Wonder What's Going on at the Beach!

The faint sounds of a bull horn awakened us quite early this morning, so we hopped up and tooled to the beach.

It's the Lanikai Triathlon - bike, swim, run.  The only reason Alli wasn't in it is that "sick bugs" have been ravaging her family one by one.  Above are some of the "abandoned" bikes while the participants are doing the "run" part.

Here come the early finishers.

Refreshments, massages, and fans!  We may be a small island, but we have huge spirit!

The Mighty Mo

While in Tokyo Bay, the Missouri was the site of the Japanses surrender to the Allied Forces commanded by General Douglas MacArthur on September 2, 1945.  We spent HOURS on board this ship.  It's awesome to be able to stand on the spot where such a momentous event occurred.

The signatories

Just ahead is the USS Arizona Memorial, typifying the beginning of the war, and the Missouri in the same harbor, representing the end of the war.

Richard loves this "in command" photo.

Lanikai Park

Back again at the park -- the house is being painted, so this is a safer place to be! Besides, you can never take too many pictures of your grandchildren, can you?

Ben's a social animal . . .

Interested in the setting for the park?  The playground area is in the distance, left and fenced.  Sam is in the foreground, and Ben is that little spot you see in the distance.  The canopy trees which are everywhere, are Monkeypod trees. 

From Swings to Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Lanikai Park - nearby, never really crowded, and not to jazzed up with the "newest and bestest".  Just a very nice park.

I cheated a little on Richard.  Went out with two great guys for lunch at Zia's.

You never know when this technique might impress a girl!

Ben's not quite as advanced as Sam, though.

Next on the agenda was to take 2 boys to the food store!  What a kick!  They're used to riding the fancy-dancy carts resembling "whatever" at the Commissary, but here they are, free-wheeling through Foodland, on foot!!  They were great!  Sam was searching out all the chocolate candy we could smash up and put in chocolate chip cookies, and Ben was wide-eyed at all the goodies he could get right up to.  Not a thing came tumbling down from shelves, either!

Hahahaha, we got mommy off her office-chair for dippers into the chocolate chunk cookie mix!

Oh so good.  Can't wait for daddy to come home and do a taste test, too!