hawaii

Mar 25 2011

Bigger and Bigger and Bigger and Bigger

“This is Butterball Brown and Batee-Ya”
— Lucy introducing me to two of her newly named stuffed animals

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Here’s another post showing how the kid keeps growing like a weed. When Lucy was younger, whenever we’d comment about her growing up into a “big girl”, she’d say excitedly, “Yes, and I’m getting bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger!”

These pics were taken a little over two years apart in Waikoloa on the Big Island.

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  Picture taken January 3, 2009.

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  Picture taken February 8, 2011.

By mike • by Mike, The Kid, Time Capsule, Travel • 2 • Tags: , ,

Mar 1 2011

February, 2011 Collage

February, 2011 Collage

A few Lucy quotes from February:

“I’m trying to scare the bug with my giant hand!”
— Lucy while at a picnic near the Pu’uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park

“See my nakedness! Jill, see my nakedness! Mike, see my nakedness!”
— Lucy, running around at home minus clothes. What freaked us out: her referring to us by our first names!

And some Daddyspeak:

Mike (awoken from sleep by a pointy Wubie): “Zzzzzz…OWW!..Wubie! I was filling out a form!”
— The first thing I said on a Sunday morning when Wubie poked me w/ a claw and mercifully stirred me from a dreary dream in which I was filling out an endless form

Mike (turning to Jill): “Is today Sunday or Monday?”
Jill: “Sunday.”
Mike: “Good.” (goes back to sleep)
— the second thing I said after being awoken by Wubie

February was great but all too fleeting. The two weeks in Hawaii were a lot of fun, with much time spent outdoors and in the water. So now what’s next? Lucy wants to see some snow in March, so that’s probably next on the agenda. Fun stuff.

Stuff that happened in February, 2011:

By mike • by Mike, Geeky, Relatives, The Kid, Travel • 0 • Tags: , , ,

Feb 28 2011

Another Hawaii Video…but from 2008?

Mom (sees gas station): “There’s a Shell station in case you run low.”
Lucy: “…on shells!”
- while driving around on the big island

2008 Hawaii Trip with Commentary from Mike C on Vimeo.

While finishing up the last video from our recent trip to Hawaii, I rediscovered a never finished video I’d shot during our last trip to Hawaii back in late 2008. It’d never been completed because, in technical terms, I’d screwed up much of the audio. I remember back then thinking “I better hold on to this. Maybe I’ll be able to fix it some day.”

Well, that day came this past weekend. I’d been toying with the idea of adding audio commentaries to some videos. The damaged Hawaii footage from 2008 seemed like the perfect place to give this a try. So I rustled up a microphone, grabbed the girls, and recorded an audio commentary.

So here it is: rescued video of a not quite two year-old Lucy with audio commentary from the now four-year old Lucy. It’s amazing how much she has grown in the last two years.

By mike • by Mike, The Kid, Time Capsule, Travel, Video • 2 • Tags: , , , ,

Feb 22 2011

Volcano

“Lets get our helmets on.”
— Lucy as we get prepared to go outside on the big island

We had a wonderful time visiting Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island. This was our second time visiting, and it was much different than the first.

The first time we were there, there had been a SO2 unhealthy fumes warning which confined us in the Visitor Center for a half hour or so, closed the Jaggar museum, and much of the direct viewing of the caldera. Once it was safe to leave the Visitor Center we drove down the Chain of Craters road instead.

This time, the air was clear enough, so we went to several spots around Kilauea‘s caldera. We walked behind the Volcano House hotel (currently closed for renovation) to get our first view of the caldera, the steaming bluffs, and the Halema’uma’u vent.
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Next we visited the Thurston lava tube. We walked through lush rainforest to the tube and crossed a bridge into a dripping, clammy cavern with puddles on the floor.

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Next we drove toward the Jaggar museum. On the way we saw a strange sight, the steaming vents in the meadows we had seen from the overlook, so we stopped for a closer look. If you’ve been to Lassen, the smell of sulfur will be familiar.

We walked the path through the meadow to the edge of the steaming cliff we had seen from the other side. With steam venting out of the ground all around you and a smoking caldera in view you really feel in the middle of a volcano!
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We arrived at the Jaggar Museum at dusk. It is very close to the Halema’uma’u vent and has a spectacular view.

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What an amazing sight! The park is open 24 hours (you can walk out to lava flows in the dark if you dare) but it was a bit spooky as it got dark and we were happy to reach the road to Hilo as the last bit of light faded into night.

By jill • by Jill, The Kid, Travel • 1 • Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Feb 19 2011

Kauai Video

“It’s…it’s…MAGNIFICENT!”
— Lucy looking at the ocean in Hawaii

Kauai from Mike C on Vimeo.

Here’s some video of our trip to Kauai. This includes our flight, time at Jim and Tisa’s place, Waimea Canyon, the beach, and Hanapepe. More info on some of the sights seen in the video is available here. More video to come.

By mike • by Mike, Relatives, The Kid, Travel, Video • 0 • Tags: , , , ,

Feb 18 2011

Coconut mail

“Look—that girl has a toy dolphin. I have a toy Humuhumunukunukuapua‘a!”
— Lucy in Hawai’i

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One of the fun things we did on Kauai was go to a luau. Before the performance and dinner started, craftspeople from around the island were displaying and selling their locally made goods.

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Lucy picked a coconut postcard to send to Wubie…it is a huge, actual coconut with a postcard decoupaged to it. She carefully inscribed her message, and even went back to make sure she added a “W” so he would know it was for him.

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When we returned home, there was the coconut in our mailbox…I wonder if the postman was surprised!

By jill • by Jill, The Kid, Travel • 3 • Tags: , , , , , ,

Feb 16 2011

Confessions of a Cat Sitter

“There are millions and millions of candles sparkling with jewels!”
— Lucy describing the two candles on Jim and Tisa’s dinner table in Kauai

We just got back from Hawaii on Monday night. I’m sure we’ll be posting a video and more pics shortly. In the meantime I wanted to write a quick post featuring Wubie-related messages from a good friend of mine, Chuck, who I’ve known since I was about 14 years old.

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In addition to being an all around swell guy, Chuck has helped us out on a number of occasions by agreeing to watch our cat Wubie while we were out on holiday. So, when we went to Hawaii, Chuck kept tabs on Wubie to make sure he was OK.

A Wubie update from Chuck:

Hey y’all,

Just a quick note to let you know that Mr. Stinkybreath Poopsalot is doing quite well. He is as regular as the sun shinin’ in the mornin’. Or something.

Just a few things in case I forget:
He’s missed the box a few times. He’s about a 50/50 shot – which is Shaq-fully dreadful as a free throw shooter.

He also seems to like pushing half the cat litter out of the box and onto the floor. Goof.
I found some disinfectant in the hall closet to clean up the mark of Zorro he created on the bathroom floor.

There was a smallish barf spot last night on the floor kind of between the table and the hallway. Maybe he was partying too hard after the super bowl. Anyhoo, I cleaned that as best as I could, but if you have some better stain remover you might want to go over the area again.

And a non-Wubie note – The TV situation kicked my butt. I tried it to see if I could catch part of the Warriors game, but I couldn’t get it to do anything but NBC and no audio. Minimizing the eye TV stuff, you had some software update boxes up, so I figured I’d leave well enough alone. I had everything shut off on Friday, or so I thought, but when I went over on Saturday the sound only was on. I refuse to believe that Wubie was just messing with me… But, um, you might want to go over all the settings when you return.

Hope y’all are having a great time!

See ya.

From Jill:

Hi Chuck,

you are hilarious. Mike wants to do a post called ‘confessions of a catsitter’ on our blog (permission granted?)

Yep, Wubie has some box issues. Glad he is making 50/50, that is better than average for him! Yep, we noticed the ‘digging to China’ too…I think it might just be that kind of litter that he does that with. Mike just changed the litter the day we left.

There are some cleaning wipes in the bathroom strategically located on the toilet for easy access when there are “misses”. No worries about carpet stains, we’ve pretty much given up. It was cheap carpet anyway!

The barf is probably a hairball, he does those maybe once a month, so hopefully you will be clear for a while.

Mike says for the TV, you can close or cancel the random update things. I find the TV does those ghost noises to me too. I dunno, too many things to control! don’t worry about it.

Now you see why we wanted to pay you!

We are having a lovely time, just switched islands to the Big Island today….and guess what, there is a Wubie here! He is a stray, and has a gray friend, but it was so nice to see that little siamese face when we got here. We have been feeding him and his friend cheese. I suspect other condo dwellers feed them too, he seemed to regard this place as his home.

Mike may have more to add, we’ll see when he gets on his computer (we have cheesy corded internet here, so have to switch off using the cable.)

thanks again for taking care of our cranky old man,

Jill, Mike and Lucy

Jill

From a later email:

In fact, the Wu-Bot has been much neater the last couple of days! However, he seems to have offset the messy behaviors with a rather talkative-roaming-around penchant. Sadly, the volume and the vocabulary is about as inspiring (and mellifluous) as the most cantankerous old school dalek. A dalek in bad need of a breath mint.

Have fun.

Chuck

And there you have it. See, even when he’s out of sight and thousands of miles away, Wubie is always on our minds. Thanks again, Chuck!

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By mike • by Mike, Friends, Time Capsule, Travel, Wubert • 0 • Tags: , , ,

Feb 11 2011

Hawaii Life

“Now we have ‘Stay at home Wubie’ and ‘Travel Wubie’!”
— Lucy, talking about the Siamese cats she discovered outside our condo on Hawaii’s big island


Hawaii is full of life, especially wildlife. It seems like the most alive place on earth. The soil is so fertile and rich, you can plant a clipping and it will grow…just shove a twig in the ground. The birds and bugs and animals also flourish here.

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On Kauai, there are wild chickens everywhere…in parking lots, at the beach, park, roadside, backyard, shopping center, even the airport!
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We saw an endangered monk seal at the beach, loads of birds, and even a mouse. Eek!

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On the Big Island we discovered toads on our lawn, big ones, sometimes hidden in the short grass, so you almost step on them. Last night there was one on the road we had to stop for and let pass. Was that a squirrel, nope, it was a mongoose. And the bumblebees! So gigantic they weigh down any flower or leaf they land on.

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And on the beach, we saw crabs, fish, birds and….turtles! Next on the to see list: whales and dolphins. (We saw some whales spouting from the shore on Kauai, but we want to see them a little bit closer.)

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This trip we have had cats wherever we went…the resident cats at our hosts on Kauai, and wild ones here on the Big Island. When we arrived, what did we see but…a mirror image of Wubie! A siamese cat in a feral version, in the parking lot, just washing his feet. So naturally we took a shine to him. Then we saw his twin. And tonight, we saw a third siamese.

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Those three had friends, all living out on the lava and in the shrubery nearby. Probably every week they get new benefactors from the condo and resort dwellers who miss their own fuzzy friends.

And on the home front, our Wubie is keeping his catsitter busy. But we’ll save that for another post!

By jill • by Jill, The Kid, Travel • 1 • Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Feb 10 2011

Kauai: Luau, Grottos, Food, Ocean, Etc.

“We’re going outside, so put on your bare feet!”
— Lucy in Hawaii

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Though we’ve been on the big island this week, I wanted to get caught up a bit and post some pics from last week’s visit to Kauai. Above are pictures from a luau in Lihue.

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Fern Grotto Boat Tour.

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Dinner time at Jim and Tisa’s place.

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By mike • by Mike, Relatives, The Kid, Travel • 0 • Tags: , , ,

Feb 5 2011

Kauai: Trip to Beach and Waimea Canyon

“Mommy, you’re a baby!”
— Lucy

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Here are some pics of Waimea Canyons, on Kauai’s western side. Though the drive up to the canyon was a bit of a chore, the breathtaking view was worth it. The kid was a blur at the canyon. She’d decided that she and her Gma were having a race, so she was usually in front of the pack screaming, “Hurry up! Gma’s gaining on us!” as she darted here and there.

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A visit to Majors Bay at the Pacific Missile Range Facility. A really nice beach with no crowds, plenty of picnic tables, and whales spouting fountains of air and seawater in the distance.

Since we were at a base, we got to visit the NEX which brought me back to my childhood visits to the PX at Moffett Field. I still remember how much fun it was to get to the PX and run straight for the comic book rack (even though the spectre of a haircut always loomed with a barber shop adjacent to the PX entrance!)

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Hanapepe, Hawaii. The kid was initially reluctant to cross the “swinging bridge” here. It’s a very long and narrow foot bridge that carries one over the Hanapepe River. And yes, it does swing as you walk over it. This surprised the kid at first, but she quashed any fear she may have had and led us all across the bridge. She can be a very brave little girl, that kid!

More pics:

By mike • by Mike, Relatives, The Kid, Travel • 3 • Tags: , , , , , ,

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