Hawaii 2008

January means our annual trip to paradise so I could cover the first two Champions Tour events On the big island and on the north shore of Oahu.

We stayed at a different hotel on the big island a little further north than we've stayed in the past. Great place,, but a long drive from the course. We didn't get to spend much time there.
Here's the view from our room.And looking back to the hotel.

Beth enjoys the beach when we first arrived.

The private beach and the "Hapuna Prince" hotel

Golf on a lava field...

Pretty clouds!I put Beth to work. I think the players like her better!Monday we spent around Kona. This is the seawall downtown. We also drove to a cool little cove that I completely forgot the name of!
You can't see them, but there are spinner dolphins in the background.
Then we're off to Turtle Bay!
Turtle bay is a great hotel on the north shore of Oahu. Right down the street are the surfing meccas of Pipeline, Sunset Beach and Waimea Bay.This year we got a cottage by the bay. Here is the view from our room. It was so beautiful!
Our digs for the week. Itried to get a late checkout, but the front desk staff wasn't amused when I said "July"!The famous waves of the north shore. No, I didn't paddle out.Sweet sunsets!"Leave only footprints"Our friends David and Aaron mug with Beth.The lounge was convenient and served fruity drinks!And then it's time to unwind with a friendly game of shuffleboard. Beth and Brooke take on the boys"Team Maui Jim", Brooke and Aaron take on the Condons. Beth and Lisa love Turtle bay!
I discovered an old abandoned building on the property behind the 15th hole. It used to be camouflaged by trees. Someone cleared them since last year and now you can see it from the course. Yes, I had to hop the fence and check it out!
Turns out this is the old Marconi transmitter building which is pretty historic. Check out this site for more infoYes, I did actually work. This is my signature shot from Turtle Bay. I told myself I wouldn't shoot it again, but it's just too cool! Jim Thorpe walks through my tunnel vision.Two weeks flew by! This is our last sunset in Hawaii as we wait to board the LONG flight back to the east coast.