365 Blitz!

We are finally back after spending the weekend at my parents' house while John spent most of his weekend cleaning our apartment and making room in our spare bedroom/workroom/storage room for Little John's crib. The cleaning/reorganizing still isn't 100% complete but John did manage to get a ton of stuff done. Thank you, wonderful husband, I love you!

15/365: Creepy Crawlies! My parents have a plant in their front yard that has TONS of these monarch butterfly caterpillars. When I went to visit about a week and a half ago, I counted five but when I went over again on Saturday, there were so many that I couldn't even count them. Yes, there were seriously that many. I wonder how many there will be when I go over again this week!

16/365: Grandma did it, I swear. Why would I put a pink hair curler in my son's hair? =P

17/365: Octopus balls... Japanese octopus balls, takoyaki, were on the menu for lunch on Sunday. =) The secret to yummy takoyaki is to use big chunks of octopus and to not overcook them. This was just my second time making takoyaki but it was pretty easy, especially with the help of a special electric takoyaki pan. =)

18/365: Closed to the public... Except for us, since we got to help out with something at Hanauma Bay this morning. =) In addition to mongoose and feral cats, this guy was also enjoying the peace and quiet. It was overcast, which made for perfect beach weather for us, the people who were on Little John got to dip his feet into the water and unlike the last time he was at Hanauma Bay, there was no screaming or crying involved. Hooray!

Trekking to Kaena Point...

We must be crazy since we've done this hike three times already in the last two weeks. Why do we wake up at 4:30 a.m. to do this hellish 5-mile hike in the exposed sun over a rocky dirt path with one area I've lovingly nicknamed the 'scary part where I could die'?

For this maybe?

Some tips:

1) A hat, frequent and liberal applications of sunscreen, and tons of water are a must. This is a hot hike that probably isn't for anyone who doesn't like the sun or getting tan. If you're a goth or an albino, pass on this one.

2) I like to bring slippers because once you reach the point, there's sand. TONS of it. It's much easier for me to walk around in slippers than in shoes that I constantly have to take off to shake the sand out of.

3) Use the bathroom before you start this hike. There aren't any facilities out there, unless you count rocks and naupaka leaves as toilets and toilet paper.

4) The 'parking lot' at the end of the road is a high theft area so be aware that you may come back to a car with broken windows or even no car at all. I've seen two guys in a truck hanging out there more than once. This last time, one of them was checking out an unlocked Jeep.... Not just looking in but opening doors and checking under seats and stuff.

Saturday night snorkeling at Hanauma Bay

...was a total bust. Too many people, super high tide, way huge waves.

Man, I even put on my wetsuit for this. If you've never put on a full wetsuit, you have no idea what an ordeal this is. It's even worse when you're putting it on home, on a 90+ degree day with no air conditioning.

Although it didn't look hopeful for a good snorkel, John and I decided to give it a try. I got all the way to the water with my full wetsuit on, hair pulled back off my face, fins on my feet, and waterproof flashlight and mask in hand, when John asked me where my snorkel was. Oopsie. It was all the way on shore in my bag.

Learn from my absent-mindedness. You might want to double-check to see if you have your snorkel before getting into the water to snorkel. =P

Hanauma Bay is open until 10pm every other Saturday night. Maybe we'll see you there! Don't forget your snorkel!

Shark's Cove, North Shore

We woke up bright and early on Saturday morning and headed out to Shark's Cove for a morning dive with John's spearfishing & freediving friend, Mark. It was Mark's idea to get into the water at 6:30 a.m. Yes, 6:30 AM. We thought he was crazy but it actually worked out well because at around 8:30 a.m., I counted at least 50 divers in the water.

Here's a peek at what John was shooting in the water.

And here's a peek at what I was shooting above water.

Since I'm not a water person, I usually end up putzing around and taking pictures of either my slippers or my rings while waiting for John to come out. Yeah, lame, I know.

One of these days, I'm going to get into the water. One of these days....

Beachcombing on Oahu

About a month ago, we went to a beach on the west side of the island. I love looking for sea glass and shells but often, the more populated beaches on the east side of the island are pretty much picked clean. I'd love to go back to the west side beaches again and see what treasures I can find.

One of my favorite finds of all time. It's not perfect but I think it adds a bit of character. =)

Why we go to Dole Plantation...

Dole Whip. With pineapple chunks. At first, I didn't see the point in paying extra for those pineapple chunks but when the people in front of us ordered it with the chunks, it looked too good to resist. Trust me, get the chunks. Totally worth the extra money!