Thar Be Pirates! & Surf's Up on the North Shore

Yo Ho Ho Ho - A Pirate's Life For Me

This week Bethany treated us to a Pirate Cruise!

 

It was great fun.  We were on board a pirate ship with a fine-looking pirate Captain and his crew.

 

Of course there was a sword fight.

 

Cortlynn contemplates the life of a pirate.

 

Cammon judges which pirate team said "Argh" the loudest.  It was a tough decision.

 

We got to see spinner dolphins.  Here is a mother and her baby.

 

One fun thing about this cruise was that "Daddy" got to come along.  In this picture, Cammon is holding his Daddy Doll.  The children each picked a favorite picture of Stephen in his uniform.  These were turned in to dolls that are just the right size to be carried everywhere.  I think these are great - the children love taking Daddy different places which helps them feel more connected while he is so far away.

 

Another thing that helps is being able to spend time with Grandpa.  This week the surf on the North Shore began to pick up, which means that surf season is not far behind.  Layden figured it was the perfect time for a surf lesson.

 

Cortlynn gets one-on-one paddling instruction.

 

Cammon practices getting into his stance.  Looks like we might have a real goofy-foot surfer here.

(That means a surfer who puts the right foot forward on the board.)

 

Riding a "bump" in to shore.

"This is lots of fun, Grandpa!"

 

 

ALOHA

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What Do You Do When Your Husband Deploys?

Well, if you are Bethany, you pack up the kids and go visit Grandma and Grandpa in Hawaii.

Stephen is currently serving with a Navy SEAL Team somewhere in Afghanistan. We aren't sure exactly where, as they move him around from place to place.  His physical therapy services are in demand.  We all miss him A LOT.

Stephen in his "battle rattle"

We are really proud of Stephen for being willing to serve his country.  I find it quite odd to have him deployed instead of Layden.  It feels very strange.  Layden thinks it all sounds very familiar, and when those two get a chance to talk they carry on in lingo the rest of us don't quite understand. 

Of course, one of the reasons Bethany decided to come here was because we live on the beach, so of course we have taken great advantage of that.  Cammon and Cortlynn are having a wonderful time.

 

Both children really like the water.  Here they are on their boogie boards.

















Cortlynn loves to swim, and really likes wearing her flippers

 

Cammon has learned to snorkel.

We have taken them kayaking.

Cammon has taken quite a liking to the kayak.  He gets a bit of personal instruction from Grandpa and then....

...heads out on his own.  He is really catching on to paddling.

We are outside a lot. Nothing beats eating lunch on the lanai!

Bethany has been busy too.  She trains and competes in triathlons.  Taking advantage of the beach and the bike/running trail have really paid off for her.  She entered the Na Wahine triathlon and came in with a personal best time.  Congratulations!

We can't believe it is already autumn!  Seasons change here, but very subtly.  We are noticing that the very smooth, calm water is gradually becoming more active.  The waves on the reef are starting to pick up.  And the days are getting shorter. 







We were all enchanted by the Harvest Moon, which illuminated the clouds and made the beach bright.  It was fun to sit out on the sand and see moon shadows and the lights of Hale'iwa.

 

ALOHA

The Blogger Is Back!

 

Yes - I know - its HAS been a long long time.  Yes  - I have been busy.  Preoccupied.  Blog lazy.  All true.  If you have been following this, I am sorry.  If you have given up - well, then this is irrelevant.

  (Portrait rendered by Karinne, age 7.  Pretty good, I think)

Yet once again I seem to have been somewhere, everywhere - and also nowhere.

Here are the highlights.

The somewhere part:

We began the year with a brisk midnight dip in the Pacific Ocean.  It was a bit chilly, but also an exhilarating way  to welcome the new year.  We plan to continue the ritual.

 

Soon after, I took off for Incline Village, Nevada, home of Sierra Nevada College.  Why?  Because I am beginning my MFA program in Creative Writing - emphasis, poetry.

I know - I know - another liberal arts degree. It is true that I already have an MA in Art History, and I love it and love that I have been able to teach at various colleges and universities around the world. This desire to write - to be a poet - sprang from a very encouraging workshop I took at BYU Provo from Kimberly Johnson while Layden was deployed. During this time I realized that my experiences as a military spouse in wartime are something worth writing about, and if something is worth doing, it is worth doing well. Hence, the embarkation on more education. At SNC I get to study with some remarkable faculty members in a very intense environment - lots of individual instruction and great hands-on mentoring. I am fortunate indeed.   

Yes indeed - the campus does resemble a ski village.

The snow was beautiful - and no shoveling required as the campus has heated walkways!

The nowhere part:

At the end of January, I had reconstruction surgery on my right foot.  Bone out of place moved back into place.  Everything that bone displaced moved back into place.  4 screws inserted.  OUCH!

3 months of absolutely NO weight-bearing, and then 2 more in a walking cast.  It was June before I could wear a shoe on that foot.  Lots of physical therapy.  And I am still not all the way healed.  They say it takes a year.  I only have 4 1/2 months to hit that mark, so I hope things pick up quick.

No walking also meant no swimming and no bike rides.  It felt like a l-o-n-g time.  But, I had some good visitors who came to take care of me, among them my Mom. 

 

 

I did quite a few puzzles.

Neighbors, friends, and lots of folks sent packages, cards, and well wishes.  One of my favorites  - this all-yellow box of sunshiney cheer from my grandchildren in Virginia.  Thanks!  It really lifted my spirits. And don't you just love those glasses?

 

Since I really wasn't going much of anywhere, I got lots of writing done.  Its was a very productive semester.  And, being stuck at home when you live on the ocean is really not too bad.  There is always something going on.  This year we got to see lots of humpback whales.  Fascinating!

And, if there were no whales, the cat was always good for some amusement.  He is still working on a way to get through the window to the birds on the wire.

The everywhere part:

 

This Mother's Day Layden surprised me with a trip to Maui.  It was really fun to get away and see another island.  Still Hawaii but very different. 

 

I was fascinated with Haleakala, a large and dormant volcano.  I managed to climb the short but steep and rocky trail to the summit of the crater rim, cast boot and all.  In retrospect it probably wasn't wise, but it sure was fun!

June 14th was the Army Birthday Ball.  I managed to dance!  Teeny tiny steps, slow songs, but I was out there on the dance floor.  My hanbok from Korea made for a great ball gown - and was long enough to cover the cast boot.

 

June also meant the arrival of Layden's niece Eliza (on the L in L photo) and her friend Allie.  They are 14.  They earned their own money for this trip!  Impressive, we think.  That is a lot of babysitting.  The girls were marvelous - garnered compliments everywhere we went, had a wonderful time, and were liked by everyone,

especially these two little girls.  They happen to belong to my sister, who also got to visit in June.  It was a busy month.

 

On July 4th Layden and his choir, Melemai Kapuuwaimai, performed patriotic songs at Pearl Harbor.  It is a popular place all the time, but especially so on commemorative days.  There were quite a number of war veterans, from Iraq all the way back to WWII.  Many of them sang along.  It was a neat experience.

 

By July I had managed to recover enough to make a quick trip to Sydney, Australia to see Jared, Jess, and

 

our new grandson Bodhi.  He is a charmer!  So glad we got to make the trip - it was worth the time and the effort.

Thankfully I was fit enough to head back to Reno/Tahoe at the beginning of August for another intensive residency.  This one seemed to be rife with evening homework assignments, so after spending all day in classes and workshops, I was up late every night thinking and writing.  It was easier to do this when I was in my twenties!  (Check out my interview with Brian Turner at the MFA blog link on the right.)

 

 

I flew from Reno to Washington D.C. - Dulles airport where I met up with Layden for an East Coast trip.  Our daughter Rachel and her family live in Pennsylvania.  We were completely charmed! 

 What could persuade a man to don a "Thing One" wig in public?

Only grandchildren. Karinne and Mason were delighted. Layden is a good sport!

 

A nice picture of Staheli and Washington.

Rachel, an accomplished violinist, giving Staheli some tips.

 

We also went to Norfolk, VA to see Stephen -

our Navy son.  He deployed to Afghanistan in mid-August. This is a strange sensation, all at once both familiar and completely new.  A husband deploying is one thing.  A son is quite another.


It is difficult to have Stephen deployed, but we are proud of him and understand the sacrifice he is making to serve his country. The upside of this situation is that we get to have the pleasure of his family for a few weeks here in Hawaii while he is gone. It is a delight. They love the beach. We love them. It is a good mix. I am sure you will see more of them in future posts.

It was a good trip, and it was good to head for home.

We were really happy to see this little bit of land appear in the middle of the Pacific  - such a small spot and such a lot of water.  We have been in Hawaii for a little over two years now, which means we could get orders to someplace else any time.  We would rather not - we love it here.  We are grateful for every day we get to spend in our charming house on the beach. 

 

ALOHA