After school got out, we took a trip home. (It seems I'll always think of Hawai'i as home.) We stopped on O'ahu first to spend a couple days with Christian and Shandra's family. We checked into our hotel in Waikiki and headed to their place. Shortly after we arrived, a friend from Christian's mission and a friend of that friend, who were on a work trip to O'ahu, came over. The adults minus Shandra plus Tristan went on a short, steep hike to a lookout by their house.
We got pizza for dinner and enjoyed oatmeal chocolate chip cookies made by Gunnar.
The next morning, Jim and I left the girls to watch shows at the hotel while we went on a good run.
Betsy was out of school already, so we took her with us to Three Tables beach (in Pupukea on the North Shore) so Jim could do a little snorkeling. On our way, we stopped for lunch at Waialua Bakery in Haleiwa, where Jim confused us all by not ordering any desserts for possibly the only time in his eating-out career.
The weather wasn't the best, but we got a little sun. Betsy and Ever had been very excited to see each other (having had some long-distance correspondence over the years) but spoke few words to each other during our time together. Funny kids.
Tiny got buried.
I told the girls about how Coach Mike (my old gym coach) had buried me on the beach with just my feet sticking out and then tickled my feet. I couldn't get out, and it was torture. Tiny's sand covering must not have been so tightly packed because she was able to extract herself with ease.
Next was Wren's turn.
She was more stuck.
Ever wanted some Insta-worthy photos of gym on the beach (but she doesn't have Insta - or a phone, for that matter).
Oh, Hawaiian waters, how lovely you are.
The next morning, we did another run and checked out Waikiki Beach.
We got to watch Gunnar in a soccer game. It was painfully hot, but Gunnar was really good and fun to watch. Then we stopped at Cockroach Cove (aka Halona Cove) for a super-quick dip on our way to the airport. We wish we had a little more time there to play in the water and jump off the rocks.
Toots loves the poi mochi doughnuts from Liliha Bakery and was hoping we could bring her some. We were not sure we had time, but we found a location that was pretty much on the way to the airport and were able to make Tutu's dreams come true.
The littles did some belly bumping on the shuttle from the rental car place to the airport terminal.
On the Big Island on Sunday, we did my beloved Mana Road walk pre-church.
We went to Puako before sunset.
The turtles showed up, as always.
This turtled appeared trapped. We were worried about it but decided it would be able to swim out when the tide rose.
Berry is pointing at another turtle here.
Monday we left early to get a Mauna Kea beach pass. Glorious. This is Jim and Ever's favorite beach.
The shaved ice in Kawaihae on the way home was delightful.
That afternoon, Pod took us to Anna Ranch, which truly might be my favorite place on Earth. It makes me weep. Anna's Pond was perfect for a swim, but Ever was the only child who braved the cold.
We found The Place, but there isn't much water in it now because of the damming they've done. That makes me sad, but at least we've got Anna's.
This pic is special because of the cuddling. Wrenzy hardly ever lets us touch her.
The children ran and cartwheeled down the hill (note Tiny in the right-hand corner). I will never get enough of this green place.
We took Mamo and Pod out to dinner at Dom De Luca's that night. It was delicious, and the children were, unsurprisingly, really into dessert.
Tuesday morning we hit Pololu. It's so crowded now. Even worse, there are community volunteers who sit at the top and stop everyone who goes down to tell him not to go beyond the ropes by the sand dunes, that that is sacred burial land of their ancestors, and please respect it. They also said we can't go up the other side to Honokane Nui. So incredibly lame. So much of the island - all the cool parts - is sacred ancestral land. Turns out they roped off everything but the beach and cut down all the rope swings, so Pololu is no longer fun. I understand not wanting tourists to overrun places, but I don't get designating everywhere as sacred to ancestors and/or burial grounds.
Without the rope swings, there wasn't much to do at the bottom. We sat on a log and had a snack.
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| I like Berry's mischievous face in this picture. |
Wrenzy's efforts to wash her hands without getting her feet wet was entertaining.
The girls eventually got imaginative and made a little fun for themselves.
They choreographed a sword fight.
The hike out was very hot.
Back at the top, we stopped at the shaved ice place.
The girls wanted to say hi to the horses across the street. This one spent a long time with us and developed a special bond with Jim.
We went to the Kawaihae Harbor on the way home from Pololu. I don't know that anyone other than Jim and I jumped off the pylons.
Wednesday we made another another early-morning trip to Mauna Kea.
Wednesday we went to Hilo. Akaka Falls was painfully hot.
My attempt at a family (minus me) photo didn't go very well.
Wrenzy was unhappy at Rainbow Falls.
The banyan tree was slippery from rain, I believe, so it was scarier than normal to climb. Jim doesn't so much like us in it. Here I am:
Next stop: Coconut Island.
When we went to Coconut Island the first time, Wrenzy jumped off the lower platform and talked about it for a solid year afterward. It was the highlight of her life. She has refused to jump since, which is very confusing. Ever, Jim and I were the only jumpers this time. Goosey was rather reluctant, but I was glad she did it.
Cafe Pesto provided lunch, complete with feeding frenzy during dessert.
The new thing we did this trip was Kaumana Caves. They are crazy. Miles of lava tubes. We went one way and then the other. After a while, Ever wasn't feeling good, so we stopped and sat in the dark while Jim and the Littles went on a ways farther. They didn't get to the end. It just goes and goes.
That night, Tiny gave Gemini sweet snuggles.
Friday we did the freshwater pond, at my request.
Wrenzy and Ever got in with me, but Wren didn't make it to the back of the pond. The girls can't handle the cold.
The Littles starting finding coconuts and transporting them carefully out of the pond.
Then they started trying to break them open. They took turns throwing them on rocks.
When that didn't work, Wrenzy tried to crush a coconut against a rock with her body. Surprisingly, that didn't work either.
Jim confidently tried his hand.
Then the children all attempted it.
Then the Littles started doing weird things with big branches, and we had to get everybody out of there.
We stopped at Hapuna on the way home for one final beach experience. We wished we had longer, but it was a beautiful afternoon. Turns out the girls love the beach when the water is warm and the beach is sandy and lovely.
We went looking for the blow hole and had trouble finding it. We finally spotted this, which I thought was the blow hole all filled in. It seemed about the right size and location. I was devastated and took this picture to send to the siblings.
Then Jim spotted the actual blow hole, still fully functioning, near by. Happiness!
Another wonderful trip to the motherland in the books!
