Today, we're heading out to explore...

The sun reflecting on the beach in the late afternoon. At the top of the hill, there are numerous windmills, a common sight in Hawaii.

We've been anxious to get out and about to check out Maui. Soon, we'll be on the road heading toward the popular Lahaina and Whaler's Village, places I'd visited over 26 years ago and have been excited to see once again.

We've been sitting in these chaise lounges with our backs to the pool enabling us to watch the beach during the daily 40 minutes we spend in the sun.

Most assuredly, this location is popular with tourists and will be crowded. Going earlier in the day will be to our advantage when later in the day on Friday, the weekend crowds will be daunting.

Tom's head is shown in the bottom right of this photo.

Late yesterday afternoon, we walked along the shoreline at high tide taking these few photos and looking for Sea Turtles we've yet to spot. We'll never tire of the view, the surf, and the sandy beaches.

These chairs set up outside the gated pool area were all occupied today. We prefer to stay in the pool area for an easy access to a quick dunk in the pool to cool off.

We returned to the condo on time to watch the 5 pm Hawaii news with not so good news updates on the lava flow on the Big Island. We'll keep updating as more information becomes available.

The ocean looked less murky than a few days ago after Hurricane Ana breezed through the area. It was explained on the news that murky waters bring more sharks to the beach.

As of yesterday, the flow increased substantially, widening and is moving at an considerably increased speed. We continue to wait with baited breath as to what will transpire in the next few weeks and if this will have an impact on our holiday rental homes.

This is a path we used to walk further down Maalaea Beach but it ended and we had to turn around. Next time, we'll follow the road to check out the beach beyond the cut-off point.

Gee...Hawaii is an exciting place. Between the lava flow, the shark attacks and recent Hurricane Ana, we've been glued to the news.

Many of the condo complexes have steps such as these leading the sea with warning signs reminding bathers that the steps are slippery.

As our cough continues to improve a little each day, we find ourselves anxious for a full night's sleep and the refreshed feeling that comes with good consistent sleep. Its either Tom coughing and awakening me or vise versa. I suspect we haven't had more than five hours sleep in a single night since four nights before we left Waikiki when this virus began.

The perfect lawns along the beach look like carpet, perfectly trimmed and maintained. Although we prefer more "wild" natural areas, we're definitely finding this location pleasing at this point.

It will feel good to get out and about especially when we're confident that we are no longer contagious and at this point, only cough at night.

More flower blooming near the beach.

We're enjoying our home cooked meals having little interest in dining out. All the tourist-packed restaurants in Lahaina will be jammed with little chance of getting an appropriate meal befitting my food restrictions or even getting a table.

Beautiful flowers are blooming in some areas.

Also, Tom has joined me in this diet and hasn't had a morsel of anything not included in our way of eating. We're better off continuing to cook as we have since arriving in Maui eight days ago.

The foamy surf at high tide.

Although we've hardly been out, we're loving Maui, fully understanding why so many people long to live in Hawaii, particularly in Maui, the most revered of the islands by travelers.

High tide at the base of the rocks on the shoreline.

We'll be back tomorrow, looking forward to sharing many new photos of our day of exploration on this exquisite tropical island in paradise.
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Photo from one year ago today, October 24, 2013:

My nemesis while living in Kenya, the dreaded poisonous centipede. When stepping on them to kill them in our house, the sound of the crunching of their crustacean shell nauseated us both. Luckily, we were never bitten but we'd heard that a bite usually requires a trip to an emergency room. For details from this date's post, please click here.