Nut Gets A Coconut

After the boys were told that it was not OK to throw rocks up to try to knock down a coconut, Cameron decided he could scale a tree and get one anyway.  (Thank you, Denise, for taking these pictures!)

After Denise showed me these pictures, I asked him to do it again and get a coconut for his brother as well.

Hilo Zoo and Pahoa Pools

Hilo Zoo

Lava Tree State Park

Trees fossilized by sudden lava flow.

Still look like trees but made of stone.

Love the way many different kinds of plants all live together 

climbing up and hanging down from a single tree.

Yes, that really says "Bacon Soda."

No, it hasn't been opened yet.

 Pahoa pools

 Near my grandparents' house, the lava rocks are sharp and brutal,

but the rocks shelter some really cool pools from the ocean.

These are great for swimming and snorkeling,

and very few people there.

A Duckling Story

The night we arrived in Hilo, we found a newly hatched duckling in the courtyard in the hotel.  There were no signs of any other ducks, babies or parents.  We asked at the front desk to see if there were ducks or if they had advice about what to do with an abandoned duckling.  They said they had not seen any ducks around, but the gardener in the morning could take the duckling to a park.

I sat down on the ground, and the tiny thing, who was wobbly and couldn't walk well, snuggled into the crook of my leg for warmth.  It started pouring rain, and Conor and I were both unable to leave him alone in the night to die.  I took him in and fed him sugar water, and he did seem to get stronger, eventually trying to get free instead of lying calmly with us.  The next morning, Gabrian burst in on me in the bathroom with my phone.  Mom was calling to tell me that there was a mother duck with three ducklings in the courtyard.  I ran our little guy down and added him to the family, and we hoped for the best.

We don't know what became of our little guy, but the following day, there was no further sign of mama duck, but there were two unaccompanied ducklings remaining.  They must have heard that Conor was the duck whisperer because they came to join him in the swimming pool and continued following him around.  Cute little babies.  Hope they make it.

Also found the cutest, tiniest lizard ever.

Although no one wanted to put his thumb in the picture for comparison, 

this giant bumblebee was as big as the lizard.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

 Gabrian helped his Uncle Travis out on the big hills.

Cameron has been waiting to see a volcano since he was born.

 Michael looks like he might have done this before.

Such harsh terrain, and yet things grow.

Across the Big Island

We drove across the Big Island from Kona to Hilo Town.

North of Hilo, we stopped to see the "homestead" where my ancestors once lived.

A tiny little dwelling with fields that slope down to the ocean.

Portrait on the wall of my great-great-great-great grandfather who built the home.

Snorkeling and Luau - A Good Way to Spend a Day!

Some of the group went on a "swim with dolphins" tour, which sounded really fun.  We were advised that you'd have to be a "very strong swimmer" to do this activity, so we chose a catamaran dolphin-watching and snorkeling outing that the kids (and Mom, who couldn't walk much) could enjoy.  It. Was. Amazing.

The boat had this water slide and a diving platform.  Conor, Cameron, and Gabrian all did the water slide.  I was very surprised

.

As promised, we saw dolphins on the way out and on the way back.

At our first dolphin sighting, we also saw this boat, 

from which Denise, Eric, Travis, Carrie, and Lynn were waving.  Lol.

 Wynn was nervous at first about the depth of the water, but with some

noodles to give her confidence, she was quickly loving it.

"This is awesome!  I love it so much!"  (Remember, Wynn LOVES fish.)

That quote was worth every penny spent on this tour.

Ari had this little board with a viewing window to watch fish as well.  (And Ari had a motor to push her around.)  She loved it too.  I kept asking if she wanted to go back to the boat and get a burger, and she would say, "No, no.  Not yet.  A little while more."

After exhausting ourselves swimming all day :),

it was time to go relax at a Luau and have some Kalua pig.

 I am noting a nice shade of tomato starting to settle on my face.

I'm not the only one.

Conor and Denise both liked the poke (raw fish dish.)

I was not brave enough to try it (but I don't like fish cooked either.)

They had a demonstration of how to open a coconut, 

and I don't know how it happened with so many people there,

but Conor got the coconut.

(He's a very good sport to have allowed this picture, huh?!)

Back:  Travis, Michael, Eric, Conor

Middle:  Cameron, Carrie, Wynn, Lora, Denise, Chris, Lynn

Front: Gabrian, Ariana, and  Ben

Of course, one cannot have a Luau without

fire dancers and hula.

And this: