It’s a little chilly here but there’s plenty of chocolate

Can you resist chocolate-covered macadamia nuts? I can’t. And apparently no one else in my family can either. This box is toast, and who knows how many others will be devoured before vacay’s over.

We’ve been amusing outselves seeing who can count the most chickens (and we like to feed them too). The island fowl are pretty enthusiastic about Cheerios and flock around us whenever the girls break out that bright yellow box. The swans and koi are awfully fond of them too. The locals look at us like we’re crazy – I guess it’s similar to feeding pigeons or squirrels back home.

So far it’s lava flows 3, fish sandwiches 2. We’ll see how it totals out by the end of the trip. I always get so spoiled by the grilled fish sandwiches you can get anywhere in Hawaii. Why do the restaurants back home think that a fish sandwich has to be fried? Bleck!

I think the girls packed every single bikini they own. Little cuties. Hey if I had six-pack abs like theirs I’d wear bikinis every day too. (The height difference is a little deceiving in this pic because of the way they’re standing. In reality there’s only about an eighth of an inch difference.):

I think this snapshot is pretty indicative of my personal beach style. You can see my watershoes (because the sand at the manmade lagoon hurts my tender little baby feet), the ever-present flip flops, a new Janet Evanovich novel I’m reading, my tinted reading glasses (special-ordered from the internet), and 50+ sunscreen because my pasty skin fries in the sun: 

And this picture is indicative of TubaDad’s beach style. In the water all day long, patiently following the girls and keeping them from drowning or killing each other or innocent bystanders, toting whatever stuff they discard along the way:

Yeah, I get the better end of that deal.

By the way, does anyone make better ahi poke than Roy’s? No, I think not. It rocks. Period.

No island visit would be complete without the obligatory Hilo Hattie’s stop. And almost as necessary, I guess, would be the grass skirt and coconut bra purchase.

This probably surprises no one, but the girls really like it here. They like it so much that they can’t even stand to walk. Every path is taken at a run, every stair is vaulted over, every flower is exclaimed over. (To be honest, if TubaDad and I weren’t there every flower would be picked. We’re constantly yelling “Noooo!!!! No! Look with your eyes!”

Well they’re all snoring but me right now, so I guess I’d better hit the sack because no one will have any mercy on me in the morning. Aloha!

PS: Oh, and it was really windy and kind of chilly today – Hawaii chilly, you know, where you need a t-shirt with sleeves instead of a tank top.