We continue with the last of the Day 2 photos, leaving downtown Lahaina and driving back to the hotel.

I did take a lot of photos in the car, but I won’t post most of them. Not when there are soooooo manyyyyyyy other options.

We changed into our swimsuits and hit the beach, which, conveniently, is right outside the hotel.

We used the old Canon A610 for shots on the beach, figuring that was safer than the possibility of ruining the new camera with sand/water/etc.. My new camera is my baby and I protect it fiercely.

The problem is, 95% of the shots have a blurry, light-colored schmear in the center of the frame. They also have a black speck that I’ve had years of experience (sigh) editing out, but that light schmear drove me nuts.

My head sticking out of the ocean. Heaven? Heaven. I grew up swimming in Southern California, and have always been a very good natural swimmer.

Can’t dive worth a damn, but I float beautifully. The backstroke’s my favorite. I’ve been swimming in ice-cold oceans and rivers and lakes for years–the warm water of Maui felt WONDERFUL.

The Boy tests out the snorkel gear. I waited until the following morning, when the four of us went snorkeling together.

The view right outside our hotel room in one direction…

…and the other.

Not much beats the feeling of sand squishing between your toes. I hadn’t worn a toe ring in years (I wore one from 1999-2005 until it broke in half), but it seemed appropriate in Maui.

Nobody looks sexy with snorkel gear on, but maa-aaaaan is it FUN!

Those nail stickers again! I finally had to break down two days ago and remove them. I’m mourning their loss, currently. I NEED MORE.

I drew this in the sand and quickly snapped a photo. By the time the Boy came back to shore to see it, two people had tromped through it.

“Hey, that looks like fun!” I said to the kid being buried in the sand.

“Not really,” he groaned, while his sisters giggled. He let me take his photo anyway.

The Boy next to the rental surfboard.

He did take the board out briefly that day, but I don’t have any photos–his mother was snapping away with her camera while I swam. Ne’er mind, there are 574385349 photos of the Boy surfing later on. And videos.

Ahhh, natural glitter.

Back up on the hotel balcony, catching the last rays of the day.

It’s so bright in Maui that it’s impossible to see what you’re photographing using the swivel screen (the camera feature I always use for self-portraits). I relied on the viewfinder a great deal (how quaint!).

I was wearing the sari over my shoulders because they were already burnt to a crisp.

Oh the glamour of it all, sweetie darling sweetie darling.

I love how that metal heart shines in the sun.

Having a giant metal heart attached to your bikini top isn’t as awful as it sounds–I only had trouble when I tried to lay on my stomach on a straw mat, then it dug into my flesh. But who has time to nap in Maui? Not me, Hank McGee!

“Alright, enough…enough…” (like I ever get sick of posing)

The sunsets were fantastic.

A burly bare-chested Hawaiian dude blew a conch and lit the tiki torches every night.

After sundown we wandered around the hotel. It was always deserted at night, which made it extremely romantic. Not that it was difficult to feel romantic in Maui. Oof, talk about a great place to honeymoon.

The airy, expansive lobby.

I was a little obsessed with these pineapple lamps.

I had noticed a blue aquarium light glowing from our floor down in the dining room, so we went to test out the “aquarium” setting on my camera.

Not too bad.

This is a great capture. Just look at how my neon sports bra matches the fish!

A couple of fishfaces.

Extreme close-up! Our aquarium photography improves greatly later on in the week when we visit the Maui aquarium.

The pool at night.

It wasn’t heated, but it was deserted, my favorite. When I lived at my old apartment I used to go night swimming in the pool by myself–highly enjoyable. The hot tub was more popular–we had some weird conversations in there. More about that later.

The pool is surrounded by flora and fauna and waterfalls and birds. We saw a cat spring over the water slide with a large dead something-or-another in its mouth.

I don’t know if it’s because I used to smoke and was more sensitive, but it seemed like everyone in Maui smoked cigarettes. And they certainly weren’t any cheaper, that’s for sure. Did I want to smoke? Nerrope!

Posing next to one of the waterfalls (you have to imagine it behind me). My fake tan still looked damn good the…um…second day.

Back inside the hotel again.

This carpet made me think of “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” (I do think of that movie often, actually).

The whale mural near the elevators.

Join me tomorrow for Day 3–snorkeling, surfing, and the most obnoxious theme restaurant I’ve ever been to!