One Long (and Exciting!) Post

This past week flew by with Brad in town.  We had lots of fun showing him around the island and he was a good sport about adapting to E's nap time and bedtime schedule ;)  Not to mention Jon's work schedule - he's still on the graveyard shift so he slept every day until about 2 in the afternoon.  It helps that we live right on the beach though.  When things were pretty low-key in the morning due to sleeping Sheeders, Brad just hung out at the beach and worked on his tan.  We made do and had a lot of adventures with and without Jon.  The days are kind of all mixing together in my mind so I'll just highlight the main events of the week.

Before I begin with the synopsis, I need to give a little back story....

About a week and a half ago on his way into work, Jon saw a stray dog - a Chihuaha - on the driveway and it followed him into the facility.  The dog hung out with him and the guys the whole night and stayed for the next couple days.  Some of the guys went out and bought him dog food, a doggie bed and some treats and he became the site dog.  They gave him a bath, trimmed his nails and named him Frank.  After a few days of pampering, Frank decided it was time to move on and wandered off.  This led to some broken man hearts at General Atomics and after calling around, they discovered someone had brought him to the pound.  So, on one of Brad's first days here, we were assigned the task of picking up Frank from the humane society.  We decided to make a family event out of it so we all went out and picked him up on our way to Spouting Horn and Po'ipu Beach Park on the South shore.  Frank had just gotten his business snipped and was a little sore and out of it so he rode in the back of the stroller with Everett.  E could not get enough.

We stopped at the playground and for the first time E-man showed major interest in the slides.  So we decided to let him try them all with the help of Dad and Uncle Brad.

Here are the boys getting ready for the sunset (it's a little dark, sorry)

There wasn't much of a sunset but I still thought these sun beams coming down through the clouds were beautiful.

The fun continued when we got home that night and Frank was feeling a little better.  Jon fed him and then Everett chased him around for an hour or so before bed.

One morning E and I took Brad to see Wailua Falls.  The sun came out just in time for a photo opp.

On Thursday night Brad played Ultimate Frisbee with Jon and the little man ran up and down the sidelines (and sometimes onto the field) cheering them on.

Probably the highlight of the week for me - and I think it's safe to say for Brad too - was when we went stand-up paddle (SUP) boarding on the Nawiliwili Bay (where we live).  We were able to get a sweet discount thanks to my new Hawaii ID so we had the boards for a day and a half.   Brad and I went out first one afternoon while E and Jon were sleeping and it was so much fun!  It took awhile (and about 4 falls) for me to get the hang of it but once I was in the groove it was awesome.  Brad was a natural and we cruised all over the bay.  Sometimes we just sat and relaxed on the waves in the sun.  It was so peaceful and beautiful out there.  The water was the perfect temperature to balance out the heat.

Jon took pics and video from our lanai.

Brad and I are the two in the center of the pic, closest to the camera

The next afternoon Jon and Brad went out while Ev and I took pics.

LOVED supping :-)

Another morning Brad, Everett and I drove up to the North shore to check out the beaches.  We decided to look for one I hadn't been to before but had heard about and it turned out to be a hidden gem!  It took us a little while to find it but once we got on the right track it was a winding road down through this lush valley and into what looked like a little Polynesian village.  All the houses were up high on stilts and looked like tropical tree houses.  The beach was absolutely gorgeous.

Moloa'a Beach

And of course I took Bradley to my favorite Lumaha'i Beach.  On the way we stopped at a scenic overlook of the valley.

 Lumaha'i Cliffs

The hike down to the beach

And I admit I probably went a little overboard with the rock climbing pics.  But it was so cute!!!

E greeting Uncle Brad upon his return from exploring

and proudly showing him his rocks

On Brad's last full day on the island, we headed out to Waimea Canyon on the West shore.  We hadn't been there since our vacation here in 2009 so we were excited to see the incredible scenery again.  On the way up into the mountains we stopped at a couple of canyon overlooks to check out the view.

Once we got to the top we got ready for hiking.  E always loves getting in his pack on Dad's back.

We hiked on the Pihea Trail which begins as far up as the road goes in the mountains.  On one side is a view of Waimea Canyon but on the other side of the ridge is a view of the majestic Na Pali Coast, the one portion of Kaua'i where you cannot drive because it consists of steep, lush, beautifully colored cliffs along the shoreline.  Unfortunately, it was a little rainy and foggy by the time we got up there so this was the best view we had.  The ocean is what's beyond the cliffs in the picture.

The trail is pretty strenuous with lots of ruts and mud.

I stayed back after awhile while the boys traveled on and sat on a ledge overlooking a lush green valley listening to the birds.  Within about 10 minutes of us parting ways, the fog really started to roll in.

Soon this was all you could see beyond the path!

The sign below has an arrow pointing to one of the best views there is of "one of the wettest spots on Earth": Mt Wai'ale'ale.  Of course, we never caught a glimpse of it through the thick fog.  We can see it in the distance from Jon's work and the top of the peak is always covered by clouds since it rains there almost all the time.  We've only seen it cloud-free one time since moving here.

While the guys were gone, I drove down the hill a couple miles to use the restroom and on my way saw a wild boar run across the street!  It was huge and black and surprisingly fast.  Kind of exciting to see one in the wild.  I was a little worried about the boys on the cliffs in such thick fog but they made it back shortly and E had even napped in the backpack almost the whole time!  

So that was our week with Brad.  We always have a good time when he visits.  Thanks Uncle Brad!

We miss you all.  Our time is going by quickly here.  I can't believe that Halloween is just days away.  I'm sure we will have some great pics coming up :)

Have a wonderful weekend, friends!!