This photo session was one of their best memories of their vacation, and honestly that kind of bums me out… Mom, Alicia, came to Maui with her husband, kids, and nephew to enjoy all the splendor of Maui. And then happened to have visited when Hurricane Lane was supposed to also visit. Really, people rarely take storms seriously here because the forecasts are rarely correct, and most often the worst storms aren’t even in the forecast. Go figure right? ???? So we were able to squeeze in their sunset mini session before the forecasted storm, and they wanted to head over from Puamana (my favorite!) to a spot that looked promising for a pretty sunset. It was a beautiful night in Wailea, and only the ocean seemed to be a little more hurried. So I used my camera and the light and created some images that they could treasure. We chatted and laughed and then said our goodbyes. However, the following night that Lane was going to have the most impact, I woke up in the middle of the night and learned of the fires in Lahaina, fires threatening Puamana. I texted and learned they had thankfully made it out, their son had seen the flames outside the window. They evacuated in minutes, and felt the heat of the flames as they drove away, fearing for their lives, and then trying to secure new lodging. It was understandably traumatic. I’ve been vacationing at Puamana for over 25 years because my parents own there, so that place is incredibly special to me and my family, and I was so thankful for the outstanding job done by the Maui Fire Department. While other homes in Lahaina were lost, so so many were saved.
OK, so the good times we had at this photo session, kind of became the best of times. I definitely hope they get a do-over vacation in the future, Maui really is the most beautiful island, usually offering so much peace and calm. And can we just love on the cousin-relationships here. Makes me wish we lived closer to family, where you spend so much time together, cousins become like additional siblings. Oh and if you’re wondering about hats on guys in photo sessions– yes it can work, especially if that is their signature look!
