There is no doubt...Spring is in the air.....

I have been seeing Robins all around the yard lately, but quite frankly, I don't think they are bright and no matter what they seem to appear about mid February. Before I left for Hawaii I saw several of them sitting on the tree limb all puffed up on a 12 degree day..You could almost hear one of them cussing in their little Robin language "You are such a smuck!!!! I told you it was too damn early to come back to this god-forbidded state.....but nooooooo, you didnt listen did you....you, you, you jerk!!
But, now the Red Winged Blackbird, now thats a different story..when they arrive you can just about figure the weather is taking a turn for the better, and spring is on the horizon. The electric lines are full of them!! They sound so wonderful and spring like! Today is was 72 degrees when I got home..I know because my car told me so... I immediately went inside, changed my clothes and headed for the yard. I opened up the greenhouse and was amazed it was still around 98 degrees in there...I reached in and grabbed my trusty wire rake and off to the mess of a yard I went. I raked for quite awhile, but honestly it still isnt too good of raking conditions, it is very wet and soggy yet and the leaves just clump into lumps...besides that job really does suck. I gathered and threw limbs..and didnt even make a dent in them..oh well, there will more nice days coming..I hate to do all this fun stuff in one day. Now, for more on my Hawaii trip.

Day 2 February 19th. We got up bright and early at 5:20 a.m. to catch the shuttle to the Pearl Harbor museum. We checked out of the motel at 6 and left our luggage with the porters. The museum was fabulous..really a very sombering place. You start out with a video of the events and actual footage from what happened on that day that the harbor was attacked. The ferry out to the memorial is sad, but very important to see. I wish we would of had more time to take the second tour out to the Missouri, but unfortunately that will have to wait for another trip.
We arrived back to the hotel around 2 or so and went to a beach front restaurant and had lunch. Kurtis spotted the bartender making a beautiful red and white drink and quickly ordered one for me. He asked the bartender what it was, and he told him it was Pina Colada and strawberry, that it was called a "Lava Flow" ..Kurtis said "Oh, get one of those for my wife...that sounds like something she would just love", and guess what..he was right. I sipped away on my new founded drink, had a hawaiian buffet lunch of fresh fruit, seafood and breads and enjoyed the beautiful beach at Wikiki. Oh, I may just mention too, that despite all the documentaries we watched previously to taking this trip.....all the females on the beach are not "georgeous"..I may go so far as to say.....some of them make me look pretty good!!!
After lunch we had about a hour to kill before the shuttle returned us back to the airport again and a flight to Kauai, so we got in on a Lei making class...I am still in shock as to how they can have so many orchid blooms available at all times. Everywhere you go there are piles and piles of them. I was determined to eventually see where these are grown, and when we got to the big Island..I got my wish...more on that later.