The annual Thanksgiving fishing expedition took place on Saturday. We were very hopeful that it would be a big day – they were out fishing with a restaurant charter, after all, so we fully expected a good catch. The guys brought bloody mary mix and watched the sunrise from the water off the coast near Hawaii Kai. They got a good view of Diamond Head from out there.

Doug kept us updated on the latest catch with pictures and text from his cell phone. He reported in soon after leaving that he caught a 25lb tuna, so we were all in high spirits waiting for the next catch report. I got a text message later that Steve caught a palm fish! Wow! Good news. We knew Steve was really hoping for a good catch. I should have been suspicious when Doug called later to ask if I’d Googled the “palm” fish. But we were all out at the Swap Meet getting aloha goodies with no laptop handy. We met up with the guys at the Shack restaurant and bar to enjoy a sampling of the fish. We soon learned only one of the catch was edible…the tuna. But what about the palm fish? Did they throw it back in? Then movies of the catch were played for us…we saw a lot of reeling and something skipping across the water. Finally, as it’s being pulled up the captain exclaims “What’s wrong with it’s head?!” Then they saw it. The head was flat and semi-circular, the tail was elongated with three fins. Quite a strange fish. When it was pulled up over the side and unhooked they realized what they’d caught – a palm branch!!!! Out in a big wide ocean, what are the chances you’d hook a palm branch that looks like a fish, reels in like a fish, has fins like a fish… Steve was not thrilled, as you can tell in the photo. It’s only small consolation that this fish story is probably more memorable than any other fish he’d catch here.

There are about 300 pictures on my computer from all the cameras. I will sort and post probably later today or tomorrow. Here’s a brief run-down of our adventures:

Fri – Gail and Bill arrived, spent the weekend touring around Kailua, checking out the beaches, shopping at the base for necessities (beach gear) and getting ready for everyone to arrive. They helped us plant the garden by the deck and shopped for some yard supplies. Nice to have their input and help! Sunday Gail, Bill and Mom went to the Swap Meet at Aloha Stadium. HUGE flea market style shopping for clothes and souvenirs. Lots of great finds at great prices.

Mon – Dinner for 6 plus Sam at mom and Pete’s “pod.” Pete did a great tri-tip and we enjoyed appetizers that mom and Gail found at Daiei 🙂 Steve and Jen arrived around midnight

Tues – Shopped for extra snorkels, masks, boogie boards, etc. to hit the beach. Doug arrived around 8pm.
Wed – Beach day at Kailua Beach Park, including a visit to the tide pools where Sammy likes to play and climb around on the lava rocks. We brought kayaks over, but the wind was really strong and the swells challenging. There were several capsizings…you’ll see when I post the pictures who the illustrious seafarers were!

Thurs – Thanksgiving! We went for a hike above Lanikai to get great views of the windward coast from some WWII pillboxes. Then lots of cooking – Gail was Executive Chef and did an oustanding job! Dave fried the turkey – very tasty. The yams with pineapple were a huge hit. Virtually none of those remained as leftovers. As in previous years, Dave teased me for getting away with really not doing any cooking at all. I baked two pumpkin pies this year…the crust was from scratch, though! And, to be fair, I had a project for a client that ended up creeping into my intended “off” time so I was juggling taking care of Sam, shuttling people and gear to beaches and trying to work. I was a little stressed 😉 But it all came off without a hitch thanks to many helping hands. We enjoyed sharing dinner with our friends Nate, Laurie and daughter Cate AND Laurie’s parents! Great times. We dedicated a surfboard as a guest book and people signed on their way out.

Fri – While the guys geared up for a planned golf outing, we got a call that the surf was up! So we switched gears and went surfing with our friends the Uherek’s. Mike gave Doug and I surfing lessons. I managed to catch a wave and ride it all the way into shore (on my knees, no hands – didn’t have the balance to stand up yet) thinking mom was videoing me. I thought I was all set and could rest (the paddle out was pretty challenging, ducking big waves and gripping the board tight so I didn’t get washed right off). But no, mom didn’t think it was really me because I was doing so well! Pete was yelling “that’s her! that’s her!” but not in enough time…So I had to paddle back out and try again. Luck was not with me this time and I got tossed around a lot. But the initial ride was so great that I’m hooked. I had to go home to work but Doug stayed out almost all day. (Postscript – Doug and I went again yesterday and he stood up for 8 sec – his goal! I saw him cruise by me! I caught several more – one on my knees again, one under the board, one on the side, and one I rode all the way in and landed in front of the board on the sand, feet straight up in the air thinking “this is really not smart” and wondering when I was going to be split in two by a 9′ board! I got much more confidencee, though, and have a better idea what I’m doing. Totally thrilling!)

Sat – fishing expedition

Sun – snorkeling at Hanauma Bay in the morning for Doug, Alli, Steve and Jen, with mom driving us as our official photographer. She got up early to join us. This was followed by brunch at the O-Club for all, then golf for the boys while Doug and I surfed and Gail and Jen napped 🙂 Gail crashed on the coolers on the deck! (Yes, we have a picture of that.) Snorkeling was great – a little rough conditions but we found a reef in calmer water after getting beat up a bit on our first venture out. Lots of big colorful fish. As with all our adventures thus far, some blood was drawn and we returned tired and hungry. Here’s to earning your breakfast! Dinner was at a local favorite – Lucy’s. Sammy was really really tired and got the giggles while snuggled in my lap. He’d been burping and passing gas and it cracked him up to feel it come out! He enjoyed walks with his Uncle Steve to check out the trees and lights.

Mon – Doug leaves today after a brief meeting with a hotel manager in Waikiki. His bank is financing the mold remediation work so he’s checking on progress. This meeting financed Doug’s trip out here…in first class. Not bad, huh? We’re going to meet up with Dave for a tour around base and the Arizona memorial. Dave is back to work today 🙁

Sorry I haven’t had time to post until now. You will enjoy sifting through all the photos when I get them up. If you want a disc full of pictures, including outtakes, please let me know and I’ll mail it to you. It is easy to do.