lizeyp.net

welcome, little lizzie

I'm an auntie! Lizzie was born on May 9 and arrived at Nathan and Howard's a couple of weeks ago. So far she's a pretty chill little girl who knows what she wants and isn't afraid to let you know it (there are only about four options so it's generally pretty easy to figure out what it is). She likes being held, bouncing up and down, her new swing, bottles, burping sitting up like a slumped-over little old man, lying draped over a shoulder practicing her neck skills, snoozing in the stroller, and having the breeze from an open window ruffle her hair. She has an adorable smile with a single dimple and is very generous about sharing it. See a handful more photos in the lizzie album and don't worry -- there will be plenty more.

kauai '09 - meeting hoku

My friend Hanna works at Dolphin Quest on Oahu. Yesterday for $28 we took a 17-minute flight there from Kauai and spent some time in a lagoon with Hoku, an 18 year-old dolphin. Hoku (“Star” in Hawaiian) was born in the lagoon and has learned ~100 behaviors that he’ll perform on command. His trainers communicate with him via hand signals but he also responds to enthusiastic cheering so the more excited praise you give him, the more he likes to perform. Unlike sharks -- the only other large grey sea creature I’ve had occasion to touch -- dolphins are velvety soft and lose approximately 12 layers of skin every 24 hours. He was amazingly gracious and tolerant, with lots of dolphinality (as his trainers put it). Silly, engaged, and very agile.

See the gallery for pics including some fetching portraits of mom in a snorkel mask.

kauai '08 - first few days

I took this picture from the ridge above the Lawa’i Valley, on our way down into the valley to see the Allerton Garden. More on that below. See pics of our first hidden beach discovery, helicopter tour of the island, and the Allerton Garden in the gallery.

Day 1:

• Tunnels Beach, beneath Bali Hai
• Sleeping Hawaiian monk seal, one of the most endangered species in the world, sunning itself on the beach and rolling in the sand like Marlo on the couch
• Shave ice #1

Day 2:

• Surf lesson with Ian, local guy (and fellow Coumadin patient -- random), Pine Trees, Hanalei Bay
• Larsen’s Beach, virtually empty after a five-minute hike down a hillside trail
• Fresh fish tacos in Kilauea

Day 3:

• Drove to the south side of the island, checked out Hanapepe and Poipu
• Helicopter tour -- and not your average experience; this was a teeny little Hughes 500 with no doors on it, flown by an amazing pilot who turned out to be an absolute kook but gave us an insanely beautiful view of the Na Pali coast and the rest of the island, see pics in the gallery
• Shave ice #2
• Fresh local ono on the grill for dinner

Day 4:

• Allerton Garden tour at the National Tropical Botanical Garden; the only downside was that Mom wasn’t with us to see it so we definitely need to come back so she can. Allerton is one of four Kauai garden-estates run by the National Tropical Botanical Garden. What is now the Allerton Garden was originally owned by Queen Emma and she planted many of the trees and other plants here. The beach alone is worth the trip; the plants and trees are mind-blowing; Allerton was an artist and an architect and added several “garden rooms” and water features each of which has its own particular magic.
• Luau -- given that it was JT’s first trip to any Hawaiian island, we absolutely had to have a luau experience; the Kalua pork was mind-bogglingly tasty, the after dinner show was as cheesy as you could want hence all expectations were perfectly met.

See the pics posted in the gallery.