Ho'okena Beach Park

A co-worker of Racheal had recommended Ho'okena Beach as a great place to go for camping.  Though we didn't bring any camping gear here, we decided to check it out anyway.  It's on the southwest side of the island and 2 miles off the main road.  The 2 miles consist of a narrow "2 laned" road that switchbacks all the way down to the ocean.  We had went there awhile ago on one of our first drives to Kona and decided to go down last weekend again to let the kids "burn off some energy".  And boy are we glad we did. 

The sand is a grayish color with a mixture of white and black sand but it is fine and soft.  Henry loved digging in the sand and making a sand castle.  Anika enjoyed searching for shells and looking for small hermit crabs.  She caught 3 of them in the strainer and liked watching them try to climb out.  She put them in the water still in the strainer and claimed that they were wrestling.  Then she proceeded to make them their own aquarium adding little shells/rocks and sand. 

I think they would have been fine staying there all day instead of just the hour we were there.  We will definitely go back and frolic there again.

Art by Herb Kane

On display at the Jaggar Museum overlooking the Kiluaea Caldera are some impressive paintings depicting Pele.  All paintings by Herb Kane.

Hawaii's State Bird

The Nene, also known as Nēnē and Hawaiian Goose, (Branta sandvicensis) is a species of goose endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. It became the official bird of the state of Hawai’i in 1957.  The Nene is exclusively found in the wild on the islands of Maui, Kaua’i and Hawai’i. The Hawaiian name Nēnē comes from its soft call.

According to the Hawai’i Audubon Society, the Nene, currently on the Federal List of Endangered Species, is threatened today by introduced mongooses and feral dogs and cats which relentlessly prey upon the Nene’s eggs and young. Preservation efforts are continuing and the success of the Nene in Hawai’i, although not a certainty, is promising. There are now about 800 wild Nene in Hawai’i and the numbers are rising with each breeding season.

We were able to see the Nene at the zoo outside of Hilo and many of these Nene crossing signs.  However, we had never seen one along the road.  We wondered if they really did exist until this last weekend while driving to the dry side on Hwy 11.  Racheal spotted it out the window and had to get a picture to capture the state birds along the way. 

Petroglyphs

We went on a 1.5 mile hike at Volcanoes National State Park to see some petroglyphs. It was Win-dy! The hike felt like at least 3 miles. The kids were troopers though, despite the fact that the wind would occasionally blow sand in their faces. Most of the petroglyphs were 'ohana (family) related, as Hawaiians traditionally drilled a hole in the hardened lava, placed the piko (umbilical cord) of a newborn in the hole, and covered it with a rock.

Fruits and Vegetation

This is a post we started writing up in September.  We thought we'd just post it now.  Sorry the pictures are more difficult to see.

We'd been so busy exploring the area that we hadn't taken the time to explore our new yard, so we finally took the time after we visited the farmers market last Sunday.  Though guava trees are very common, we feel pretty lucky to have several in our backyard that drop their fruit daily, providing us with endless smoothie material.  We also pick up avocados off the ground daily to make guacamole, though at this point we are looking for other things to do with them.  Tops on the list to try so far are avocado truffles, avocado shakes, and avocado pie.  There are a few pineapple plants as well, but it may be a little while before we can harvest.

We also have a number of hibiscus, bird of paradise, and other flowers that we're not sure of the names yet.

More pictures from the Bird Park

The beautiful blue sky after too many rainy days/weeks.

The kids and Mama in front of an orange tree - maybe due to mold?

The kids and Papa checking out the big hole in the tree that later "ate the Lances".

A picture of a couple of the many wild pheasants and chickens we saw this day.

The kids enjoying the hike together and letting Mama and Papa do the same.  Gorgeous Christmas Eve Day.

Hilo Chinese New Year

On Saturday we went to downtown Hilo to take part in their 10th annual Chinese New Year celebration in this year of the dragon.  It was raining a little, but we still were able to witness the blessing of several establishments downtown, which was pretty cool.

According to Wikipedia: "During the Chinese New Year, lion dancer troupes from the Chinese martial art schools or Chinese guild and associations will visit the houses and shops of the Chinese community to perform the traditional custom of "cai ching" (採青), literally means "plucking the greens", a quest by the 'lion' to pluck the auspicious green normally 'vegetables' like lettuce which in Chinese called 'cái'(菜)that sound like 'cái'(财)(fortune) and auspicious fruit like oranges tied to a "Red Envelope" containing money; either hang highly or just put on a table in front of the premises. The "lion" will dance and approach the "green" and "red evelope" like a curious cat, to "eat the green" and "spit" it out leave it in a nice arrangement, like an auspicious character but keep the "red envelope". The lion dance is believed to bring good luck and fortune to the business and the troupe is rewarded with the "red envelope".

The smoke you see here is the result of a 10 foot long string of firecrackers that scared the bejeezus out of Henry.  Luckily there was a door open to a stairwell nearby, so we could get a little relief from the concussions as well as the extremely loud drumming; however, we still had to cover our ears.

 Inside one of the stores, the dragon dancers do some acrobatic moves.

Landscaping plants

When we walk around the yard, Racheal and Lance often marvel at these giant spikey plants.  After some research, it appears that these are a type of agave.  Unfortunately not the type that is used to make tequila.  Even if it was I'm pretty sure the landlords would frown upon us digging up their plants to harvest the pinas.

 While taking a picture of these bromeliads, I happened to capture a skittish lizard on film.

Ocean Watching

The kids and I have been hanging out at the beach where Lance has been "surfing" a fair amount lately. It's been nice watching the surfers, the waves, and now the whales. We have seen a fair amount of blowhole geysers and humps of their backs. However, the coolest thing I saw this week was a whale jump out of the water and land back down. This was the first time and I hope I and the family get to see it more while we're here. Just magical.
The kids and I also look for sea glass and special little treasures on the beach. Here is a couple pictures of the kids trying their hands at surfing.

 

I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike

We got this bike for Anika back in September, but she only rode it sporadically and with much prodding.  Seems she didn't like the red color - too boyish.  However, since mom pointed out that the bike is turning pink, due to fading, she hasn't been able to stop riding it.  Now she is a pro biker, starting and stopping by herself.  Even this morning, while mom and dad were still in bed, she got up, got dressed, and went for a "spin around the block" (did a few circles in our driveway).  PS - you can click on the title of this post to see the video of the Queen classic.

Rainbow trees

Apparently in Hawaii, everything becomes a rainbow.  Down the road from our house Anika pointed out a few rainbow trees.  According to Wikipedia these are eucalyptus deglupta commonly known as the Rainbow Eucalyptus, the Mindanao Gum, or the Rainbow Gum. It is the only Eucalyptus species found naturally in the Northern Hemisphere. Its natural distribution spans New Britain, New Guinea, Ceram, Sulawesi and Mindanao.
The unique multi-hued bark is the most distinctive feature of the tree. Patches of outer bark are shed annually at different times, showing a bright green inner bark. This then darkens and matures to give blue, purple, orange and then maroon tones.