Team Klida arrives!

Joe & Erin got here around breakfast time today, several hours earlier than they had planned. So, we met at Denny's and enjoyed some Grand Slams and such, then took them on the grand tour of Walmart & Safeway (required for every new arrival!).

Since I was still recovering from my bee-yoot-ee-ful sunburn, I chose to hang around home and veg while the rest of the gang hit Kekaha Kai State Park and the awesome beach there. (You'll have to check out the Klidas' blog at http://klidascope.blogspot.com/ for more details on their adventures.)

We grilled some steaks and enjoyed some fruity drinks, caught the sunset, and had a chance to catch up with our friends.

Highs & Lows

Saturday was quite the day for the Loper family. Steve's parents were scheduled to leave on a 4:30 flight for the next leg of their vacation, so we decided to spend a little time at Hapuna Beach State Park before they left. Hapuna is often voted the best beach in the U.S. by various travel magazines and guidebooks.

I don't know that I'd call it the BEST beach I've ever been to, but it is what you tend to think of when you think beach. Miles of white sand, clear blue-green water, and TONS of people. Not an ounce of shade on the beach, which I'm sure is why my back ended up scorched despite my excessive sunblocking. Sunburnt seems like too mild of a description for what I've got going on. Ouch. (Steve and D have a bit of redness too, but not nearly as much. And M seems to be fine.)

We didn't really realize the level of our sunburns today because we ended up dealing with another situation when we got ready to leave the beach. Reta & Ellis were getting ready to pack up around 2 p.m. when they realized that their rental car key was nowhere to be found. Apparently, it floated away in the ocean sometime when they were frolicking with the boys. Oops. (FYI, car rental companies charge big bucks to replace those electronic keys.)

Luckily, Steve was able to run Ellis to the airport to get an extra key for their car, and they made their flight after all. While they have enjoyed their time here, I think they will be very glad to be done with rental cars, airplanes and the like.

Tonight's sunset, while pretty, didn't really yield any spectacular pictures. So, instead, I'd like to offer this sunburn.

Joe & Erin arrive tomorrow, fresh (or maybe ripe) from their 18-hour layover in Las Vegas. We are excited!

Separate Ways

Reta & Ellis took the boys for the day today, allowing Steve & I to explore the island on our own.

Their group hit a beach on Ali'i Drive in Kailua-Kona for some wave time, and the boys had tons of fun, as usual. It was a great opportunity for them to catch up with each other--for the boys to hang with Grandma & Grandpa and for G&G to see how the boys are changing as they grow older.

After spending the morning at the beach, Grandma & M came home to relax, while D & Grandpa went back for some snorkeling. This was D's first time snorkeling, but Grandpa said he picked it up in about 5 minutes and was a natural at it. (Good. Now he can teach me when we go.)

Steve's parents leave tomorrow for Kaua'i, which is the fourth-largest of the Hawai'ian Islands and the farthest away from the Big Island. They'll spend several days there and then stop back by mid-week before heading back to Illinois.

Steve & I had planned to take a great (sounding, at least) hike just outside of Waimea. It was supposed to go to a sweet lookout over Waipio Valley. Sadly, the access road had been fenced off and an official government sign informed us the access had been closed due to "safety" issues. (This usually means someone local petitioned to have access closed because they didn't want so many people tromping around near their land.)

So-oo-oo, we found a nearby state park, where we took a slightly less exciting hike, then drove on to Akaka Falls (near Hilo), where we walked down LOTS of steps to a very tall waterfall.

Later, we went for dinner at a nearby resort, where we enjoyed a Kona sunset (slightly different from our Holualoa sunsets). The bar where we had some pre-dinner cocktails was awesome, and we plan to take everyone there to enjoy the view. So, my sunset shot tonight is from a different, but still beautiful, locale. Enjoy!

Dolphin Days

The boys took part in a Dolphin Quest adventure today and had a great time. For about 90 minutes, they learned about dolphins (did you know they are a type of whale? that was new to me!), the proper names for all their various fins and such, and their habitats. For the last 30 minutes, they got to go into the water with the dolphins, touching them and learning different hand signals designed to tell the dolphins to swim different ways.

For the adults (Steve and I and Steve's parents, Reta & Ellis), the day was a lot of sitting around and waiting. But for the boys, it was chock full of fun. We took a few pictures (OK, I took about 150 pictures, but deleted at least a third of those) and watch the boys have fun.

During the time the boys were in the dolphin classroom (as opposed to the pool), the rest of us took a boat ride through the grounds of the Hilton Waikoloa Village. Wow, is that place a trip!

After helping grill BBQ chicken for dinner, Reta & Ellis got a chance to enjoy our nightly sunset ritual with us. Here's a sunset shot that Steve's dad, Ellis, took with their new camera:

A Lazy Day

We chose to take it easy today. Steve worked in the morning, so the boys and I drove down to Kailua-Kona to check out the public library. For the grand sum of $10, we now possess our own Hawaii State Public Library System card, good for three months.

After browsing the library for a bit, we went to a must-stop destination -- Hilo Hattie's. This Hawaii souvenir/clothing store has it all, including complementary shell leis when you walk in the door. (A few more trips there, and I'll have free souvenirs for all of you!) Then, a quick trip to Safeway (our home away from home, it seems) and we were headed back to the house.

Our original plan for today was to make a quick beach trip this afternoon, before Steve's parents arrived. (More on that below.) But, we quickly realized that we've been going pretty much nonstop since we got here and decided to relax around the house instead.

So, we played a little Uno, read some books, watched some Three Stooges and Pokemon (the boys, not me), and basically just chilled out.

Now we're waiting for Steve's parents to finally get here. They have had nothing but challenges on every leg of their travels. At this point, we hope their last flight (from Honolulu) will arrive around 10:10 tonight, putting them technically here today. I can only imagine how wiped out they will be when they get here.

Tomorrow the boys will be taking part in a 90-minute Dolphin Quest program that includes 30 minutes of time in the water with the dolphins. The program is being held at Hilton Waikoloa Village, known as the Disneyland of Hawaii. The resort features a tram (think of the Disney monorail) and boats (actually designed by Disney engineers) that sail through the canals throughout the resort. Last time Steve and I were here (in 2001), we spent an afternoon just riding around the place taking it all in. (Plus, the tram was air-conditioned, I was newly pregnant with David, and it was HOT.)

Paying for this dolphin program is probably the biggest splurge I've ever done for my kids (not counting paying for private school for M, which I don't really consider a splurge). But, we're on the vacation of a lifetime and, honestly, I will probably never do something like this again with them. So, watch for some photos from the dolphin time in tomorrow's post.

The sky started off very clear for tonight's sunset, but a few pesky clouds moved in right as the sun approached the horizon. Still, I think it was another beautiful night. Enjoy!

A picture of our house in Hawai'i

This picture is of our house in Hawai'i. I hope you like seeing our house. I took this picture at night. I also took a sunset picture.

Tuesday's sunset

OK, I didn't forget my sunset photo for the day. I just wanted to end the previous post with that awesome shot of South Point.

Are you familiar with the green flash? Apparently, at the moment the sun slides below the horizon line, you are supposed to be able to see a flash of green. (That's all I know, as I haven't bothered to look it up yet.)

Well, so far I haven't seen it, as most nights the sun has set into some clouds, rather than actually into the horizon. It was really close tonight, but no green flash yet.