Where Globe-Trotting meets Beach-Combing
Coconuts bobbed in the backwaters of the Kaelepulu Stream near Kailua Beach Park. I snagged one to try to grow at home and a big crab underneath snapped his blue claws at me. A few quick paddles, then I crouched as the paddleboard glided under a bridge. Isaac whimpered as the little black crabs that…
Twice this summer I’ve hired a babysitter so I can practice paddle boarding by myself, so I’d already been out to Flat Island and gotten knocked off my paddle board by overly enthusiastic waves beyond. This paid off with Chris and the kids; we backed into a spot near the boat ramp, pulled out our…
“Freedom isn’t free. Neither are the Kailua Fireworks,” read a sign at the parade that morning. Harsh. Best Fourth of July ever! Jellyfish stings notwithstanding.
“Abraham Lincoln is still alive?!” Isaac was perplexed to see the tall man in the stovepipe hat marching in the Kailua Independence Day Parade this morning on Kainalu Street. I LOVE PARADES. And Independence Day used to always be one of my very favorite holidays growing up: pool parties with all our church friends, or…
Sunday I woke up to the best kind of email: “We are headed to Honolulu on Tuesday! We have a five hour layover. I thought if you were free, we could meet up for lunch or something. I’ll throw our swimsuits in my backpack.” It was Wendy, my buddy from Jacksonville days! Who we saw…
The longest day of summer! We celebrated yesterday with lots of beach time—paddleboarding in the morning and swimming with friends in the afternoon. Tuesday we checked out the Makapu’u baby tide pools with a friend from church. Often this is apparently a good spot to find urchins, sea stars, sea cucumbers, clams, crabs and fish,…
Here’s something I like about Hawaii: rain need not alter plans. I want to go to the beach and it’s raining—go anyway…it’ll probably let up. I want to go hiking but it’s raining—hike in the rain and admire the clouds scuttling across the mountains. It’s raining at the farmer’s market—the kids can dance under a…
