Image Up Advertising & Design

SOLERA DIAMOND VALLEY | SEPTEMBER 2016 11 What a beautiful place to relax and celebrate. So many things to do: snorkeling, bicycling, hiking, driving to Hana. So we started with a trip to the quilt shops! Yes, Quilting Ladies, Ann had mapped the routes to all the quilt shops on Maui, so off we went. Three shops and several yards of fabric later, we finished our first day watching a beautiful sunset from the beach at out Resort. After a day of shopping, I decided we should pick-up the pace, so we went para-sailing. Even though Ann does not like the water, she agreed to go. We got on the take-off/landing pad at the back of the boat, got strapped in and buckled up. The Captain told us to bend our legs and slowly we lifted into the air. We continued to go higher and higher until we were extended about 1,200 ft. from the boat. We could see three different islands as we were pulled through the air. We sailed for about 13 minutes and were then slowly pulled back onto the take-off/landing pad. It was a fantastic view and quite a ride. One evening we enjoyed a sunset diner cruise aboard the Maui Princess. This was a nice relaxing evening. There was good food, good music, and another beautiful sunset. It was interesting meeting so many other couples from California; although, none celebrating 50 years together. Now it was time for another adventure. This time it was zip line. This turned into much more climbing then I had planned. We had to climb towers ranging between 30 and 50 ft. high to reach the zip line. You also had to carry all your zip line equipment — belts, straps, and trollies. We must have looked really tired after the initial climb, because when it was time to climb the second tower one of the young adventure helpers quietly said "I'll carry your trollies." We were both very grateful! We climbed a total of four towers and zipped four lines ranging in distance from 1000 ft. to 800 ft. We zipped over trees, gulches and green ranchland on the slopes of Haleakala. They told us we would see beautiful mountain and ocean views. I am not sure we took our eyes off the landing pad! It was a great trip. We are looking forward to many more years together. ~ Tom and Ann Lontz Celebrating Our 50th Anniversary on Maui Paint 'N Sip Night Fun For All

• Cover