It’s Tuesday afternoon, so of course we’re back at Duke’s for Taco Tuesday.

It’s a much different week, many tourists have gone home.

The hair: this is what happens when I can’t bring my favorite hair product along because the container is too big to pass through the security checkpoint.

I am going to miss “my” upstairs bedroom

but I will miss Pat even more.

I will not, however, miss the owner of the boat Pat is standing next to.

This t-shirt was spotted at the airport. Another funny-to-me moment: my carry-on was pulled aside for further inspection. An “organic mass” had been detected – it was a candle, a gift from Pat.

This is the gully behind Pat’s house. From the other side, if you look through just the right gap in the fence, you can spy a secret garden and two people working quietly on their own plot.

Newly blooming spider orchids

and other beauties near Pat’s front door.

One day’s catch:

Whale watching at Ahukini Point

with an eye out for the famous wild Kauai chickens and their flocks.

Yum! Lunch at Mark’s Place is a must.

Palms at sunrise:

L-R: San Francisco 49er fan, Packers fan. The results:

Tutu and Tuttie’s Baileys. Tutu is Hawaiian for grandmother aka Pat. Tuttie is Pat’s sister and the origin of this recipe.

2 cups vodka
2 cups half and half
1 can sweetened condensed milk
3 tablespoons chocolate syrup

Blend. Chill. Enjoy.

Every morning, except Wednesdays, Pat and I walked a brisk 2 miles. One of many amazing sunrises:

Boat-related business followed, some of it is quite unpleasant. Here are some highlights of the fun times. Gigantic poinsettias used as a landscape focal point:

We walked one day on the very long bicycling/walking trail in Kapaa.

We had lunch almost everyday at Costco. Truly a bargain on an island where food is expensive.

One day, we ran into some of my hula friends from a year ago or so. Hua telling Pat and I a story. At left Eleanor, Mochi, and Alma look at pictures from a friend visiting from upstate New York.

Another view from a ‘hood lanai:

OMG! The best grilled ribs by Pat’s neighbor. Is that a quarter in his mouth? No, the end of a good cigar.

If it’s Tuesday, there’s only one place to be at 4 pm.

Kalapaki Beach at Duke’s Canoe Club.

It’s Taco Tuesday of course.

Later, we met neighbors from Pat’s ‘hood at Kilohana Plantation for a drink.

Happy New Year to all. May 2014 be better for all of us.

Today I went out to the boat for the last time. I think Cuatro de Mayo has found a loving home. Chad, a recently-licensed captain, wanted a boat he could get to know from the inside out, every square inch, understand all systems and be able to fix anything. Bonnie remodeled her home herself in Kentucky and is willing to learn whatever is needed. Bonnie, “Chad said he’d take me to see all the islands.” Perfect.

Today’s “Bravest Woman of the Day” award also goes to Bonnie. It was time to go back to shore. Pat was going to pick me up and Chad was on his way to the airport. He had to return to Maui for a few days. We climbed into the dinghy and Chad gave his mom a knot-tying lesson – how to securely keep the dinghy tied to the boat or dock. Then Bonnie rowed for the first time. I coached her from the stern, Chad from the bow. My best advice (?) was something a woman in La Paz MX said to me one time, “If you can’t tie a knot, tie a lot,” The brave part: after dropping off Chad, Bonnie was going to row back to the boat, alone, in the dark, and spend the night on the boat by herself.

Hurray! Chad and Bonnie arrived today and headed out to the boat. Phil had tied the dinghy to a small dock, taken his small motor off, but left our oars on the boat. A nearby kayak tour company loaned Bonnie and Chad a couple of paddles. Phil also had the boat key in his pocket. A quick phone call solved that problem without any drama, thankfully.