Paddling Puget Sound

Around Aug. 11, Brian (Evan's brother) and two of his kids - Shauntel and Sheridan all drove up from Gilbert, AZ to enjoy some cool northwest weather.

We headed up to Hood Canal (where my mom grew up, part of Puget Sound, WA) and caught hundreds of little crabbies,

and hundreds more...

and there were all different kinds, and we just couldn't get enough of those little guys.

And, we finally figured out a way to keep Bryn contained in the tent.  She never kicked us once, so we may have to bring this kayak on all our trips, whether there's water or not.

The kids LOVED their older cousins - Sheridan and Shauntel.  They are SO cool, we all agree, and wish they lived a lot closer.

The kids kayaked all over, and the water was crystal clear.  We could look down 10 feet and see star fish and stuff.  Very cool, and actually not that cool to swim in.  It was almost warm - for the northwest.

Evan's sister, Laura (with new baby Avery - thanks for havin' another cute baby, Laura!) and Evan's brother, Brian.

Grant and Cole with cousins...

And Bryn wading around.

Making smores

Bryn and me cruisin' around.

Grant got into the kayaking more than anyone - it was his kind of sport!

Cole and Shauntel.

Thanks for a great trip, family!  It only took me 6 weeks to get this posted! Seriously, that's really good for me, these days.

Relative Filth

Cousins make everything more fun...

because you can get away with a lot more.

Hawaiian Odyssey Part XII - Farewell To Thee

Our last day in Hawaii. What did we do?

Gathered round Uncle John's computer to watch videos.

Took another trip out to the rubbish chute.

Headed out to Pearl Harbor.

Pondered a day that will live in infamy.

Tested out some diving equipment.

Examined a sunken battleship.

Boarded a plane and amused ourselves with angry birds.

Played the dumb game from our last fast food kids meal.

Made faces when we decided we'd been on a plane too long.

Ran around at the curb while waiting for our ride home to arrive.

Sat back and relaxed, glad to be home.

Aloha ʻoe, aloha ʻoe

E ke onaona noho i ka lipo

One fond embrace,

A hoʻi aʻe au

Until we meet again

Hawaiian Odyssey Part XI - Twilight

Our last full day in Hawaii dawned bright with mostly clear skies so we headed back to the Sans Souci beach. We even had to use sunscreen.

We made a few sand towers.

But mostly we just enjoyed the warm weather and water.

I'm not sure what the point of the rocks were but he seemed pretty certain.

Grant found a little hermit crab.

Cole got in some final boogies.

And ended up with sand in his ear.

John and Laura got to snorkel together.

This is what a Hawaiian beach day should be like.

Towards evening we stopped by to look at the penguins and turtles at the Hilton. This photo is the last confirmed sighting of Emily's shoes. Maybe a penguin ate them.

Then we headed down to the beach for some last minute cousin time.

A local woman, probably hired by the Hilton, came to the shore and did some dance looking performance.

It was a nice way to spend our last few minutes with the beach.

Hawaiian Odyssey Part IX - Going to a Hukilau

Monday dawned gray and rainy so we headed back north to Laie. First we stopped at Laie point to look at the crashing waves. They were impressive.

And sometimes they catch you off guard.

But braving the waves did yield some results.

Did I mention that the waves could surprise you?

Since we were wet, we headed over to Hukilau beach.

I still have the song stuck in my head. Now it can be stuck in yours.

The kids got right to work on building and defending their "kingdom" from the encroaching sea.

The waves were a little more manageable and Sue got her boogie going.

Once we got back to John and Laura's place we hit the pool.

And since it was a cool day we hit the hot tub as well. Grant declares the "hot pool" to be his favorite activity from our entire trip.

Later, the rain picked up, accompanied by lightning, thunder, hail, waterspouts, cats, dogs, signs, portents, and flying monkeys. (I didn't actually see waterspouts but they were reported. I can neither confirm nor deny the presence of flying monkeys, but it wouldn't surprise me.)