Kauai

Free Range Chicken, Kauai style

We had a fabulous trip to Kauai! My mother rented a house large enough for all 9 of us and we took the first Gordan/Ellis/Allan family trip. My brother and I can't actually remember the last time we spent a full week living under the same roof. We had such a nice time. The house was wonderful - it sported a pool, a grill, a hammock and sea turtles swimming in the nearby surf.  Kauai is the low key and least crowded of the Hawaiian islands. It is overrun with feral chickens. They can be found on the beach, by the side of the road, along jungle trails and beneath John and Robin's bedroom window in the wee hours of the morning.  On several occasions Matthew decided that he wanted to get himself a fresh chicken dinner and set about hunting chicken. These episodes were memorably entertaining because his strategy was reminiscent of Elmer Fudd and the chickens were both feral and flighted.

Cousins bonding over Cars 1

The cousins took this opportunity to get to know each other. Despite the age difference they did connect.  Once the boys realized that Claire found them fascinating and hilarious they began to vie for her attention and go for the biggest laughs. It was very cute to see. Claire is an expert at playing fetch and threw balls into the swimming pool for the boys to retrieve. The adults marveled at how a largely dark haired and brown/hazel eyed group could have produced 3 blond children, two of which have blue eyes.

Boogie boarding at Mahaulepu beach

The beach is a great place for the boys. They entertained themselves quite happily swimming, boogie boarding and with the sand ball making machine Matthew invented. Owen was particularly taken with boogie boarding. We had some trouble finding waves that were strong but not too strong. We shouldn't have worried because it only took a short ride on a small wave to convince Owen that he was having the ride of his life. We explored a number of beaches near Poipu. The photo above was taken at a deserted beach at the end of a long potholed dirt road. Stewart found it when he took a wrong turn on his afternoon run. We were able to access the beach because my father, always concerned about providing adequate luggage space, had the foresight to rent a GMC Yukon. We made full use of its off road capability and got it satisfyingly dirty. We giggled as people gingerly tried to follow us in a Ford Focus.

Matthew working on his Palm Leaf crafts - photo credit Robin

Matthew was happy enough to try boogie boarding but his real interest on this trip was the Palm leaves that washed up on the shore. He and my mother explored a number of braiding patterns. Matthew's plan, in fact, was to bring his creations back to the mainland and sell them. We dissuaded him on the grounds that the agricultural rules prohibited importation of palm leaves. It turns out that while there are a number of stringent agricultural rules, they do not seem to include palm leaves so perhaps that will be a project for the next trip...

Stewart headed for a splash

Stewart and I were able to sneak away for a day trip. We took a guided  paddle board and hiking trip. Paddle boarding means you stand up on a surf board and use a long paddle to propel yourself and steer. When done on the open ocean this actually requires considerable strength and skill. Our trip was down a very calm river and was relaxing and fun. The photo above was taken at a swimming hole. Apparently, a large number of jungle movies were filmed in Kauai. Our hike took us past filming sites for Raiders of the Lost Ark, the 4th Pirates of the Carribbean Movie and Jurassic Park. There were no remnants of the sets beyond a rope Harrison Ford was supposed to have used at the beginning of the film.

Post Pool Snuggle

It was such a nice trip that noises are being made about a repeat trip next year.  Regardless, the boys, Claire and grandparents were able to enjoy each others company. John, Robin, Stewart and I enjoyed a middle generation night out and generally caught up. For us, at least, this was the most memorably relaxing vacation we've taken as a family.

Boys searching for Sea Turtles: photo by Robin