Snorkel Cruise

On Sunday, we enjoyed a truly magical experience, something we'll remember forever.

We took a snorkel cruise back to the Kealakekua Bay near the Capt. Cook monument, and we all snorkeled for hours, seeing hundreds of fish in dozens of colorful varieties.






Actually swimming with these beautiful fish, with my family out in the water with me, is a memory I will always treasure.

As soon as we reached the bay, Stace dove straight in. The boat also had a pair of slides, which Cora loved, and two sets of stairs for stepping into the water.

We were perched over deep coral, so there was nothing to stand on in the water. But we had rubber rings, flotation belts, life vests and body boards with clear plastic windows. The tour company also provided fins, masks and snorkels.

Violet used a board, while I preferred a rubber ring. Cora and Stace just used their own swimming prowess.

My Dad had a great time in the bay, too, and even my Mom got into the water. We were all so proud of her!

With the help of a ring, belt, and windowed plastic box, she experienced snorkeling despite her concerns about swimming. A friendly boat staffer named Kaycee also was very helpful.

On our way back to the dock, the boat's captain filleted an ono, or wahoo, that was caught on the line while we were motoring along.

While we weren't able to eat from this one, we later enjoyed ono in fish and chips, poke (sushi) and an amazing lobster cake and fish sandwich.

Hawaii!

We arrived in Kona, on the Big Island of Hawaii, on a Friday night, and the next morning found ourselves in a true tropical paradise. Cora formed this welcoming message on our condo's bench with flowers she found on the grass of the complex's lush grounds.

We walked the town of Kailua-Kona and checked out a nearby beach on Saturday afternoon. My first experience with those waters was an absolute delight - warm as a bath, clear as a fountain, colorful fish swimming nearby.

On Saturday evening, we had a treat - a dinner cruise, a gift from my mom and dad. Thanks! We went down the Kona coast, listening as a Hawaiian lady describe the region's history.

We also had our first look at the memorial to Capt. James Cook, the English explorer who was the first European to land on the Hawaiian islands. This little piece of ground is actually British soil!


The sunset on the western horizon was lovely, in a pinky-purply-orangey sort of way.

We enjoyed seeing the different flowers everywhere, the birds, and the gecko lizards.

Each morning of our trip, Violet loved heading to the balcony (or lanai, as they call them in Hawaii) with bread crumbs or smashed cheerios. She'd wait quietly while up to a dozen birds came by to feast. The saffron finches, zebra doves and red-crested cardinals were our favorites.

The tiny geckos were fun, too. They were a bit skittish, so you had to look quickly.

Hawaiian Shave Ice was something we'd heard raves about, so we were excited to try it. It's like a softer, tastier snow cone, with ice cream at the bottom of the cup. So refreshing!










And at a farmer's market, we tried a fresh coconut. The "juice" inside wasn't actually that yummy - more water than milk. But it was a neat experience, and fun to watch the produce lady chop the coconut open with a huge knife.

So there's a "taste" of our trip - don't worry, much more to come!

Week in Review

 We started off our week in a great way - getting together with our longtime friends Michelle and Brooke at the beach in Ventura. It's been way too long since we've seen each other, so it was great to catch up.

It was a beautiful beach day, too.

After the beach, we went across the way to the Channel Islands visitors' center, a mini aquarium and museum.

On our way home, we stopped at 7-Eleven for slurpees with our slurpee refill cups. That's been a thing this summer, stopping for slurpees.

 Violet was very excited to make dessert for Stace one evening. We didn't know what she meant until she excitedly brought out a popsicle that she "made" into a creature, with glued on eyes. She is such a joy!

 We got together with some school friends at the bowling alley Thursday. We signed the girls up for the "Kids Bowl Free" program, and Cora went with friends a few weeks ago. This was Violet's first time bowling "free" this summer (though you do pay $4 each for shoe rental).

Also Thursday, we hit up a couple of stores for Back-to-School specials, as we begin going through the supply lists for first and fourth grades. The girls loved getting supplies, and sorting them into their new backpacks.

And, we got ready to go to Hawaii this week! Friday was the big day for our trip to the islands. More on that later!

Chelsea v. Liverpool, California Style

On Wednesday night, after a long day at work, we drove down to the Pasadena Rose Bowl to watch Chelsea take on Liverpool in a friendly match which was part of the pre-season International Champions Cup competition. The game was anything but friendly, with the referee handing out multiple yellow cards. Chelsea's Fabregas was even sent of for a studs-up tackle.

Lisa managed to score cheap tickets from Groupon. We had great seats; quite high up but a great view nonetheless. This is the second time we've been to the Rose Bowl. The last time was about 7 years ago when we watched Chelsea play Inter Milan.

Both teams played most of the big name players and made lots of substitutions throughout the second half.

It was great to see two English teams playing each other after such a long time. I always follow the Premier League results, as well as the fortunes of good old Yeovil Town, so it was fun to watch a live game.

Chelsea ended up eventual victors, winning the game 1-0, with a headed goal from the defender Gary Cahill.

Nature

We planted some milkweed a couple of months ago in hopes of attracting monarch butterflies. We didn't see any, but this pretty swallowtail was happy fluttering around this week.

The mockingbirds were fiercely defending our yard against our cats the last few weeks. Every time a cat was outside, we knew exactly where it was, because there one or both mockingbirds would be, yelling and dive-bombing.

Then, I went into the garage and found this young mockingbird inside. He must have dropped in while getting in his flying practice. By picking up the bag he was on, I moved him outside the garage.

After several bad years, we had a surprisingly great crop of white nectarines from our tree by the driveway. So sweet and juicy! These are just the ones I managed to photograph.

A few days after our skunk misadventures, we had another wild friend snooping around after our other fruit crop.

This masked bandit kept coming into our yard one night, eating our grapes. We went out to scare him away, and he tried to scramble up the vine to the wall, tearing the vine off its supports.

Stace and I decided we needed to harvest all that were ripe, even if it was 10 o'clock at night.

With a flashlight in one hand and stick in the other, I stood guard against the intruder, who kept poking his head over the wall. Stace snipped a huge bowl full of delicious grapes. Sorry, Charlie! You can have the leftovers.

The next morning, we found evidence that the raccoon had spent quite a bit of time in our yard later that night. The mulch was dug up in several spots, and he also dug a big hole .

Baseball, Birthdays and Theater

We spent Friday night in Lancaster, watching the minor league Jethawks baseball team play. It was a lot of fun, and Cora's first time.

While scoping out the dining options, we saw the option of a 2-foot hot dog for $12. Score! They cut it into fourths, and we all were full when we were finished.

The game was our Father's Day gift to my dad, and boy, did he have a good night! He entered the 50-50 raffle just before they stopped selling tickets, and wouldn't you know it... he won! That $541 will sure help out with all the Hawaii fun we're planning.

It was also a Friday Fireworks night, so we enjoyed that before heading home.

This weekend, a huge fire was burning on the east side of Santa Clarita. It was far from us but disconcerting nonetheless, with 30,000 acres burned, thousands of homes evacuated and 18 homes destroyed.

We went to the pool, but it was too smokey to stay long. Violet and I later went to Elena's birthday party, where she got her face painted and a balloon doggy.  

On Sunday, we went to see the Canyon Theatre Guild's presentation of Wizard of Oz. Our friend Sophie was one of the munchkins, and we all enjoyed the show and cheering her on.

Skating and Park Fun

Cora and Emily came up with the idea of having a "popcorn party," this week, on the couple of days after Emily got her braces off and before Cora had her expander put in.

This is why Cora looks glum - the day after this photo was taken, she had a metal contraption attached to the roof of her mouth. No more popcorn or sticky candy for a long, long time!

We had our popcorn party at the park, where Sara and Tony had hosted "Popsicles at the Park" for the past few summers. A few other friends joined us, including Sophia, who had played at our house Wednesday.

Violet worked with Charlie and Tommy to make a next for a hummingbird, they said, out of mud and sand. "I couldn't bring it home," she said, "because it was really sticky mud."















Violet is going into first grade, therefore it's time to become a monkey bar expert. She is able to go back and forth now, and has the blisters to prove it.

This week, the girls went to the Ice Station for the afternoon ice skating camp, as they have the past few summers.

They had fun!

Magical Day

The girls both earned free tickets to Magic Mountain through reading, and since they expire soon, I took the girls Thursday after ice skating camp.

We weren't about to let a little think like a high of 106 deter us! Oh no, we are tough. Thankfully, Violet is just now tall enough for some of the grownup water rides, and as it got later, the temps cooled off enough to enjoy ourselves.

While we walked across the park to meet Grandma, who had just finished her shift, I turned to catch the girls being sweet. Right in the act!
(I do not know why Cora's leg looks like it's muddy. It was not.)

We all went on Jet Stream, and got a bit wet. Then we went on Roaring Rapids, seen here, and got absolutely soaked. Cora wore tennis shoes and they were sloshing about on the floor of the raft.

But, with the heat, it felt great!

Violet was also tall enough to try out Ninja for the first time. Though she's putting on her scared face, she loved the ride and wanted to do it again.

Mom had been awarded a free funnel cake after a guest complimented her as Mrs. Claus last year. She used her coupon with us, and we all shared a gigantic strawberry sundae funnel cake.

Then we split up, and Grandma took Violet to Bugs Bunny World and Cora and I went on Twisted Colossus, our favorite ride.

We closed the park down, leaving at 9:30. What a fun evening!

Beach!

On Friday, the girls went to a two-hour science class called "Motion Commotion," where they made a marble rollercoaster and balsa wood airplanes. Their friends Emily, Charlie and Tommy went, too; their mom Patrice had invited us to do the class with them.

At pickup, I mentioned that we were planning to go to Stevenson Ranch to listen to a summer concert, and Patrice and Geoff and their kids met us there.

This turned into a sleepover for our girls at their house - yes, both girls! Violet was over the moon to be included - Emily is a wonderful girl who is sweet and kind to Violet. Vi also loves playing with the boys, so it worked out very well.

Both our families were free on Saturday, so we all went to the beach together. We headed up to Carpinteria, a gorgeous beach we haven't visited in years.









It was a perfect beach day.

The weather was warm enough, the water refreshing, we found free parking super close, and the kids (and parents) all had a ball. Geoff, Stace and the girls swam several times out to the floating platform you can see in the water.