We stayed at the Four Seasons Hotel in Mauai in May, as my husband and I vacationed there (He won this trip for us!!).

One day we drove a jeep around the island exploring Twin Falls and the Haleakala Crater.  I was disappointed by the falls and exhausted by the hike (but I’m in terrible shape).   I ldid love the floral photo ops, the results of which you cansee here.

The day we drove up the mountain to see the Haleakala crater was windy, cloudy and cold (as were three of the days we were in Maui), so the views were limited.  Unfortunately, I became so dizzy with the altitude and motion sickness that as we approached the 10,000 foot entrance to the park, I asked my husband to turn around.  Bummer.

As these two stops on the Hana Highway took us most of the day to complete and we didn’t really have the experiences the sights we were seeing might present as opportunities for others, I recommend allotting an entire day for going up the mountain so that you can see sunrise or sunset. You have to leave very, very early to see the sunrise, of course. There are tours for this, but I would HATE to ride a bus around all those hair pin curves.  If you are the least bit prone to motion sickness, don’t do it!   As for Twin Falls, that’s another day as far as I’m concerned.  Wear hiking shoes you can get wet.  Beware, this is a mildly challenging hike.  The trail is rough, not paved; there are no picnic sites, no bathrooms (except at the trail head), and access to the first fall requires some delicate balancing moves and can be quite slippery.  Plus, for me, there were way too many folks doing this at the same time.

We spent most of our four days lounging by the pool overlooking the ocean under a cabana, allowing very attentive wait staff to bring us drinks and food, give foot massages, and tell us how wonderful we looked that day.  We tipped well.

Every day, several different artist’s work was on display in the lobby and as we passed.  I was drawn to the vibrant color in Carrie Lee Brady’s fish prints and asked her about her process.  She actually acquires live sea life from local fishermen and paints them, then prints them onto various supports then works the printed images with various media, finally returning the live fish to the fishermen for sale.  She says, “Otherwise, they would never bring me their catch!”

Sand Dollar Print by Carrie Lee Brady.  View more of this artist’s interesting work. Find her on Facebook.

This piece now adorns my studio wall and I think of her friendly face and the gracious way she invited me in to her work every time I look at the image.

Aloha! Carrie!  & thanks for doing your lovely, most unique work in the world.