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This is just a jumble of images from our life on Kauai, a glimpse or two of random beauty.

Waterfalls are among our favorite sites to see, and this little gem meets the sea just north of Donkey Beach at ’Āhihi Point. It’s only an intermittent trickle (tickle in Newfoundland), which sometimes runs dry in summer, but the sight and sound is especially soothing on warmer days.

Looking west across Kuhio Highway (56) from the top of the tree-tunnel pathway down to Donkey Beach provides a spectacular view of Kauai’s major water supply: cloud-capped mountains. Wai’ale’ale Ridge, in the background, features the two tallest peaks on Kauai: Kawaikini at 5,243 feet (1,598m); Wai’ale’ale at 5,148 feet (1,569m). Makaleha Ridge, in the foreground, is surrounded by peaks  averaging half that elevation and the highest point visible in this photo is Pōhaku Pili at only 2,477 feet (755m).

Closer to home, the skies offer spectacular shows like banshees, and dragons, and zephyrs, oh my! Some of the most unbelievable sights really can be found right in your backyard.

Returning to earth we find various expressions of what we are made of—calciferous rock, sand & ash, and Kauai’s infamous red dirt. (See also, Arizona to Georgia)

Driftwood abounds at inlets, sometimes appearing as fanciful creatures, at other times simply a cache of “drift kindling.”

After living here for nearly four years, I finally pulled off Kuamo‘o Road to visit the Royal Birthstone, Pōhaku Ho‘ohanau, where all of Kauai’s Ali‘i (Chiefs) were once born. Then again, I had always wondered where those stairs at the back went, and presumed that they led to a viewing platform.

Pōhaku

Ho‘ohanau

But oh no, they lead to a Japanese cemetery, which is visited often by descendants and loved ones. That is, there were fresh flower arrangements, toys, and food for hungry ghosts throughout.

On Monday, during my morning hike, I took a picture of a treacherous point along the old right-of-way that may be added to the Eastside Trail for completion to Anahola. Suffice it to say “road narrows”, and it’s been doing so quickly the past couple of years. A stream passes through a narrow culvert under what’s left of the fill and empties into Kuna Bay.

Speaking of the Eastside Trail, Ke Ala Hele Makalae (The Path that Goes by the Coast), future development to the south may transit this 165-foot (50m) bridge of the former Ahukini Terminal & Railway Company along the way to Ninini Point and Nawiliwili Bay.

Naturally, the coast speaks up in winter by way of weather advisories and warnings. It’s violence is fascinating when viewed from shore; not so much viewed from a small boat.

Thus ends another week in paradise.

We’ve been enjoying some wonderful fall weather here at Casa Aloha lately, much appreciated after our hot, humid Kaua’i summer. We’ve had a few good soaking rains in the past few weeks which have washed the dust away, and our yard is thriving again. Rather than changing color to red or orange or yellow, the leaves on the plants have been changing back to their normal deeper shades of green, and the grass is thickening up. There are still a few bits of fall color to be found though . . . if you look for them.

The lanai is cool and inviting, the perfect place for a morning cup of coffee.

After a hot, dry summer the asparagus fern hanging on the lanai has perked up again, and is sporting a few (somewhat hidden) red berries for fall.

The side yard and hillside are cool and shady in the morning, and filled with lots of green. We thought we were going to lose the wedelia on the hillside from heat and thirst this past summer, but after the rains it’s come back richer and greener than ever, and it’s blooming like crazy.

The aloe vera that Brett planted right after we moved in was a washed-out yellowish-green for most of the summer but are now sporting their true green color again. One plant has even produced a lovely fall-colored blossom, which has been attracting little birds (Japanese White Eye) from time to time.

No changing leaves here, but the avocado and guava trees on the back hillside are completely leafed out, and have grown quite a bit. We did get to harvest some lemons from our tree.

This little fellow, looking ready for fall with his orange feet and tail, was waiting for us by the front door.The ti plants across from the lanai seemed listless by the end of the summer, like they’d had enough of the heat and humidity as well, but these days they’re standing tall again.

The change of seasons is hardly noticeable here in Hawai’i; they all seem about the same and one segues right into the next. But, after three years here now we can notice and sense the subtle changes when they arrive, and appreciate more what each season has to offer.

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Daily walks are a fact of life following our recent trip to Japan—I never want to be so out  of shape in another country again. To keep it fairly mudless, I decided to walk sections of Ke Ala Hele Makalae (The Path that Goes by the Coast) from Kapa‘a to Kealia to Paliku Beach, also known as Donkeys Beach. The one-way distance from Kapa‘a Community Center to the north end of the path is about 3.4 miles, and Kealia Beach is a nice midway turnaround.

So, over the past month I’ve walked at least one hour each day at 3–3.5 mph (5–5.5 kmh) while observing tide changes as well as familiar and unfamiliar scenery along the way. When conditions are just perfect following a good rain one can see Wai‘ale‘ale and Makaleha Falls from the north end of town; on days like this, you just know that they’re out there.

Just over that hedge is the north end of the Kauai Products Fair, a kitschy little tourist trap. The path overlays the roadbed of the former Ahukini Terminal & Railway company right of way, and thus features many of the elements one might expect to see on a train ride. Below is a shot taken within the cut at the summit between Kapa’a town and Kealia. I took this shot not only to reveal the striations in the soil but the various wildflowers growing along the top and left face of the cut. The fence in the foreground is to catch falling rocks—a recurrent hazard along the path.

Just beyond the crest, the landscape and flora change rapidly. Here, overlooking the mouth of Kapa‘a Stream are plants that look like they were plucked from the Sonoran Desert. They are growing out of inhospitable rocks, but as the soil improves downslope, they give way to the usual and customary specimens.

One morning I was fortunate enough to glimpse Makaleha Falls, looking west at the intersection of Mailihuna Rd and Kuhio Highway (56) near the mouth of Kapa‘a Stream. That photo bomber at left center was a Nene, the indigenous goose, I believe.

Typically, at low tide the scene from the north end of the bridge, looking south, resembles the one at left. For the first time since we moved here I caught the windless shot at right. The old railroad cut is evident in the background and clearly illustrates the effect of the prevailing wind on plants along the coast.

Mouth of Kapa’a Stream

Mirrored

I often park at Kealia Beach because it expands my options for going north or south, or a little of both if it suits me, and that variety helps keep the walks interesting. Other days, I walk up from the house, and down Mailihuna Rd and cross Kuhio Highway at the north end of Kealia Beach, then head back to town, and home via Kawaihau Rd. Below, the Kealia Lifeguard Station, as seen through the windshield from the parking lot.

Proceeding north out of Kealia, both wind and ocean, deafening at times, are constant companions.This shot was taken about halfway between Kealia and the Pineapple Dump.

Next stop: the Pineapple Dump. Once upon a time, the sugar trains were idled only on Sundays, and an engine and side dump cars were made available to the cannery at Kapa‘a. Pineapple tops were hauled out onto the little pier, tipped and emptied into the ocean to be carried far away. Sometimes the tides and wind were not so favorable and the tailings were slammed back into town along the beach, and the smell was… awful, so I’m told.

Looking back on the Pineapple Dump, and on the way to Donkeys Beach. Again, the direction of the prevailing winds is easily distinguished by the habit of the trees and shrubs hugging the coast.

Stopping to study another planet, or so it seems from the random distribution of stones on all but lifeless red dirt.

Further along, I encountered what looks like a nursery for table rocks. Yes, if you have a state or national park and are seeking table rocks for your collection, this may be where they’re born and raised.

“Reindeer Slug,” the first thing that came to mind when I looked up and saw this old snag lying on the ground. We do have some pretty big slugs and snails here.

Even weeds are special here. I cannot identify them all, but enjoy them nonetheless. Three or four varieties of morning glories thrive on and off the path, some low ground cover that looks rather more glacial than tropical, and here and there so hardy bright yellow flowers.

Morning Glory

Glacial Drift?

Jagged Fireweed?

There you have it then, 3.4 miles in what, 20 minutes? You’re fast! There are many more plants, people, and other animals to see along the path, but my objective was to cover a considerable distance as quickly as possible, exercise that is, so whether you live here, or you’re just visiting, take a hike; have a look.

Way back in 2011, Brett and I both independently came to a realization that we didn’t want to stay in Portland after he retired. We had lived in Portland for nearly 20 years at that point, and while we had put down deep roots and there was much we loved about the city and the Pacific Northwest, he and I had both grown very tired of the dreary winters and wanted to live someplace where we could enjoy the sun a bit more consistently. While we loved all the green that came with Portland, we were both weary of hibernating all winter, of having to go to work and school in the rain, and of everything else that came along with all the cold and damp.

So, we decided to create a list of priorities to help us choose where we might relocate, and came up with the following:

• Weather (lots of sunshine)
• Cost of living
• Schools (because two out of three girls would still be in high school)
• Ocean nearby
• Mountains close by (less than a day’s drive)
• Western U.S. (proximity to Japan)
• Sizable Asian population (our girls are ethnically Chinese)
• Military facilities nearby

We initially didn’t weight any of these as more important than the others, except for the weather, and other than the weather we didn’t consider any one item to be a deal killer on its own.  I’m an ocean person but Brett loves the mountains and wanted opportunities for hiking. Although we really hadn’t had anything to do with the military since Brett’s retirement from the navy in 1992 other than renewing our ID cards, receiving retirement pay, and using the health insurance, we figured having military facilities nearby was something we might need or want to use as we grew older. Good schools and a sizable Asian population were important for the girls.

After that we came up with a list of sunny places that we would consider:

• Several cities in Southern California
• The Southwestern United States (Arizona & New Mexico)
• Florida
• Hawai’i

Hawai’i was on the list as a joke, because we knew there was NO WAY we could afford to move there. We also considered a couple of overseas locations, but the language and/or visa requirements were more than we wanted to take on. Texas, the Gulf Coast, and the South did not make the list. Finally, we created a spreadsheet to match the different places we had chosen with our “want list.”

Florida was the first to be removed from our list. We had lived in Florida while Brett was in the navy (Key West), and although it’s plenty sunny we had absolutely no desire to ever spend another summer there. Alligators and snakes were also a black mark. While there are some good schools in Florida, they are mainly in expensive neighborhoods that were out of our price range. Florida’s Asian population is negligible (1.7% of the entire state), and there were other things about Florida we just didn’t care for. Plus, it was a l-o-n-g way away from Japan.

The Southwest was eliminated next. It had many things going for it, except for the ocean thing, and the Asian thing again (3.4% of the population in AZ, 1.7% in NM). Plus, it’s very dry there, too dry for me actually, and it’s HOT. The Southwest wasn’t as far from Japan as Florida, but still not very close.

So that left southern California and Hawai’i on our list.

Can you tell what very important item was left off of that list of priorities? If you guessed taxes, you’ve guessed right! I grew up in southern California and there are many places there I could have happily retired to except . . . our retired income would have been eaten alive by state taxes. California already had a high cost of living strike against it, but the taxes, both income and sales, made it unaffordable.

And that left Hawai’i, our “joke” location.

But guess what? Hawai’i had beautiful weather, an ocean view every day and loads of beaches, mountains for hiking, easy access to Japan, a large Asian population, and close proximity to military facilities. It was also very tax friendly for retirees, especially those receiving government, state or non-contributory pensions (which would be us). Seven out of nine items on our list of priorities gave it a very high score. Hawai’i! Who could have guessed?

Cost of living and schools remained BIG issues though, as did the state’s isolated location, but we figured if Hawai’i had everything else we wanted, then we could figure out how to work around those issues. We began researching the state, decided which island we wanted to live on, and eventually which school we wanted our daughters to attend (we actually wanted them to attend a private school, but after a tour they nixed that in favor of the public school, which turned out to be the right decision). We asked lots of questions, read forums, and tried to learn as much as we could from long-time residents and successful transplants about dealing with cost-of-living and other issues unique to living in Hawai’i, and made sure to add travel expenses as part of our budget.

After a nearly three-week vacation/research trip in 2012, Hawai’i was no longer a joke. We committed ourselves, and less than two years later, after much downsizing and planning, we made our move. We came to Kaua’i with no expectations other than we’d enjoy beautiful weather and see the ocean every day. Everything else we decided to let unfold in its own time to let us know if we’d made the right decision (or not) for our family.

Did we? I’d say yes, over and over and over. Kaua’i has provided everything we hoped it would, and more. Our oldest daughter returned to Oregon after six months on Kaua’i, and that has been the right move for her – she manages living on her own and going to school very well. But, WenYu and YaYu have thrived here, and are now very happy we came; they love our little island and the friends they’ve made here. We’ve pretty much figured out the whole cost-of-living thing, and our simple life these days actually lets us live on much less than we did back in Portland. Kaua’i is very lush and green, with flowers blooming and farmers’ markets open year round which make me very, very happy. I’ve been to Japan twice since we’ve been here, we’re going again next year, and our son and family have come to visit us here. We’ve all made trips back to the mainland, but discovered that there’s nothing as wonderful as coming home to Kaua’i.