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Almost a year to the day we managed to head back to our little paradise, Hawaii. The trip to the Honolulu was uneventful as we would like. We were a bit overly cautious in planning time for our connecting flight. They wait was not too bad, allowed us to have breakfast, stretch our legs before we boarded the final flight to Kailua-Kona. In no time did we get to our place for the next three weeks, relaxed and started enjoying our break.
(click on individual pictures to get a downloadable, large version of a picture)
We spent the next three weeks to enjoy everything Hawaii can offer, a lot of snorkeling (see the pictures above), a scuba dive in Puako. The dive was ok, it clearly showed that I still have to work on using my new camera (Olympus TG-6). The pictures did not turn out as well as I would have liked. Using a red-filter would also have been a good idea. Anyway, it was fun to be under water again.
We met up with friends, enjoyed every day and the time passed far too fast which is a good sign. Aloha Hawaii, till next year.
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One of the facts that never fails to amaze me is that the Big Island (Hawai'i) features 4 of the 5 climate zones on the earth. So it comes as no surprise that there is a humid, tropical climate zone which can be found on the West side of the island. Hilo and its surroundings are lush in color and feature the humidity expected from this climate zone.
As we were on errands there we not only purchased the famous Mochis from the Two Ladies Kitchen (yes, you should pre-order to avoid the often lengthy lines) but we also made it to the Hawaii Tropical Bioreserve and Garden. We walked around and enjoyed all the tropical plants and vegetation that prospers in this humid, jungle like environment.
Enjoy the selection of plants we memorialized on digital storage
(click on individual pictures to get a downloadable, large version of a picture)
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On the way back from the Cape Schanck lighthouse there is a location named McCrae on the Mornington Peninsula. McCrae has also a Lighthouse which is located next to a yacht club, close to the beach.
As I was already on my way passing close by, I decided to stop and see if the weather would work better for drone pictures than it did at Cape Schanck. (See also: Let's Go to Cape Schanck)
While the lighthouse is no longer in operation, it has been nicely restored and forms part of the Victoria history. The original tower has been destructed and moved to Arthur's seat where the wooden construct still stands. A new lighthouse has been built in its stead which is the one seen on the movie.
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With over 19 years of age Coco has gone over the rainbow and is chasing cats somewhere else. She has been with us for at least 8 years during which we had many great and memorable moments together.
Before Christmas 2022 she grew visibly older to the point where we barely could find somebody to take care for her, while we were on vacation. As we came back, her health and agility continuously got worse. She had a heart problem and increasing signs of age. In the last few months she had turned blind and could barely walk. Still, she seemed to be pain-free and enjoyed her time in the warm summer sun. Due to her lack of sight and agility she tended to walk in circles and more often than not trapped herself in or under obstacles. This happened inside and outdoors; every so often we had to go and check after her to make sure that she was still fine. Alternatively she would cry for help – sometimes in the middle of the night.
In the week before her death, she reduced her food intake, something she had always been happy to have (we gave her her favorite food). The vet gave her an anti-inflammatory shot that had helped in the past, still, she never found back to her appetite and lost more and more weight. On Fri she barely could stand – and still would not eat. We knew the time had come to say good bye.
She passed on 6 May 2023 7 in the very early morning hours – Coco seems to have passed without a major struggle and is missed by all of us.
Thank you Coco for having been the patient family member we enjoyed for so many years.
(click on individual pictures to get a downloadable, large version of a picture)