we loved having Jesse over for lunch on Sunday it was the perfect excuse to have a treat (home made pizza bar) and take a muddy nature walk around the property we live on.
Hannah had to show off her paper bag outfit as she made some kind of movie quote from Big Hero Six.
The kids tried to show Jesse all of there jungle trails meant for little people.
Then we spent a restful evening working on the kids verses for the memory verse-a-thon.
Both Chad and I have been feeling like our batteries are a little drained. We had planned to take off the month of July so we could be home with our family. We have a family camp schedule for the last week in July and we planned to return to work the week after that.
Two days ago I was contacted and asked if I would consider a position starting July 13th. I said I would if I could be scheduled off the last week in July for family camp. We have been officially offered that position within two hours of home and feel so greatful to our provider (God) that he saw fit to provide us with our next Job three months before we planned on having it with still several weeks off and close to family!
Just two more night shifts then I get to be a day shifter for my last month whoooo hooo! I just love sleeping at night!
The main purpose of the tsunami museum is to raise awareness and to save lives by educating the public. It wasn’t quite what I expected but I still think it was good to know the evacuation plan and what to watch for in the ocean’s behavior that would indicate a warning sign.
Then we walked the shops down town and trecked over to the Tsunami Memorial Clock which was quite a hike since we were mislead by GPS.
Male and female of the Hawaiian goose.
Eve with her skirt filled with baby coconuts she found in the grass.
We didn’t make yet to Laupahoehoe where an elementary school and the children contained in it were swept out to sea by a Tsunami, that we will have to save for another day.
Ok to say we explored the whole 40 miles of the Hamakua Coast would be an over statement it was more of a drop in the bucket, a glimpse per say. It was a rainy day the all day kind of rainy day unlike the only rain in the morning, evening and most of the night rainy days that make up all the others. At first I was thinking a hot, sunny, beach would be good, but as we neared Hilo we decided on a scenic drive instead. Headed north out of Hilo off of 19 there is a scenic drive called Pepe’ekeo. We had driven this the first full day on the Island but that was a long time ago and was part of our quest to drive all the way around the island having never been on this island before we were just trying to get our bearings. This time we could really enjoy it and that we did.
We stopped and hiked the Onomea trail beside the Botanical garden. So so beautiful.
We didn’t end up going to the ‘Akaka falls it costs money and after working all night I didn’t feel like hiking in the rain. We have plans to go back and hike it again sometime. We did stop in the little town just outside the park it was so cute we had to check out the shops.
At one of the shops the lady (artist of some seriously beautiful jewelry) also rehabilitated tropical birds. She asked us if we were enjoying the whole rainforest experience meaning the rain that was coming down outside. We are now with the sounds of the birds. Mango a vocal guy ( I don’t remember what kind of bird he was) welcomed us. She was very friendly and told us about the birds in the shop and even let the kids see a three week old and two week old love bird chicks and their two adult lovebird experienced foster parents who had taken over care of the chicks as if they were their own. She let the kids pet and hold the male I think his name was Kissy Kissy. He loved to kiss and lick the human whose finger he was perched upon.
She taught the kids how to hold him and about how to take care of them. Before we left she also showed us a baby sparrow that she was hand feeding. He had to eat every hour all day long. She doesn’t have to feed him in the night I asked her about that. We didn’t make it all the way to Waipi’o Valley. That is also on the list. Instead we found this little park.
We made it a short day getting home in time for dinner but now our minds are wheeling about when to plan to go back to the waterfall and valley to see the rest of the Hamakua coast.
When I was a kid we did not have garbage services no big fancy truck came by the house and emptied our cans and carried away the waste. We had burn barrels for some of the trash, yard debris was composted and or fed to the animals, and occasionally some of the bigger things had to be taken to the dump. It cost money to take things to the dump and is kids would occasionally come home with new treasures we had found there. As an adult I have become accustomed to garbage services. It is quite nice to have our refuse picked up curb side weekly and our recycle too. Here in Hawaii (on the big island in our neighborhood at least) there is no garbage services. When our landlord first told us that we would have to take our own garbage to the dump I was thinking that it sure could add up quick but was pleasantly surprised when we descovered that it was free. (Still I am not a fan of putting full trash bags in the trunk of the car to drive the distance to the dump…..stinky….and if a bag should rip or break 🙊) Once a week or so we have a couple of bags that need to be taken to the dump. They have paper bins, glass bins, newspaper, plastic, and any items that may be useful to another person are sorted and often times free or for a small price are available to be reused.
Last Tuesday Hannah got this leather purse for $1 and has since washed it well and takes it everywhere it has replaced the one she got for Christmas that has already had its strap broken off. Caleb got a nice name brand one strap backpack for $2 (the only pic I have of it below) everything else they have found has been free (wallets and books).
I really didn’t think we would get to see actual lava in our time here. Yes we had been to the volcano and observed the glow from the caldera at night, that was way cool, but we couldn’t say that we saw the actual lava. For the last two days people have been saying the magma chamber is full and it is visible at the top! Could it really be true!?! We rested at the house and read until 3:00pm when we made our way to the volcano. You have to go early in the day to get a parking spot at the overlook. In broad daylight you could see streams of orange lava bubble up. If you could see it mid day it was going to be good come night. To keep the kids entertained until then was going to be the trick. We opted for the 0.5 mile hike to check out the campground.
It ended up being the perfect choice!!!! So so beautiful and relaxing as it was a short distance and we were out to waste time.
By the time we got back we only had an hour and a half to wait. The kids and I read books in the bookstore until 7:00pm when it was finally dark. These guys are good at volcanos but maybe not so good at math. It should say 32 years according to their dates I only noticed because it is near my birthdate and year. (I’m getting old)
I could have sat with a blanket on the rock wall for many more hours. Simply mesmerizing! Better than fireworks and that says a lot because they are one of my favorite things ever. This will probably be the only time in our whole lives that we will see molten lava a few football fields away from us. We have been so blessed to experience this. God’s amazing creation is so awe inspiring.
It felt like an awefully late start this morning but in truth we just got up way too early! After, laundry, breakfast, dishes, coffee, reading, and waiting for Caleb to get his school work done it was still only 9:30 AM when we left the house this morning. We threw in the towels and boogie boards because we just never know what the day will entail and we have to leave room for some spontaneity (the suits and snorkles are always kept in the car besides for washing). There was a few things on the to do list so really we just went eeny meeny (is that even how you spell that). It was raining pretty good in Hilo so we opted out of the activities in Hilo and headed for the mountains. We had been asked if we had seen the Mauna Kea observatory yet and we hadn’t so we decided to do that. One wrong turn and a 13 mile long one lane road took is to the Mauna Loa Observatory very cool. I was so green at the gills as it was an amazing road with twists and turns, texture and no shoulders good thing on the way up at least we met no cars. The altitude at the top was over 11,000 feet which was a huge change from sea level an hour before. I don’t know what I have ever experienced altitude sickness, but I was a bit off balance and shakey and wasn’t sure if it was car sickness or altitude sickness. In pulling Eve out of the car (because she has a gift for being the slowest being on the planet sometimes) I stepped off the ledge, a little one but still, and we both tumbled to the ground with only minor injuries.
It was a tad chilly and we were sad to be underprepared to hike at least a ways up the trail, but alas, there was no point in making the kids miserable because of my curiosity.
We loved the view, and the shiny glittery lava rocks. Caleb showed us his big guns by picking up big rocks. There is no density to them so although they are large they are not heavy.
We hadn’t taken a family picture on an outing in a while so we took an oportunity to take on on top of Mauna Loa.
We broke into our lunch on the way down the mountain.
They may have all burst of we had gone up any higher! We then drove down to the highway and back up the adjacent road going to the Mauna Kea observatory.
There was a 15% grade ahead so needles to say we didn’t make it to the top of Mauna Kea. The observatory was below this and so we turned around and went in there.
The summit at 13,976 feet is only the measurement of what is above sea level, it continues below the sea quite a ways making its hight in its entirety the largest mountain in the world. They do have summit tours on Saturdays and we want to go back sometime and do it. With it being lunch time we had a long time to wait until the 6:00pm astronomy presentation. We opted to drive down to Kona and check out the downtown and have dinner then come back. We got some astronaut ice cream to try on the way.
Kona was sunny and hot, there was a cruise ship in so there was plenty of oportunities for people watching.
Lunch was right on the water with a live band and totally hit the spot.
We will have to come back to this part of town and check out the shops. This was the first ABC store we found. Probably the only one on the big island.
We got back to Mauna Kea observatory just in time.
The presentation started at 6:00pm and by the time it was over at 7:00pm it was dark.
Now for looking in the Telescopes!!!!!
So totally awesome!!!!!!! We will have to go back again with our parkas on and the kids better rested. Everyone talked about every detail of the day the whole way home.
Owens Endeavors 