Hi, everyone!
After Bill-kun and Karin-chan left, we had more rainy weather! Moose-san and I helped Joe-san make yummy orange French toast for breakfast and panna cotta to put away for dessert. We made sure there were no lumps in the panna cotta!
We had another big rainstorm and there were puddles everywhere! When we went to the playground with James, there was a puddle on the walk and a big puddle in the lawn. There was even a pond on the road in front of Brennecke’s Beach! Cars that went through the water there got really dirty! We were good helpers at the playground. We wiped the little puddles off all the slides so James could slide on them without getting wet. We even wiped the little puddle out of the lion’s mouth! James gave me a big thank-you hug! On the walk home, Moose-san stopped to see if there were any tasty water weeds in the puddle on the lawn.
The surf at the beach was very heavy, so Grandma suggested we take James to see Spouting Horn. She thought James would enjoy the sounds the water makes as it goes in and out. Spouting Horn was making lots of spray, but no noise! James wasn’t very interested in watching it, but Moose-san and I were. The surf was very pretty!
We found lots of things to do on rainy days. Nancy-san finished knitting a pair of mittens. James took lots of naps. Moose-san and I helped Grandma beat egg whites to a stiff peak, so Joe-san could make lemon pudding cakes for dessert. Nancy-san helped James decorate a bag with stickers, and Grandma helped James draw shapes.
One day it got sunny enough to walk to the beach. First, James had a snack on the beach. Then he tried wading in the ocean. James wasn’t sure he liked that! Moose-san and I understand, because we don’t like to go wading, either! Then we all built a sand castle. James’ daddy and mommy helped him get started, and Moose-san and I helped smooth the surface of the small towers. James’ daddy built a big tower, and James put a stick on top to be the flagpole. Moose-san and I used a shovel to smooth the areas in between the towers, while James’ daddy did the final shaping of the big tower.
That evening, clouds moved in just as the sun was setting. We had thunder, lightning and heavy rain all night! It was sunny the next day, and we all took a whale-watching walk along the shore. I went back to the beach to check on our castle. Look what the rain overnight did to it! After our sunny day, we had a pretty sunset.
That night, Moose-san looked at the weather radar and saw we weren’t going to have rain for the next day. James got a chance to run up and down the little hill in the back yard of the building where we were staying. He really likes playing “Stop” and “Go” with his mommy! Then we took a trip to Aunty Lilikoi’s store to buy more passion fruit products to take home. Aunty Lilikoi remembered me, but thought I was a tiger! We went to the Gourmet Farmers’ Market at Kukui’ula. The Soup Lady there makes Hungarian Mushroom soup, just like Grandma does! On the way back, Moose-san and I bought Christmas ornaments for James and Bill-kun and Karin-chan. Can you guess what animal we bought for James?
On James’ last day in Kauai, we drove to Kilauea Point lighthouse. James wanted to go into the lighthouse building, but it’s closed. Every time we visit Kilauea Point, I see something different. This time there were lots of whales just offshore and a frigate bird overhead. I wished my nene friends had been around to meet James, but they were all someplace else. We did find the tribute brick at the lighthouse that belonged to Grandma and Grandpa’s friends from church. We parked in the lower parking lot, and Moose-san was NOT happy about the “feeding the animals” sign!
James and his parents were taking a late night flight, so Grandma made a kalua pork and pineapple pizza for our last meal together. When it was time, Moose-san and I went to the airport to say good-bye. James’ mommy has a big backpack to carry James’ car seat until she sets it up for him on the plane!
The rest of us were going home the very next day, and it was raining AGAIN! The rain looked lighter to the east, so Grandpa took us all to Lydgate Park to watch the surf and say goodbye to the ocean. It stopped raining long enough for us to have a picnic lunch and watch the chickens try to dry their feathers. Then we went to the airport to check in. The sun came out, but our flight was canceled because the plane was broken! We all had to stay another night on Kauai and would have to stay in San Francisco the next night before we could get our final flights back to Rochester.
Grandma and Grandpa’s church friends let us stay with them for our unexpected night on Kauai. In the morning, it was sunny! Moose-san and I took a walk with Grandma and Grandpa and Joe-san and Nancy-san on Lawai beach. We said goodbye again to the surf and the rocks and the coral. This time, when we got to the airport, we really got on the plane and it really took off! Nancy-san thinks the difference was that I put on my Hawaiian shirt today, but I forgot to wear it yesterday.
We spent the rest of the day flying from Kauai to San Francisco. It was past my bedtime before we got to our hotel. In the morning, we went back to the airport and got on a plane to Chicago. It was dark when we got to Chicago and changed planes for our last flight back to Rochester. We finally made it — 33 hours later than we planned!
Love,
Lion-san
We had a good time despite the rain. We got more visiting in! Hawaii is nice even if it rains. Moose-san was happy to be able to play with James and munch on the weeds in the big puddle.