Thursday, April 26, 2012

Oh, we had some good times the last couple of weeks! Friends visited from the mainland: Julie, Klaus, Silke, and George.

We went to Punalu'u Black Sand Beach. Everywhere we go, turtles (honu) find Abraham.

 It's illegal to approach sea turtles but this one was curious about us. We were about 15 feet away and it came over to check us out. I visited Punalu'u beach dozens of times when Melody lived in Pahala in the 1980s. I never saw a turtle. State laws now protect them and they're making a comeback.

This same day we also went to Na'alehu, the southernmost town in the US and home of the southernmost bakery in the US. YUM! Then on to Hapuna Beach, a beautiful white sand beach north of Kona. We had dinner with Melody in Waimea before heading home.

We snorkeled in the Kopoho tide pools. I love this place! Not wildly popular or easy to find. That's part of the appeal. There's a series of fairly deep pools -- well, depth depends on the tide -- around 10-12 feet when we were there last. When the tide is high enough you can swim from pool to pool. Otherwise you have to get out and get back in the next one. They're full of fish (that's a puffer fish below) and vibrant, healthy coral.

Last weekend was Makahiki and Abraham placed third overall in the Pinewood Derby. Congratulations, Abraham! Is that a happy smile, or what!

Our Cub Scouts had a booth and taught people how to tie a bowline knot. There were other fun things like taiko drumming, mochi-making, a Boy Scout Iron Chef cook-off, and interactive displays from the observatories and UH oceanography department.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

We had family over for Easter dinner: my sister, Melody, and Robert's aunties, Aina and Francis. It's always so much fun to get together.
I hope I've bragged in previous blog posts about how great Abraham is doing in home school. We decided to study oceanography so we can justify snorkeling as an academic activity. Here he is doing an experiment on the density of salt water vs fresh water.
This week is the Merrie Monarch Festival. The festival honors King David Kalakaua. Early missionaries had tried to suppress Hawaiian language, mele (song), and hula. King Kalakaua was instrumental in preserving these traditions and skills. It earned him the nickname of Merry Monarch. Here's a kapuna hula we saw today. It's funny that people think wearing black is sophisticated. Can't they see that everybody looks better when wearing fresh flowers? Here are some Hawaiian war clubs. Do NOT mess with guys carrying these!

Sunday, April 01, 2012

Progress is continuing on the house. The carpenters are finished and electricians and plumbers are working inside. We've been using a generator up until now but got electric power to the site last Friday. A milestone!
The quarter just ended at school and Solomon has great grades. He finished up a winning basketball season with the Kea'au Ballistics.
Abraham loves origami. He made this volcano which I thought was pretty cool.Then he added spewing lava and I thought it was REALLY cool! The peacock is also impressive.We went exploring by the ocean today and found some coconuts. The boys practiced their husking skills. YUM!