Today is the first day of spring and it's darn chilly here in Fairbanks. We had a beautiful, sunny day but there was a slight wind all day which made our annual trip to the ice park - really cold. Lots of red cheeks today. But, I'll save the ice park trip for another day. Today, in celebration of spring, I'm going to take you back to just one week ago when we were in Hawaii....where it seems to be spring all the time and I'll start with our digs.
After floundering around for several years trying to find the "perfect" local in Hawaii, I think we finally have it. It's a great spot for getting out of the crazy tourist happenings in Kona and being near some really great snorkeling and family beaches. Plus, there is good coffee and fruit around every corner. [But I'm not telling our secret. Okay, I'll tell but you have to pay me in coffee and pineapples to find out!] This year we knew we'd have several families (my mom and grandpa Ed, Uncle Doug and the girls, and friends from Seattle). In fact it was 13 total with 6 of the 13 being kids ages 7 and under! So we got a big house with 4 bedrooms - bigger than the house we have in Fairbanks :)
All the living spaces were on the second floor and there was this great wrap-around deck which had a nice spot for afternoon naps.
The best part of the whole house was the access to outside. We stayed out all hours...and the kids probably drove the neighborhood crazy but what the heck. We ate all the meals out on the lanai and every now and then had birds, bats, cats, or geckos stop by for a visit.
Other than just having great outside meals at the house, we did manage to go to the beach. The other perfect thing about our secret location is the access to the family beaches. The house isn't "on" the beach - it's a block from one and two house from the ocean - close enough to hear the waves bashing against the lava at night. Very impressive during a storm surge! So, it doesn't take long to get to the water from where we were. Before our first snorkel adventure, we got Landon and Kalena the equipment and practiced in the bathtub at home. This worked great!! They got it the first time they went in.
Here's one of our favorite spots for kids. Even has the kiki (kids pool) built in!
Uncle Doug and Victoria during her first snorkel.
Granny Bev holds Gabby while Brad and Kalena swim by.
Beside snorkeling and sunbathing on the beach, there are great tide pools to check out.
My mom and I went for walks on this beach and this dog always liked to join us. His buddy even went swimming with me the first day!
Our dog friend is fishing here!
Other adventures include checking out the many historical places. We had a fun day at the City of Refuge with the Sterk family before they left for home.
Hey, which way do we go now?
Stopping to play a game.
The City of Refuge had lots of spot to play games!
If you did something bad, then you had to swim, boat, run to this very spot. Once reached the shores of the "city", a priest blessed you and all your sins were forgiven. You could stay for awhile but then you had to leave. I wonder happened when you left? Did you get a note that said you were a good boy or girl now and no one should kill you?
A local making a traditional head dress (with dyed feathers from Walmart...I'm sure I saw it on the bag!) This man was pretty rude and didn't say very much to me - even when I asked questions. Later, a larger group of people showed up and he was just chatting away. I wonder if I showed him his photo from the "backside", if he would have talked? :)
Besides the City of Refuge, we also went and visited an area that had fish traps and fish ponds as well as make a trek to Volcanoes National Park.
Here is the group walking to the fish traps...notice the jackets. Rainy day!
Kalena gets tired of walking...
Off to Volcano!
One thing we learned on this trip is that you can't drive around the entire crater anymore. Last March, the crater had a major steam vent open up and now sulfur dioxide has encompassed the area. So, we went and checked out the smaller steam vents with less "gas".
After a visit to the crater, we did manage a short visit to see friends, Colleen, Ian, and Finn. They live near the park and have built a beautiful house there. It was fun seeing Colleen and Finn (despite his fever!). Next time, we'll have to stay longer and actually see Ian too :)
Another adventure we had was going to a luau. It was an adventure...since the first time we tried, it was raining and we decided to go eat sushi instead...with 12 people. It worked out and we had a great meal. Getting a "rain check" for the luau was another matter. Eventually, we got into the luau and had a great time!
Cousins ready for a night on the town.
Waiting for the show to begin.
The girls....not wearing coconuts. Later, they are really wearing coconut tops but my camera didn't get a great shot. Sorry. :(
The Polynesian Fire Dancer. He was great...in so, so, many ways...and he didn't need to wear coconuts!
Our final days were spent at one last beach where we didn't snorkel but just played in the sand and watched a pod of dolphins play in the bay. We thought about swimming out and swimming with them until a woman walked by and reported that two fisherman from the area had seen two Tiger Sharks swimming along the reef during the day. Well then! I think I'll just check out the dolphins from here!
The dolphins jumped out of the water many times during the day. I finally caught on in mid-air!
Our very last day was long - dropping off Uncle Doug and the girls earlier in the day and then "hanging" out for the rest of the day waiting for our departure. So, we made the most of the time and went snorkeling - one last time :)
A final sunset for one really awesome trip!
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