Hawaii -- Part III, Grand Finale

If I wait any longer to post these photos, it will be summer-time hot here, and nobody will even need the "sunshine" break! So, to wrap up our long-overdue holiday memories posts, here's the last round of Hawaii pictures, showcasing our three-day trip over to Oahu. Yay!

Swap meet

We started with the swap meet. Soooo fun! We actually went back twice, so we could fully enjoy the wares and goods on offer.
For those who haven't been, I have to tell you, you've never seen so much fun, cheap Hawaiian stuff in one place... necklaces, dresses, carved turtle wood, Aloha shirts, hats, ukuleles (Sam and Allie call theirs Hukalaeles, so cute!), key chains, etc. There are vendors' stalls wrapped entirely around the outside of the football stadium. Fascinating!
 Below, Samantha and Allie compare purchases...

Luau

That afternoon, we made the gorgeous drive out to the Polynesian Cultural Center, arriving just in time for a special luau and dance program. It was great! The luau was different... lots of interesting food. Samantha was glued by the music and the little performance on the stage. 

Hawaiian Dancers

The dance show was really well done. All the performers were so full of energy and life (and you know they've done it 100+ times before). Things I liked best:

-- the Tahitian hip-swingin' hula dancers. Wow!! How do they DO that!?

-- the fire baton thrower guys. Wow!! WHY do they do that?!

-- the delicious tropical fruit ice cream cup served during intermission (best $5 we spent there!)

-- the fact that Spencer slept on Grandma's lap almost the entire time! 

Church

The next day was Sunday. We went to church at one of the most unique-looking LDS chapels I've ever been inside. It had a gorgeous mosaic of the Savior on the entire front wall of the building. Brian got some beautiful pictures (he always does!)...

Our little family, standing next to the gorgeous pool and fountain...
Our whole group, next to the mosaic. Isn't it just beautiful, and so different? I love it.
Pearl Harbor

We went to Pearl Harbor Sunday afternoon, a sobering experience. We visited the USS Arizona Memorial and museum, so sad and shocking to think about the realities of war in such a serene and beautiful place.
Here's our group, waiting for the boat to take us out to the memorial...
Inside the memorial, the list of all the men who died on board...

In less than two minutes, Samantha made friends with a group of local children outside the museum.  She thoroughly enjoyed their game of ring-around-the-roses (until one of the wilder boys singled her out for a one-on-one "swinging" round, that left her flying across the floor on skinned knees. ouch! what was THAT all about!? meanie boy!)
Pineapple Plantation

Next day, first stop for us was the Dole Pineapple Plantation. Here's our cute little pineapple collection...

We didn't stay long enough to pay for a guided tour. But we walked through their sample pineapple gardens and got some great shots of little baby pineapples growing...
I didn't have any idea how pineapples grow. Did you know they grow in the middle of huge plants that look like overgrown spider plants with little thorns? And the pineapple grows up on a stem, about 1-2 inches thick. They just sit there precariously perched in a way that looks like they could topple with the weight at any given moment. Amazing! 
I got a little bit artsy with some of the pineapple shots... from the top, looking down...

A barely budding pineapple of a different variety than I've ever seen...
Did you know that they use the tops of the pineapples to plant a new pineapple plant? Maybe I should save the top next time I buy one, and see if I can grow it indoors or something. Wouldn't that be so fun to grow your own pineapple?! One more artsy one from the top...
LDS Temple

Next stop, the Hawaii temple. It was closed for winter cleaning while we were there. But we got to walk around the grounds and check out their newly-renovated visitors center.
Samantha, smelling the flowers at the temple...
Samantha started a funny little habit that she did several days in a row on our trip. She would start singing the nursery rhyme for "Jack and Jill," and every time she got to the part where "Jack fell down and broke his crown," she would stop wherever she was, put her head on the pavement and finish out the rhyme while upside-down. I finally caught a picture of her being "Jack" as we toured the temple grounds...

Inside the gorgeous visitors center...

More Polynesian Fun

We went back to the Polynesian Cultural Center to go through all the villages and see some of the day-time shows. Samantha and Allie show off their flower crowns and their new fake tattoos (Samantha's signifies she is a princess, and Allie chose to get the "chief" tattoo)...
Brian, in front of one of the Fiji worship buildings, I think. (Actually, I could totally be making that up, it was so long ago I really don't remember.)
Samantha, inside one of the chief's houses, with all the cool artifacts behind her. I tried to get her to smile about 10 different times in a row, and this was the best we got (she's going through that really "cheesy" smiling phase.)
Hanauma Bay and Blowhole

We parted ways with Janice and Jay (and Sammie, who stayed with them) that afternoon, and Brian and I took his parents to the airport (they left a day before we did). Then, we tried to go over to Hanauma Bay to snorkel and swim. It was just closing, so we didn't get to go in. But it looks soooo gorgeous! Next time... 
Instead, we went and saw the famous blowhole nearby, that was performing at high tide for us...
We opted for a quick swim at the beach near the blow hole, so we could continue to watch the show while we swam...
It was also high tide on the beach, so we did more running from the monster waves than actual swimming. But it was nice to get in the water one more time. Here's me, running from a BIG one...
And me with Spence, sharing a banana while Brian took a turn in the water...
Goodbye, Hawaiian Sunshine

Home again, home again, jiggety jig! We had a blast, packed it all in, and were tired and ready to come back to the Mainland when it was time, though not quite ready to say goodbye to the sunshine. Oh well, here are the last shots on the flight home...
Ah yes, the joys of travelling with children. That, of course, deserves a whole chaotic post of its own. Some other time. 
Goodbye, Hawaii. Until next time...