Sunday, August 12th, 2007
This morning Landon, Colt and I decided that we would make another trip out to the local rubble reef with nets and buckets to see what new critters we might be able to discover, and without much persuasion my parents decided to join us as well. A short while into our exploration we managed to corral a small, purple and yellow striped moray eel. Landon seemed to instructively know that this little guy could give him “owwies” so he gave the fish the respect that it deserved. Ha caught a few different species of reef fish again, and after catching one small mullet Landon asked to hold the little fish. Knowing that this might be a tough squeeze (literally) for the fish, but also realizing the impression holding the small creature might have on him, I relented to his request. He carefully grabbed the fish between his thumb and fore finger and then proceeded to tell me he liked to eat fish and began to place the wriggling fish into his mouth. I pulled his hand away before he was able to chomp down although I’m pretty sure he got a good salty taste in his mouth. Begrudgingly he agreed to release his potential meal and the little fish spiraled away back into the ocean. Colt and Landon both threw rocks for awhile and then we decided it was time to return to check on mommy. We chased sand crabs along the beach, until Landon decided it would be more fun to imitate the little crustaceans. We played a fun game where he would race ahead of us and then lay down like a crab to block our path. Once we dodged the obstacle he would run ahead to repeat the encounter. Both boys giggled excitedly, and enjoyed the game enough that we still play this game occasionally back at home in California.
We drove west to Lahaina again for a repeat lunch at Kimo’s which again did not disappoint either in the quality of food, or in the crustacean and piscine entertainment for the younger members of our group. This was Leak and Chloe’s last day, so we invited them for a short impromptu stop at the beach on the way home. We pulled the car over at the shallow reef and narrow beach of Olowalu. Justin, Chole, the boys and I splashed around in the water while Rhiannon and Leah observed from the safety of the sand. I dug a pair of goggles out of the trunk and paddled Chloe out on a bodyboard to check out some of the reef fish. She had lived her entire life on the Big Island of Hawaii and had never been snorkeling before, so this was an exciting experience for both of us. I’m not sure who enjoyed it more. It was great to interact with Chloe as a child, so often she acts like more of an adult than I do, and her animated points and responses about the fish we discovered were awesome. Soon thereafter the trade winds kicked up and the gusts picked up the fine sands on the beach and sent the grains hurtling into our exposed skin like tiny, stinging missiles. We retreated to the safety of the car and returned to the condo wet and sandy but mostly unscarred.
After returning to the condo we cleaned up and Rhiannon and I headed out to dinner, alone, and left the boys in the care of my parents. We headed south to Kihei and stopped at Pupu’s Grill along the main coastal road. We sipped a drink at the bar and waited for a table outside on the patio to open up. The time alone gave us a great chance to recant about the trip that was so quickly coming to a close, and also to discuss future vacations for the family. For dinner we shared a heaping sampler of pupus (appetizers) served on a rotating circular tray with a volcano like flame extending from its center to warm/cook the food. The food and drinks were enjoyable, and the time together alone was special. After over ten years together, Rhiannon can still make my smile erupt into laughter and warm my heart with her caring ways. I feel so privileged and blessed to have her as my partner through all of our crazy adventures.
After dinner we swung by the condo and picked up Justin enroot to a bar just down the street called Tip Up’s. The three of us had a good time watching the local residents interact while a few tourists fumbled around the dance floor. We walked back to Maui Sunset, at which time Justin headed up to bed while Rhiannon and I decided to stay out and continue our night down at the beach. We watched the continuing meteor shower and listened to the waves roll along the sand, and shared stories and thoughts, not worrying at all about what time might read on the face of our watch, lost for a few hours on a deserted Hawaiian beach. It was perfect.
This morning Landon, Colt and I decided that we would make another trip out to the local rubble reef with nets and buckets to see what new critters we might be able to discover, and without much persuasion my parents decided to join us as well. A short while into our exploration we managed to corral a small, purple and yellow striped moray eel. Landon seemed to instructively know that this little guy could give him “owwies” so he gave the fish the respect that it deserved. Ha caught a few different species of reef fish again, and after catching one small mullet Landon asked to hold the little fish. Knowing that this might be a tough squeeze (literally) for the fish, but also realizing the impression holding the small creature might have on him, I relented to his request. He carefully grabbed the fish between his thumb and fore finger and then proceeded to tell me he liked to eat fish and began to place the wriggling fish into his mouth. I pulled his hand away before he was able to chomp down although I’m pretty sure he got a good salty taste in his mouth. Begrudgingly he agreed to release his potential meal and the little fish spiraled away back into the ocean. Colt and Landon both threw rocks for awhile and then we decided it was time to return to check on mommy. We chased sand crabs along the beach, until Landon decided it would be more fun to imitate the little crustaceans. We played a fun game where he would race ahead of us and then lay down like a crab to block our path. Once we dodged the obstacle he would run ahead to repeat the encounter. Both boys giggled excitedly, and enjoyed the game enough that we still play this game occasionally back at home in California.
We drove west to Lahaina again for a repeat lunch at Kimo’s which again did not disappoint either in the quality of food, or in the crustacean and piscine entertainment for the younger members of our group. This was Leak and Chloe’s last day, so we invited them for a short impromptu stop at the beach on the way home. We pulled the car over at the shallow reef and narrow beach of Olowalu. Justin, Chole, the boys and I splashed around in the water while Rhiannon and Leah observed from the safety of the sand. I dug a pair of goggles out of the trunk and paddled Chloe out on a bodyboard to check out some of the reef fish. She had lived her entire life on the Big Island of Hawaii and had never been snorkeling before, so this was an exciting experience for both of us. I’m not sure who enjoyed it more. It was great to interact with Chloe as a child, so often she acts like more of an adult than I do, and her animated points and responses about the fish we discovered were awesome. Soon thereafter the trade winds kicked up and the gusts picked up the fine sands on the beach and sent the grains hurtling into our exposed skin like tiny, stinging missiles. We retreated to the safety of the car and returned to the condo wet and sandy but mostly unscarred.
After returning to the condo we cleaned up and Rhiannon and I headed out to dinner, alone, and left the boys in the care of my parents. We headed south to Kihei and stopped at Pupu’s Grill along the main coastal road. We sipped a drink at the bar and waited for a table outside on the patio to open up. The time alone gave us a great chance to recant about the trip that was so quickly coming to a close, and also to discuss future vacations for the family. For dinner we shared a heaping sampler of pupus (appetizers) served on a rotating circular tray with a volcano like flame extending from its center to warm/cook the food. The food and drinks were enjoyable, and the time together alone was special. After over ten years together, Rhiannon can still make my smile erupt into laughter and warm my heart with her caring ways. I feel so privileged and blessed to have her as my partner through all of our crazy adventures.
After dinner we swung by the condo and picked up Justin enroot to a bar just down the street called Tip Up’s. The three of us had a good time watching the local residents interact while a few tourists fumbled around the dance floor. We walked back to Maui Sunset, at which time Justin headed up to bed while Rhiannon and I decided to stay out and continue our night down at the beach. We watched the continuing meteor shower and listened to the waves roll along the sand, and shared stories and thoughts, not worrying at all about what time might read on the face of our watch, lost for a few hours on a deserted Hawaiian beach. It was perfect.
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