Kayaking

For a lark, Laurel and I signed up for a kayak tour to the Mokulua Islands. We met the group at the Twogood Kayaks shop, launched in the canal near Buzz's Steak House, and paddled to Lanikai Beach for a short snorkel, then on to the islands. The beach was hot, steep, and sandy. We ate lunch and hiked around the end of the island to a tide pool, then played in the water for a while. The trip back was harder and longer, because we were tired and we didn't break the trip. It took an hour to paddle back.

Patriotism to da Max

Kailua Library staff redeemed itself today. Laurel was looking for a book she needs to read and comment on for the first day of school. Kailua's copy was checked out, but someone remembered they had just received a gift copy of the same title, and let Laurel have it to use until she leaves on Thursday. That was classy!

On our way back to the car, we spotted this patriotic antenna. I remarked to Laurel that it would be a trip if there were seventeen seventy-six balls, and I went back to count them. There are, in fact seventeen of the little orange spheres, for a patriotic 1776!

Birthday Girl

Sunday was Aunt Jo's birthday. We brought her over from her home to mom's house, and Les & Dorrie came over, along with Earl. J cooked the most delicious grilled fish and chicken, and accompanied them with risotto, salad, Okinawan sweet potatoes and pineapple salsa.

For years, Rose, from the vet's office where I used to work, joked that she felt like she was eighty-eight years old. Well, today, Aunt Jo staked a legitimate claim.

Touring at Home

It's been many years since I've had the pleasure of escorting visitors around my island home. This past week, I've been at my mom's while my brother and sister-in-law get their kids settled at various schools on the east coast, and my friends from California are visiting me. During the day, when mom's caregiver is here, we've been touring Oahu and visiting places like the Byodo-In temple, Pali lookout and Punchbowl, I'olani Palace and the other historic buildings downtown.

We had an ukulele lesson at the Polynesian Cultural Center in Laie, saw the Halona Blowhole spouting, and snorkeled at Shark's Cove. We also attended the kanikapila slack-key festival at Kapiolani Park, walked along Kailua Beach and swam at Lanikai. We visited Waimea Falls Park, and dipped our toes into the water at Queen's Beach in Waikiki before doing some shopping at Ala Moana Center. Here's the Flickr Photo Set.

Now it's time for my friends to return home, and I'll have one more week here before I, too, must return to California. I always think of the song, "Honolulu City Lights" when it's time to leave, and it makes me homesick before I even start packing.

Perseids

Every August, our earth cycles through the Perseid meteor shower. This weekend, there is supposed to be exceptional viewing, as there is a new moon, and the sky will be very dark. The downside is that the greatest volume of meteors is expected around 4 a.m. Monday, August 13 - dozens per hour. Will I get up to see it? I'm going to try. I've set my alarm.

ER We Come!

M's got "reactive airways." It's like asthma, leaving him short of breath. He called the advice nurse this morning, and she convinced him he needed to go to the ER - so he picked me up from work and we spent the next 4 hours waiting for tests, getting breathing treatments, and precautionary chest x-ray and EKG. Bottom line: heart's fine, needs to take medicine to relax the lungs, and come back for a checkup in a week. He felt embarrassed to be taking up ER space and staff time, but they were cool with it - 6 people on the "team" made sure he got a thorough checkup, and we didn't have to wait in line at the pharmacy.

Geronimo!

Last Sunday, before returning home, we drove the 17 Mile Drive and then went to the Salinas River State Beach so the kid could enjoy a horseback ride sponsored by the Monterey Bay Equestrian Center.

17 Mile Drive was interesting, but because it was so overcast and foggy, the scenery at the beach wasn't the best. There are some very swanky homes along there, and the strongest impression I came away with was how very different that little eco-area is from the eco-area on the other side of the bay. It's so mountain-y and woodsy on the drive, and so beachy and arid on the other side. Part of the road winds by the Pebble Beach Golf Course, so now I can say I've seen where Jack Nidklaus and Tiger Woods have played.

The Salinas River State Beach was very dunes-y - and actually reminded me a little of Kailua Bay, because of the sandy beach and lack of rocks. We saw a seal in the water, and little cottontail bunnies in the dunes. I tried to take a photo, but, of course, the bunny was pretty well camouflaged. The weather was overcast, so we could hang around the beach waiting for the ride to finish without getting fried.