June 30, 2012

Another action packed day today.  I started early with disassembling one of my old, stained and worn out family room chairs.  What I thought would take about 3 hours per chair turned into 7 hours for a single chair.  Whew, upholstery work is tedious and time consuming!  A couple of much needed and welcomed breaks broke up the long hours.  Zach and Nate came home from a week of camping at Pupukea with their Boy Scout troop. They had loads of fun but were stinky, filthy and tired.  Then later, the groomer called to say she had an opening for Remi and Levi.... so, off they went!  In this shot, I meant only to show off the before and after of my chairs, but the pups decided they wanted in the picture.  They look so cute!

Kailua, Hawaii   

June 29, 2012

Yesterday morning while running errands and dropping off Jordan at the base marina, Sam spotted this new (to us) Marines helicopter.  Since he was so excited about seeing it before his brothers got to lay eyes on it, I had to go back today to get a picture.  The AH-1Z Super Cobra/Viper helicopter is called upon when Marines need firepower from the air!  For some really cool information about this aircraft go to http://www.marines.com/operating-forces/equipment/aircraft/ah-1z-cobra.  Since these guys are not brand new, I think they are here for the upcoming RIMPAC exercise that will start in just a few days.  So exciting!!!

Kaneohe, Hawaii

June 28, 2012

Joshua, Spencer and Sam attempted (and succeeded) to eat some incredibly large soft serve swirl ice cream cones while Sean, Karen and I sampled the Mai Tais.  All of this while sitting poolside at the Hale Koa hotel in Waikiki. Later, the Cutter and the Charney families enjoyed one last meal together in Hawaii.  Sadly, we had to say good-bye to this incredible family as we put them on the plane heading for the mainland and (eventually) to their next home in Virginia.  I look forward to seeing, hearing and reading about all the adventures you experience along the road from San Diego to Virginia and beyond!
Aloha 'oe.  A hui hou kakou!

Waikiki, Hawaii

June 27, 2012

Jordan, Sam and I are still in the process of cleaning up, clearing out and reorganizing whatever is remaining.  It's a good feeling to give things up we haven't used in over a year!  Here we are driving (Jordan's behind the wheel) back to Kailua from picking up some essentials in Honolulu.  Sam's in the seat directly behind me, but a bit fuzzy.  Nothing special about this shot except I unknowingly caught myself in the side view mirror.

Somewhere on H3 on the leeward side, Honolulu, Hawaii

June 26, 2012

It's been an unusually wet Summer this year.  I got to greet some friends at the airport in Honolulu today.  As I was approaching the tunnel to go through the Ko'olau range this is what I was fortunate enough to see.  Green, lush vegetation and multiple waterfalls with a wispy veil of clouds beyond.  Absolutely gorgeous!

Somewhere along H3 on the windward side... Oahu, Hawaii 

June 25, 2012

It's said that cleanliness is next to G-dliness.  Well, I think I can hear those angels singing today!  I started in after I walked and fed the pups... sometime around 6 a.m.  Since the big guys are away for Boy Scout camp on the North Shore, I have fewer tornadoes in the house and a lot less resistance to throwing junk out (or giving things away!).  This is the cleanest Zach's room has ever been.... EVER.  I also purged the younger boy's bedroom, scoured the entire house, ran 5 loads of laundry and still managed to get a yummy dinner made.  On the menu this evening; mushroom risotto, spicy caprese salad and (of course!) fresh mango.  Incredibly productive day.  I think I'll treat myself to a cupcake....

Kailua, Hawaii

June 24, 2012

Breakfast.  Made from scratch.  Rich chocolate cupcakes with an espresso cream frosting.  A great way to start the day!
Kailua, Hawaii

June 23, 2012

Getting caught in the rain isn't necessarily a bad thing.  This is my favorite color of plumeria.  The overcast skies and rain just make the colors that much more vivid and brilliant.
Lanikai, Hawaii

June 22, 2012

These two guys are in the back yard of the house we walk by to go to the beach.  Nothing special about them except I think they are pretty.
Kailua, Hawaii

June 21, 2012

Change of Command for 1st Battalion 12th Marine Regiment 3rd Marine Division and our good friends, the Charney family.  The 1/12 is an artillery battalion comprised of four firing batteries and one Headquarters battery which provides direct support to the 3rd Marine Division in times of conflict.  They get to play with.... I mean utilize the M777 lightweight howitzer which has a maximum effective range of 30km.  This last piece of information was provided by my boys, of course.  

It was a true honor to be invited to be a part of this time honored tradition and special day for an amazingly supportive military family.  The Cutters will greatly miss having the Charneys on island with us.  

Kaneohe, Hawaii

June 20, 2012

Our last day on the big Island was spent lounging around the house.  We also took an early swim in the pool, packed our bags and cleaned up a bit.  We really enjoyed this holiday and much needed break from the hustle and bustle.

Kea'au, Hawaii

June 19, 2012

Spelunking and waterfall hiking was on the agenda for the day.  We had a lot of rain last night and throughout the day, so the waterfalls were really flowing.   The fall hunt started out with Rainbow Falls, jumping over to the Boiling Pots and then up to Pe'epe'e Falls.  These were all just outside of Hilo and easy to get to.  As we were circling back to hit the main highway up to Akaka Falls, we ran across The Kaumana Caves.  It's really a caved in lava flow tunnel from the last flow.  We stopped in historic Hilo for a quick tour, lunch and perusing of shops.  Another late afternoon spent in the pool, relaxing around the house, catching up on leisure reading and indulging in our special candies purchased earlier in the day.

Hilo, Hawaii

June 18, 2012

Today was a volcano day.  We started out at Volcano National Park with a Ranger talk and tour of the visitor center.  We then moved on to check out the 4 mile Kilauea Iki Trail along the rainforest edge and down across the Little Kilauea caldera.  Since we started early, the heat wasn't bad.  Plus, we had winds up to 80 mph across this side of the island, closing down some of the summit roads.  After a quick sack lunch along the trek, we visited the steam tunnels, sulfur vents, and large caldera lookout.  Having reach our capacity of volcano attractions, we decided to head back to the house for a refreshing dip in the pool and siestas.  Fresh fruits, fat vegetables and yummy desserts were purchased at one of the many road side stands on our way home.

Volcano National Park, Hawaii

June 17, 2012

For Father's Day we treated Dave to an early morning helicopter ride over the lava flows.  It was a topsy turvy flight that left half of us feeling a bit green, so we decided to rest up and lunch at the house before heading out for more exploring.  After a dip in the pool and the passing of the burn hour we took off south for some exploring.  We drove the coast all the way to the lava fields and black sand beaches... pretty much the same area we flew over.  It was impressive from the helicopter, but even more magnificent to see up close.  This is a shot from the new black sand beach at the end of the road.  Literally, the end of the road because the lava flow wiped out the rest of the drive.  This location was a normal spot, but all the other black sand beaches along this stretch are "clothes optional."  The boys were a little weirded out by this....

New Kaimu Beach, Hawaii

June 16, 2012

Here we are at the Honolulu Inner Island Airport terminal enjoying Starbucks and Burger King while we wait for our flight to Hilo.  As Zach stated, "The wait time was longer than the flight time!" Uneventful flight, a quick stop at Safeway and then on to our house.  And boy oh boy, is it a magnificent house!!!!!  I'll have to do a special post to share extra photos!
Honolulu, Hawaii

June 15, 2012

Another hot, hot, hot day!  This required a trip to Island Snow AND a dip in the ocean.  Sam is not double fisting.... just holding mine while I take the picture.
Kailua, Hawaii

June 14, 2012

Happy Flag Day.
Honolulu, Hawaii

June 13, 2012

Moroccan Chicken with lemon and green olives over wild rice plus a green salad on the side.  Yum!  It's a new recipe and I think it's a keeper.
Kailua, Hawaii

June 12, 2012

Driving home from the North Shore today, Sam and I saw an abundance of beautiful landscape.  This is a pineapple field with more agriculture beyond and the Waianae Mountain range far off in the distance.  I love the layers of color.

Haleiwa, Hawaii

June 11, 2012

Cub Scout resident camp had us starting the day in the pool.  Here are some of the Webelos scouts (Ty, Lucas and Sam) sitting with their Boy Scout den chief (Jake) waiting for the instructor.  These guys earned their swimming belt loop, swimming pin and Aquanaut activity badge before finally climbing out of the pool and hitting the showers.  Great job boys!  The rest of the day was filled with science and nature activities, then rifle and archery.  Awesome fun at camp on the North Shore.

Pupukea, Hawaii

June 10, 2012

Since Sam and I are heading to the North Shore for Cub Scout camp this afternoon, the boys decided they needed to get an early start with the water balloon festivities.  While I was in Oregon last month, I picked up for each boy a jumbo pack (1500 count) of biodegradable colored water balloons with filler nozzle.  Here Zach and Sam are throwing and smashing water bombs across the yard.  Not in the picture is Nate, who was lobbing stealth grenades and sprinting away before the others could catch him.  Summer time fun!

Kailua, Hawaii

June 9, 2012

Happy Birthday Dave!  Per his request, no gifts were purchased... "We have the Big Island trip coming up and I don't need anything."  I washed the cars and he got to run on the beach and swim in the ocean.  What else does he need?  Well... a mouth watering carrot cake from Whole Foods (not as good as Karen Charney's though) and the arrival of our #1 child, Jordan!  Yeah!  I also made up a fantastic dinner of spicy rotisserie chicken, basmati rice and a mixed green salad.

Kailua, Hawaii

June 8, 2012

The pups and I start each morning at 5:30am with a half mile stroll through the neighborhood to wake up and stretch out our legs.  The past few mornings I've neglected to take my camera with me (probably because I'm still trying to get the sleep out of my eyes!) and missed some glorious sunrises on the mountain range.  This morning I set it out with the leashes so I wouldn't miss it.  Yet again, another beautiful morning.  What a great way to start the day!

Kailua, Hawaii

June 7, 2012

For Zach's final week of Biology he must complete his virtual dissections on ©Froguts.  I think this is the one and only time I didn't get any whining or complaining about starting a Science section!  I DID hear loads of "Eeeeewww....", "Yuck!" and "Ooooh, that is SO gross!"  But none of them seem to be compelled to step away from the computer screen.  Similar to an accident, we know we shouldn't gawk, but we just can't help ourselves!

Kailua, Hawaii

June 6, 2012

A little drizzly rain and overcast skies helped to beat down the heat today.  A light breeze helped some too!  After the weather settled down a bit I got the pups out for a much needed walk.  Since most of the island is in full bloom these days we were rewarded with the beauty and aroma of the many blossoming trees, flowers and shrubs.  Here is a shot of the coral plant hibiscus.  This unusual type of hibiscus shrub comes from east Africa and bears hundreds of the hanging red blossoms.

Lanikai, Hawaii

June 5, 2012

What is this?!?!  Well, today we went to the Ramsden's house to watch Venus transit across the sun.  Since you can't look directly at the sun (or at least you shouldn't!), Chris set up his telescope to project the transit on a white board on the ground.  Not only can you see Venus, but also several sunspots.

Kailua, Hawaii

June 4, 2012

I was a bit apprehensive about wearing my 5 finger shoes for my long trail running trip.  I had never done back-to-back 10+ mile days and didn't think my legs and feet could handle it.  Boy was I wrong!  Since we were told the first day was to be over very rugged and rocky terrain, I opted to wear cinderblocks... I mean regular trail running shoes.  I was miserable in them.  They felt heavy and clunky and foreign to me. Yuck!  So, for Day two I decided to give my Vibrams a go and hope for the best.  I woke for Day three feeling pretty good and threw caution to the wind and wore once more.  After two consecutive days and 30+ miles in them, my feet were a bit sore and my legs somewhat fatigued, but I don't think I'll ever be able to go back to conventional running shoes again.  Upon returning home to Hawaii, I was happy to see my new pair had arrived because the old ones are a bit dirty!  And SMELLY!  Anyone up for a run tomorrow?

Kailua, Hawaii

June 3, 2012

Another 15+ miles for Day 3 on the trails.  I ran light with no camera, water or food.  We just made sure we hooked up with Bub on the river for refueling.   I think this was my most favorite day because the terrain varied greatly, from wide logging roads to narrow rocky cliff huggers to meadows, over countless wooden bridges and through tall treed forests.  It also reminded me of the trails I love so much in Bremerton, Anacortes and Whidbey Island.  The icing on the cake was the lunch spread Bub had waiting for us at the boat launch end point.   This was the sunset as we were heading back up to Portland for the night.

Somewhere on Interstate 5 in Oregon

June 2, 2012

Day 2 on the trails and I'm running with my camera.  Over the course of 7.5 miles, my camera went from 10 ounces to 10 pounds and I finally needed to tuck it away on the raft.  This mountain meadow was our first meet up with Bub the raft guide for camera turnover, fluid and snack replenishment and a little first aid for Diana.  She got a little too excited about seeing pups rafting down the river and scraped up her knee.  Ouch!  It's a good thing both Di and Kathleen are Emergency Room nurses and love to play with first aid kits.  This day was 15+ miles on the trail, stopping at Mariel Lodge for another rejuvenating shower, mouth watering meal and comfy bed.

Rouge River, Oregon

June 1, 2012

This was what the girls and I signed up for.  Almost 50 miles of trail running over 3 days.   The raft guide/supplier/mule horse put in around Grave Creek to ride the river with our gear while we took off on the trails.  Since we were the company's inaugural running group tour, we (they) had a few (lots of) kinks that needed to be ironed out.  Start earlier in the day and coordinate meet up points better are two that came up.  After 10+ miles we swam across the river to the Black Bar Lodge where the shower was hot, the meal was hearty and the bed was soft!

Rouge River, Oregon 

May 31, 2012

I received one of the sweetest good morning greetings from the most adorable little guys this morning.  My awesome sister-in-law, Demetria, picked me up at the Portland airport the night before after touching down just shy of midnight.  Dee, my brother Dave and I then stayed up into the wee hours of the morning chatting and catching up.  After catching a few winks, these two cutie pies woke me up to have breakfast with them.  What a treat!

Vancouver, Washington