reconnaissance into Waimanalo

Waimanalo has such a beautiful beach...
we were on a mission to determine if this beach was accessible~

and this is the view from the pathway







as you approach the sand..

the view from the path from the street.
some one was getting married
the ocean to the left
and to the right
and smack dab ahead!

hawaii charity walk-the slipper tour

After a late night, I still get up at 4 AM for the Hawaii Hotel Association Charity Walk. I know, don't work for a hotel any longer but thought this would be a great way to stay on my exercise program. Ok, this was before I realized the walk was 7 miles!!! Well, the good news is -- they feed us all along the way... so much for the health strategy.
So, I tried to make this a walking tour... much to my son's chagrin! He kept trying to tell me that he was embarrassed by my nasty picture snapping habit.. I made sure to point out that he could pretend he didn't know me...

this is Ala Moana Beach Park at 5:15 AM as we arrive to begin our journey. It was interesting to see that the tide was so low. On normal days, the group of rocks in the distance are not visible.

We start off with a group shot to get in the mood, then a little gnosh to start us off: we chose bananas and yogurt in the tube... a healthy way to start the walk!

The first station we stopped at sponsored by the Ala Moana Hotel was very GERMAN... and pretty funny! They played the chicken dance music.

There were crowds of participants enjoying the music...

well, maybe not everyone was so enthusiastic

The City has been renovating the park recently and left a few things behind... I guess they were not finished with all of the projects since this big bin was left behind.

and this big pile too:

As we crossed the Ala Wai Canal into Waikiki, this was the morning sky with calm waters towards the ocean.

At the very entrance to Waikiki, we were greeted

by a hula dancer with her musicians.

Thought this sign was appropriate for island life...

if only that were true all of the time.

look at all of the surfboards, ready for wave riding.

a quick glance at the ocean as we truck on past...

duke kahanamoku's statue...

he's the famous swimmer/surfer that won an olympic medal

and was a famous beach boy.

weekend activities to attract locals to the tourist areas.

oops, this surfer ran out of water... end of all the hotels... beginning of Kapiolani Park/Aquarium area.

looking back into Waikiki from the end of the park.

are we done yet??? Hurry Mom, I want to eat this ice cream.

The view from Ala Moana Beach again...

about 10 am... what a nice day...

next time, I will show the Ala Wai Canal and the interesting finds...

gotta rest my toes in the sand... Aloha!

mother's day

Well, mother's day was an event at our house... complete with monkey business and all.
We ate an early dinner at Tadashi where I embarrassed my guys by taking pictures of what I ate. I only just realized that I forgot to take a picture of the dish Nick usually eats.. the butterfish. (next time)


The first dish served was this mixture of cooked fish bits.. with a smoky, tangy flavor. I think there were green onions in it as well.

I got to order all of my favorite sushi.. and some for the guys too. When I ordered the Clam.. I was thinking of the one we usually order at Genki that is mixed with mayo.. so this was a nice surprise and it was oh so soft and buttery. Not chewy at all.

Nat ordered the Butterfish special (not the regular menu today) and it came with a tray of sushi as well.

I couldn't resist ordering my 2 fave handrolls... spicy Ahi and california roll... I know.. I am such a light weight but after that I was full..

I tried to get a close up or 2 especially since the california roll was so full of crabmeat... yum!

for dessert, they we had strawberries with green tea whip cream... very tasty, not overly sweet.

and of course, Nick was up to his usual monkey business


All in all ~ a fun day ~ even with the crazy pilates ball...those pictures will come later.

aftermath of aquarium life

the aftermath of the sleepover was a morning of sleep... including on the way home ...

Nick rested til noon the we played a little (read) then went to the library to investigate information about fireworms... then off to get my hair cut.. I know, it's short enough but not bald yet!

zip into zippy's for dinner

Nick went on an adventure today... 1st the JPO Competition followed by a night at the Aquarium... http://www.waquarium.org/A Sleep over for all the clubs in the school.. with only teachers for chaperones. How fun is that?

Meanwhile, Mom works late and Dad sits in traffic to make sure he gets there on time.. then, our big date was at Zippy's.

Not so romantic but nice to sit and chat together. We came home and watched Memoir's of a Geisha. Was a great movie. Read the book about 5 or 6 years ago so I was trying to rack my brains to remember if this movie followed the book... close but quite a few details were missing I think.

tomorrow is library day.. we'll be going to the main library which is so incredible that I could probably sleep over there.. so many books, so little time.

Am currently reading 'Bird's Eye View' a mystery by JF Freedman. The funny or strange thing is, that it is set in the same areas as the battles of the Civil War. Nick has been researching all of the battles and it seems that everywhere I turn there are references about this war. We are also reading a book together -a diary (ficticious) about a young woman who lives in the South and writes about her life. It would be interesting to come across a diary of someone from the north.. funny, that this topic or subject strikes my fancy for a while, then fades... oh well, perfect time now since Nick needs more scoop for his report. We watched the movie Gettysburg too.

I am all over the map today.... lots to ponder...

home again, home again, jiggety jig...

It's funny, that for all the time I spend at home, I am not really here most of the time. It's nice to slow things down just a little bit for the 'quality' of life.. not the quantity... this concept was brought up today at a meeting with the owner.

Most of the time, we are on our little treadmills, walking and walking through our life. It can be challenging to step off, see through the eyes of others and just watch for that next train that really speaks to you to come along.

thought for today... Value what you have....

half a day today

well, we had a short day today... seems this virus is going around. Had to miss the meeting tonight. Got to watch House tonight!! N actually ate the leftover chicken with mushroom gravy I made. He liked it til he just read it had mushrooms in it... was yummy anyway.

Thinking about Grandma A today... sending her big hugs and hoping she gets well.