Hawaii - Part 2

 Hmmm.   

Should I wear this accessory to compliment my swim suit 

. . . and demonstrate due caution?

 

I'll consider that ~ next time.

Moving on.

There are really cool waterfalls on the Big Island.

 

There are also really cool (and friendly) Hawaiian people.  

 

Disclaimer: 
I was wearing my post-snorkeling hair-do plus a wet dress due to a wet swimsuit. Ah, well.

  

While my friends were shopping,

I was "Talking Story" with this affable guy - above.

  On the islands, an informal conversation is known as ‘talk story’ where you slow down 

and take time to share ideas, stories, and opinions with the people around you.  

 The Big Island is volcanic 

and there's plenty of lava to prove it.

 

  Wave after wave, the ocean has slowly rounded the lava rocks til they look like giant pebbles.

  You can see the true power of the waves in this little video clip I made:

Ya never know when one of those waves will come out and ATTACK YOU.

However, the waters were always placid at our place.

Okay.  It wasn't exactly 'our place'.  We were just house-sitting.

Unfortunately, I didn't get a good shot of the house itself . . . just the pool, the gazebo and the magnificent view.

Inside, it was CLASSY.

However, you had to get used to the fact that geckos could drop into your lap from the ceiling.

 Yes.  It happened.  

 

Here's my favorite beach @ 10 a.m. on my 14th and last morning in Hawaii.

Nancy didn't 'need' a last round of snorkeling, but I did.

The beach and the waters beyond were mine, and mine alone.

In those waters, you can find the friendliest turtles ever!

(Refer to my earlier post on Hawaii to see one of them.)

Parting Shot:

One of my most favorite-ever experiences . . .

Getting LEI-ED in the Aloha State.

A big SHOUT OUT to Nancy, Shelly 

and most especially Karen 

for making this incredible Hawaii experience possible!

Degree in Hand

My son, Arian, officially finished his graduate studies at Oxford yesterday morning,

when he turned in his very last paper.

The ceremony took place three weeks ago, although papers didn't have to be completed til this Monday.

The keynote address at his graduation was given by none other than his beloved cousin Kenny.

Twelve years ago, Kenny also completed an MBA at Oxford. 

 Since then, he's become a father of five and a successful entrepreneur.  

More than that, he's simply a really nice chap . . . ever so likable.

Hats off to Jill, his wife, who has support Arian 200% during this round of academics.

Oxford's Executive MBA students have been lodged at "The Randolf".

Arian brought his son to spend an evening with him at the during his last official week there.

Little Kenneth LOVED IT!

Let me just say, it's not your average college dormitory. 

Well, Oxford hasn't been an average education and Arian has truly benefited from his his experience there. 

Looks like his family is going to be staying on the other side of the pond.

Now he has switched hats and he's doing a job as the "Business Development Officer"

for a company which brokerages patented technologies to corporations on the London stock exchange. 

If you don't quite get that, you're not alone!

My daughter Leah recently returned from visiting Arian and Jill.

Her Oxfordshire experience is posted HERE.

Gecko Land

At the moment, I'm in Gecko Land, also know as the Big Island of Hawaii,

The geckos like to hide behind the picture frames - inside the house.

With friends, I'm housesitting at a remarkable home in Kona.

(Somebody has to do it.)

BELOW: Nancy and I.  She was my travel companion in Ethiopia.

Here we are, hiking out to a beach, hauling our lounge chairs.

Nancy is carrying two.  She's my sherpa.

I snorkeled for longer than I thought possible.

The tropical fish and this (BELOW) reptilian friend motivated me to keep paddling.

He was swimming close enough to touch, but wouldn't properly pose for the camera.

Good enough!

A Mammoth Family Reunion

Here I am with my brothers and sisters.

A few more family members came out of this six-pack of siblings.

131 of us - and a birth or two since then.

I launched the reunion idea and 126 of the 131 family members readily came on board.
(My son was taking finals at Oxford so his family couldn't come and there was a missionary gal stuck in Ireland.)


We had a representative from each of my siblings' clans to help with the planning.

It was fun skyping with the planning committee. What a terrific bunch!

Here's the Master Schedule of Events -
Kelty's handiwork.

Wish you could see a clear copy of the colored version which was made into a flyer.

The location of our mammoth reunion was Reid Ranch, located in the High Uintas.

Here's an aerial shot of the ranch & surrounding areas. Can you tell that it's remote???

There was a lake for boating and fishing.

There were cowpokes and horseback riding.
There was even a swimming pool . . . at 8,000 ft altitude!

My nieces and nephews providing a Pool Party for my three of my grandkids.

The kids had a blast!

Organized activities included Uncle Mark putting on his fire fighter uniform
and pantomiming his heroic day job.

The newest of the newly-wed crowd whipped up some really cool field games.

A lot of the younger gang took a liking to archery.

 
Even the BIG KIDS got out there and played hard.

Yep. there was a great big ole soccer field near the lodge.

Throughout the day, there were optional classes. We tapped on the expertise of our family members.

I couldn't believe the collective brilliance of our presenters!

(I can say that since I didn't present, although I nudged each of my siblings to stand up and WOW us.)

The first evening, there was a rousing talent show, with Kelty as the emcee.

The audience watched the performers with RAPT ATTENTION . . .

. . . and there was a hearty applause for all the participants, including my granddaughters with their Irish dancing:

The second evening was Skit Night and family stories were recreated LIVE before our eyes.

Again, the audience truly appreciated the various vinettes, even when they were a bit corny.

As the evening descended, my sister Tricia (and Ken helping) led us in singing beloved family songs.


Then, most of the children were tucked into bed and we moved into the lodge for the Adult Portion of the Program.

The first night, we held the Six Pack Panel:

The young adults and teens were able to ask us questions about our childhoods.

Here are some of our devotees, although the photo is missing much of the room.



The second night, the older generation narrated a slide show of family history photos,
including some choice shots of grandparents, great grandparents and some great-great grandparents.

I spent months scanning and cleaning family photos. Then I struggled connecting the gizmos to display them!

A troop of techies (including my dear son-in-law in this shot) came to my rescue.

Energizer bunnies stayed up chatting and 'making merry' until the wee hours of the morning.

It's good to be able to say . . .

 we LIKE our tribe.

Hands down.

Sky Drama

At 7:30 p.m. this evening, there was this gorgeous rainbow framing the mountain.

The sky drama beckoned me to drop everything and head up the canyon for the second time in one day.

I was rewarded with this . . .

I know. I love where I live, waaaaay too much.

THE Canyon

I dearly love the canyon near my home.


Sometimes I don't get on my hiking boots until the evening.

If the sun is setting, I select the trail running along the front side of the mountain.

I'm often rewarded by remarkable drama at the close of the day.


I met a man on Tuesday who is cataloging the old mining camps located high up on the canyon walls.

He took me up to THIS place:

No. It's NOT a child's tree fort.

The pine bark has grown fully around the nails on the far end of the platform.

This mining camp was built a long time ago.
My new historian friend believes that it's over 100 years old.


Today I hiked with VIPs who gathered to discuss the preservation of the canyon.

The local mayor, a state senator, the Forest Service Supervisor and some well-spoken supporters.

We hiked up far enough to see this:

A healing balm to the soul.

NEXT POST: THREE DAYS WITH MY SIBS + THEIR KIDS

Yes. All these people are descendents of my parents or spouses of descendents.

How did THAT happen?!