Summer 2001

Kona Villiage

September 7 was our 10 year anniversary. We decided to go to a very swanky resort on the big island of Hawaii. The place was called the Kona Village. It was built on one of the few nice beaches on the island on what used to be a Hawaiian fishing village.

When you stay at the Kona Village you live in a hut called a hale. There were two kinds of hales, beach and lagoon. I was really hoping for a beach hale and we got one. Here is our hale that was conveniently located between the restaurant and the shipwreck bar. The hale had no TV, radio, or telephone. You didn't lock your doors, and you had to be careful to shut your blinds at night because it was pretty much exposed to anyone walking by.

Lisa's priorities were pretty clear. She wanted to lie on the beach and read some books. She brought her running stuff, but once outside the Kona Village grounds you found yourself in the middle of a lava field. This made running pretty hot. I went for a swim in the ocean almost every morning.

The ocean by the Kona Village is a marine sanctuary. The first morning we were walking on the beach and came across a turtle. Her eyes were closed and she wasn't moving. I thought she was dead. It turns out she was just taking a nap. Every afternoon, the turtles would haul themselves onto the beach and go to sleep. In this picture there are five of them. The one I thought was dead took her nap in the morning. There were also manta rays who would swim very close to the shore by the restaurant at night. The Kona Village put up a floodlight to attract plankton which attracted the mantas.

Our trip was from September 8 - 15, and we all know what happened on the 11th. There were normally no TV's at the resort, but they set some up in the restaurants and bars. They also passed out news summaries every morning. It was surreal being in this island paradise with everything in the outside world going to hell in a handbasket. The mood around the Village became very somber.

We took little day trips and one of them was to a small coffee plantation in the mountains above Kailua. We ran into a couple of Austrailian-sounding men working and one of them gave us a tour. We learned a lot about coffee. For instance, a coffee bean is really the pit of a fruit that looks like (and is called) a cherry. Once you picked the cherry you had to remove a husk, an inner membrane, soak it in some stuff, and then roast it. I don't know how people ever figured all this out.

Another of our day trips was to the volcanos. The active ones were on the other side of the island. I was hoping for rivers of molten lava and steaming pools of bubbling mud but no such luck. The volcanos were pretty quiet, just a couple of steam vents were active. We hiked down to the bottom of one of the calderas. This one last erupted in the 1950's.

The food at the Kona Village was really good. There were two restaurants, a smaller, fancier one and a larger, more family-oriented one. The meals were included with the cost of staying at the Kona Village, so I always wanted to eat in the fancy restaurant. Here Lisa and I are sitting down to eat there. Look at all those spoons and forks.

We were staying on an anniversay package that came with some welcoming gifts. Included were his and her wraps that the hotel said were acceptable attire for the restaurants. I, of course, had to wear mine one day. I was sure to wear some underwear with it in case the wind blew it off.

The last night they put on a luau for us. The women got flower wreaths to put in their hair. The pig was pretty good, the poi was yucky. We sat at a table with a guy who used to sing in the "Riverdance" company and worked with the "Lord of the Dance" guy.

Back to the Boys

There were other things going on while we were goofing around in Hawaii. Jackson started the first grade. His school is on an intersession-type calendar so he started school July 30. Here he is in his classroom the first day of school. He looks thrilled, doesn't he? I'm volunteering again in his class which is a lot of fun.

Jackson's first science section in first grade was about apples. He started asking for apples in his lunch and would save the seeds in his pocket. He wanted to plant them when he had saved up enough. When I found out, I suggested we put them on some paper towel to let them dry. In this picture, Jackson is planting his seeds in our back yard. If you look carefully, you will see he is wearing some apple glasses he made at school. We also planted a peach pit and several plum pits. Regrettably, none of the seeds sprouted. Probably because we forgot about watering them after the first few days.

Zachary lives hard and plays hard. When he runs out of energy, he falls asleep wherever he happens to be. In this picture, he fell asleep on the arm of the couch after a long weekend day of playing. He just flopped over and went to sleep with his butt in the air.

Jackson Graduates Kindergarten

Jackson's school was big on having the kindergartners put on musical productions. They are always very cute. The parents sit in the audience with their camcorders crying their eyes out. This is the "Graduation" song. Jackson is in the front row two from the right.

Here is Jackson with Mrs Oney, his kindergarten teacher. She was a great teacher, very friendly to the parents. Most of the teachers at Jackson's school seem to regard parents as outsiders, but not Mrs. Oney. I was one of the parent volunteers in Jackson's class which was a lot of fun.

Seattle Trip

We took a trip to Seattle in July to visit Lisa's dad and Barbara. The last time I went to Seattle, Zachary got the stomach flu, spent a day barfing on my shoulder, and then gave the stomach flu to me. I swore never to return, but you know how those solemn promises go. One of the things to do at Lisa's dad's house is to dig for clams in the rocks. This spot is right next to a ferry station. Mmmm, yummy. Lisa took to clam digging like a dog to something smelly. She dug till her hands hurt.

Speaking of ferries, the whole family took one from Edmonds to Kingston. It started off cloudy so I thought I would skip the sunscreen. Of course, then it cleared up and I came home with a sunburnt neck. Who would have thought? A sunburn in Seattle?

Here Barbara is holding Zachary on the observation deck of the ferry. Jackson spent most of the ride sitting on a bench playing his gameboy.

Every year the town of Edmonds has a Fourth of July parade. Anyone can join in. It seemed like it was mostly politicians, old cars, and marching bands. We, representing the harbor commision, rode around in the back of Lisa's Dad's truck

The kids got into the patriotic spirit and waved little flags for all the spectators. Zachary got bored after a awhile, but Jackson stood for most of the parade route and waved his hand.

The last day we went to a little beach by the ferry landing. Okay, what is wierd about this picture and the other Seattle pictures? Give up? The sky is clear. It was sunny and warm the whole trip. Lisa's dad was trying to tell me it's always that way in Seattle in the summer. I think he was pulling my leg.

Jackson, at age 6, has more success meeting girls than I did throughout my entire teenage years. He met three girls playing volleyball at the beach and joined right in their game. He was kind of a spaz though and usually hit the ball behind himself. The older girl to the right tried to teach Jackson to set the ball.

Here is our little business traveler flying home from Seattle. The rows were only three seat across, but Jackson was happy to sit by himself. The ladies next to him thought he was traveling alone. In this picture he is reading along during the "emergency exit" talk.

Zachary's Big Night

Some women were coming over and Zachary had to get ready to meet them. First, a shower with mommy. After that, some relaxation time on the bed, gathering his thoughts, thinking of witty stories to tell.

Now it's time to get dressed. He chose a "hot fisherman" ensemble complete with Mickey Mouse hat and rain boots. The women might want to watch a video. Zachary has selected "Arthur's Baby"

Danielle and Lynna (who Zachary calles Lemonay) were like putty in his hands. Danielle is stroking Zachary's hair. Lynna is massaging his feet. He's getting ready to request some milk in a sippy cup from me. Usually, this means Zachary announcing in a loud voice "Milk in sippy cup PLEASE!".

Other Summer Stuff

Lisa's mom and Ray moved into a new house that backs up to a man-made lake. Ray bought a paddle boat so he and Carole can make the neighborhood rounds. The kids like to go boating as well, which means I peddle and they ride. Jackson likes to "steer" the boat which usually entails pulling the rudder all the way to one side as the boat goes in circles. We also try to coax all of the neighborhood dogs to jump in to the scummy lake water.

Every time Lisa or I goes on a trip somewhere, the kids expect us to bring home a present. Lisa does a very thoughtful job of this. The gift is usually tied to where she was. I usually forget until I get off the plane in Phoenix and then scramble around to find something. On this trip, I managed to acquire a couple of Southwest Airline inflatable plane hats for the boys.