Smorgasbord Posts from Your Archives – #Potluck – #Hawaii – the beginnings by Susanne Swanson

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Welcome to the  Posts from Your Archives, where bloggers put their trust in me. In this series, I dive into a blogger’s archives and select four posts to share here to my audience.

If you would like to know how it works here is the original post: https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2019/04/28/smorgasbord-posts-from-your-archives-newseries-pot-luck-and-do-you-trust-me/

A welcome back to Susanne Swanson with the first of the posts that I have selected from her archives…cats are the muses in her household and they have some wonderful adventures. There are also some great travel posts and Susanne has a series on Hawaii…one of my favourite places and today I am sharing the first in that series.

Hawaii – the beginnings by Susanne Swanson

No, not the beginning of the islands themselves. (Though you can still witness them grow as molten lava flows into the ocean.) I’m talking about my own humble beginnings with these wonderful Pacific islands collectively known as Hawaii.

It started sometime after my 20th wedding anniversary when I said to my husband, with a smile on my face and stars in my eyes, “Isn’t it wonderful that we will celebrate our 25th Anniversary in Hawaii?”

His laughter indicated he didn’t know this to be true at the time. In fact, I knew my husband had little to no interest in Hawaii, why I do not know. Nevertheless, I continued this prophetic speak when the occasion so warranted, wisely and judiciously until the message was heard; until he deduced from my unabashed hinting that I wasn’t kidding, and yes it may be time for such a trip.

“Honey, if you really want to go, we will go.”

And so my planning began in earnest as we settled on the islands of Oahu and Hawaii (aka, ‘the big island’) to celebrate our anniversary almost 10 years ago.

I won’t bore you with too many details from that first trip. (For I have been making up for lost time ever since.) I can only tell you that I was immediately smitten; it was everything I hoped it would be and much, much more. I can find no word more suitable to describe this magical place than Lush.

Lush. Hanging vines. Coconuts. Papayas and mangoes. Banyan trees. Waterfalls. Rich fragrances of fruits and flowers filling the moist air.

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And so while the Seattle winter rains are heavy upon us I am making final preparations for our next trip, the second to the island of Maui. It may be our last, who knows? But I am so glad I spoke that first trip into being many years ago, by a few simple words.

“Isn’t it wonderful that we will celebrate our 25th Anniversary in Hawaii?”

Yes. It was.

©Susanne Swanson

About Susanne

Hello! This is Susanne. After years of working in accounting and technology where rules are clear and numbers add up, I decided to explore the other side where roads are meant to be traveled, memories unfurl slowly and cats have been known to talk.

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In my blog you will meet my two favorite felines, Tiger and Benji, and see pictures and stories from my travels, especially in the Pacific Northwest where I live. Add in my garden, some rain (lots of rain it turns out), a few sunsets and reflections on life, and you have an idea of where we are headed. I hope you come along for the ride.

Connect to Susanne

Blog: https://catsandtrailsandgardentales.com
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/swansos/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catsandtrailsandgardentales

My thanks to Susanne for allowing me to share posts from her archives and you can find more of the amazing scenery of Hawaii in her Hawaii directory

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42 thoughts on “Smorgasbord Posts from Your Archives – #Potluck – #Hawaii – the beginnings by Susanne Swanson”

  2. I have always wanted to go there, so I was suitably envious of Susanne’s adventures. It’s always a joy to see her trips, both exotic and local to her.
    And to keep up with the antics of her cats of course. 🙂
    Best wishes, Pete.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply ↓

  3. Pingback: Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – The Weekly Round Up.. Gems from your Archives, Universal Energy and All That Jazz | Smorgasbord Blog Magazine

      • Hi Susanne,
        I live in this beautiful place that you visited on the island of Oahu, and It makes me happy when I hear stories on visits here especially on special occasions. The Big Island is still authentic with its environments, communities and land. Maui is another mini-Oahu with its own historical beauty. My favorite is the island of Kaua’i. Hopefully one day you will be able to visit all the Hawaiian islands. We have traditional foods that are popular among different communities, the Hawaiian language is spoken with different dialects, which reflects the island where its from. Hawaii is very different from anywhere in the world, that’s what makes us unique. Happy Anniversary and Thank you for visiting!

        Liked by 2 people

      • You are lucky indeed! 😊 Since the first trip for our 25th anniversary I have returned several times and seen all 4 major islands. I love them all but favor the Big Island for its variety and hope to return this fall. Thanks so much for your lovely comment. 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

  6. I tried it with my DH for our 25th wedding anniversary, suggesting Venice rather than Hawaii, but it didn’t work. I still haven’t seen Venice. Maybe I’ll suggest Hawaii for our next big one. Looking forward to reading more about your visits there.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply ↓

  10. I love reading the story of how one connected deeply with a place. For me that special place is a little less spectacular, but a lot easier to visit: sleepy Cedar Key, Florida. Thanks for sharing Susanne’s story!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

      • Yes, in Florida some, but not all, of the islands are called the “keys”. Actually Cedar Key is the only island I can think of right now that is called a key other than the string of famous “Florida Keys” off the southern coast. Cedar Key is an old (for Florida) town – really a few islands connected by bridges – that sits out in the Gulf of Mexico about an hour from Gainesville. It is a quiet little fishing village with no stoplights, chain hotels, or chain restaurants. No long beaches to stroll, just a tranquil little town with good seafood and friendly locals. It’s in the middle of several wildlife refuges, and a great place for kayaking, boating and bird watching. When it gets cold enough in the winter for the fog to roll in, it almost reminds me of a New England or PNW fishing village.

        Liked by 2 people

  11. Pingback: Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – The Weekly Round Up – Are you making the most of this watering hole? Guests, stories, health, humour and other stuff | Smorgasbord Blog Magazine

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