Photo courtesy personal photojournalist R. Thomas.

Last night’s full moon was the biggest of 2009 because the moon was at perigee – or the closest point on its orbit around the earth. It’s also called a wolf moon or snow moon according to Native American lore. We decided to chance the rain and head over to Lanikai to enjoy the show. The moon rose above the clouds well after moonrise, but once it broke free it was gorgeous! Sam, Ben and I stayed after our friends went home. We enjoyed the peace and relative solitude. The sand caught moon shadows, and it almost felt like being on the moon. Ben crawled straight down toward the water immediately – as soon as he hit the sand. Somehow he was drawn to it, like a baby honu (a hatchling turtle). Once he reached the water he kept crawling! He put his face down in it and seemed to want to take a drink. Then he started pawing at the water and digging a hole in the sand. Sam enjoyed skinny dipping by the light of the moon. A good time all around 🙂 It was especially nice to see my friend Liisa and her family, and my mom and Richard out there. The water was really calm – next time we’ll have to grab the paddleboard and try paddling by moonlight. Aloha to all, and to all a good night!