The Vacation Hump Day

I think you may know what I'm talking about. You might not know right away, but when I describe its symptoms, you will most likely recognize it.

It's usually about right in the middle of the vacation. Everyone somehow starts getting on everyone else's nerves. No one knows what they want to do. Fights can erupt. Words are exchanged. Maybe it's a day of unexpected rain. You've come to what seemed like paradise for the first many days, then all of a sudden, somehow the place (and perhaps your traveling companions) have lost their charm.

And yes, this even happens in Hawaii. It probably doesn't help that we've been experiencing periodic showers that have finally developed into pretty consistent rain.

But before I start sounding completely ungrateful, I will say that the moment is passing. We got it out of our symptoms, and yeah, I think it happens to everyone. It's pretty darn natural. It's still Hawaii - and I don't think I will ever forget the experience of seeing all of those amazing fish (if only the storms would stop and the water can clear up so we can see them again!).

On the plus side, I'm getting lots ... and lots ... and lots of time to workout. It's starting to feel a little like bootcamp. Hmm, so is that in fact on the plus side?

I'll end with a question and a picture of sunset ... am I the only one who experiences the vacation slump? Or is this a common experience? What usually gets you through it?

Hawaii Days 2 and 3: Maybe just hanging around the resort is more fun

At the close of Day 3, sipping a pinot noir and listening to the waves crash, I have some time to ponder the last few days and have concluded that perhaps renting the car was somewhat unnecessary in Maui. Or at least, maybe it tempts you to do things that aren't as fun as they sound in the tour book. More on that in a moment.

Day 2 was an interesting mix. David and I started out the day by squeezing in my "long run" for the week. I am currently up to 11 miles - which is a distance that's surprisingly hard to do in West Maui without doing routes twice or running along a fairly busy highway. We got some advice from a concierge who happened to be a runner himself - advice that took us off the resort properties and up into "No Trespassing" territory in the hillsides above the coastal areas. Mostly we just ran back and forth along the coast, but here's a shot of David up in the field looking out toward Lanai in the distance.

That run nearly killed me. Running up the hillside midway through the run about did me in (1 mile at about 6%), and then we ran another 4-5 miles. That kind of running seems a little anti-aloha-spirit.

Ethan is a very persistent child, and ever since he golfed with David in Las Vegas this past Thanksgiving, he has been looking forward to golfing in Hawaii. He was so much of a broken record about it, that David finally gave in yesterday. That sucked away an entire afternoon, but Ethan really had the time of his life.

Lucy and I spent the afternoon at the Whaler Village shopping area (hence the whale bones in back of Lucy), and then did some extended ocean swimming/fish viewing. I won't call it snorkeling because our snorkel gear leaves more than a bit to be desired and we've given it up in favor of just swimming with goggles.




This was all followed with a nice steak dinner in the villa. Aside from my incessant whining and general crabbiness from excessive leg pain (I'd missed two runs during the week and was paying for it), all in all a nice relaxing day.

So what possessed us to leave this Eden today? The accursed guidebooks, that's what!

I think those of you who have been to Maui know what I'm going to say.... the Road to Hana.

It started off happy enough. We were all loaded up with dramamine, ready to take on anything the curves and David's driving could bring.




We even had good spirits while being rained on on our nature walk, an early stop. It is a rainforest, after all, although Ethan didn't so much enjoy slipping and falling in mud. Still, the general mood was pleasant and we were completely loving the rainforest scene.






Really, it was a bit like being in the middle of a Planet Earth movie. Completely awesome.

But that was at mile...hmm... maybe 10. Maybe at 11 there was a cool waterfall. At the halfway point, we had what David deemed "the best banana bread ever" and some earth-shattering Hawaiian shave ice.

This should've been the turnaround point.

It's a little like driving through Yellowstone. The first bison you see are so freaking amazing. As are the elk. By the time you are about halfway around one of the loops (and are too far gone to cut the loop short), you are pretty much honking at the idiots still photographing the bison and just generally pent up like a Manhattan taxi driver. This is also the feeling one might get on the road to Hana.

And then Hana itself is so.... unexpectedly plain. Truly plain. And we ate at the much lauded Hana Ranch Restaurant - nothing to write home about, unless you want a good illustrative example of "Island Time" - which you could write in depth about while you wait for your food. You could drain two glasses of water and two huge mugs of coffee. You could sharpen your pencils and write an outline. And then, maybe you'd get your food.

And you would be rather unimpressed. David and I were not terribly impressed with Hawaiian food when we went to the Big Island either - hence our mostly eating in the condo. You don't want to spend $100 for lunch at a place that should cost about $25.

At least the breezes coming through the window were nice.

We spent a good deal of the drive back discussing why we shouldn't listen to tour books.

Fortunately, none of us ended up carsick - and David really did do a good job with the driving. It could've been SO MUCH worse.

He redeemed the day a little bit (from his perspective) with a stop at a beach on the north side of the island for some boogie boarding. We saw some absolultely draw-dropping wind surfing near Paia... the surf culture here kind of puts SoCal to shame.

The drive to Hana: my advice? Don't be tempted! Take David's advice and find a National Geographic movie on it online and watch it in your hotel room in the evening when you're tired from having beach fun.

I'd love to hear other people's opinions on the "Road to Hana" - I'm sure some of you out there have done it! Anyone find it life-altering (in a good way), as is so generously claimed in all the tour guides?

Do you people never tire of getting wet?

This is what I just asked of my family as they went off, yet again, to enjoy a water pasttime. It is now well past dark in Hawaii, but luckily for them there are tiki torches and lots of pools.

Today was our first full day in Hawaii. I really am sitting here typing with my door open, listening to the ocean, the breezes (or... heavy winds, let's be honest), and the distant sounds of polynesian drumming (not kidding). Today was amazing. I had absolutely no idea what I was missing out on about 7 years ago, the last time I was in Hawaii - when I couldn't get over the panic of putting my face in the water to snorkel.

I should specify - we are in Maui, West Maui actually - Ka'anapali to be specific. We made the epic trek yesterday to LA (of course preceeded by the dogs untimely running away - yet again). David at one point actually lost hope that we would be seated in first class - yet strangely, I never did. Alas, he and I did enjoy a comfortable visit in the first class cabin while our children suffered in Economy Plus - but the screeching toddler and man-with-no-plane-etiquette directly in front of me attempted to steal my glee at my first class good fortune. If I had paid for that seat, I would've been SO upset.

But I didn't, so I remembered to be grateful that I had that wide seat, yummy meal, and seemingly ever-filling wine glass. I think those 1st class stewardesses are fairly hell-bent on seeing you stagger out of the plane. Or perphaps pass out and stop asking for things.

I resisted. I knew we had a long night ahead, and although we did indeed have an extended night, we ended up arriving at our fabulous destination safe and sound - about all you can hope for.

David and I were taking on the kids' role this morning. While the kids slept in their ultra-dark room until past 8am, David and I were literally up at the crack of dawn, excited to see what lay out our front door. Awesomeness, that's what!

I typically hate first floor rooms - but in the case, when the 1st floor opens out onto an ocean view and an expansive warm-enough pool - I'll take it.



My family pretty much laughed at me when I asked them to acknowledge my bravery today - but although they pushed it off, it was a huge, huge milestone for me. Today was the first day I have ever swam in the ocean - honest to goodness swimming, out more than about 5 feet from the shore, for any significant length of time. And I put my face in the water. Full on, face in water. All those times I was laughed at by them learning to swim, all those embarrassing days at the masters swim team in Idaho - they all paid off. Because I was finally secure enough in my swimming abilities to do what I had dreamed of when I failed to snorkel the last time I was in Hawaii.

I had NO IDEA it was as awesome as it is. Ethan simply cannot get over it. I am surprised we can get him out of the water at all. Lucy enjoys it nearly as much, if not equally. We have extensive coral right there - a very, very short swim from the beach, and you are viewing "brain coral" (Ethan may have asked 600 times, "Did you see the brain coral?"). Many of the coolest fish we've been admiring in the finest mainland US aquariums can be found right off our shores. Much of the cast of Finding Nemo was spotted - moorish idols, schools of yellow tang, parrotfish, and yes - the amazing sea turtle that I, unfortunately, did not see (because I had a defective snorkel set!). I wish I had some pictures of this amazing experience - but it's definitely something that I do not want to forget.

Ethan simply doesn't stop talking about it. For the boy who adores aquariums, it is pretty much a dream come true. Relaxing his head back in the hot tub, he stated, "This is going to be a vacation to remember."

Indeed.

Ethan is very quotable. It's fun to spend lots of time with him just to wait for the gems.

We were talking about negative people, and Ethan shouts with real earnest, "I'm NOT a negative person, I'm in the middle!"

Shortly after, David asks him why his hair is so awesome, and he says blandly, "I condition it twice a day."

His delivery is hard to replicate in the blog, but if you know Ethan, you can imagine it.

Lucy, on the other hand, is rather blown away by the teenage dream awesomeness that this resort delivers - it is very family-oriented, which means lots of families - that bring their teenage boys with them. From Australia. Lucy is a sucker for an Australian accent. She is hoping for one of those Disney-channel-show dramas - we, on the other hand, are not.

The day also involved some tennis playing, some running, some swimming, some more swimming, some eating, and then some more swimming. That's why I'm writing right now - because while I have definitely come a long way, I can only take so much swimming. Oh, it involved some weight lifting, too. I am hoping I return to California so buff as to be unrecognizable.

Some pictures. Sorry - for those of you who read me through Facebook, you've already seen these - but I need to make sure the blog stays illustrated as well. I'll try to pepper it with a few different shots.




I saw at least half a dozen rainbows today. Lucy said, "I guess there's a reason rainbows are on the license plate."

This is a fairly bad photo, but it's the only one I had my camera with me for.



I followed them out the last time they went into the ocean, and took some shots of them leaving the water - one posed, one not so posed. All good memories.




I am hoping to get some better sunset pictures this week! This is all I have for now, so I conclude.

A View From Above

That little red speck just to the right of the middle of that picture is our current household. That blue fuzz along the horizon? That's the ocean. The gorgeous green hills all around? That's our current view.

I'll tell you what - it BETTER be gorgeous. It hasn't been the easiest place to rent. It will be a memorable experience, for more than one reason.

Make sure to visit us while you can (i.e., prior to June 2012) - it's worth the trek up the mountain side, if only for the fantastic tangerines... and the sunsets... and the sunrises...and if you're one of my dogs, the ability to run away to the most fabulous locations - like filthy ponds loaded with ducks so you can try to hunt (unsuccessfully, because they are huge dorks) and return smelling like pond scum. Awesome.

I like to "run away", too - and I've indulged in maybe too much trail running here because it is just THAT GOOD. This picture was taken from a trail I take that runs above our house to a moderately high peak (maybe 1500ft-ish). It's almost a straight run up - but not too steep ever, nice and steady - the perfect trail run.

The Cake That Lived

We have had a long, rocky relationship with the Hershey's chocolate cake recipe. When I say "we", I really should just come right out and specify just me - but I'm including some of my family in this one, as they've contributed to the love-hate relationship.

This was the first cake I tried to make (or, at least, I imagine it was - because I would always choose chocolate cake for my birthday). And it was the first cake I screwed up. My memory has it that I flubbed it by incorrectly using these teaspoons my mom had that had two lines - one representing 1 tsp, and then full representing 1.5 teaspoons. I mean, come on - who does that. That would be the worst user interface design for baking spoons EVER. I was thirteen. I remember tears, I remember some yelling - David claims he is absolutely positive my mom remembers it differently. This is most likely true.

I went on to successfully learn to bake a cake and was fairly well-known among my Idaho friends for having some decent cake skills.

Except for the Hershey's chocolate cake, because in Idaho (high altitude), the recipe kind of fell apart. My mom came to the rescue yet again, and figured out the perfect high altitude modifications. This did not solve my problem, however, of forgetting the salt one fateful Lucy birthday - chronicled here, titled something about the worst cake ever. This event involved David trying to save the day by putting the salt in the icing. Yeah, salt in the icing - I said that right. He just really likes to solve problems.

Then came last Saturday. This time I was not involved in the making of the batter. This time it was 12-year old Lucy who mixed it up. And to be fair to Lucy, we didn't have all the ingredients so she had to put the partly-done batter in the refrigerator while we did about a million errands before returning to the cake. We didn't really have time to wait until everything got back to room temperature, and to be honest, I've seen more precise measuring than the kind Lucy does. So the fact that the one cake came out with a huge depression it it (and I mean huge), is not all that surprising. The fact that David took a large wooden spatula and hacked up the sides of the cake to loosen it from the pan was in fact a little surprising, and well, I think Lucy and I made him feel bad enough for that already.

Or did we.

David probably shouldn't find himself doing anything with baked goods except eating them. His personality does not lend itself to precise measurements or patience or slowness. It's better suited to activities that work up an appetite for baked goods, rather than making the goods themselves. Or pancakes. Everyone LOVES David's pancakes. Secret ingredient: butter. How much? LOTS.

Anyway, back to the cake layer with the absolutely hacked up edges and the divot in the middle. The other layer was... perfect? Really, it was. How odd.

We were making this cake for his company's Christmas party, so while normally I might've just pitched the thing and eaten frozen yogurt instead, we were committed to bringing a dessert. And I can't exactly just go buy something. That would be... ruinous to my image. So I decided to try to salvage it (Lucy was happily off to a sleepover at this stage).

I saw a container of organic peanut butter on the counter that was about gone, and I said -- hmm. That divot is kind of like the well in the middle of a Reese's peanut butter cup. And I've got peanut butter. And butter - and everyone LOVES butter (this has been demonstrated earlier). What if I tried to make a filling like in a peanut butter cup - and so I got out the good ol' Joy of Cooking and modified the peanut butter fudge recipe based on what I had and the consistency I wanted - and - there you had it, I replicated the inside of a peanut butter cup and the cake called "Peanut Butter Surprise" was born.

"Surprise" because the divot was unhelpfully NOT in the middle of the layer - hence, it was going to be surprise to see if the first pieces cut contained peanut butter or not. Also surprise because who stuffs peanut butter fudge inside a cake?

People that live by the "more butter is always better" rule, and the fact that many people who love chocolate cake also love peanut butter. It's not like I stuffed it with hummus.

Then I topped it with chocolate frosting, also from Hershey's - which I adore. In fact, I'm thinking of doing a Hershey's chocolate frosting "cleanse" - meaning, I eat nothing but that for an entire day. Sounds fabulous.

So what did this cake end up looking like? Somehow the completely mangled ends did not end up mucking up the smoothness of the icing, and magically, it almost looked flat. We'll call it flat-ish. It was the best anyone could've hoped for. I photographed it in fact for Lucy to prove that not all was lost! I couldn't imagine her believing me that it wasn't an unholy mess. It was THAT bad.



We ended up returning from the party with just a few pieces left - which we, of course, ate for breakfast.

By Request: Gluten-free Chocolate Cookies

I have been asked for this recipe repeatedly off and on for at least the last two years - if not longer. I found it in a Cooking Light magazine, not even advertised as gluten free - however it is in fact a gluten free recipe (as long as you double check that the ingredients aren't contaminated).

Deep Dark Chocolate Cookies
Subtitled: "Made without butter or flour, these dense chewy cookies will satisfy even the most intense chocolate craving."
(And not make your gluten or lactose intolerant friends ill!)

Makes about: 24

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 1/2 c. bittersweet chocolate chips (about 9 ounces), divided
3 large egg whites, room temperature
2 1/2 c. powdered sugar, divided
1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray 2 large baking sheets with nonstick spray. Melt 1 cup chocolate chips in glass bowl in microwave, stirring twice, about 2 minutes. Cool slightly.

Using electric mixer, beat whites in large bowl to soft peaks. Gradually beat in 1 cup sugar. Continue beating until mixture resembles soft marshamllow creme (it looks fabulous!). Whisk 1 cup sugar, cocoal, cornstarch, and salt in medium bowl to blend. On low speed, beat dry ingredients into meringue. Stir in lukewarm chocolate and 1/2 cup chocolate chips (dough will become very stiff).

Place 1/2 cup sugar in bowl. Roll 1 rounded tablespoon dough into ball; roll in sugar, coating thickly. Place on prepared sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake until puffed and tops crack, about 10 minutes. Cool on sheets on rack 10 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool.

I only had trouble with the dough being difficult one time - and I think it seemed dry - but I was in the high desert at the time (Idaho) - probably winter and about 2% humidity.

This is like mini chocolate lava cakes. Absolutely fabulous. Much better than the gluten/lactose free junk I've come across!