Right back where we started

Apparently I forgot to actually press publish on this one on Sunday. Whoops. Better late than never!

Don’t worry, we’ll put him under the seat to stop the screaming as soon as we start taxiing.
This tablet holder innovation is excellent. If more planes have this I may start bringing a tablet for flights! Nine nine!
Feeling the familiar heat already.
That’s right, E11! I don’t think I’ve ever flown out of a different gate at DFW. Maybe if I flew somewhere other than PDX/SEA…
Hard to tell who missed who more.
Didn’t even get the seltzer can open before the nap began. Guess we weren’t quite caught up after all… 😂

Off to unpacking and laundry.

The scenic route

There’s a strange blob person in the seat next to me…
Hei Hei doesn’t know he’s flying. It’s for the best, people are trying to sleep.
Sunrise over the ocean.
Seattle version of outdoor airport is less fun, but still fun!
We took a slight detour to get a great view!
Don’t get a betterview unless you’re in a helicopter!
Where are we going guys?

One thing that’s striking about flying over St. Helens after Kilauea is how small St. Helens seems. An odd feeling!

I wonder if we’ll survive today without naps.

Into the blasted wasteland

Yesterday was volcano day!

We’ve pack the necessary items…

The volcano is about 2 hours away. The trip takes you through a number of different biomes. It’s really interesting to see how different the various parts of the island are.

I’m going to put the rest of the post behind a click here because it’s very image heavy. So go ahead and click Continue Reading below to see all the pretty pictures…

Continue reading Into the blasted wasteland

Aue, Aue

We read the wind and the sky
When the sun is high

The beautiful color of the water portends something…
Boat day!

Yesterday was our catamaran day! The “no wiki” (no hurry), is a 50′ long, 30′ catamaran, with an 80′ mast. Captain Kirk (yes!) and his assistant Rob took us out for nice cruise to look at the island, and do some snorkeling in a couple different spots.

The shoreline of the big island is amazing. Rocky lava caves up close, and a view of just how big this mountain really is. There were a couple of cool spots they took us to specifically.

One was called “the grotto”. The surf was high enough that we couldn’t get in as far as the other little tour boat, so the pictures don’t really show it but there’s an entrance to a lava tube in there. The tube approenhly goes back about a mile. The roof used to cover most of the grotto as well apparently.

The lava tube is in the dark shadow right above the rope. Pretty impossible to see in the photo though.

We also saw a formation called “the red hill” which is an old Caldera that has a collapsed lava tube which makes a face which was thought to be that of the war god.

Look for the eyes, nose, and hair blowing to the left.
The less spooky side of the Caldera

We did some snorkeling near here which was pretty amazing. Big lava rocks about 10 feet under the surface, covered with coral. Not necessarily the brightly colored coral you think of from TV, but LOTS of it, and fish swimming around everywhere. Rob, our lifeguard and guide, dove down and through and underwater lava arch which was about 30 feet down.

Bevin tired out from snorkeling.
The clouds just sit on the island like a hat, not nearly as threatening as they look.
We can see our house!
It’s that one.

Here’s a couple of pictures from around the beat

There was really only one downside to this whole adventure: I’m not supposed to be this color.

That’s what comes of like 10 minutes of sun exposure between getting out of the water and re-applying sunscreen… Even with my hat. Reflection is dangerous, and the sun is a death laser.

We didn’t take Hei Hei on the boat, it seemed cruel. Matt’s poor abused legs really don’t need this sort of attention though…

Really fun day. I’m a bit sad we don’t have pictures of underwater to share, but I’m happy to be a person who enjoys doing the thing without having a camera strapped to my face constantly. 😎

The Laziest Day

Yesterday was shopping day, and being lazy sitting at the house watching the waves. We went to the farmer’s market and got some truly astounding fruits. Papaya, mango, and pineapple that have exceeded all expectations.

We also went to Costco. Which met expectations exactly.

Bevin would like you to know of the ham sandwich she made, which had hawaiian BBQ chips on it, as well as mango butter.
Sunset from the porch
The waves crash quite nicely just feet away.
“goodnight moon” said Hei Hei. Poor thing.

Tide coming in…

We have arrived at our home for the next 10 days.

View from our porch
Homecoming?

I wish I had been wearing sunglasses here for more than one reason… The sun is just as much of a death laser as in Texas.

At least Hei Hei isn’t suffering from his agoraphobia if he’s indoors.

Off to grocery shopping!

Existential dread

[ confused chicken screaming ]

Apparently a small plane crashed at Kona Airport this morning, so we’re parked on the tarmac for an undetermined amount of time before they can bring us to the gate.

*I* may start the Hei-Hei screaming soon…