The big day

Well, it wasn't long before the big day arrived.   For the past two weeks since I had gotten home from Hawaii, it was clear that the girls were getting too big for their rabbit cage inside.  They were spending more time picking on each other and fighting and clearly needed more space and more things to keep them occupied (ie. to eat or dig in).  So we had rigged a little portable way to put them out in the yard for short periods, but they began spending all day outside to get used to their new life.  The makeshift enclosure was not secure and it meant having to catch and box them every morning and evening, so we (and they) were eagerly anticipating the coop being ready.


Finally, the day came when the outdoor enclosure part was secure enough we could leave the girls out there all day without fear of marauders and we ceremoniously packed them in a box for their trip out to their new digs.  Of course, Big Kitty was there to "supervise" the transfer process.

Big Kitty inspecting the box of chickens

The ladies ready to be done with box travel.

The coop!  About half way done....

The ladies enjoying their new digs.

I was in DC the last week of the month, and while I was gone, Wade continued to pound away on the coop until it was secure enough for the ladies to be able to enjoy the great outdoors. 
Finally, the night I came home from DC, Wade chucked the girls in the roost for the night before heading to the airport to pick me.  It was an unceremonious transition, but fortunately at this point, they were used to being out there all day anyway.  Check out the pictures on our Picasa site.

Our 6th anniversary

This year we felt so overwhelmed with my travel, taking care of the chickens, and getting the coop built that we didn't really make plans for our anniversary, but fortunately, plans found us. :)  Sarah and Evan, our old friends from Miami (who now live in Dallas), were planning to come to Orlando for a theme park holiday weekend and called to see if we wanted to meet up.  So we ended up getting tickets to Disney's Epcot so we could spend our anniversary catching up with them and enjoying the park.  It was especially fun since Wade had never been, and Evan hadn't been in so long he couldn't remember most of it.  Heck, Sarah and I were surprised by how much it had changed since they last time we were there!


We drove over to Orlando to pick them up at their hotel and when we got to the park we were pleasantly surprised to find it wasn't too crowded for a Sunday on a holiday weekend.  We headed for the Mission Space ride first which essentially simulates a space shuttle launch then a landing on Mars.  It was really cool and more realistic feeling than any of us expected.  By the time we were done, all of us were feeling a little green and were glad we hadn't eaten before the ride!  Afterwards, we had fun in the Mission Control section of the area where we played a huge video game that sort of simulated Mission Control.  Then we wandered the gift shop and played with the Star Wars and space themed stuff which made for some entertaining pictures.  


After that we snacked, hit up some more rides, then started the feasting and wandering around the world in the countries at Epcot.  Sushi in Japan, Brats in Germany, chips and guacamole in Mexico, weirdly flavored sodas from around the world... We also squeezed in the boat rides in Norway and Mexico, before heading back over to check out the rides at The Land and The Living Seas (which is now Nemo-themed).  


When I was a kid, The Living Seas was hands-down my favorite part of the park. They set it up to look like you were going down into an underwater "sea base" deep under the ocean - essentially the exhibit is surrounded by a huge aquarium to create the effect.  In the center of the exhibit there was this simulated air-lock that a diver would get in with their gear and they would fill with water so the diver could swim up and out into the tank (so it looked like the diver was exiting the base).  As a nerdy kid, I ate up this bit of theatrics including all the science and oceans information they had in the galleries talking about plate tectonics and ocean currents.  Come to think of it, that might be where my desire to dive and study the ocean came from??  At any rate, it was a bit sad to see how much of the area had been dumbed down to make it more like a kid's play area.  I'm not sure it was the kind of place that would inspire more future marine scientists.... at least the old air lock was still there so I got a little dose of nostalgia.  On the up side, the ride into the area was more fun and Nemo-themed....

The obligatory picture with The Ball - a classic Disney Epcot icon

We finally made it over to the golf ball to ride "Spaceship Earth" that is inside - it was showing its age but was still was one of my favorites.  Some of it I remember from visiting as a kid, and some things they changed which actually made the ride even funnier - namely an interactive video about what we might expect in the future.  We were even able to mail ourselves a copy!

A cold front was blowing through that day so it was generally windy, but nice out since it wasn't hot and sticky.  However, by the time sunset rolled around it was starting to get downright cold.  We tried to stick it out for the fireworks, but after doing one last pass through the countries and seeing a band in England doing a good cover of the best British rock bands, we were finally freezing enough that all we could think of was getting in the car and turning on the heat.  We snapped a few last pictures of the ball which turned out pretty cool, then we all practically ran for the warmth of the car as the fireworks started at 9pm.  


It was a great way to spend an anniversary - staying a kid at heart by having a really fun day with good friends. :)  Check out the pictures on our Picasa site.

What I missed

Upon my return home from Hawaii, it was clear a few things had changed... 

The garden went absolutely haywire and I came home to fabulously fresh and delicious broccoli, green beans, collards, spinach, and kale!  And the garden beds generally look like small forests rather than neatly organized veggie beds.  The tomato plants in particular went bezerk and required some serious attention on my part since I tend to be the pruner of the family.

Wade was fearful the veggies would launch a full scale rebellion if we didn't eat some soon:

Our sweet fluffy chicks had turned into CHICKENS!  Well, pullets technically (a teenage chicken), but the little chicks I knew were definitely long gone: 

Ruby, Dottie, and Clemmie impersonating parrots - they're big birds now!

Wade had also made significant progress on the chicken coop while I was away and put up the frame and roof: 

And the pollinators in the yard went crazy over all the flowers in bloom:

Larvae for the sulphur butterflies enjoying the Bahama Cassia

I was blown away when I got home by how much things had changed.  The garden looked like a jungle and I barely recognized our little ladies!  Take a peek at my attempt to document the changes on our Picasa site.

I get back to work

After two peaceful months at home, it was apparently time for me to get back to traveling.  After the MLK holiday I did a quick run to DC for some work meetings, then the Monday after that (Jan 23rd) I hopped on an unending series of flights for Hawaii.  Since I was going for work, I didn't do my usual research beforehand to find fun things to do, but instead relied on the generosity of our friend Libby who loaned me her Fodor's Hawaii guide book.  I had no idea that it would turn out to be my best friend for 2 weeks.  I had a slew of meetings scheduled on two different islands (Hawai'i and Oahu) over the course of 10 days (plus 2 travel days).  Unfortunately, on my way out there was a snafu in San Fran and my flight was delayed so I missed my connection to Hawaii.  I got to spend an evening in the scenic airport area Hampton Inn before catching a flight the next morning.  After 12 hours of traveling the first day, and another 6 the next day, I finally landed in Kailua-Kona, on the Big Island of Hawai'i.


For this trip I decided to get a condo with a kitchen and laundry so I could save money (and sanity) by cooking for myself and reduce what I packed by washing my clothes.  This was a magical arrangement that I wish I could always do when I travel (for work and fun).  At the market, I discovered the siren song of fresh passionfruit (Lilikoi in Hawaiian) and proceeded to eat or drink it with almost every meal. We had passionfruit juice on our honeymoon in the Caribbean - largely flavored with homemade rum! - and eating it again brought back a lot of great memories.  I am now resolved to see if we can get passionfruit to grow in our yard!  


The condo also had a lovely view of the ocean and the constant sea breezes and ocean sounds while I slept.  It was great to just throw open all the windows and let the ocean air and sounds carry through the condo and it definitely helped me sleep at night which I think helped the jet lag adjustment (Hawaii is 5 hours behind).

The view from my balcony.

My meetings were fairly productive and I spent most days talking to a variety of people about the work I do and whether they would like to collaborate with or support what we do.  My last day of meetings was nice though because we actually went out snorkeling with some of the local researchers.  We saw humpback whales up close (they are in the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary right now for breeding, calving, and nursing), and went snorkeling on a small patch reef in Kealakekua Bay in front of the monument where Captain Cook was killed.  There was an incredible amount of coral cover and I saw a lot of popular Pacific aquarium fish species for the first time in the wild.


Kailua is on the dry, western leeward Kona coast of the island that is also strewn with old black lava flows, some of which still look fresh.  On my last full day in Kona I decided to check out some places I saw in the guide book and drove up to the northern Kohala coast of the island for some sightseeing and to get my mind off work.  It was amazing to see how the countryside changed as I drove across the island from boulder and lava strewn craggy shorelines of Kona to the central bright green gently rolling hills around Waimea to dramatic lush valleys and rainforest on the windward side of the island near the Pololu Valley.  Oh, and on the largest mountain (Mauna Kea at 13,796ft) you could even see snow at the peak!  Unfortunately, I did not make it down to the southeastern side of the island where Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park is - and where the active volcano is or to the observatories on Mauna Kea - I really wanted to do both, but I also wanted to save something to do with Wade when we go back someday.

Pololu Valley overlook

Hawai'i, aka "the Big Island", is a dramatic and varied landscape and it was incredible to see how much change there was on one small island.  Hawai'i is the youngest of the islands in the state (technically it's still growing due to the active volcano), which is why it is so dramatic and almost new looking in some places - there was an almost lunar quality to some of the landscapes near the airport where the lava flows were only 150 years old.  You could see where the lava crusted and cooled alongside the road, and in many places the road was plowed right through old flows on black sandy rock.  In fact, there are a lot of places on the Big Island where you can drive off the road to explore deserted beaches or craggy coastline, however, a Jeep is clearly needed (which is why they're the most popular rental on the island).


But traveling alone meant that at night it was quiet and eventually pretty lonely.  I had terrible cell phone reception, which when on vacation would have been great, but otherwise it was a huge pain.  I was finally able to get the wi-fi working in the condo so I was able to Skype with Wade a few times to show him the condo and the view.  He was even able to watch some surfers catch waves from my balcony with me.  It was really nice to be able to see him and the "kids".

Surfers behind our hotel - there were about a dozen all in one small spot

On my last day on the Big Island, I headed to the airport early and ate my packed lunch while I watched a cute Japanese family entertain their kids.  It was a big extended family that spoke only Japanese and they were pretty entertaining - especially when their 4 year old little girl decided to take charge and try to drag all their luggage to security for them - I got lunch and show!  (It was surprising how heavy the Japanese influence was in Hawaii - it's a major tourist destination for the Japanese and the hotels and restaurants go out of their way to cater to this big market - especially on Oahu)  Once I cleared security, while I was waiting for my flight to Oahu (where the capital, Honolulu is), I received a call from Jason and Rachel after their months of sailing and traveling.  It was so good to hear from them and was the highlight of my week being able to catch up with them.  It really helped me feel not so lonely and isolated before leaving for the last leg of my trip.


I had a quick 20 minute flight over to Oahu to start the last leg of my trip.  When I landed in Honolulu, I drove into downtown to get some groceries at a local natural foods store then settled into my hotel to make some dinner for the night.  The next few days were a bit of a blur with back to back meetings as I literally ran from meeting to meeting every day which made for tiring days.  On the 3rd day there, I had driven up the coast a bit to an aquaculture facility for a meeting and afterwards followed the road north along the coast.  The view was pretty incredible - very rugged and lush with sandy beaches, unlike where I was on Kona.  There were more beaches here than Kona so I was able to pull off at a state beach park for a bathroom break and change into my swim suit.  I wandered into Kaneohe for lunch at a great Chinese restaurant where the chef emphasizes local and healthy ingredients.  He came to take my order and was really sweet and helpful, even making me something special to accommodate my gluten-free and vegetarian needs.  And it was fantastic food - just what I needed to power up for an afternoon of sightseeing.  It also restored my faith in the world after spending a few hectic days cursing the roads and snarling traffic of Honolulu.  After a luscious vegan chocolate mousse, I checked the guide book again, bought a giant bottle of water at the store, and headed out on my adventure.  After hearing that the swell was up that day, I decided to drive to the North Shore and was even able to catch a little bit of the Volcom Pipe Pro surf contest on the Bonzai Pipeline.  It was incredible seeing such big and powerful waves come in, and it was almost hypnotic to watch them.  Apparently, that last statement is true and every year tourists are caught off guard by large waves and drug out to sea!  

A kid boogie boarding during a lull in the surf

After that I passed through historic Hale'iwa, where I happened upon a little shopping district that included a Patagonia store - I found one without even trying, which completely cracked me up.  I ended up finding some awesome special edition Hawaii Patagonia shirts on sale and got a few for Wade and I: "Pataloha" was their slogan which was perfect.  After that I headed out to what felt like the end of the world to check out Mokule'ia Beach Park where the opening crash scene from Lost was filmed.  It felt remote and peaceful, and made for a lovely sunset behind the mountains that ringed the beach and nearby small airfield.  

Looking up Mokule'ia Beach where a lot of Lost was filmed.

I finally headed back to Hale'iwa for a nice Mexican dinner then beat it back to Honolulu in the dark.  It was an hour's drive with not much to see in the absolute blackness - I later realized I  probably missed seeing the major pineapple plantations.

On my last day on Oahu, I took the local bus down to Waikiki to see the public aquarium (work related) then wandered back up the strip for lunch and a drink before checking out of the hotel.  The aquarium was located at the far end of Waikiki near Diamond Head in Kuhio Park, so I walked most of the length of the beach and enjoyed the lovely weather.  Waikiki Aquarium was a quick trip as it was a lot smaller than I expected, but I got to take some pictures of the fish I snorkeled with in Kona, as well as see my first Hawaiian Monk Seal.  Afterwards, I hopped on the bus again and got off at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel to do something very fitting to celebrate my last few hours in Hawaii: drink a Mai Tai at its purported birthplace.  The drink was lovely and strong, the sounds of the ocean was wonderful, the food was perfect, and all I needed was Wade there beside me to share in the fun.  It was a fun experience, topped off by a free pina colada for desert (hello!), which I enjoyed while strolling down Waikiki and chatting to Wade on the phone.  I eventually hopped back on the bus to my hotel, made some dinner, cleaned myself up, and checked out to head to the airport for my red-eye flight home.

A picture perfect Mai Tai at the Royal Hawaiian

Apparently all of the airports in Hawaii are open air, which I really like and saves a lot of electricity (no need for AC!), so the Honolulu airport can be a little confusing given its open, sprawling nature.  I also discovered that they don't check people in more than 3 hours before a flight and there's no where to sit outside security.  So I spent 2.5 hours sitting on a concrete wall with my luggage trying to catch up on my blogs until I could check in.  By 8:30pm they were letting us in, so I checked in, said aloha to my luggage, and proceeded to snack and read to kill another 2 hours until the flight.  We finally boarded the plane - I thankfully had an exit row seat (leg room!) for the longest leg to Phoenix, so I snuggled down with my new Cocoon travel blanket and TravelRest pillow.  For the first time, I actually slept through almost the whole flight and had to check my watch multiple times to ensure I wasn't misreading it.  I credit my first 5 hour nap on a plane to the magical new blanket and pillow Mom got me for my birthday and I will not leave home without them. (Previously, my standard was to wake up halfway through the red-eye with my eyeballs feeling like sun-dried raisins, the inability to go back to sleep, and a general feeling like I've slept in the gutter.)  I had a lay-over in Phoenix where I ate some food I packed for breakfast - this was also a slight change from my usual trips.  I packed food this time and bought food and cooked while traveling,  so I was able to have healthy tasty stuff to eat even on my flights too, which usually is not the case.  On my last flight home I was really excited to get home and didn't want to sleep to try to get off Hawaii time, so I read a book, but fell asleep face-first into the book anyway!  I woke up just as we were landing and marvelled how fast 12 hours of flying went by because I slept so much!  Haha.  My longest trip to date and the trip home felt shorter than my usual flights to DC - go figure.

I got home and downloaded (to my surprise) over 400 pictures!  I guess I was taking more pictures out the window while I was driving than I realized!  I finally culled through them and you can check out my adventures on our Picasa site.  One thing is for sure - there is an incredible amount of adventure, exploring, camping, off-roading, hiking, and beauty left to experience in Hawaii and I'm dying to take Wade back with me sometime soon!