Sylvia's Scenario

One of the highlights of our trip to Hawaii was touring a vanilla bean farm in Paauilo, Hawaii on the Big Island of Hawaii. It was about 1-1/2 hours from Kailua-Kona where we always stay but it was a very scenic and enjoyable drive.  We have not been to Hawaii in 10 years since we went in 2011 for our 30th anniversary.  I wrote about that trip  here  and it's so good to be back.   We love it here.  Our trip overlapped with my sister and her husband  and also my brother and his wife.  We always go to our favorite beaches and snorkeling places, although when we first arrived, the beaches were closed because of high surf warnings so that was very exciting.  Instead, we watched the lifeguard have a busy day on the beach and then watched the surfers enjoy the rare 8 to 10 foot waves that evening while we ate dinner at a restaurant with the best view called Papa Kona .    . We also went to a seniors PGA golf tournament at  Hualalai G...

We returned to our favorite spot to eat this morning and once again, had the most wonderful experience.  Today, we ate at Morning Glory, the breakfast restaurant at The Farm at South Mountain. We walked right in at 9:00 a.m. and immediately got seated but when we left at 10:15 a.m., there was an hour wait.   You might think that an hour wait sounds terrible but not really.  For one thing, the food is worth it.  Secondly, the grounds are a beautiful spot to wait.  Thirdly, you help yourself to beverages while you wait.  Fourthly, there was lovely music to listen to. The owners have things really figured out.  Service is super fast so they move a lot of people through this breakfast spot.  It's all outdoor seating on picnic-style tables and benches.  The servers take your order and bring your food.  Later, they bring your check and you pay your server.  You help yourself to a variety of be...

We have been getting ready for baseball season by attending some Spring Training games in Arizona.  We even got a foul ball after only attending two games. Bruce is also playing lots of golf while we're here and tonight we went out to our one "special" dinner of the trip to   The Farm at South Mountain .  We went here seven years ago and I  blogged  about it then in 2011.  And we've never forgotten.  Here's what I said about it then.  This restaurant is on 12 acres with three separate buildings for each meal. The breakfast restaurant is called the Morning Glory Cafe, the lunch restaurant is called the Farm House and we went for dinner so our restaurant was called Quiessence. The acreage grows all their own herbs and greens used in the restaurants and the owner, A. Wayne Smith, has preserved the wondrous sense of rural tranquility and vision of sustainability. Gourmet Magazine describes this dining experience a...