More Adventures

Tuesday: We loaded up and headed to Pearl Harbor. I thought Miller would like the battle ship more than he did but I guess when you are only 3ft tall, battle ship gray everything isn't as cool. He started out loving and looking for guns then we proceeded to firehoses. Basically Ryan and Miller ran around the ship. Joann, Marshall, Sean and I followed. Erik took a guided tour. We walked up and down and back and forth. It was pretty amazing to think something of that size can float. The teak floors were a surprise to me also. After a while, we managed to get Miller into the gift shop for a quick purchase while Erik finished the tour. Then we headed to the airplane museums for lunch and what was probably Miller's best part of the day; sitting in a rescue helicopter! Nevermind Airforce 1, a space shuttle cockpit, etc. That darn helicopter won his heart.

At home, Marshall entertained Miller with a whirlybird purchase. It was basically a propeller on a stick that if you slid your hands apart, it took flight. They chased it around and played for much longer than I thought the novelty could last. Ah, to be a kid.

Wednesday: Ryan and I escaped the clutches of Miller and went on a helicopter ride. It was awesome! I had never ridden in a helicopter before and really enjoyed it. It was like an amusement park ride. To add to it, as cheesy as it sounds, they played the Hawaii 5-0 theme song when we took off. I couldn't help but smile. We had a 45 minute tour of the island. The pilot was a good host. I took a ton of pictures but again, they don't really show the beauty or color of some of the mountains or water. We turned just a little too early but almost passed over our house. Here are a couple pics.

After the helicopter ride we headed into Honolulu for lunch and some sight seeing. We forgot our GPS and were navigating off a pretty poor map. We were able to find some historic sights, eat a crappy lunch, and make it back to the house without getting lost so I consider that successful. I think we fought more about where to eat than anything. There weren't a lot of options, I was hungry, you know the rest of the story.

We saw the King's statue, the court house, and the palace. The banyan tree is huge. I can't describe how large it is but I have never seen a tree that big! We tried to venture to one more place; a temple, but the map and the roads weren't really working in our favor. Instead we headed back, picked up Erik, and went to the historic town we were staying in for shaved ice and a quick trip through their tourist trap stores. Shaved ice-wish I took a picture. It was better than a snow cone but the same principle. Ryan was daring and tried the one with ice cream and beans. Yes, candied beans. It must be an acquired taste. We didn't really like the beans. Then it was back home for dinner.