Er. Really, why do we need to go anywhere else?

Renaissance Man and I decided to grab a week of vacation before the summer ends, and after freaking out over the interisland fares (we miss you Aloha Airlines! You helped create some competition!) we decided to do a stay-cation and do it up here on Maui like the tourists do.

Torch Ginger--the name of my second book.

It helps, when you choose to do a stay-cation, to already live in paradise. That said, to make a stay-cation work, you have to do things differently than you usually do them.

Accidental self portrait. Sometimes that iPhone has a mind of its own!

Stay-cation is about creating newness in a setting that's already familiar. So if you decide to stay-cate, plan with that in mind or you'll end up feeling a little ripped off–after all, variety, treats, and adventure are part of what make vacations, vacations.

So, we went to  and Hana did some things different from how we'd always done them– i.e. we usually camped or stayed at cabins in the state park. This time we stayed at a vacation rental on the beach at Hana Bay.

Sitting on the beach with a glass of wine at sunset is different than usual!

We ate at local food booths except for one dinner out. This was an adventure in itself.

Local bbq booth came with its own begging dog, just like home.

When she was scolded, she pouted picturesquely. I wanted to feed her. Obviously it worked!

We found the elusive Red Sand Beach. It was totally awesome. I'll email you directions if you ever want to find it, and you won't find it without help.

When we finally found the trail, it was not encouraging.

It looked okay at first. But then a whole section had fallen off into the ocean. I ended up walking along the reef below the trail. Mike monkeyed it from above.

The red sand is really red! Mike takes a picture of me when I photograph him, again!

Delightful contrast of water and sand.

We bodyboarded, fished, took naps, and took lots and lots of pictures. Then we did the other side of the island and stayed at Napili Bay in a condo. Also wonderful and something we'd never done before. Dinner at Merriman‘s in Kapalua, listening to our good friends Phil and Angela Benoit (Benoit Jazzworks) play, was a highlight of the week.

Sunset at Merriman's. Oh and the food's amazing.

This is how the other .0001% lives!

I came home with a whole new appreciation of why people go to Maui on vacation.

It's hard to get enough of this color. Just looking at it is a vacation.

But you don't have to live in Hawaii to have a good stay-cation. You just have to spend a little coin and do different things than usual, try out the things people come to your area to experience and see them with fresh eyes.

Just had to throw in one more rock picture because I love them so.

Stay-cation: it's a great way to save a buck and make the most of where you live.