island in paradise.

                                           Photo from one year ago today, October 24, 2013:

My nemesis while living in Kenya, the dreaded poisonous centipede. When stepping on them to kill them in our house, the sound of the crunching of their crustacean shell nauseated us both. Luckily, we were never bitten but we’d heard that a bite usually requires a trip to an emergency room.  For details from this date’s post, please click here.

What we love about this condo…What?…We done our own cleaning for the first time in two years! Third shark attack!

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
The sky at sunset.
We don’t have access to the sunset view from our condo in Maui. There’s a monstrous hill blocking the view which would require a lengthy drive. However, we are able to see glimpses of the sky at sunset which is a good alternative.

Without a doubt, this condo is one of the most well equipped vacation homes we’ve rented in two years, so much so that we haven’t minded being “house bound” during Hurricane Ana and now recovering from our recent virus.

Lots of gadgets along with our own stash.

We continue to cough all night (Tom more than me) making us feel exhausted during the days and we’re anxious to get out and do a little exploring in Maui. Soon, we’ll feel well enough to get out and share lots of new photos with our readers. Please bear with us and our current lethargy.

The condo feels like a home with artwork and decorative items on the walls and tables in each room.

It’s so easy to get caught up in the casual ease of everyday living which we find to be pleasant. This morning, after only about four hours of sleep, we decided it was time to clean having arrived one week ago today and it was time.

We flipped when we saw this tidy “junk drawer,” a must in every home.

We washed and dried the bedding and remade the bed, swept and washed all the floors, dusted, cleaned the kitchen and bathroom, and “windexed” every glass surface in the entire condo including the table on the lanai.  Tom swept the floor of the lanai while I washed the sliding glass door inside and out.

Memories of our old lives with a drawer designated for plastic bags. Nice.

As we busied ourselves with the cleaning, it dawned on me that the last time we didn’t have a cleaning person(s) or service was two years ago when we spent from November 3, 2012 to January 1, 2013 in Scottsdale, Arizona finishing our paperwork and digital needs. 

There’s plenty of kitchen utensils.

In every other location in which we’ve lived (except Waikiki), someone else has cleaned and scrubbed our surroundings with us only tidying up after ourselves from day to day, periodically doing laundry, and washing dishes.

High quality dinnerware.

Comparable to driving a car, one doesn’t “forget” how to clean and we breezed through the process with ease and good humor. In no time at all, we were done.

Tiled showered with great faucet, plenty of fluffy towels, drawers and spotless countertops.

In a funny way, we kind of like doing our own cleaning after this long hiatus. I’m always cleaning before the cleaning help arrives to avoid embarrassing myself making it a welcome break to be unconcerned about preparing for their arrival and getting out of their way.

A table and chairs for dining wasn’t always available in every vacation home.  This is ideal for our meals. 

However, part of our rental agreement of this lovely condo includes one complimentary mid-rental cleaning by a professional company hired by the kindly owner. That’s two weeks from now. If we clean at least two times after the mid cleaning, we’ll have it covered.

With the cupboards filled with dinnerware and supplies, there’s literally not a single cupboard for food supplies. In this case, we’re messy, leaving everything in easy reach on the kitchen counter. Tom wanted us to buy Spam for Hurricane Ana which now he’s eating a little each day. It’s gluten-free and low carb so I don’t complain.

When the cost of a cleaner here in Maui is $100 to clean this small space, we opted to do it ourselves. The most we’ve paid for a full house cleaning in the few countries where it wasn’t included in the rent, was $25 for about three hours.

The owners went over the top including these high cotton count Charisma sheets and so comfortapillowcases which I used in our old lives. Comfy bed and covers.

Although some of our photos appear that we are messy, we aren’t. At times, we don’t have ample storage for all of our stuff, especially those items we often use. We don’t leave dishes in the sink and we clean the kitchen each day. We make the bed everyday. We frequently empty the trash and we clean the bathroom everyday.

The owners explained this is a new bed. It is the most comfortable bed we’ve had in a long time, perhaps over two years.

In other words, it may be a little cluttered with our stuff but it’s always clean. The exception to that may have been that little condo in Waikiki where we spent 11 nights which was nearly impossible to keep it clean with no broom, cleaning supplies and it was old and worn. It’s hard to clean “old and worn.” 

This large sturdy chest of drawers was a delight to fill with our clothes.  Tom took the bottom three drawers, leaving me the top three (as he always does).

On another note, yesterday afternoon, a third shark attack occurred in this area of Maui. Click here for the article. With this news as in the case of the last two incidents, we continue to have no interest in entering the ocean once the beaches are reopened after yesterday’s temporary closing. 

Neither of us particularly cares to swim in the ocean especially when each time we lived walking distance to the beach there’s either been sharks, stingrays, or jellyfish, none of which we care to bump into. 

There are actually four chairs for this table.  These are comfortable swivel chairs.  Plus, the view is amazing.

The lava flow on the Big Island continues to advance toward the main road in Pahoa after a few day break in its movement. For details, please click here. We continue to keep a watchful eye on the lava flow hoping it won’t be an issue for the two houses we rented in Pahoa in the Puna District on the Big Island for our family for Christmas.

Have a happy day, dear friends.

                                            Photo from one year ago today, October 23, 2013:

We were excited while living in Kenya to finally see the elusive Bush Baby while dining outdoors at a resort. For details and more photos, please click here.