July 14, 2012

It's been a hot day with only a slight breeze.  A picturesque Hawaiian day.... except we don't have air conditioning at our house.  That makes it just hot and sticky to us.  When I did a beach call there was no resistance.  Here's our playground.  Not bad.
Kailua Beach, Hawaii

July 13, 2012

Another day of racing in Waikiki.  The winds were significantly gustier and the swells a tad bit higher so Sam's class sailed in the basin while Zach and Nate were out on the open ocean.  This time Zach took 3rd while Nate placed 4th, just the opposite of what happened yesterday.  Sam snatched up a 3rd place as well.  Here are Nate (2) and Zach (3) with Diamond Head in the background.  

Waikiki, Hawaii

July 12, 2012

Guess who came to sail with us today?!?!  A pod of about 10 spinner dolphins swam next to and under, sprayed water and jumped around the racing boats.   This was an amazing way to start the first El Toro race of the Junior Olympics.  A fabulous day on the water too.  More of the same for tomorrow!
Waikiki, Hawaii

July 11, 2012

Since the boys and I finished up the testing yesterday, we decided to reward ourselves with some time on the water.  Zach, Nate and Sam helped out with the sailing class while I got on a Stand Up Paddle board to take pictures.  Being the beginner's class, the young sailors were in shipwreck cove working on tacking in lighter winds.  It's pretty tight in the cove with four sailboats, 2 kayaks and 2 SUP boards moving around, so I stayed out of the way and in the shallow spots.  This bird is obviously used to being around people because I sat about 2 feet away from him for over 15 minutes before he finally flew off.  

Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii  

July 10, 2012

This is for my brother, Dave.  Found right here in little Kailua town.
Kailua, Hawaii

July 9, 2012

In between rain showers and testing sections, the boys and I got out to stretch our legs and clear our brains.  As for the picture, I knew exactly what I was after and realized only this morning it was just around the corner from us.  I've seen this many time around the island lining the freeways, but never had a good opportunity to stop or even slow down to get the shot!  This is the yellow rainbow shower tree.  The masses of yellow and pink pea-shaped flowers are common in Honolulu and bloom from June through October. The brain clearing part comes from the boys being in the middle of their standardized tests. The yearly punishment is to make sure they're on track for their grade levels but  really it just measures my ability to teach.  So far, they're breezing through the exams and tomorrow will be a shorter version of today. 

Kailua, Hawaii 

July 8, 2012

A day at the beach will be fun!  Not for these three boys.  Here they are pouting, not enjoying the sand and surf because we "forced" them to go.   Silly boys....
Kailua, Hawaii