Life :: Hawaii

Being done school, finally means having a summer of fun. For me, this meant going on vacation with my parents - hey! they paid, how could I say no!? This year, our vacation was done in two parts - 5 days in Hawaii, followed by 2.5 in San Francisco...

We stayed on the big island - settled ourselves in Kona, and travelled. I loved it - they hated it... It wasn't very commercial, and was almost run down - the main street of Kona had fabulous shops, and tons of quaint little restaurants, however, as soon as you ventured off the main trail (ie as far as the next store behind in the little strip mall), everything was closed, boarded up, and eerie. I hate commercial and super touristy, so it didn't bother me at all...

Black Sand beach - lava rock portion

The first day we went on a 'round the island' tour... 12 hours of being stuck on a bus... It definitely wasn't the best day, but gave us some good bearings and other things we wanted to see.



Lava Tube walk

 Day Two was heading to the far side of the island to go rafting down an aqueduct...

Floatin' along...

 

Loved this place...

On the way back, we found another lava tube that dad and I explored...

Day Three, we headed over to the far side of the island - back to the lush rainforesty side - and dad and I did the one thing I wanted to do...  ZIPLINING!!



Main street of Kona looking out at the ocean

Dad being a kid at heart

Sunset on the beach

Day Four we snorkeled! The activity dad wanted to do (although neither mom nor I could say no...)

Captain Cooks Monument

Who wouldn't want to snorkel in that water!

The last day was spent kicking around Kona - visiting some beaches, driving around, hitting up some markets, etc.

Friend I found at the market...

Lava tubes ending in the ocean - gaping holes that suck water from all around...

Wouldn't want to walk that trail like the kings did...

 

Air Force One?

General photos I love...

 

 

Weddings :: C + R Get Hitched!! :)

Well. This is an awefully overdue post... particularly since the photos have ALL been posted publically for... three weeks now? I've kinda been neglecting computer stuff in preparation of school (baking/cooking lots), enjoying the sun, and having a social life... Haha.

But alas, in June, one of my besties got married. It was a very exciting day for all involved.
I was lucky enough to hang out during the BBQ instead of shower...

And, being a biologist, you can't fault her for reading wrapping paper instead of unwrapping... We also learned that I can make a pretty good florist...

We moved on to the rehursal the next day... Where we made due with what we could... ie: fake table, narrow aisle... and a fake pipeist.

There is something wrong with an official telling you to "Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle" now...  Thanks LMFAO.

Day of the ceremony was crummy... Threatened rain - we were almost prepared to move inside... Thankfully, we didn't have to... Barely.

But, we got everything done outside - which was a good call in my honest opinion...

Instead of a 'cocktail hour' we did a tea party! Which was 100% what the bride and groom were all about... So much fun... and the cookies were SOOO good... I'm still dreaming about how yummy they were. Haha.

After the tea, and during the rain, we hid out and played games... and watched the bear on the hill (apparently there was 3 at one point, but I only ever saw one). If there was three, it was probably a good omen that it rained all day so we made a point of camping out in the lodge...

The rain lightned just as dinner started - although not stopping completely...

But it did finally stop... and we ventured out into the sunshine to get some fun photos of the bridal party... without wet shoulders and umbrellas.

Not gonna lie - I had the most fun with these...
We finished off the official part of the night with the speeches and cake!, seeing as we didn't have a working stereo system for anything else - but we made the best of it.

Following the gathering and mingling - when everyone left (bride and groom included), those spending the night in and around the lodge settled in for some games and music (yes, we got the stereo working)...

And we rounded out the festivities with breakfast (a large chunk of which was made by the groom.. that doesn't seem right), and bouquet toss before we ended with more mingling and packed everything up.

Congrats to C and R!! I <3 you, and hope the day was everything you wanted! :)

Life :: Padova

Well, I have to admit. First off, this post is LONG overdue. I guess a combination of working fulltime, volunteering, school work and riding barely leaves enough time for a social life... let alone all the extra joys in life...

Padova is one of those local places that holds such history... and mystery for teens of all ages. The stories growing up of rabid dobermans, and shotgun shooting security guards... all braved just to walk through a door of a condemned building, pull of a piece of paint... or even just touch the building.
Everyone in this town has stories of ghosts and goblins in this place...

Although most think the stories are within reason of the fabled 'insane asylum... Little do people know it actually started out as a tuberculosis sanitorium. There's a neat book written about the property "A Whole Little City in Itself", that actually covers the history quite well. Back in it's prime, the property only brought in electricity from the surrounding city, and otherwise grew, and produced everything else they needed. It was a self reliant city (minus electricity of course).

And... When the sanitorium closed... the insane asylum arose. Yes, it did house the 'insane' and the 'mentally ill', but it also had areas for other 'quirks' like midgets... It wasn't your typical asylum.
And now that it's completely closed... it's turning into a resort, slowly, one building at a time.

 History lesson completed... Padova has to be one of my favorite places to go. I love to drive the frontage road, along the river, and peer into the buildings. I'm not brave like most, and haven't ventured into a building (without permission)... but there's not a time when I return home with photos, ignoring everything I've taken before. It's so much fun to compare one year to another. And for whatever reason, it always ends up being a fallowed 'haunt' of mine.

I can go there every month and come out with a shot I am super happy about, and can't wait to share. This time was no exception. There was something about the fall colours that just accentuated the photos.
That being said... now that the property is turning into a resort... a cross between moving foward, and going back... it's very bittersweet.

It is going to be a mash up of new buildings, and renovated ones... and it's not going to to be cheap. Each building is filled with asbestos insulation, just adding to the cost. It's going to take years, and depending how many buildings are compromised and cannot be used, it will be interesting to see what Tranquille on the Lake will become. Speaking with the property owner - the son-in-law of the mastermind behind the transformation - he informs us that they are trying to use as many of the old buildings as possible... renovating them, moving them, and giving them a new view on life...

Although, I think I will always stand by the point that the property should become a 'Barkerville' of tuberculosis sanitoriums. Hell, although it's not as much fun as a gold rush, it was a huge thing 'back in the day'.

If only walls could talk...