Time to check out Battle Point Park (which has this huge field AND a huge, creative playground). First, we stopped for some shoes and pants. Then we grabbed coffee at Bay Hay, my new "Kalapawai" - it's a garden center and coffee shop that sells gear. How cool is that? I bought a Marmot jacket and Columbia hoodie while in there. I think I spent two weeks of allowance already. ;0 Bonding with my new island is fun, but I'm having to process and sort a lot of memories to do it. We lived in Poulsbo and I have very fond memories of my first year with Sam there. It's so tempting to want to recreate those years. Like wanting to step back into well loved shoes, but finding they may not quite fit the same five years later.

Here is our guest house view for the next 7 days! We are in Poulsbo - staying at a place in Lemolo on the water. We are so excited to finally be here, but I am definitely struggling with being away from our dear Hawaii friends, stomping grounds, sands, sun, water, mountains. I am also COLD and it's summer here!!! We got in after midnight last night and Ben is still asleep late this morning. He really tired himself out with his shenanigans 🙂 So we pick up the truck today from the port, sign for our new house, and arrange for delivery of our household goods - which will be here in only ONE week. Amazing!!!!

In deep denial, I planning a camping trip, then a party for our friends the night before our packout. We were so tired that night we just postponed final safe-zoning until the next morning thinking the movers would arrive between 9-11am as scheduled. Well...they got there 2 hours early!!! We tried to tell them which room to start with for packing so we could catch up (i.e., take laundry out of dryer and stuff into a suitcase!) but they kind-of just grabbed things as they passed from one room to another. In the process, they bagged one each of Sam and Ben's slippers, and BOTH of mine. We ended up in Waikiki with three of us in bare feet! Yours truly, the woods-girl, is completely baffled by navigating around the big city. I can hear the ocean, but can't see it. I stood up on lava rocks in a fountain and found the ocean, but then couldn't get to it because of all the railings and walkways. We swam in a lagoon yesterday with a tiny island. Boys are loving the whole experience. More later when I have time. Aloha!

One last campout before the packers arrive! Whew - a bit crazy but worth it! Click for pictures 🙂

Turns out my shell had someone in it - Janthina janthina. It's a type of jellyfish which blows a big bubble of air to float on top of the water. I hot glued it to the mat and I guess the glue caused it to ooze and melt out. Three weeks later it's not as stinky and can actually come inside from the garage. I'm partial to it. Dave is not so much. Wonder what the USDA will think when the crate arrives? I found the goggles today on a last beach run at Bellows. I thought they complemented the mixed media creation quite well. If you look carefully above Janthina you can see a shiny string - it's glue, but it really looks like it could be a jelly entrail! I feel badly, Janthina janthina, but you are memorialized.

We took a trip to the North Shore and stopped by Lani's - we saw SO many turtles! Dave says more than 50 were floating around the limu shelf greeting us. We saw many heads pop up - can you see this one? What a great send-off. Then on a walk through town we saw turtles everywhere, too - huge floats on top of cars, etc.! Boys had shave ice for lunch - they're sick, so that's like medicine, right?

Sam said "I've been wanting to do this my WHOLE life. You just bait them (with a muffin) and sneak up from behind. I don't like holding onto the body because the little claws were going to get me. I like the tail better." So Sam has achieved the first item on his LIST! Wow. That's amazing. I asked him this morning what's next. He said flying on a plane to another country - he wants more adventures.

A "forever" day at the beach, with CheezIts and Gatorade for lunch. Lots of snorkeling this weekend with many humuhumu sightings! Also saw a few we hadn't seen yet, such as a big eel with mouth agape, a four-spot butterfly fish and a trumpet fish!

"Jump-off tree" never fails to provide excitement and drama!