Waikiki, the Aquarium, and Family Time

 Friday (June 29)
Brian and Big Al wanted to go to the beach, while T-Rex wanted to do something else. The compromise was to head back over to Waikiki so T-Rex and I could go to the aquarium for awhile, and then meetup with everyone else at the jetty (fun snorkeling) near it (and a lifeguard) at Waikiki.

T-Rex and I of course saw tons of fish. Our favorite was the "slackjaw wrasse" that can project the inside of it's mouth forward and out of it's lips to grab smaller fish as they go by. We had to watch it a couple times because it was just that...... gross.

 Here's T-Rex by one of the big aquariums.

 This was a giant clam that would open up slightly to give us a peak as to what it looked like inside.

 The aquarium had a great monk seal exhibit, although we both thought it looked a little small for the two seals that were in the tank.  We got there at feeding time, and watched the trainer put the seal through it's tricks designed to get the seal to cooperate with a quick examination.

Meanwhile, Brian and Cheesie were snorkeling up a storm on the quieter side of the jetty.

Cheesie would pop out for a little bit and then head right back in to find the fish.

Blondie prefers the sad and building of sand castles to the ocean surf.  Since she went under at North Shore she isn't too keen on getting in with the waves.

 Here are T-Rex, Blondie and I walking out on the jetty to see what fish we can spot from the top.

Brian managed to get pictures with my underwater camera, although the screen seems to be pretty useless in the bright water unless the sun is in the perfect position. Above is a spotted puffer fish.

A little moorfish

This is the "famous" state fish. The Humu humu nuka nuka apua'a. This one (and another one) were easy to spot from the jetty. 

Later on, we headed back to the house and found that Brian's parents, aunts and uncles went to hear Jerry Santos play. That left Brian's sisters, brothers, and all of the kids behind.  The girls have loved hanging out with their Texas cousins, and all evening found us....

in the hot tub......

watching the sunset.....

doing the "wobble" and just plain cutting up.

 I have no idea what Wayne was doing here,

 but Lori was enjoying her dinner

 and our niece "D" was working on her knitting. She finally found some needles and got me to sit down with her to teach her. She's doing really well with her dishcloth.

 Here is a shot of my end of the table, helping "D" and chatting with Leigh Ann,

while Barry and Rachel, plan for the next day. It was a fabulous evening goofing off with the kids, and hanging out with family that we just don't get to see often enough.

Byodo-in Temple and the Wedding

Flea Market.... again, and the rehearsal dinner

Dole Plantation and North Shore

Waikiki, Lanikai and the Luau

After hiking Diamond Head, and eating lunch, we headed over to the beach to avoid rebellion by four girls.  They found plenty to do.  No, Cheesie isn't surfing, she was balancing in the very strong waves.

Blondie and Big Al boogie boarding

and then you would think we would head home exhausted. NOPE, not my kids. They immediately jumped in the pool and the hot tub with the cousins.  (I have no idea what Cheesie was doing)

The next morning we drove to a nearby beach called Lanikai. It's really a neighborhood with folks living on the beach side. Between certain houses are public beach access point. We went down to the furtest one and found a tiny beach. It was difficult to swim because it was so windy, and we were very glad we had water shoes for the rocks and reef. 

We tried snorkeling, but the wind would push you backwards into shore so it was tough to hold your position.  Just as we were thinking of leaving, we saw a sea turte pop its head out of the water.  Now this beach is across from the Mokes, which was on my list of things to do because I wanted to snorkel and sea the turtles, so Brian sent me back out to see what I could find. Of course turtles are much faster than I am, so it was gone quickly.  I eventually managed to catch site of two turtles hanging out together, but moving away from me.  So I was excited.  We ended up leaving soon after and hung out in the pool until time to get ready for the luau.

This was the view from the big house. Tough..... I know.

My in-laws invited all of us (all of their kids, grandkids, and cousins) who were in Hawaii to the luau at the Hale Koa.  As we entered they handed us a drink and we walked around the grounds. They had someone teaching the kids to make lei bracelets, weave headbands from palm fronds, poi ball swinging for the kids to try,  and music playing.

This young man showed us how to climb a coconut tree.  He was hysterically funny.

Then we were called to dinner by these young men.

The pig was pulled out of the ground.

Just because.....you know.

Blondie questioning the idea of fried bananas - NOT her thing.

Some of us. We took up 3 tables. All of the kids were so well behaved.

Part way through dinner the show started. It showcased the various dances/cultures of different islands in the pacific.  The dancers were fantastic.

Because..... he was still a great dancer....

This lady was amazing.  She is exactly what I think of when I think Hawaiian hula dancer.

Part of the show was for married folks to dance.  These are my inlaws who brought us all together.

Jillianne (my sister-in-law) was pulled up on stage to dance. She is super shy, so we were all surprised she actually participated

The guy group

This young man was the reigning world champion at the junior fire something or other championships.  He was very impressive.

Because the Hale Koa is for military folks, there was a segment for those who had fallen serving in the war. My grandfather Cecil was killed in the Korean War, so I stood with a candle during the song. Jillianne's fiance, and Brian's dad, also stood. Wayne lost friends and comrades in Iraq/Afghanistan, and my father-in-law lost friends in Vietnam.

At the end all of the dancers were outside to pose with everyone.  So I think all of us stood next to this guy..... because.... you know.

We also stood by the wonderful lady dancer.  She is not bending down, she is actually THAT tiny. 

We finished up with the twelve year old fire spinner. Shaka.