City Slickers

SAM:  The wish that I want the most in the world right now is to own a horse. Horses are loyal (if they like you) and they are very much fun to ride. Today, we first went to a beach where it was really fun to snorkel. We were pretty much the only ones there, so we snorkeled for about an hour. Then we went to a good shave ice place and had (obviously) shave ice, which was really good. Then, we went back to our cabin to change into good horse-riding clothes and went to Uncle David’s farm. Then we borrowed the horses and rode them which was the MOST FUN I’ve had in a LONG time. My Horse seemed like me in many ways.
·        Stubborn
·        Competitive (She always wanted to be first in line)
·        And liked to run
So my horse worked well with me. That is what my day was like, and now we’re waiting for dinner. 

HAYDEN: I had an interesting day with some ups and downs.  We first went to the beach and went snorkeling which was pretty fun the water wasn’t that clear  but it was still pretty fun then we went back home and ate lunch and got ready for horse back riding.  [Long paragraph here describing the trials of siblinghood.  Edited.]  But after all that we went horse back riding I was able to let it go a little bit and I had a fun time and I also had a good time talking to David, the owner of the horses, about Hawaiian stuff.  Then we came home and we are about to have dinner. 
 

HANNAH: Oh ….. How I wish I had a horse. Today in the afternoon we went to Uncle David’s farm to go horse back riding. At first I was soooooo scared of the horses at first, but then Uncle David told us they can kind of sense if you’re scared so they will try to overthrow you. My favorite part was when we were riding up the hill 2 cows got out of the fence so we got to chase then on horses into the fence. It was kind of weird though because the horses already knew what to do so they would run, which REALLY hurts your BUTT.

Back to the Big Island

Hayden: Yesterday we arrived on the big island and we helped my uncle move his stuff to help make room for the twins that are going to be born soon.  I also got to try my cousins rip stick which is like a skateboard but it only has 2 wheels and it swivels.  I was pretty good at it by the end of the day.  Then we had dinner and my uncle’s mom-in-law cooked the best hot wings I have ever had in my entire life.  She told us the recipe, you first de-frost the chicken then boil it in oil then take half a bottle of Crystal hot-sauce together with 1 stick of butter then melt the butter in it then put the butter and hot sauce on top of the fried chicken then shake it in the pot to get the sauce all over the chicken.  It was one of the best meals I have ever eaten!  Today we drove a lot to get to my grandpa’s friends ranch and stay at a house nearby.  Soon after we arrived we went to a beach on the ranch property that had huge waves, it was really fun catching waves cause they were soo fast, but on the last wave I got crushed, I lost one of my  rock shoes and the string attaching me to my boogie-board broke and I got a pretty good sized cut on my foot, but it was still really fun.
 

Samuel: Yesterday we flew from Oahu to the island of Hawaii. We went to My Uncle John’s house to help them move the boxes and clean up. Cole (my cousin) and I helped dust the bedroom. We did that for awhile, and then left to play Monopoly. Once Cole and I finished that, we played Scrabble and the Wii. Then we left to help dust a little more, and then we played the video game Star Wars Battlefront II, which was a lot of fun. After that, we went on his rip stick (a skateboard with two wheels, swivels and twists, complicated to ride). Then we went out to a field with Cole’s Bee-Bee gun. We set up cans, and I hit a bottle where the Bee-Bee went right through it and it started pouring out water through the holes. Then we left back to there house and had a really great dinner, consisting of hot wings, chicken, corn and fried rice. Then we went back to my Uncle Matt’s house. Today, we went to Waipio valley, which was really hard to drive on, but we managed with our 4 wheel drive (Thank Goodness) Jeep. We saw a cool waterfall and we walked in a little creek. And then we saw a beach with pretty good waves, though unfortunately, we were not allowed to go in. Then, we drove on, until we stopped for lunch at a Subway, and then we drove to our cabin. We got settled in, and went to the beach. I decided not to go to the big waves because I was tired, but I went in the water and I got stung by a bee, and I didn’t really care. Then we left back to our cabin, had dinner, and are about to go to sleep.
 

Hannah: On Friday we flew in to Hawaii. We slept over At uncle Matt’s house. The next day we went to Uncle John’s house to help them ge3t ready for the yard sale they are having. My Mom and I helped Auntie Susie move boxes and sort clothes. Since Mom is a baby expert she told Auntie Susie what to sort the clothes by and how to organize everything. When we finished that we had a lunch break. Then we sorted out office supplies and games and other things and cleaned out a lot of boxes. Then I helped Uncle John vacuum and clean the walls. Then Auntie Katone made us a yummmylicousios dinner. We went home driving in the rain that stopped as soon as we got home. This morning we woke up early packed some clothes and went to have breakfast at Ken’s (breakfast place). We drove for about an hour and a half to drive down to Waipio valley, which was gorgeous dahling gorgeous. It was also very bumpy so we had to go on 4 wheel drive. We also went to see the beach which had ginourmas waves. This I immediately said “No” to. Then we found the place were staying at which is really nice it has 4 bedrooms and four bathrooms so it is nice. We went to this beach that we also had to go on 4 wheel drive. The beach had really big waves too but mom said Hayden could go in the water and boogie board. Sam and I stayed in the shallow end which had very slippery rocks. Then we roamed around the rural town found a place that had phone service and also got gas. Over all today was really cool!

Just Another Day in Paradise

Hayden: Today we had a pretty busy day again.  First we went to my Papa’s friend’s ranch which is 280 acres, which I’m still amazed at.  He had an imu and we went to help get the pigs out and shred the meat that had been cooked.  It took a pretty long time because we had to shred it with our hands and get all the bones out too, so that took us about until 11, then Mr. Wong took us on a tour of his huge ranch.  It was really cool to get to see the ranch partly because it had some awesome views and it was really huge but also I got to drive a golf cart wherever we went, which was fun.  Those things are like toys lol.  Then we went to go see the graves of my Papa’s grandparents and parents which was cool because I found out I have cousins in China and I found out my Great Grandmother’s maiden name was Chock, which I just thought was interesting.  So I had a pretty informing day I’m just disappointed I didn’t get to go to the beach, but there is always another day I guess.

Hannah: Today was an early day, we woke up at about 7am.We got dressed made our bed blahbitty blah. Then we went to this yummy restaurant called “ The Pancake House.” I had a crepe with fruit in it (yumms). Then we went out to Papa’s friend’s farm, which is 280 acres. We finally found the place where the imu (underground oven) is.  They were taking the first pig out to shred it. They put it in this ginourmas pan and took the bones out. They used the bones to shred it and someone came around with sea salt to sprinkle on it. They gave my Mom some to try but after seeing the pig get killed she passed!  I tried some and …… let me tell you it is 20 billion times better then the freezer aisle stuff. Then we went on a tour of the grounds led by Mr. Wong. When we were driving to see something else he made me drive the golf cart, which horrified my mom and me. So Hayden was sitting next to me holding on to the wheel and yelling in my ear (it was very pleasant). We saw the rest of his farm which was cool cause we saw cows.

We also picked our first big tomatoes from granny garden today. WOOHOO!!!! Then we cut down some torch ginger for my great and great great grand parents. We put the flowers in these holes and learned thing liked how old they were, their maiden name, etc. Then we went to my great grandparents grave and learned things about them also. Then we went to this Ah-mazing pizza place had dinner and came home. So today was busy but, fun!

Samuel: Today was busy and interesting, not to mention very long. First we went to a farm owned by my Papa Hano’s friend, Mr. Wong. We watched them take the pigs out of the imu (underground oven).  Then we witnessed the pig getting shredded, to make shredded pork. That took a while, lasting until about 11:00. Then Mr. Wong showed us around his ranch. Hayden and Hannah drove the golf cart (I know full well I can drive it, but taking the risk? I don’t think so) and I rode in the car.

In the afternoon today we decided to visit my Papa’s parents and grandparents grave. It was pretty interesting, because I saw that my great Grandmother died the first day in the year I was born. Just think, I was about 183 days from having two of my great grandmothers alive the day I was born. (In case you’re wondering, it took me about three seconds to figure that out.)  Then I saw that my Great-Great Grandparents’ surname was Chock, which is a pretty cool name. Over all it was a LONG (but good) day.

North Shore Adventure

Hayden: Our North shore trip today was awesome.  We went to this beach called sunset beach.  The water there was sooo clear it was really cool.  There weren’t any waves but it was still really fun.  Then we went along the shore and stoped in a parking lot where I got to drive again.  Then we went to the turtle beach which was cool but when I tried to boogie board I had trouble dodging the turtles so I had to stop.  But I got to touch some of the turtles which was also a cool experience.

Samuel: The North shore trip was lots of fun. With snorkel masks, we played a really fun game where someone throws the rock, and you have to catch it before it hits the ground. Then we ate lunch. Then we looked for another beach to go to and found turtle beach, There were a lot of turtles. I touched a few. Then we came back home and ate dinner. After that we had delicious ice cream at Bubbie’s, then went to Leonard’s for delicious malasadas.

Hannah was on our trip . . . but we can’t find her reflection.  Ask her for a full report; she won’t be shy to tell you about it!

Lovely Hula Hands

Hannah has been dancing all summer with Halau Hi’ilaniwaialoha, or Hi’ilaniwaialoha hula school.  The beginners’ class has 8 kids in it, 4 boys and 4 girls.  They start saying the Lord’s Prayer in Hawaiian and holding hands in a circle, then they sing a prayer in Hawaiian, then class begins!  It lasts about an hour and 15 minutes, then the big girls practice.  They are really, really good.

My friends Kalaiku and Wailani helped me sew a pa’u (hula skirt) to match the other girls’ skirts.

Then, the Kumu Hula (hula teacher), Aunty Ku’ulei taught me how to print the pa’u with fabric paint and Kukui leaves.  She told me that the Kukui leaf stands for acquiring knowledge, and that’s what we do in hula class!

Ghostly

We took a walking tour of ‘Iolani Palace to hear Hawaiian ghost stories.  Our friend Aunty Helen and her daughters, Kalaiku and Kahala came with us.

Hannah: Tonight was awesome we went on a ghost tour and our tour guide was our friend’s preschool teacher! So first we walked to Iolani Palace and the guide told us about real stories and what the guards see on video cameras at night. Then we walked over to Kawaihao church graveyard. And the guide told us that some thieves broke into a grave that was supposed to have ‘rubies and diamonds.”  So they broke the glass window and one guy went in.  His partner (outside) heard screaming and yelling. Then it stopped and 5 seconds later his friend flew out of the window hitting his friend and breaking both their necks causing them to die!  In Hawaiian culture it is rude to disturb graves. And the very important people like Ali’I (royalty) have guardians that protect their graves against intruders, so that was a guard that killed the men. And one building is built over graves so some people hear Hawaiian chants and voices! There are a lot of stories about the perfect hawaiian girl, little boys, Christmas, guards and way more. It was sooooooo fun and what was sooo funny was that I actually had a very good dream that same night! I’m very glad I learned about that.

Hayden: I thought the ghost tour was really interesting.  We started out by the palace and ended up in the graveyard of a church.  I thought the scariest story was one about this lady who tries to make you crash if you are cheating on your wife or girlfriend.  This ghost went flying off of a cliff because she found out her husband was cheating on her and she was driving and crying and she didn’t see there was a turn in the road and went flying off of the cliff.  As she was about to die she said to the doctor that she was coming for her husband.  Then three months later her husband died.  So when she appears she is totally burned up but she has perfect blond hair.  So I thought this was most interesting but it seemed a lot of them had a lot to do with men which I thought was a little strange but whatever.  But the tour was like 3 hours and really fun, I’m glad I got to go.

Samuel: Tonight was really cool. We went on a very interesting ghost tour that started just outside the palace and ended in a graveyard. We heard a ton of different stories that were kind of scary. There was one story in the graveyard where a security guard refused to put presents on the little kids’ graves who died young. Then a boy appeared behind him and asked “Why?” The guard replied by saying, “It doesn’t matter why!” (in a mean tone). He turned around and a different boy asked “Why?” He replied the same. He turned back around to see a small black tornado forming out of no where with lots of little children’s voices screaming WHY! WHY! He then ran like a little girl. That is just one of the many stories he told us.

Bacon, Anyone?

Hayden: The piggery was basically a shack with concrete walls separating the pigs; it smelled pretty nasty.  The people who worked there were mostly Hawaiian guys but there were 2 ladies there, too.  The process of butchering the pig was really long they had to shoot it, shave it, blow torch it, then take out all the guts which took about an hour.  What suprised me the most was that they used a blow torch in the cleaning of it.  To get ready for a luau is pretty hard work, there is lots of preperation involved. To use the imu (underground oven) you have to heat lava rocks and get ti leaves and you have to put them inside the pig then cover the imu with the pig inside and let it cook for a while.  I would hate to work at a piggery because its too much work.

Hannah: Today you would think I would want to be a vegetarian, but I would never make it, especially in Hawaii.  We went to a pig farm and watched them kill a pig for an imu (underground oven). Of course I did not watch them because it is mean, but they gave us a tour and we saw little piglets that came up to us and sniffed our hands (sooo cute). We also saw them cleaning the pig which means shaving off the hair and blow torching the ears.  Then they put boiled water over to it and it stunk.  Then we left and helped fold napkins for the luau on Saturday. They are making shredded pork in the imu from the 3 pigs that sadly passed away today.  Then we went to this “hole in the wall” sandwich restaurant it was really good.  Then we went back helped set up chairs for over a thousand people and went across the street to get the famous shaved ice (which wasn’t the best but it was still good). Then after spending all day at the imu we came home and found out we smelled like smoke!

Sam: (Note from editor: entry composed under duress.)  The piggery looked like a barn. I don’t know who worked there. They kill and clean the pigs.  First you kill it, then you shave it then you take out it’s guts than you put it on a cart.  The grossest part was when they showed us the brain.  The piggery stinks SOOOOOOOO bad!  Preparing for a luau is busy and tedious, you have to set up tables and forks and knives.  An imu is just an underground oven, where you put your food.

 

Sew Cute

Learning to sew with Granny!

USS Arizona

Hayden: The USS Arizona memorial was cool. We first went there and looked in the museum, then we took some pictures and had lunch. Then we  saw a cool movie about why the bombing of Pearl Harbor happened. Then we went on a boat to the USS Arizona memorial and saw all of it. It was cool.

Hannah: The USS arizona was really amazing.  We walked around the museum and saw artifacts and a letter to someone’s wife that said he was lost at sea and I wondered how many of those were sent out to people.  There had to be at least a thousand. Then we saw the  place where everything happened they even had pictures. Then we went to watch the movie which was amazing.  It showed both sides: what was happening in Japan and what was happening in Hawai’i. I definitely learned a lot. Then we rode a boat out to the memorial and saw the names of all the people who died. Then there was a little place that had the people who lived through the attack but they buried them there later in their lives which is SAD.  We also saw oil still leaking from the ship.  There were also a couple of fish swimming around. I learned a lot it was really cool.

Sammy: The USS Arizona Memorial was ok.  We first hung around in the museum until our tour started.  In our tour we first watched a movie on the bombing of Pearl Harbor and what led up to it.  Then we went out on a boat to see the actual memorial.  Then after that we went back on the boat and went to my grandparents’ house to eat dinner.

Ka Pa’alana

This week we took a family field trip out to visit Ka Pa’alana, a program related to Mom’s sabbatical project.  Mom made us write about our day.

Sammy:  The preschool was fun. First we went there and looked at the yurts they were making. Then we walked over to the preschool and watched the little kids listen to stories and do a dance. And then we helped clean up and folded the the tarp, and put away all the books and games and stuff like that. Then, we helped sort out a few things. Then we had lunch.

Hayden:   The preschool was pretty interesting.  First we got to see the place where they are going to put the new preschool.  They are going to be in these tent like things that are somewhat permanent. They are called yurts. Then the rest of the time we observed, then we helped clean up and stuff like that.  Then we left and went to go have lunch at this local place which was ok, it wasn’t that great but it had a lot of local food like poke, which is raw fish, and which is pretty good–you just have to get used to it.

Hannah: I loved the preschool.  You could see the parents get into it and how much the kids were learning. They all knew each other and the teachers.  They had a story time and everybody sat down and listened; they got snacks and got to play with toys so it was really cool. In the end they play a song and all the kids knew it and danced to it. The teachers have to clean up a big tent, clean all the toys, roll up the mats, and just do a lot so they’re building these yurts, which are these circular buildings with cone shaped roofs  made of wood.  So that is gonna be the new pre-school so the teachers don’t have to clean up the tent thingymajiggers every day.  So after that we went to have lunch.  We had musubi and fried chicken, soybeans and a lot more.