Libs digging a hole. Hands Clem a shovel and says Help. 

She digs for a few seconds then stops and asks “Lib, why are we doing this?”

He looks at her incomprehendingly. Why would you need a reason to dig a hole?

The difference between 12 and 15

had a random idea last night – what if we took the kids out of school next year and moved/travelled? just putting it out there – all sorts of practical reasons not to but we’re running out of time to do it be before Clem ages out.
Text from my honey this morning. My honey who is stuck in SF working while kiddos and I play in Hilo. Who left for 10 days in Alaska feeling like he shouldn’t because he needed to be working for his clients and so much was going on… who came home the night before that trip saying “I’m pretty sure I’m still going…”

The night before we left was my birthday and he and I waked down to 20 spot for bubbles and a bite. Talked turned to our recurring topic of do we stay on this path w the big house in SF and me not making money and private school and skiing and everything that goes w those habits, or do we chuck it all And move somewhere we can afford to never work for money again?  

There’s been a change in his attitude recently. Before it was I have to provide and I signed up to do this and I’m going to get the kids through school here. Lately there’s been a shift to I’m not enjoying what I’m doing enough for the trade offs. Especially when we keep abandoning him in SF. 

Plus, we came back fromAlaska to discover that his main client is going under and the other one he was setting up to be a really major project for the next few years probably isn’t going. To happen. So what next

All three appear quite happy to work themselves up to hurricane while wondering over from Mexico and mellowing before getting to Hawaii, but still bringing a steady stream of wind and high surf advisories to us here in Hilo.  We were planning an excursion to Beach 69 tomorrow, but forecast says 11-15 mph winds with gusts to 21.  Doesn’t sound that fun.  Should have gone today as soon as we looked at the forecasts for the coming week, but couldn’t motivate the kiddos.

Celia actually pasted by over the last couple of days.  This evening the forecast updated to “possible tropical storm conditions” for the weekend.  I told L we should stop by KTA for some  supplies.  He said “we need to go to the library” (did I mention that we were just there yesterday, for our 3rd visit this summer?)  Then he got hold of the shopping list:

Groceries
AAA
Spam
Doritos
Mangoes
Pineapple
Pog
Hawaiian sun
Bacon
Rice

For Cs birthday, we’re on a small boat day cruise from Juneau, south to the Tracy Arm Fjord and its tidewater glaciers. Currently motoring between glowing blue ice bergs as we turn into the base of Tracy Arm. 

C has opted to celebrate her day w a three hour nap, starting on her tutu’s shoulder, transferring her head to my lap about an hour ago. 

Happy 15th to my amazing, talented and strong Super C. May you always continue to know what you want and follow your own path. 

7:30am

Day 3 and facing our first named storm of the summer. Seems early, but we are here a couple of weeks later than usual. Guess I’m going to see Secret Life of Pets matinee. 

It will distract us from news from Nice. I am just numb. 
“It’s my turn. Get your hand off the board.” From C to L, over checkers, in a particularly threatening yet lighthearted voice 
9:05am

Rainy morning in Hilo. Me: drinking coffee (Sharks) and having buttered toast (3 seed) while procrastinating cleaning the toilet that was left clogged by the last people here and snaked by Wally the plumber yesterday. C: listening to Hamilton and writing. L: playing MTG with Julien over FaceTime. 

Good timing on the rainy morning since we seriously needed to clean the house. Mom’s friends left it tidy but didn’t clean it. And we all got too much sun playing in the cove yesterday at Reeds. And the county sprayed Richardsons for fire ants this morning. 

Getting settled sort of day in Hilo: 

L hopped onto my bed at 6:20 to announce he was ready to go to farmers market for a subi and then to get book. (He went back to his own bed when I pointed out the library doesn’t open until 11 and I told him to put down the iPad.)

C got ready to go for a run about 8 then discovered we had no food. Only condiments. 

Cleaned the cobwebs and gecko poop out of the kitchen cupboards and played Scrabble while we waited for the library. Scrabble about evens out if L gets 9 tiles, C gets 8 and I get 7. 

Farmers’s Market for fresh coconut juice and subis. Plus the usual papayas and pickled daikon and longon and such. 

Library for a stack of books. At least 2-3 days worth, since L got only comic books. And all Marvel Civil War I think. Looking at the cover of Peter Parker, I was reminded that I didn’t let C read those at the same age because of the twisted, mysogonisyic world view.  

Attempted to hit Wilsons for shave ice, but they were closed so redirected to Sharks for pineapple sorbet. Perfect breeze on their “lanai” today. I threatened to make them go to KTA before ice cream to ensure they’d behave. C assured me “we can be good.”  Had to point out that I know they can be, they just usually aren’t at the grocery. 

KTA was relatively painless. They went off on missons for Hawaiian Suns, etc. We got $164 worth of groceries, which should last about 3 days. 

Back to house to put milk in fridge then head to beach. Neighbors have a crew jack hammering their driveway. Then tossing the chunks from pile to pile up toward the street. And the downstairs smells a bit because the last people here left it plugged up and brown. 

Yet both kids decided they’d rather read on the couch than have to move.  So I’m sitting in a beach chair on the quiet end of Richardson’s with a book and an iced coffee (and my phone). Trade winds are blowing from off shore. Listening to the waves break on the lava coast. 

So, yes, I should have grabbed a beer on my way out the door. 

A whole 65 hours later, back at SFO. Trip 3/4 of the summer for C. 2/4 for L. (To be completely accurate, Lib’s last trip is his class retreat to Yosemite, so won’t involve SFO. 

No, not that pretty boy I told you about. This one was even more gorgeous. 

Best line over heard from the sidewalk so far today 

“Reasonable goals are for the weak”

C’s response when her school athletic director questioned her reasonableness in aiming for setting the school record for 1600 meters while only a freshman. 

said my boy after he inhaled his galette complet and asked for another. 

This is what happens when you take the 11 year old to Brittany, introduce him to galette, then find yourself promising to make him some at home when he doesn’t want to leave with going back to that one specific galette shop. Even if it took me 10 months.