Aloha ‘Oe

March 11, 2026 – Kihei, Maui back to Seattle, WA

The rains have come. The thunderstorm and flash flooding warnings have been issued. It must be time for us to say “Aloha ‘Oe” or “Farewell to thee” like the classic Hawaiian song. We have enjoyed our 2 1/2 weeks in Maui and thanks for following along with us. Thanks for the likes and the comments too. Our main focus was to see humpback whales and we accomplished that in so many ways. Our best siting was actually from the shore one day when we had 10-15 whales breach right in front of us (!) – no need for binoculars. Some of them even were in unison. It was complete with the baby calf trying to do a breach and just doing belly flop after belly flop. A pretty spectacular show of the amazing mammals.

We had planned one more whale sunset cruise, but found out it was cocktail and appetizer sunset cruise under sail on a catamaran. Still a lovely evening, but not many whales. We did see a few tail slaps and then as we were heading back to the harbor a few gave ‘good-bye’ waves with their pectoral fins. I do have a video of the whale sounds and I will post it here if I can get it onto the youtube site. It was amazing to hear all that was going underneath the water while we could only see calm waters above.

And since a few asked for it, check out the last video at the end. A special treat from me to all of you. 🙂 Thanks to Siri for being the videographer. And yes, we had a few takes.

A few highlights along the way.

• Thanks to our friends the Smith’s for letting us rent their great condo right on the beach.
• Thanks to our friends the Browns for willing to come along for the adventure and get us out biking and snorkeling as well as the top of Haleakala.
• Hanging out with Siri and finding our own rhythm when we get back to travelling together. Up early for morning walks, snorkeling, or birding, then back for a late lunch during the heat. Maybe an afternoon swim in the ocean, making meals at home, watching sunsets, then a dip in the pool in the evening. We make a pretty good pair and have the right attitude to enjoy all of the adventures.
• Thanks to our kids for taking care of the dog and house and picking us up very late at the airport.
• The wonderful Hawaiian community we found from long-term residents to new transplants. There is a different vibe on the island and especially once you get off the main roads and to the less traveled places.
• Just having time to enjoy a new place and learn a little bit of history along the way.

As we start to do the inevitable re-repacking to leave –  we do realize few things we didn’t need. For this trip it was the four pickeball rackets and two balls I stuffed into my carry-on (I actually checked it since it was free). Best intentions. Similar to all the yoga, weights, reading a full book and a few other activities that we never really got to. So many new fun things to do just right here.

And for those who have followed us along the way, thank you. I appreciate sharing the stories and hearing yours when we return.

Our next adventure starts in a few weeks. We are headed back to the Dominican Republic at the end of the month for 10 days to reconnect with Siri’s host family from Peace Corps. Then we will spend two more weeks in Grenada and Barbados to check out the Caribbean with college friends.  See you soon then.

But for now. Aloha and our final set of photos.