26 July 2010
Summer begins on a high note with a birthday BBQ for our girl Sara, who had an especially amazing year. We also organized the return of our neighborhood’s Fourth of July Parade, for which 70 neighbors and friends turned out to walk around the historic district. It was a blast!
23 July 2010
I took my cub to pick blueberries today!
20 July 2010
As we began packing to return from our trip in Maui, it became clear that one important item was not accounted for: Owen’s dear stuff dog named Newspaper. It appears he liked it so much on the island that he decided to stay (isn’t that what most of us want to do anyway?).
Well, godspeed to you, Newsie. We will always remember our trips with you to Montreal, Wisconsin, and Washington DC. We hope you enjoy your endless supply of sun, sandy beaches and Mai Tais.
Artists rendering of Newspaper's current appearance
15 July 2010
Maui! We’d had enough of a rainy spring, said “pooh-pooh” to a 5 hour flight with 3 little kids and headed to Hawaii for some sunshine and adventure. Peter and I honeymooned here 11 years ago and have been itching for a swim in the warm ocean ever since we left.
We had the extreme good fortune of being “test guests” for Julie Mercer’s (Auntie Jen’s Mom) condo in Kihei. Very comfy digs, I tell you. If you find yourself headed to Maui, we highly recommend contacting Julie for details! (By the way, we ARE available to test other people’s vacation homes, as well!)
Our days started early, on the beach like this, (at Big Beach in Makena)
And included lots of sand castle building and unbuilding, (at Ka’anapali Beach)
And digging big holes, (at Ulu’a Beach in Wailea)
And eating sand
And some body surfing/getting rolled around in big waves. (at Ulu’a Beach) Owen became quite the body surfer!
One day we drove to the top of Haleakala, the volcano that makes up the south end of Maui, over 10,000 ft high! Here is Owen peering down into the “erosional valley” at the top (not a crater, we learned). It was amazing to be up ABOVE the clouds and the views on the drive up/down were great, too.
Another day we went to Lahaina for a ride in a Yellow Submarine (this delighted our 3 year-old Beatles fan). While not REALLY a submarine, we did ride below water level over a shallow reef and saw corals and lots of fish.
We also rested at the “World’s Largest Banyan Tree” and attempted a picture of our fantastic 3. Drew was attempting a “moon”–tough to do in a onesie!
Another day we took at drive to the other side of the island (the wet and rainy side) and took a hike in a bamboo forest
to this waterfall. Owen and Peter scrambled up a 12 foot rock wall to get to another one as well!
In the afternoons, we napped and then swam at the condo pool which had a big tile Orca in the bottom. Sara was never fully convinced it wasn’t going to bite her. This was Owen and Sara’s most favorite thing–swimming every day.
We ate our share of Maui pineapples and mangos, and (at Owen’s request) bought a coconut at the farmer’s market. A woman with a big machete chopped off the end and stuck in a straw! We all tried it, but Drew was the only one who went back for seconds and thirds and fourths…
After dinner, we would seek out a sunset (at about 7 pm!) across the street from the condo
or along the fancy Wailea Beach walk
We took some self-portraits
And finally got a picture of everyone looking in the same direction! Taken by a mother of three (teenagers) who Drew very effectively charmed (a recurring theme!).
We had a GREAT time and are still cleaning off the sand. We’ll be back someday!
2 July 2010
Now that Owen and Peter are out of school, we are LOVING summer. Our recent adventures have included:
A Father’s Day “puppy pile” with no injuries! **LOVE that Daddy**
A trip to the Oregon Zoo with the Grandparents Hoelter and cousin Jackson…
A day that was nearly warm enough to slip’n’slide!
*Not recommended for those over 30, DON’T be fooled by the little cushion provided.
An attempt at Dragon Boat Racing at the World Beat Festival here in Salem! The CHAOS Water Babies (despite needing to come up with a much FIERCER name) did not capsize, run into the bank or win any races, but we did have a good time and got wet in the Willamette on a sunny day. In case you wondered, it’s best to paddle in unison…
Lots of yard work and gardening, including the transformation of the part of the “back 40” into a play area WITHOUT broken glass and bottle caps.
And a BBQ/Birthday party for our big 3 year old. It was a lovely evening with new/old friends and family, piles of bratwurst and  chocolate cake! With sprinkles! AND popsicles! Here she is sporting her latest Beaver Gear. Her response, “I’m good at soccer!”
Hope you’re all having a lovely summer, too!