Honolulu, day 3

This will be short. I just typed a nice, long, well-worded post, but when I ventured from the page to get a screenshot of the map, it didn't save. Lesson learned. 

A full, sunny, hot, salty, wonderful day. Swimming in the ocean. Boogie boarding. Dinner by the pool. A Salvation Army spotted to try out. Despite sunburns, fun was had by all. 

The sirens of Avenue Five make a Hawaiian style dinner with fried rice, fresh sping rolls and ahi steaks. 

Amazing. I still cannot get over our global positioning. I think this every time I travel, but I want a giant map with pins marking everywhere I've been. Absolutely amazing. 

Honolulu, day 2

Well, actually it's day three, but someone had a little too much fun last night and couldn't muster the composure to publish something coherent and worth reading. So today you get double the pleasure. You're welcome!!

We had a beautiful day yesterday. In the 80's with a nice breeze and a lot of sunshine. A bunch of our group took their broods plus mine to a snorkeling beach. Rowan came back with a stuffed seahorse she named Gloria, and who is French. C'est magnifique! 

I went with Joelle & Co. to the Swap Meet held at the Aloha Stadium where they play the Pro Bowl. Kei, Kai and I had fun with that! Luckily we had our Hawai'i native, my super bestie, as our navigator and tour guide. We saw where she played a lot of volleyball and was born! I love a good trip down memory lane. Anyone's lane that is-- not just mine. 

We loaded up on sugary deep fried dough balls called Malasada and polish hot dogs at a place called Leonard's Bakery (established 1952) before we loaded up on a bunch of cheap tourist crap like grass skirts and coconut bras. I was in heaven. I LOVE a chincy souvenir and this place was full of them. We spent our money wisely, and I'm proud to say Kai and I are the owners of 7 t shirts for $20. SCORE!!

We returned to the rental house a couple hours later after getting stuck in: 

1.) crazy Honolulu traffic

2.) a guy on a bike (who we turned out to see several miles later...in FRONT of us)

3.) a Honolulu transient having a helluva time getting his cart of goods up the curb of a overpass cross walk. 

We had happy hour pool party with ALL of us in the pool. 7 families. Yeah. It got loud. We got in trouble. Sorry. That's what happens when you rent out your vacation house to the 12th man. BOOM!

Ok. Time to wrap up. I need to spend a little more time enjoying these red birds eating nectar out of the Birds of Paradise bush and drinking my coffee on the patio before we head to the beach. Ahhhhhh. I love vacation. 

Honolulu, day 1

Wow. I don't know what other word to use. Actually I can think of a few, but 'wow' pretty much sums it up. We are sitting here now, Tj on his Surface playing a video game, Rowan dancing around the living room, of our rental house in the Hawaii Kai region of Honolulu. It's 5 pm, it's 79 degrees, and it's absolutely breath taking. 

We arrived yesterday at 2p after a 12 hour journey from Bothell to the most populated city in Hawaii. and after a jaunt with shuttles and an upgraded rental car (they ran out of compacts so we got a simple upgrade to a Chrysler Town & Country minivan), arrived at our house where we were awaited by loved ones. 

Before we went to bed, Rowan and I squeezed in our first (for both of us) mother-daughter paddle board session in the lagoon outside our house, then went for a quick trip in the kayak. FUN. 

I was up by 5:30, 7:30 Seattle time, and waited until it became light to take my walk. Just me, a butt load of Hawaiian doves or pigeons or whatever they are, my coffee and a quiet, beautiful neighborhood.  As I walked I tried to take mental recording of the sights, sounds, temperature and personal feelings I was experiencing. Here's what came to mind:  there's nothing quite like the first time experiencing a new place more than experiencing a new place for the first time. Yeah. That's what I said.  I already told Tj we'd be coming back sooner than later. 

We took a drive to the east side of the island and spent a couple hours at the beach, before retiring to the house only to spend another 2 hours in the pool. I was lucky enough to find an inner tube in the garage, and rope my brother-in-law, Kai, into making me a few rounds of Rum Punch. 

What a fabulous day in paradise. We leave in an hour to meet my sister, Suji, and her boyfriend Tyson for Japanese dinner in Waikiki. I still can't wrap my brain around that we are here in this magnificent place with so many of our closest friends.  This is a once in a life time type of deal folks, and I wouldn't trade it for all the pineapple in Oahu. And there's a lot. Dole's plantation is here, and I mean to tell you the pineapple are the biggest I've ever seen. 

Stay tuned. More to follow tomorrow. 

That's a real flower. I know!!!!!

Beach Babe, Rowan Katherine

Island in the stream…cousins in the surf. Same diff. 

Rowan's abstract body art, Olin doing an island impersonation. 

The largest pineapple I've ever seen.