1 My friends Liisa, Kathy and I are adopting a beach on base for cleanup. Here is some of the trash we picked up - I made a little watercolor out of it for the boys' room. It's a pirate ship on Kaneohe Bay and they're hunting a humpback whale. The other piece is the Skene House in Lyne of Skene, Aberdeenshire, where Doug and Mary will be married. I sketched it for a lady who purchased another print from me last year of the Skene Towers. Maybe you'll see it again on Doug and Mary's invitations or collateral print materials for their wedding. It's being featured in Town and Country Magazine!!!!
2 Pirate theme this month - we all got into it!
3 Everyone say AAAARRRRGGGHHH!
4 Ben just makes a fierce face :)
5 "I'm going to cut your leg off!"
6 "NO! MOMMY SAVE ME!"
7 "Here's how you do it, kay?"
8 SuperBen!
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10 The trash art is hanging on the wall now :)
11 Loading up all the gear!
12 That's my new kayak!!!
13 Such a big helper. He LOVES working side by side with Daddy. Loves it.
14 Big board, aye? Can you believe I can wrestle my new board up there by myself? Not pretty but it can be done. I am VERY motivated when I have paddle fever. I love riding the big boards, working hard, catching tiny swells and eventually riding some surf with a friend or kiddo in front. That's my goal...I am not coordinated so I have to start with a garage door of a board for me to stand up :)
15 Bigger life jacket, too!
16 Can I come?
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18 We are in the process of switching out gear to accommodate growing family and kids. Dave researched kayaks and purchased this one from the nicest guy in the world - he owns Go Bananas in Honolulu and is an expert kayaker. He's taken his three kids out since they were babies. This is a fishing kayak from New Zealand, and it is perfect for an adult and big kid up front. The front space is for fishing gear, but this rig doesn't have a hatch, so it is a better seat for Sam. They customized it with a seat rest and bought him his own paddle! You'll see him in action later I think.
19 Launching at Ala Moana beach park. That's Diamond Head in the background.
20 Dave standing up on a paddleboard! We rented one to see if we wanted to buy it, and also arranged to meet with a guy to purchase one off Craigslist. We ended up buying the one off Craigslist because it was bigger and more stable, for the whole family to ride. (Well, maybe not the WHOLE family, but kids and me!) That leaves some money to buy another surfboard, too. Eventually...we have a lot of home improvement to fund and also a wedding in Scotland...
21 This board really glides. See that surf behind? You could catch little swells this side of the break and ride them - very cool!
22 Dave is doing great!
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24 You hold the paddle this way, believe it or not. In case you are out SUP-ing (stand-up paddling) with the celebs...don't do it the wrong way.
25 Sam has his paddle now and we're heading out to chase Daddy down. Mom has Ben :)
26 Setting up the beach tent and changing a diaper.
27 Dave riding!
28 Here is Paul from Craigslist - super nice guy. Brought my board down to try. He's riding our rental. Love the board :)
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30 Hopping off (reluctantly) to let Dave try.
31 Oh yeah...thought he was going in for sure but no!
32 SOLD! Thanks!!! It's an Angulo Nui 11'9" board, in case you are curious. The shaper is on Maui.
33 Mom took these shots. She thinks (rightly so) that we are gearheads. Gotta have the right gear if you're outdoors with the whole family!
34 Ben checking out "his" board with mommy.
35 He has a big cold here but still smiling.
36 Look at the face, though! How often have I seen that face on DAVE!? Like..."you invited 21 people for Thanksgiving???!!! Where are we going to put them all?" At the beach park, in a pavilion, of course. And we're going to use the paddleboard for a dinner table! I see it all happening! It'll be such fun :)
37 Dave worked really hard in the side yard planting and leveling and spreading cinder...and hanging kayak and surfboard racks. Now it's truly grab-and-go just in time for Doug and Mary to get here.
38 The full moon rise over the Mokes.
39 Ben mauling Liisa!
40 Ice cream sandwiches after a picnic dinner...it's become a nice treat :)
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42 Couldn't do much with the previous shot so I tried this...
43 A mom and boys outing up the Pillbox trail. We had a nice time just the three of us.
44 Sam has become such a good, independent hiker.
45 And Ben rides really well. Thanks for the new pack, Dave!
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47
48 Pointing out the trail for me.
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50 Holding onto Ben while I climb up onto a bunker for snack time at the summit. We made it to the second bunker and back down in 2.5 hrs.
51 Mommy, what is he doing?
52 Why does he want my water tube?
53 It's not at all dangerous on top of this bunker...don't worry.
54 Sam giving Ben thumps perfectly - chest physical therapy (PT) for his cold.
55 Whew! Made it into the shot!
56 This is how we went most of the way down :) Like a crab!
57 Nice ridge hike part of the way.
58 There's the Mokes! We have kayaked out to the one on the left. Dying to take Sam there!!! Need a calm day because the waves wrap around both sides of the island and converge, hitting you from both sides. Gets a tad tricky.
59
60 Doing VERY well on his own all the way down. This part is so eroded. There are ropes but they're scant.
61 Ooops! You should have seen that rump when we were done.
62 Skiing!
63 And the face!
64 And this face :)
65 A beetle Dave found, and researched. We haven't seen one like it before and couldn't find a match with Google. I sent it to our friend the entomologist...we'll see if he knows.
66 A marsh walk yesterday.
67 Ben is now "in position" for reading with Gramma! He loves it!
68 At the Bishop Museum with the boys - they were a huge hit...
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70 Poor lizard lost his tail to a croc encounter. He'll grow a new one, and in the meantime fascinated us with his still-twitching old tail!
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72 Making lava! Sam LOVES this place.
73 The blacklight tunnel. I wish I could do their room like this!