We had a great time with the Formicas. One of our outings was a trip
to the local Oktoberfest celebration :)
Leo and his traveling companion...
Amy brought along a friend for Leo to play with - 'flat bridget' is here for a first grade school project, it's been very educational so far :)
On the water
hotel is the tall tower on the left... We're on the 32nd floor!!!!
Our very own washlet for a week...
experience the product for ourselves... No more 'distributing the
problem' :)
Hawaii '09: Day 10
Left our dream house early, and drove down to visit Pearl Harbor:
Then had a tasty brunch at Kapiolani Coffee Shop, hit a neat beach close to the airport called Sand Island State Recreation Area, and then caught our flight back home.
Then had a tasty brunch at Kapiolani Coffee Shop, hit a neat beach close to the airport called Sand Island State Recreation Area, and then caught our flight back home.
Hawaii '09: Day 9
Last full day in paradise! Even though this was a Relax-day (we alternate Activity and Relax days), we decided to try one last event - boogie boarding! Now, to find the perfect boogie boarding beach ... After visiting and rejecting the Turtle Bay beach (waves were too small!), we decided to hit Sunset Beach near Haleiwa, the "Surfing capital of the world". Some waves were pretty big (4-5'), but nothing huge like on TV :-)
After laying out a bit, hunger got the better of us, so we drove into Haleiwa-proper, looking for grub. We stumbled on a farmer's market - yay! - where we got tomato & fresh-stretched mozzarella pizza, and crepes for dessert. Yum!
A short drive away, we found the "Wiki Wiki Java" coffee shop (more of a stand), and sipped a tasty iced mocha.
Traffic was pretty heavy driving back, so Peter read a chapter or so of The Prodigal God, while Julie drove. We had such a good time, we kept driving, discussing, and reading all the way down to Chinaman's Hat beach park (aka Kualoa).
Julie: Thanks for providing my camouflage outfit for the day Judy - I fit right in with all the other babes :)
After laying out a bit, hunger got the better of us, so we drove into Haleiwa-proper, looking for grub. We stumbled on a farmer's market - yay! - where we got tomato & fresh-stretched mozzarella pizza, and crepes for dessert. Yum!
A short drive away, we found the "Wiki Wiki Java" coffee shop (more of a stand), and sipped a tasty iced mocha.
Traffic was pretty heavy driving back, so Peter read a chapter or so of The Prodigal God, while Julie drove. We had such a good time, we kept driving, discussing, and reading all the way down to Chinaman's Hat beach park (aka Kualoa).
Julie: Thanks for providing my camouflage outfit for the day Judy - I fit right in with all the other babes :)
Hawaii '09: Day 8
Went to Waimea Falls:
Hung out at Waimea Beach. Ate at Ted's Bakery. Relaxed at home. Yum!
We found a little buddy to hang out with us :)
Hung out at Waimea Beach. Ate at Ted's Bakery. Relaxed at home. Yum!
We found a little buddy to hang out with us :)
Hawaii '09: Day 7
Made yummy croissant-wrapped-sausages and sweet croissants for breakfast:
Read and relaxed for a bit, and then headed back to our favorite beach: Goat Island.
Came back, swam in our pool, relaxed more. Pete played guitar.
Went to bed. Life is rough! :-)
Read and relaxed for a bit, and then headed back to our favorite beach: Goat Island.
Came back, swam in our pool, relaxed more. Pete played guitar.
Went to bed. Life is rough! :-)
Hawaii '09: Day 6
Today was an "activity" day. We started out the day by heading over to the Dole Plantation...
We took a walk through the fields out back and found some baby pineapples :)
On our way back we stopped at the famous "Giovanni's" crab shack.
And a fun lookout over Waimea Bay....
From there we headed out to the Polynesian Cultural Center - here are some extra pictures just for you Ruth :)
Pete threw spears:
We got tatoos (don't worry mom, they wash off)
took ukulele lessons
played the polynesian version of shuffle board...
We both watched hula dancers on floating rafts.
We also saw the "Horizons" show - which was fun.We I was exhausted at the end of the day :)
We took a walk through the fields out back and found some baby pineapples :)
On our way back we stopped at the famous "Giovanni's" crab shack.
And a fun lookout over Waimea Bay....
From there we headed out to the Polynesian Cultural Center - here are some extra pictures just for you Ruth :)
Pete threw spears:
We got tatoos (don't worry mom, they wash off)
took ukulele lessons
played the polynesian version of shuffle board...
We both watched hula dancers on floating rafts.
We also saw the "Horizons" show - which was fun.
Hawaii '09: Day 5
Today was our relax day. We started out with breakfast:
And moved on to an enjoyable day reading and lounging! We had so much fun we didn't take any more pictures ;)
And moved on to an enjoyable day reading and lounging! We had so much fun we didn't take any more pictures ;)
Hawaii '09: Day 4
Up early, off to Hukilau Cafe for some authentic Hawaiian fare.
God poured extra awesome on Goat Island. Absolutely gorgeous white sand beaches + completely deserted = totally awesome. We waded across this corral reef:
To find these beautiful spots:
Julie wasn't feeling so great so we settled in for an afternoon of 24 and baked brownies in a 2 qt stove pot :)
Later we took a drive up the coast and saw these beautiful sites/tastes:
From from that side of the north shore the sun sets over the ocean :)
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| From Handel Travels |
God poured extra awesome on Goat Island. Absolutely gorgeous white sand beaches + completely deserted = totally awesome. We waded across this corral reef:
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| From Handel Travels |
To find these beautiful spots:
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| From Handel Travels |
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| From Handel Travels |
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| From Handel Travels |
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| From Handel Travels |
Julie wasn't feeling so great so we settled in for an afternoon of 24 and baked brownies in a 2 qt stove pot :)
Later we took a drive up the coast and saw these beautiful sites/tastes:
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| From Handel Travels |
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| From Handel Travels |
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| From Handel Travels |
From from that side of the north shore the sun sets over the ocean :)
Hawaii '09: Day 3
Up early! We made it out of bed shortly before sunrise, so we took the 30-second walk to the end of Laie Point, and watched that beautiful globe ascend into the sky.
Next, it was off to grocery-ville, named Foodland here in Hawaii. We could have walked, as it's a pretty big shopping center at the other end of our street, but our purchases would have gotten the better of our carrying ability, so our trusty steed was saddled with the goods instead. Pete quickly worked our purchases into a lovely breakfast:
Today is our lounging around day! We lay by (and in) the pool and worked on our tans.
Lunch was Hamburger Helper (Hawaiian style), and for dinner, we walked to the same Foodland and picked up a loaf of French bread, cheese (they didn't have any artisan cheeses, so we settled on a shredded cheddar & mozzarella), and tomatoes. Early to bed again, right after a short sonnet played on a guitar graciously provided by our host.
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| From Handel Travels |
Next, it was off to grocery-ville, named Foodland here in Hawaii. We could have walked, as it's a pretty big shopping center at the other end of our street, but our purchases would have gotten the better of our carrying ability, so our trusty steed was saddled with the goods instead. Pete quickly worked our purchases into a lovely breakfast:
 |
| From Handel Travels |
Today is our lounging around day! We lay by (and in) the pool and worked on our tans.
 |
| From Handel Travels |
Lunch was Hamburger Helper (Hawaiian style), and for dinner, we walked to the same Foodland and picked up a loaf of French bread, cheese (they didn't have any artisan cheeses, so we settled on a shredded cheddar & mozzarella), and tomatoes. Early to bed again, right after a short sonnet played on a guitar graciously provided by our host.
