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Today is our fifth anniversary. We celebrated with a drive up to the North Shore for a hike to Waimea Falls and lunch in Haleiwa. We had a great time and Sammy did a good job hiking all the way to the falls. We both have sore throats, so I think we’re going to ring in the New Year at midnight New York time and head to bed. Sleep may not come easily – we thought WA state people were nuts about their fireworks…I hear Hawaiians are even nuttier! In fact, they are going off all around our house right now (4:25 pm) while Sam is taking a late nap.

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Sammy and I went for a trail run on base to scope out part of the Swamp Romp course. We were also looking for our big puffer fish – the huge guy we spotted a couple weeks ago. Nothing like getting caught in a downpour on a cool, grey day to remind me of the weather I miss so much! It was a real treat to actually get a tad cold and miserable – just a small taste of winter 🙂 I called the Marines to talk over the Swamp Romp so I have details for our team “briefing” in a few days. Apparently it’s now 6 miles (instead of 5). Only Marines could craft a race through waist-deep mud so popular that it actually had to be lengthened by popular demand!

Those of you who visited in November will know just how much work went into this endeavor 🙂 Dave’s dad and brother helped us carve a passageway through the piles of boxes, gear, scrap wood and other stuff, and Dave spent the last two days cleaning, organizing, hanging, and drilling to put everything away.

I had some technical difficulties, but they’re finally up now! Click on the “Album” link above. Enjoy, and send some pictures of your day to us 🙂

Merry Christmas to you! We so enjoyed this Christmas with Sammy since he was too young to comprehend the whole Santa backstory and the true meaning of Christmas last year.

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Doug called this afternoon to report in that his painted coconut “card” had arrived just fine, although it did create quite a stir at the front desk. I am so happy they all seem to have made it! I’m still waiting to hear about the 9lb 8oz coconut I sent to brother Dan in TX. (You can imagine my horror when the postal worker weighed it and I realized that’s the size Sam was when he came out!) My friend Ang in WA really enjoyed her coconut card, sister Deb was bemused and confused by the strange mail on her doorstep, and my brother Doug…well, I’m not sure what he truly thought. Probably that I’m getting a little flaky out here in the sun. Everyone else is (thankfully) getting an e-card 🙂

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Click here for our card!

I posted it to a new website designed for photographers. I thought it might be faster than downloading a file via email.

on a few things about living here. I miss the winter cold for a number of reasons. A few days ago it was because of this continual inner conflict I have when virtually every day is nice.

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We got our tree two weeks ago and finally decorated it tonight in celebration of Dave’s first day off in as many weeks 🙂 We’ll post pictures tomorrow – hopefully of the three of us decked out in holiday finery! The pictures above are from today – Sam really loves jumping the waves. He also likes “surfing” on a boogie board as Pete pulls it around the yard. He’s pretty good staying on his feet and laughs when he falls off.

Check the Album link above 🙂

New: I also included a link to order pictures from Shutterfly. The link will allow you to automatically transfer the image to Shutterfly for ordering. See bottom right of picture for order link and a download link so you can save it to your computer.

Saturday, February 24, 2007 – CSSG-3 Swamp Romp
Break out your utility boots, but don’t scrape the mud off just yet – the 13th Annual CSSG-3 Swamp Romp is right around the corner. Referred to as Hawaii ‘s dirtiest footrace, the Swamp Romp returns to Kaneohe Bay on February 24, so start cross training now. The race begins at the Boondocker building, neighboring the Marine Corps Exchange Annex parking lot. 6-person teams will negotiate an obstacle-laden course that includes mud, crawling, jumping, swinging, sounds of combat, and more mud. This event offers our community an opportunity to be a Marine for a day…it’s an eye-opener!

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UPDATE: the Marine Corps base conservationist says it’s a puffer fish based on my sketch…any comments from anglers out there? Seems rather unlikely to me to be a puffer, but I did find some pictures on the web that slightly resemble the fish we saw.

Sammy and I went for a run today on base in between errands. We ran on a perimeter trail that winds through some ancient fish ponds and spotted the BIGGEST fish I have ever seen gliding along the side of the little channel. He (or she?) was obviously a bottom-feeder, about 2 ft long, large eyes, tan and speckled, with a somewhat flattened head. It looked like it would weigh 20-30 lbs.