HCC/Oahu trip

Okay, where to start?? Let's start at the rental car agency, where they upgraded me to a convertible (the HaoleMobile from that moment forth). Red Chrysler Sebring. You'll meet her in a moment. So my first stop is picking up Heather at a sushi joint where she has already befriended a young man. (She flew in an hour before I did.) I broke up the happy couple to get us both to Kailua, where Corinna graciously hosted us in her mom's house.

This is a random family taking a souvenir shot at Lanikai "Beach" on Oahu at high tide.

Luckily Krina, being all local and stuff, knew that if we just kept walking we would find some sand. That's her and Heather strolling t'wards the briny blue. Quite different from the feel of our Big Island beaches, that's for sure.

I set up my poster that evening with the help of some generous Velcro-toting co-presenters, then we had a mai tai (what else?) and some dinner at a beachfront bar in Waikiki, and headed back to Kailua for a good night's sleep before Presentation Day at the Hawaii Conservation Conference.

I can't show you my top-secret poster presentation (rules rules rules) but I will tell you that it was well-received. This year's conference theme was "The Year Of The Reef" and Sylvia Earle was there so I'm lucky I got any play at all. (She's the one who put the fear of God in me about eating sushi, btw.)

Okay, so I moved to my swank $84/night hotel near Diamond Head (close to the beach! a bargain, actually. Look, I could see the ocean from my room... kind of, if I leaned out over the lanai). I couldn't bear another city-locked Ala Moana hotel after last year, so I chose beachfront property. Enjoyed another day of conference (even though it was rather depressing to hear about the state of the ocean these days, people did try to keep it positive and focus on what can still be done to preserve what we have left), picked Grant up, and after one more night in the ghetto, moved to the slightly more upscale Moana Surfrider hotel in Waikiki.

And here is the new view from the new hotel room. No neck-craning necessary. But the service was TERRIBLE. Okay, at checkin they gave us leis and cold drinks and cold cloths for our sweaty brows. But after that? Fuhgeddaboudit. Housekeeping knocked 3 times when we had the do not disturb thingy up, failed to clean our room on the first day, and was generally unresponsive to all our requests. But yeah the view rocked and the bed was huge and comfy. :)

And here's Grant in the Haolemobile. He kept saying "Okay, get out of our way" and "Get out of our way, we don't know where we're going". He makes quite a good haole, actually. I got to meet his folks, who live in Pearl City and are very nice. They invited me for Thanksgiving! I think I passed the test. Or maybe G bribed them, I donno.

We hit First Friday in Chinatown and saw this theater, where I think Tom Waits should seriously consider playing on his next tour.

And here are my favorite souvenirs (Doodle modeling my favorite)

Let's take a closer look at that...

Mom and Dad happily on vacation... while the kids are in puppy jail....

I've been meaning to post an evacuation sign. I heart them.

Okay, running out of time and steam. More later, kids. HBD to Blake!

puppies and froggies and more weird fruit

first, let me say how interesting it is to me that i used to post almost Every Single Day, and now it's every month at best?? jeez. oh well.

the neighbors have a breeding pair of miniature dachshunds. that means little wrinkly hot dog babies!! here's one of them at 6 days old (with worried mama in the background). awwuh!! the puppy neighbors, incidentally, are moving away so they can be the caretakers of Kenny Loggins' big self-sustaining homestead he built for his family in Hawi on the north side of the island. It was a Y2K retreat, apparently. Kenny's apparently been yacht-rockin' lots of benefit concerts for schools and environmental protection organizations. (wonder if he does Footloose?)anyway, he's going to pay my soon-to be ex-neighbor lots of money to keep up his solar power station and to eat organic fruit from his hippie wife's orchards. sweet.

but i digress. in other Cute News, another coqui frog got in the house. I got to this one before Doodle did (unlike the last several, who became Cat Toys and then Dead Cat Toys). I suppose i really should let him have them, since i'm working on the invasive species and all, but look at those sticky feet! i just can't bring myself to do it.

dragonfruit are pretty. see?

but they taste like nothing. watery and a tiny bit sweet with crunchy poppyseed-esque action. no more dragonfruit for me, thanks. i'm still eagerly anticipating meeting my first mangosteen. and i have discovered that lilikoi, or passionfruit, a fruit once too strong for my tender taste buds, has become super-addictive. it's a megadose of vitamin C. really perks ya up. and the homemade ice cream place up the street makes sorbet out of them. i never tasted anything so yummy (especially when paired with mango ice cream).

i haven't posted a picture of the doodle lately. he's getting fat again! gained 2 pounds last month. we're going to have to take measures if this trend continues. south beach diet has been suggested. i'm going to have to make him his own naptry! there ain't no room for me!

arright kids, i'm off to the tidepools to molest the marine creatures. i'm trying to make sure i hit the mainland with some semblance of a tan, but i may disappoint some people. since that burn i got, sunscreen is my friend.

happy rocktober, everybody! special birthday shoutouts to amy (oct 2), grandma (91 on oct 4), and molly (oct 5). october's a big birthday month. so happy b-day in advance to: kee, eleanor, rob, summer, ian, brandy, and ME!!!!!