More Oahu

The rest of our family Hawaii time was as blissful as the first half.

Nephew E chillin' with an ice cream as big as his face:

Niece E with her Uncle C:

The ever-present kite-surfers at Kailua beach and the state park in walking distance of our house:

My amazing dad, who at age 70 was out there boogie-boarding with the rest of us:

Sis K with her baby:

One day we took a short hike to a waterfall, guided by sweet (local) family friend N.

The most hilarious part of the hike was that niece E said she wanted to find the biggest walking stick she could carry, and I jokingly found her this beast...

...which she ended up carrying on the ENTIRE hike, mostly over her shoulder like she was some sort of lumberjack, even while she carried a smaller and more manageable walking stick to actually help her hike.

Thanksgiving dinner was delicious, and especially sweet since I've been at South Pole the past two Thanksgivings and am really happy to be back with my family for the holidays this year.

WAY too soon this time is over; I'm not sure any other 10 days of my life have ever gone as quickly as these past 10 did. Wish we could just start right over again with it all.

But, time to move on to the next part of the Great Thawing Out vacation. I'll be back soon with my next missive coming to you from a place completely new to me....