A couple of weekends ago it was 100 degrees in the valley. We escaped the heat by going to the beach. This time Lucy got to bring Daddy!
First, we stopped for some refreshment…
Lucy leads Daddy to the beach…
building sand castles…
it was a lovely day.
Hawaii (Oahu) from Mike C on Vimeo.
Here’s some video we took during our time in Oahu earlier this month. The beach shots are from the coast of Lanikai in Kailua. For more info, check out this post.
The kid is learning new words every day. During our time in Hawaii, she started using words like “Uh-Oh!”, “Wow!”, “Shoes”, and “Hi!” on a regular basis. However, by far her new favorite word has got to be “two”. She’s pretty creative in her usage, frequently using “two” in place of “yes”. Example:
Mom: “Would you like a cookie, Lucy?”
Lucy: “Two!”
Anyway, Lucy’s favorite beach by far was in Kailua, most notably because it was very hilly in parts. She loved crawling up the hills, very much surprising her mom and dad with her climbing prowess.
Once she scrambled to the top of each vanquished hill, Lucy would motion for a parent to come visit her lofty perch. Inexplicably, mom would usually be very busy feigning interest in something else whenever the little hill-dictator demanded a visit. This was usually my cue to start climbing.
As soon as I’d huffed and puffed myself to the top of her hill, she’d let out a high-pitched shriek (the kind that frequently scares Wubert) and propel herself down the hill, fully confident in her ol’ dad’s back-pedaling and toddler-catching abilities.
What I found truly funny about all of this was how the kid paced herself during each of her climbs. In the way a squad of soldiers might yell “hup, two, three, four” to help keep themselves in time and on point, the kid would say “two!” for each and every foot or hand movement that helped her scale each of her hills.
Thus, as she crawled up each hill, in a very determined tone she would say, “two, two, two, two!” The cadence would help push her along until she’d reached her hilltop. Once at the top of each hill she’d give a final, triumphant, “TWO!”
Then, she’d beckon her dad to help with that pesky “getting down the hill” part and do it all over again. One of my fondest memories of our trip to the islands.
On New Year’s Day, knowing that we wanted to view some volcano/lava action, Gpa Peter, Jill, Lucy, and I set out for a drive around the island. During our trip we made sure to stop off at Tex’s in Honoka’a for food and tried out the malasadas.
I was looking forward to checking out BJ Penn’s gym in Hilo. Alas, the place was closed, so we had to make do with peering through the windows. Lucy would have to show off her BJJ moves next time, I guess.
The actual drive was pretty cool. We saw all sorts of weather, from pristine blue skies to fog-shrouded mountain tops (the kinda stuff that would look at home on a Led Zeppelin album cover) to heavy, “why can’t these windshield wipers go faster?!” rain storms.
The kid showed no fear during our trip, even while spelunking through lava tubes.
Some of the lava formations were especially intriguing. Away from the ocean and people, their dead silent surroundings gave them an otherworld quality that was way cool. I felt like I was in an old Star Trek episode and that a Gorn could pop out at any moment!
Here are another couple of pics that show how fast the kid has changed in the short time we’ve had her. The top pic is from the same time period as a post that went up last year. You can check it out here.