- a horse-back trail ride with Nanna Rose
- snorkeling in the ocean and bobbing in the waves
- learning to boogie board at Bellows Beach
- traditional Hawaiian canoe paddling with Uncle Jimmy
- a 10th birthday party for Rose
- living out loud with the Bevacqua clan at meal times (not so unique except that all seven Bevacqua siblings added to the total volume)
- helping Denise build their first flower lei
- swimming with their cousins Bobbi and Helen
- watching trainers with dolphins at the nearby hotel
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Seattle, Washington – HOME
Our journey is over. We’re back “full-time” in Seattle and enjoying (for this week at least) a relaxed and leisurely pace as we re-settle ourselves into our home.
We returned from Hawaii late on Tuesday night (7/14) after a wonderful 10 days with family and friends. The trip was marked by the funeral of Denise’s mom, Helen, and a celebration of her extraordinary life that included seven children (and their families) who all gathered in Honolulu for the event. It was Helen’s wish for her children to gather for her interment – the placing of her ashes alongside her husband’s at Punchbowl National Cemetery.
We had received news of Helen’s passing in April while we were camped at Grand Canyon National Park. Plans for the Honolulu gathering began to take shape immediately. The date of July 10th was finally settled upon. Our US road trip was originally planned to end on July 30 but we curtailed the west coast section so we could get home to Seattle in time to head to Hawaii from there.
Hawaii offered some unique experiences for the girls that included:
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Honolulu, Hawaii - Jimmy's
A late deparing flight out of Seattle yesterday early evening dropped us in Honolulu just after midnight (Seattle time).
We picked up Nanna Rose this morning from her overnight trip from Australia and are all hanging out at Jimmy's today -- somewhat jet-lagged but greatly enjoying warm Hawaii weather and the aloha spirit of the islands.
On Tues most of the Bevacqua siblings arrive and we move to the large Kahala house rented for the family reunion.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Seattle, Washington
We arrived home mid-afternoon yesterday to a beautiful northwest Summer day. It is great to be home again (for a little while at least).
Our neighbors had us over for a shared Chinese take-out dinner on their deck. The kids -- theirs and ours -- played for a few solid hours together before we had to pry them apart to get them to bed.
There's a few odd jobs we need to do around the house to get it back in order after our renters left. And some cleaning. But the place is very livable. We moved most of our gear out of the van yesterday and will tackle the trailer today. On Saturday, July 4 we head to Hawaii so we're looking at a fairly quick turnaround.
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