Our big trip for the summer was to the Big Island. Yes, gotta love those frequent flier miles. Nearly every morning was spent at Mauna Kea beach, where the water was calm, clear, and warm. Nikita continued to make great progress in swimming (sometimes with green turtles), and Ivan finally got the courage to swim with me on my back.
The second most frequented place was Costco. It was the first place we visited after we landed - for groceries, of course, but also for the cheap gas. Plus there was delicious Mrs. Barry's Kona Cookies down the street; Nikita and I fought over their coffee chocolate chip cookies.
Next to Mauna Kea, our favorite destination may be Waimea, whose pasturelands provided a welcome contrast to the lava desert of Kohala (where we stayed). We got lovely belts for the boys from the Parker Ranch Store; Igor was surprised how people on the flights home noticed them. At one of the farmer's markets, we bought some lovely smoked goat cheese, and Kona coffee that Igor actually likes (Makua coffee company - good chocolate covered coffee beans, too). What really kept us going back, however, was Village Burger, where the meat comes from pasture-raised cows on the Big Island. Real beef!
The biggest trip was to Volcanoes National Park. Unfortunately, we weren't able to see lava up close, but the boys had fun learning about lava, and enjoyed the art gallery. I especially loved the Fire vases of Daniel Moe. The drive back was more eventful. At Na'alehu, the southernmost city in the U.S., we snacked on pastries at Punalu'u Bakeshop. The best pastry is the Bismarck; it's like a donut version of Boston Cream Pie. Their other malasadas (Portuguese donuts) aren't as good as those of Tex Drive In, but according to Igor, their coffee is much better. Speaking of coffee, Igor found prize-winning Ka'u beans (Rising Sun) grown by the owners of a variety store. I bought some excellent coconut cream pie at Hana Hou, and a beautiful dress at a thrift store.
As you can tell, food featured prominently on our trip. Misses included Donkey Balls and Mac Nut Pie, and I was surprised at the lack of tropical fruits at the farmers markets. At the biggest farmers market on the island, in Hilo, I was only able to buy mangoes, dragon fruit (beautiful color, but kind of bland), longan (spoiled), and ice cream bananas. No lychees for Ivan, but the boys loved the Filipino suman. I should really try making it.
After a day of swimming and eating, we watched our DVDs: Liquidation (episodes 1-4), Princess Bride, Bamboo Blade, Castle in the Sky. Nikita practiced knitting and cooking, and lost his second top front tooth. So, he now looks like a classic 7-year old:
Ivan made tons of cigarettes so that he could be like the main character from "Liquidation".
Both boys also drew a lot (at one point, making money); I'm surprised they went through only one pad of paper. As for me, Anthony Trollope's The Way We Live Now wasn't a good substitute for Dickens, but that may have been a good thing: I wouldn't have made as much progress with my own knitting.
