The only place the kids remember how much fun they have building sand castles. And play in the water all afternoon without claiming they’re bored. Lib was so busy he forgot to eat lunch. Or even a snack. 

over last night in Hilo for Liz & Glenn dinner at Miyo’s:

Lib:

1.  Food

2.  video games on ipad

3.

4.  New magic cards on the MTG Origins release day

Clem (not in order)

The first half of the kayak trip

Hiking across the crater (Kilauea Iki)

Water slide at Waikaloa Hilton

Minions

Food at Hawaiian Style

Glenn

Monkey in the Middle when he wasn’t in the middle

First 2/3 of the kayak trip

Cabanas

after what in many ways was the fiasco of yesterday (despite Liz’s many attempts to label it a grand adventure), today we rented a car and went up to Volcano so we could take C and L on their first bike across Kilauea iki. 

Which went so much better than I’d hoped. 5 minutes down the trails, surrounded by tree ferns and flowering ginger, C declares “this is one of my new favorite places on Earth!”  When we hit the crater floor and emerged from the trees, she announced “I’m so so so glad we did this” which she repeated often for the rest of the walk. 

L was not as effusive, characteristically, but was excited about the crater. Though once we ascended and were walking back along the rim, was done with the whole mind blowing vistas across frozen lava bubbles and started tapping his foot when we started at EVERY overlook. 

Watching 2 people walk off the ” trail” across the crater toward a steam vent:

L. They aren’t staying on the trail. I think they’ve found a geezer. 

R. Geyser, not geezer. 

L. Whatever, they mean the same thing. 

R.  No, a geezer is a cranky old person. 

L. Oh, well, everyone has found one of those in their life. 

hiding out in the cabana as long as possible before the kids insist on monkey in the middle in the pool 

I know we were just in France for three weeks. But I got off the plane, and the Hawaiian air hit me and I thought “now it feels like summer.”