Birthday!

Today is my 69th birthday. My Aunt Iris called and sang Happy Birthday to me. Terri called from DC to wish me a happy birthday, and Anara called from Portland. Chris and I finally connected after several attempts. It was great seeing him via Google Hangouts. I got lots of birthday wishes from friends and family via email and Facebook. It was a wonderful day.

We had an awesome sightseeing flight over the island of Kauai with Wings Over Kauai. The island is garlanded with waterfalls galore, including ones featured in famous Hollywood spectacles. The Waimea Canyon rivals the Grand Canyon, but it is covered in lush greenery from top to bottom. The cliffs of the Na Pali Coast are sheer and terrifyingly steep--and they can only be seen from the air or sea.

We had a running commentary by our pilot, and we could ask questions and hear each other's comments. The Bose noise cancelling headphones worked really well.

After the flight, we had lunch at the Plantation Coffee Company Cafe. It's a lunch place with mainly carry out business. Oddly enough,it's in the lobby of the office building, and there are a counter and a few tables around the walls.

After lunch we visited the Kauai Museum, which is right across the street. As we walked up to the museum, we saw that a branch of the cafe is actually located in the museum courtyard, so we could have eaten there. The museum had some interesting displays, but needs a lot of investment, upkeep, and updating.

We watched a fascinating video on the history of Kauai, probably the best thing about the museum. The video tells the history of the island from its volcanic origins through its becoming a US territory. It also details the sad overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy and the dispossession of the native Hawaiians, with a rousing call for the revitalization of the Hawaiian culture.

After doing some shopping, we drove to Kilauwea Fish House for dinner, but we weren't able to find a parking place, so we went to Papaya Cafe instead. Their hot food gril had closed. When we stepped outside, a woman who was finishing her meal at an outdoor table suggested we go to Pho.

That was not a good choice. We had the house salad and garlic shrimp rice. The salad was mostly iceberg lettuce, and there were hardly any shrimp. To start with there weren't any; we had to ask our server where they were.

When we got back to our place, we did some laundry. I soaked in a hot bath, which was very relaxing and seems to help with my painful ribs from my fall Sunday.