Saturday, February 21, 2009

Christmas Eve 2008

From my journal: 8:05 PM Christmas Eve

How fun is this! We're in a tent on Christmas Eve and it's sprinkling off & on. Of course it waited until I used our new clothespins to hang up our damp laundry ;)

There are Christmas lights and trees in homes all over the island. Looks so funny to see the icicle kind HERE where it's so warm!

We went to Ko Olina Resort and tried snorkeling but the water was murky and I was too chicken to go around the rocks of their first lagoon. They have 4- Whale, Turtle, Dolphin, and Fish. Nice sunset, though.

We were too late getting back to the campground. Had to park @ office & hike in. Many more clouds- fewer stars- to see tonight. Merry Christmas Eve!

Sunset at Ko Olina resort, southwest Oahu

No, I didn't build the sand city. =)























The sun is just headed down for the night. We stayed to enjoy it. So did the couple sitting there on the beach.
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I think the sun takes its time setting in Hawaii. Like it too hates to go...
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Stars and skeeters

This is Orion. And he wouldn't all fit in one frame. For the first time in my life, I actually could see his bow. I'd always known it was there, but in the two nights before Christmas, he was in all his splendor!



The campground had this alley of sorts in a little valley. During the day you could see all the carved floats, surfboards, nets, etc. that decorated it. I have no idea if it was a kind of homage to Hawaiian gods or if it was simply artfully stored flotsam that had washed ashore, but at night someone lit the candles inside the floats and it looked very Halloweeny. One night we decided to take pictures of what we could, and let me tell you, we called it Mosquito Grotto for the rest of our stay. We got eaten alive in there! I had over 60 bug bites in the three weeks we were in Hawaii, and most of them were from right here.



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Views around the blowhole


This one is my favorite.
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Halona Blowhole, southeast Oahu




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Watch the left side of each photo:




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Halona Blowhole

It was SO windy I was actually covered in goosebumps here!
This will give you a better idea of just how windy it was.
The view opposite the blowhole
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Out and about on Oahu

Admiring the water with our new friend, Tony.
"It just doesn't get any better than this."

At least they warn you, right?!
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I could SO live here happily ever after



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This girl was the best at this beach:




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