2008-12 (DEC)

USS Arizona 27 images	Makapu'u Mud Slog 30 images	Family Photos 14 images
Christmas Day 59 images · 1 video	New Year's 74 images

1 Here's Kirk's wife Susan (they are friends of Richard, mom's partner), and Chris, Dave's wife. She is my Aunt and my Dad's half-sister.	2 Here's Ben in the Gramma bouncer :)	3 Here's what he's doing. Can you tell? It's the Ben-Blur!	4 Saying hi to Susan. He really liked watching her and listening to her.
5 And CC was a whole lot of fun, too! Nice to meet you!!!	6 The impromptu dinner birthday party relaxing after Dave's wonderful salmon feast.	7 Dave is now the BenBouncer :)	8 Santa's helper!
9 Mike and Angel were persuaded to pop over for Dave's birthday, too, and they brought a fabulous sugar-free cake! YUM! I think we had 10 people around our dining table :)	10 The king, presiding :)	11 Mom and Richard doing clean-up duty as Kirk and Susan enjoy one of our cookbooks. Wish we had more time to experiment in the kitchen! We love cooking, too.	12 Ben in the Angel bouncer bopping the balloon. Thanks, everyone, for making the day special :)
13 Yes, indeed, I put a candle on for each year. I love FIRE!	14 Mike and Angel's cake was a bit more tame :)	15 Took like 37 minutes to light...Sam studying my technique as Dave grew bored. ha ha! Must have FIRE!	16 Almost ready!
17 Beautiful Reyn Spooner aloha shirt with Christmas design. Thanks mom!!!	18 A trip out to Chinaman's Hat was a lot of fun and quite adventurous!	19 Sam loves the new kayak with a special Sam-seat up front.	20 Mom and Ben in the little blue tent while we went out. Funny, later mom told me that a big sewage truck or something came by (on the grass) and she realized she may have to move Ben and the tent quickly. The guys asked first "How long do you plan on being here?" and mom thought of course in terms of like minutes or hours. But she was a bit stupefied and her pause allowed them to add "How many days do you plan to be here?" Homelessness is, unfortunately, a big problem here. But I have to admit I did chuckle about Gramma in a tent looking like she might be there several days.
21 Mom's little kayak waiting for me to get in.	22 Off we go! Love those mountains.	23 See the little hat? Some of you might recognize a finger painting I did of it recently...	24 Goofy girl.
25 Off to the south side, checking out landing areas.	26 Not so much.	27 Heading back around to the little beach. Dave spotted half a dozen turtles...but despite all my looking and peering I didn't see even ONE!	28 This is for you, Uncle Tom!
29 Snorkelers 200 feet below.	30 View from the top - fish ponds to the left and Kualoa Ranch off to the right where many movies have been set, including Jurassic Park and 50 First Dates.	31 Looking north along the windward coast.	32 Stitched together now...
33 We made it to the top! Whew! Very tricky going on two escarpments, but Sam is a good listener and keeps his cool. Dave and I did a good job communicating as well, but realized quickly if your hike includes terminology like "landing zone" (for feet) and "transfer complete" (handing child from one parent to another)...probably not quite suitable for the preschool age group.	34 But summits are very tempting and we thought carefully about proceeding several times. Ultimately it was fine, but we don't recommend it.	35 Looking south.	36 See the Mokes waaaayyy out there?
37	38 Fun times.	39 Great little swimming spot!	40
41 Ben just waking up in the tent and looking at Gramma, thinking she is asleep!	42 Washing off the gear afterwards (?).	43 And trimming the tree!	44
45	46 Making ornaments out of sea glass this year. They came out really well despite this picture.	47 Here's one I really like.	48 Welcoming Matt and Melodie, friends from WA.
49 Matt is a reservist about to ship out to Iraq for a year.	50 Wonderful friends, just amazing people. Melodie is a physical therapist with the most intense fingers - she can pry apart balled up muscle tissue like none other! Trigger points were a learning topic this trip. Matt is incomparable in other ways. Matt, like Underberg, must be experienced. (HA! I know you're reading this you crazy guy!)	51 Our little hiker group found a waterfall!	52 Dave trotted down below to take a picture of us.
53 Beautiful mosses.	54 Nice "milky" water, Dave :)	55	56
57 Pointing out a neat banyan tree.	58 Somehow we manage to get great friends to visit AND clean up after dinner?!	59 Matt working hard :)	60 The Sam Show!
61	62 Recital crashers :)	63 Sam is such a doll going to a concert. Ben on the other hand...	64 Out on a date :)
65 Strange day at North Beach - huge swell brought lots of surfers, not all of them authorized. This was a sting operation. Imagine trying to get 50 surfers out of good waves for an ID check! We actually saw Kimo (of Kimo's Surf Hut) out surfing as well. That was cool.	66 Interesting lava flow formations.	67	68 The formations sometimes look like sand but they're very hard!
69 Good vantage point above the beach at the lifeguard station.	70	71 Then we took a walk along the dunes and ended up at the golf course.	72 Ben is crawling!!! He's actually up on all fours, straight-legged!
73 Christmas in Hawaii is very festive due to the lack of snow :)	74 Checking out the lights on an impromptu run :)	75	76 I love this one :)
77 Gail and Bill checking out one of the places Obama and ohana were purported to be renting.	78 Good PopPop reading time!	79 Sam's monarch emerged from the chrysalis just after Sam went to bed! We woke him up to see the monarch and he said "How exciting!"	80
81 Ben is up on all fours! Stong boy. He's pulling up to a stand as well. Walking soon!	82 A walk along the beach on base.	83	84 These formations are cool, too!
85	86	87 Dave and Bill hooked up with us after a round of golf.	88 Dave found a sweet hermit crab with blue eyes!
89 Sammy is looking at the little crab :)	90	91 Ben loved swinging at the big base playground.	92 Laughing and laughing at Dave and Sam playing.
93	94	95	96
97 Look who I bumped into at Kalapawai! A real secret service agent!!!! WOW! So exciting! Look at my boys' faces, though :) I told him to look real tough for my picture.	98 Gail got a snuggly shot :) This Eric - he was SO nice.	99 Grabbing some sun on the beach.	100 Building a turtle together.
101 Nana and PopPop arrive for the holidays!!!	102	103	104
105 Ben sleeping amidst wind and rain splatter.	106 Nice honu!	107 Gail taught Sam dribble sand castles...	108
109 A crazy musical at Ala Moana - The Christmas Gift of Aloha. Very good! Crowded, crowded, though!	110	111	112 One of the characters from Richard Scarry's books!
113	114 Sam loved the musical so much that he did a show for us, too!	115 Sam's Christmas Show!	116 Shopping together!
117 We went to the Macadamia Nut Farm and I talked to the Samoan chief about my inability to start fire by rubbing two wild hibiscus sticks together at our pre-holiday bonfire... He enjoyed my enthusiastic accounts of how my friend and I are really determined, and I asked for a hibiscus stick of my own. He gave me one, and then I said all I really need now is a machete!	118 Chief went to his pickup truck and found a machete for me! I couldn't believe it! Dave took the machete back to the truck for us...see how he's trying to disguise it? Wouldn't you know it - he ran into a lady he knows from work. He was trying to shake hands with his right hand and disguise the machete in his left. I got the giggles watching it and we ended up having to tell them what was going on...poor Dave! Who would have guessed I'd leave with a machete? I have wanted one for about a year now...they are so handy!	119 Machete man!	120 Sam and two nice elves washed cars!
121	122 Out on the Pillbox hike in Lanikai. Sammy did the entire traverse today all on his own - a big loop of about 3 or 3.5 miles. I was very proud of him! We went to Lanikai Juice afterwards. Dave was home cleaning the garage...yay!	123 Stinky cactus flower!	124 Butterflies all over the trail today! Tons of them!
125 Strong little hiker. He was tired from playing ball in the yard all morning then going on the hike late in the morning.	126 And there's my little friend riding along! This is yet another NEW pack - the Kelty frame carrier did not ride well - it pulled me backwards and my center of gravity was all off. This one feels like the sport model - it is awesome! It's a Kelty Transit 3.0. Love it!	127 Tired after the hike :)	128 What are you doing, Sam!
129	130 Men at work :)	131	132
133 Watching the "ball game" - Sam and PopPop playing soccer.	134 Ben wants down!	135	136
137 Off on an anniversary date :)	138 I keep rotating this but it doesn't "stick" in JAlbum...anyway this is the new shower!!!	139 New bathroom remodel!!! The old bathroom was soooo bad we didn't even take a picture during the demo.	140 Hi Dave!
141 At Honey's at the Ko'olau Golf Club and Presbyterian Church - really great time listening to Hawaiian music.	142 Huge fish!	143 This man got up from the audience to hula, then sang!	144 And she joined him to hula.
145	146 Ben in the morning :)	147 And afternoon :0 Sporty guy!	148 Sam has enjoyed playing soccer with PopPop!
149 Kayaking at Kaneohe Bay! Woo hoo!	150 We did it!	151	152
153 Perfect landing :)	154 Last pancake breakfast at Cinnamon's - where else!	155	156