Cats and Trails and Garden Tales
Musings on cats, travel, gardens and life
Welcome to my Garden!
Good morning! And to all of you who are housebound, welcome to my garden!
That includes you hummingbirds –
you are welcome to stop by for a bath anytime! 🙂
~ Susanne
A Walk through Paradise – in Waimea Valley!
Need to get away? Come with me for a walk in Waimea Valley!
Tucked away on Oahu’s North Shore, across from Waimea Bay,
you’ll find Waimea Valley, a valley deeply rooted in Hawaiian history, and Oahu’s last intact ahupua’a, a traditional Hawaiian land parcel extending from the mountains to the ocean.
It’s 80 degrees as we enter the gardens, home to 5,000 unique plants from Hawaii and around the world.
Close your eyes and feel the warmth of the sun on your skin.
Listen to the flowing stream.
Rest awhile under the trees
then follow the paths beneath them
absorbing the beauty and color of the flowers around you.
Walk slowly, stopping to enjoy the unexpected,
until you arrive at the falls
and plunge into its cool waters.
Do you feel better, now?
I do!
~ Susanne
Everybody’s Gone Surfing on Oahu’s North Shore!
Coronavirus got you down? Time for some armchair travel to the North Shore where surfing is king!
Yes, on our recent trip to Oahu – before the world went into quarantine – we spent four nights on the North Shore next to the Seven Mile Miracle, the most concentrated stretch of big wave surfing on earth.
Our first night at Turtle Bay we were delighted to watch the surfers as the sun went down.
And the next morning after sunrise –
we were even happier to watch this doggie surfing. 🙂
But for the big wave surfing we headed to Ehukai Beach Park, aka the Banzai Pipeline.
According to Wikipedia, “The Banzai Pipeline, or simply Pipeline or Pipe, is a surf reef break located in Hawaii, off Ehukai Beach Park in Pupukea on O’ahu’s North Shore. A reef break is an area in the ocean where waves start to break once they reach the shallows of a reef.”
And here we are riding the waves!
HA! Only the experts dare to surf the dangerous Pipe. In fact we were firmly planted on the beach watching the action off shore and even that was a thrill.
The Banzai Pipeline is one of three beaches where Vans Triple Crown of Surfing takes place during the winter where the best in the world compete. Fortunately our trip did not coincide with that event or we’d not have gotten close to any of these beaches, not to mention a room at Turtle Bay Resort.
Eventually we had our fill of surfing and headed to the famous North Shore beach town,
where I managed to find something to buy – no surprise there – a new bathing suit! The young woman who waited on me was originally from Brazil, but spends the winters on the North Shore during the surfing season. Ah to be young and free! 😉
After a full day we headed back to Turtle Bay where I took this picture and applied some artsy editing for an Instagram post.
More adventures to come from the North Shore including a walk through beautiful Waimea Valley!
Stay tuned. 🙂
~ Susanne
FOTD – Azaleas Heralding Spring!
I thought we could use some early spring cheer and I found it in my backyard where the azaleas are starting to bloom.
For Cee’s Flower of the Day Photo Challenge
~ Susanne
The Cats Call Me Sue
My name is Susanne but I never heard it growing up, except on the first day of school when the teacher did roll call. “It’s Susie,’ I replied and so it was until I began working at Prudential Mutual Savings Bank in downtown Seattle.
One day I answered the phone, “Susie speaking,” and it no longer fit. So I went with the name on the birth certificate and set out to retrain everyone.
“It’s Susanne,'” I said over and over, until everyone made the switch and so it has been ever since.
Until I started my blog that is, and the cats decided to call me Sue. And in the words of Johnny Cash, “What could I do?”
“Isn’t that right boys?” I asked.
“Yes Sue,” said Tiger.
“That’s right Sue,” said Benji.
“But why?” I asked still puzzled myself.
“Maybe it’s easier for you to type,” said Tiger.
“Maybe it’s easier for us to say,” said Benji.
“Makes sense to me,” I replied.
~ Susanne (aka ‘Sue’), Tiger, and Benji.
Super Worm Moon Through the Trees
Strange name isn’t it? But that’s what tonight’s last full moon of winter is called. It was a clear night so I went out to watch it while it was rising through the trees.
So there you have it.
The Super Worm Moon through the trees.
From my backyard.
~ Susanne
The Beautiful Rhododendron! Washington’s State Flower
We tend to take for granted what we have in abundance, and in Washington the rhododendron is abundant- not to mention hard to spell. 😉
And it brings back memories too. Of traveling to grandma’s house and counting the rhodies we saw in the forest along highway 101 on Hood Canal. It was a game to see who could find the most, a clever trick my mom came up with to keep us kids occupied during the final stages of the long ride over. The bright pink flowers of the large shrubs stood out against the dark green of the woods similar to the ones blooming in my front yard now.
You can find all colors in local gardens everywhere.
Lacy, frilly, feminine flowers yet an uncomplaining workhorse in the garden.
For Sunday Stills photo challenge.
~ Susanne
To Oahu’s North Shore – Kualoa Ranch and Turtle Bay
Every visitor to Oahu needs to make the trek to the North Shore at least once. Most make it a day trip but this time we opted to spend four nights at Turtle Bay Resort so we could linger and enjoy all the North Shore has to offer!
So we said goodbye to Waikiki and headed across the Ko’olau Range via the beautiful Pali Highway, stopping by the lush Nuʻuanu Pali Overlook.
According to Wikipedia, “The Nuʻuanu Pali has been a vital pass from ancient times to the present because it is a low, traversable section of the Koʻolau mountain range that connects the leeward side of the mountains, Honolulu to the windward side, Kailua and Kāneʻohe. The Nuʻuanu Pali was the site of the Battle of Nuʻuanu, one of the bloodiest battles in Hawaiian history, in which Kamehameha I conquered the island of Oʻahu, bringing it under his rule.”
The overcast and always windy overlook gave us views of the Ko’olau Cliffs, the highway below and the windward side of the island where we were headed.
Our first stop on the other side was at Kualoa Beach Park where the mountains meet the sea,
and you can see Mokoli’i island (aka ‘Chinaman’s Hat) offshore.
We stopped for lunch at Kualoa Ranch, a 4,000 acre private nature reserve and tourist destination, where many TV shows and movies have been filmed, including Jurassic Park which made the valley famous.
From there we continued on up the Kamehameha Highway and after a quick stop for shaved ice in Laie,
we arrived at Turtle Bay Resort which would be our home on the North Shore for the next five days.
We settled in, and had these views from our balcony
then had dinner by the pool and watched the sun go down.
It wouldn’t be the last time.
Stay tuned for more Hawaiian adventures!
~ Susanne
The Trouble with Benji
The little boy was everywhere this morning and being rather troublesome as only he can be.
He started out on my lap but when I got up he’d taken over the chair.
I reclaimed it but he pestered me by using it as a scratching post (we’re still working on that), and then shredded the small box of Kleenex nearby.
Cute yes, but we decided it was time for him to go outside and play.
He opted for a nap instead.
How he got up there I’ll never know.
That’s my Benji.
He always makes me laugh.
~ Susanne and Benji
It’s Leap Year – So Let’s Leap!
Happy February 29th!
~ Susanne
Cats and Trails and Garden Tales 