Full Weekend

It was a fun and exciting long holiday weekend here. We kicked it off with dinner on Friday night at Yum Cha, an asian eatery located on the grounds of the Hyatt on the south shore. Dinner was delicious, but made all the better by the hollywood star sighting - Pierce Brosnan. We've been saying things lately like "Yeah, we grabbed a quick dinner with James Bond and his kids this past Friday, no big thing." I believe he owns a house here on Kauai and in considering how we would like to be treated while enjoying dinner with family, we didn't bother him and tried not to stare too much. This was a difficult task for Big Den.

The next morning, Big Den and I arose early to meet a friend at Port Allen small boat harbor for some deep sea fishing. We introduced ourselves and headed out on the water. We watched the sun rise out of the ocean and light the water so we could see the crystal clear blue. We trolled for awhile attempting to catch some big fish without any luck. Then we did some jigging to try and hook some Ahi (Yellowfin tuna) despite the outlook on the fish finder looking pretty bleak. Alan, our captain managed to hook something, handed the rod to me and I promptly lost whatever it was. I gave it a few more casts and then one of the other guys managed to hook something and reeled it in - a small one, good for a few pounds of fileted ahi. From that point we started to hook fish with some consistency for a total of 9. After getting the boat on the trailer, the guys taught us how to filet the fish and generously gave us 8 of the 9. We iced them down, drove home and I spent probably an hour trying to end my career while slicing up the fish. I enjoyed some sashimi while I worked. By the time it was over, I had about 20 dinner-size portions and most importanly, all my fingers intact. I would have made some sushi, but we were in a bit of a rush to get to the north shore to check in for our weekend escape. Ahi to the freezer and the 5 of us to the car for our trip to the north shore.

We checked in and were pretty happy with the place at Puu Poa. The condo overlooked the cliffs down to the ocean in near enough proximity that you could easily see the reef below surface - it beckoned to be explored with snorkels and fins. I made some fresh margaritas and we picked up pizza for dinner, but best of all we relaxed someplace with our everyday concerns far from our thoughts. Em and I had not been on a true vacation together for over 6 months and we missed the respite (even though you could argue that our whole life here in Hawaii is a vacation).

Maddie did well with her new surroundings and slept pretty well in our room.

Here's what she had to say about the trip.

In the morning, Em and I left Maddie with her grandparents and headed down the slippery trail to Hideaways beach with some snorkel gear. I headed out and saw tons of fish in the clear water.

After I don't know how long, I swam back to the beach to Em and we headed back up to the condo to eat some lunch and grab the rest of the crew to head back down to the beach.

Big Den and I spent hours in the water exploring the reef and well...I'll let the pictures and video speak for themselves.

More fresh margaritas and some Mexican for dinner which is a special treat for us since we don't really have a Mexican restaurant withing 45 minutes.

The next morning we packed up and headed to Hanalei Bay so the guys could paddle the Hanalei River and the girls could hang at the beach. The weather didn't cooperate as well as it could have so we got some rain on the river and the girls ended up at some of the shops. Nonetheless, paddling was nice with decent views of the mountains above Hanalei. I paddled it to the end and back while Big Den drifted and cast a line from his kayak. On our return to the mouth of the river we met up with the girls and had some excellent tacos at Pat's Taqueria. Then we headed back home after a restful, exciting and fulfilling weekend. All I can say is Hideaways is now THE beach in my book! 'Til next time...

Grandma D Visit

Since many of you have requested more Maddie pictures, I'll post some random ones below. Also, I'm in the midst of working on a way that you can view all the pictures via the Costco photo page where I've uploaded nearly everything.

Grandma D arrived Jan. 4 to the delight of the entire family, especially Em who has received quite a bit of help from her mom. She's been a huge help around the house and with baby care tips to keep us sane while we adjust to life with a newborn. Maddie's been growing like a weed due to her bottomless pit of a stomach - runs in the family. She's been gaining at a rate of 1.5 oz a day and is now "normal baby size" at about 8 lbs, which is her fighting weight - translation: she can ride in the carrier on my chest to go out for sweet hikes. Mom has to carry the food though, so we have to get her back into gear since she's been off the trail for the past few months. There's nothing like spending 24/7 with a newborn for a few weeks to get you ready to get out of the house again. Speaking of getting out of the house, Maddie is already well-traveled, having visited several Hawaiian beaches, restaurants and made a few trips to the store by the ripe-old age of 3 weeks.

Her first beach experience was Glass Beach on the south shore for sunset. While the sunset and beach were less than spectacular, having her along made it more than worthwhile. The beach gets its name from the sand, which is actually tiny pieces of broken glass polished over many years by the relentless Pacific surf. In any case, here is a picture of Maddie enjoying her first beach visit at sunset.

In other Maddie news, she's achieved the following milestones: her cord fell off, she got her first real bath in the tub and she holds her head up remarkably well. In the midst of all this, we tamely celebrated Em's 29th birthday due to lack of sleep. We look forward to a more lively celebration once some of our friends get back from Thailand and the whole group can get together (we haven't been able to do this for nearly a month).

Maddie also endured the awful road to Maha'ulepu beaches (think bobble-head) to check out some clear-blue water, rugged cliffs and pounding surf. She spent most of her time cuddling with Em underneath the sunshade.

While you may be concerned (or maybe you hope) that this blog may turn into "all Madeline, all the time", I assure you that I'll continue to post more adventures and Maddie will be part of some, but definitely not all.

On that note, I've found a new mountain bike trail that hugs the rim of Waimea Canyon. This is the singletrack I've been hoping to find with lots of ups and downs, exposed roots and tight turns with places to improve my skills such as jumps, steep climbs and loose soil. Oh, I forgot to mention AMAZING views into the canyon throughout. I'll try to work out some helmet cam action so you can join me on the trail. This past Sunday, I ventured out with a general location in mind (Koke'e, Waimea Canyon) and let the hike evolve as I was on the trail to encompass some 4 trails and several dirt roads for a 10 mile Tour de Canyon loop hike. This was a great way to see the varying landscape in the parks including dessert, jungle and river valleys. Once I passed the most popular first 2 miles, I saw only 2 hikers on the trail, but I did see several 500-800 ft. waterfalls, goats, lilikoi and ripening blackberries only weeks away from prime (which means blackberry pie in the near future). The first waterfall is Waipo'o which is easily seen from Waimea Canyon Road, but from the trail you cross over the stream and look down over the first drop. After continuing on the trail you can view about half the waterfall from the opposite side.

Continuing further, the ridgeline opens up to 270 degree views of the canyon with 600 ft. Awini falls in the distance. Someone managed to haul supplies up here and construct a picnic table - nice place for a secluded picnic lunch. From there, the expansive views close up as you descend into the lushness and seclusion of Kokee's forests, beautiful nonetheless.

Yesterday afternoon, all of us went to the beach in Kekaha though it was mostly cloudy and cool. The only remarkable thing about it was getting to see some whales breaching, spouting and flipping their tails - the first we've seen this season.

From there we made a quick stop home to grab the Baby Bjorn and walked up the street to the golf course to watch the sunset. The clouds were pretty dense so the sunset was OK, but it was still good to get out and take a walk.

Today, Big Den arrives on island and this weekend Maddie will take her first road trip as we head to Princeville and stay at Puu Poa to check out the north shore of Kauai http://www.summitpacificinc.com/puupoa.html.

Maddie says, if you don't like the pictures...

Powerline Trail

I went for a quick hike on Sunday (7 miles), the first since the little one got here. She's still too small to fit in a carrier, but soon she'll be joining me for more hair-raising adventures.

The Powerline Trail was cut through the northeast side of the island to deliver power to the more remote areas on the northshore years ago. Now it's utilized for hiking, hunting and extreme four-wheel driving. It was muddy as hell and a few monster trucks had gotten stuck that day, but on the way out it looked like everyone had managed to get unstuck. I don't really have too much to write about this trail except that the 4-wheelers have made it just about impassable to themselves and hikers. The views were great and it would be nice if the trail was better cared for. Someday I'll thru-hike it (about 13 mi.). Here are some pictures.

No Rain (Finally)!

Note: This entry was started pre-Madeline and completed post-Madeline. I would never participate in fire-breathing, torch-running or log-breaking now that I'm a responsible father.

Thankfully the rain has stopped, which is why I haven't updated in awhile - I've been outside.

Last week, we headed to Maha'ulepu beaches once it finally cleared up, because it was still too moist to do any hiking or mountain biking. Em enjoyed the weather on the beach while I did some snorkeling. The water was slightly sandy, but overall pretty nice so I saw lots of fish and a large manta ray. This is my first effort with an underwater camera, so give me a break.

I got a few mountain bike rides in over the following days and despite the recent rain it wasn't too muddy. The highlight of the weekend was hiking 5 miles of the Kalalau trail along the Na Pali coast. The first few miles were really muddy and slippery, but passable with the aid of trekking poles. I'd done this hike several times, but never beyond Hanakapiai beach at 2 miles. I continued out of the valley and crested a ridge after about a mile to look down into a beautiful valley and see along the east and west sides of the Na Pali coast. Clouds intermittently crept in and along the mountains, making for dramatic scenery.

Shortly thereafter, I encountered an interesting individual who lives on the trail and uses his own time and money to maintain the trail. http://www.kauaiworld.com/articles/2007/12/11/news/news01.txt

I have mixed feelings about this sort of thing. I appreciate what he is trying to do and enjoy the fruits of his labor in the form of better trail conditions. However, this is an untrained individual making changes to government property. If everyone was allowed to do this, it might be trouble. I'm starting to get too political lately and I hate politics so back to the trail scenery.

Back into another valley only to crest a ridge after another 1.5 miles - an even more spectacular view with sheer green sea cliffs rising all around me and Hanakoa falls (1400') visible just half a mile inland. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to descend into to Hanakoa valley, visit the campsite and make the 1/2 mile side trip to the base of the falls due to the weather and a late start. A great start to a long weekend.

Friday night was wild one. Our entire group headed to the beach near the Sheraton (Poipu) for drinks and a grillout. We sat, snacked, talked and watched the sunset - the beer flowed like wine. I fired up the grill and cooked the sausages. Joe and Chelsae nearly starved since Joe left the turkey burgers at home - but he would pay for his sins later in the evening. We started a campfire on the beach with driftwood and listened to music on portable speakers. After getting through the majority of a Great Lakes Sampler Pack, I taught everyone to breathe fire. I was surprised that no one had seen or done this before, but when they saw it, it was an instant hit. There's nothing like a mouthful of gin blown onto a campfire to stimulate the senses. Everyone took their turn, even Emily who (unbeknownst to her at the time) would deliver her first child only 3 days later.

We (meaning me) continued the fun by lighting 6 ft. palm fronds and running down the beach with the fiery palm torch held overhead. As we ran low on fuel we set our sights on larger driftwood. We found a 10 ft., 5 in. diameter log, but were unable to break it into firewood sized chunks. Joe had the bright idea to have me grab the other end while both of us ran full speed at a palm tree trunk in order to break the log. Alas, I outweigh Joe and physics was against him, for when we hit the tree trunk, I kept going forward and Joe got slingshotted back toward our group. I saw him get launched into the sand from the corner of my eye, but our friends said the view from behind was downright hysterical. The shenanigans continued for a few more hours and I'm pretty sure we managed to scare quite a few of the hotel guests, but hey, beaches are public property and we weren't doing anything illegal - just acting like idiots.

Miraculously, I wasn't hungover (despite finishing the sampler pack), but my chest was a bit sore and scraped, Joe, on the other hand, is still recovering from the near-paralyzing blow to the chest that I delivered. We only had a camera phone to document this event, but I'll try to get some pictures. Good times!

The Best Christmas Gift...Ever.

What else can I say except - she's here!

Em endured more and more frequent contractions over early morning the 24th while I slept peacefully. She kindly awakened me at 6:45 to tell me her contractions were 5 minutes apart and we needed to go to the hospital. It was a very calm operation without screaming, running or madness.

When we arrived at the hospital, I was betting on early labor and Em thought she was about 5 cm dilated. The OB nurse proved me to be a complete moron when she said Em was already 6-7 cm and would have the baby by 3 PM. She got her epidural from my friend and partner, Joe. This helped her pain and she was pushing by 12:30. Garyetta was born at 1:57 PM on 12/24/07. She became Madeline Ruth this morning when we finally had some time to ourselves to think about it. She didn't seem to mind too much that we still called her Garyetta for a few hours. She thought it was a small price to pay in order to see both sets of grandparents and most of her aunts and uncles over the webcam on Chistmas Eve. Her Hawaiian aunts and uncles were also nice enough to change their plans for the evening to see the three of us and bring us much needed pupus.

Here's what you want - Pictures! (original and unedited, I'll do some cheesy Anne Geddes stuff later)

Lookin' good at 7 cm (without an epidural!).

Definitely looks like an alien.

Worn out from her big day.

My two favorite ladies in the whole world!

Fame and Notoriety

STILL RAINING!!!!!

However, in my boredom (thank God I had to work 5 days the past couple weeks) I read a few articles in the local paper, The Garden Island (http://www.kauaiworld.com/). I was interested and then angered by an article featured on the front page titled Lawsuit claims signs moved after deaths (http://www.kauaiworld.com/articles/2007/12/06/news/news02.txt). In summary, the article details the unfortunate hikers who fell to their deaths on an unofficial trail to the base of Opaeka‘a Falls. As a result, the spouse of one hiker has filed a lawsuit against the state because it "negligently created a false appearance of safety by posting a sign to the left reading, 'danger, keep out, hazardous conditions'”. The 2 women proceeded to the right and fell to their deaths. The attorney claims that the sign was later replaced to indicate the correct direction.

In short, I was outraged by the lawsuit. While it's terrible that 2 people died engaging in my favorite outdoor activity, this does not make the state responsible for filling the widower's pocket with cash. This prompted me to write a letter to the editor which was published in the 12/8/07 edition. You can read it here:

http://www.kauaiworld.com/articles/2007/12/08/opinion/edit01.txt

What happened to personal responsiblity? No one is willing to accept the consequences of their actions and decisions anymore, escpecially if the outcome is bad. I wonder if the widower ever considered that his wife made a bad decision and the consequences were fatal. Maybe, but probably as an afterthought when he and his attorney visualized their big payday from the state. Personal injury attorneys and their clients piss me off.

Rain

It won't stop - 10 days now - no exercise - must get outside!

Good Times in Cincinnati

Sorry it's been awhile since I posted, but I didn't have any time during our whirlwind tour of Cincinnati with Thanksgiving, Kelsey's wedding and trying to see everyone else. It was definitely fun to get back, but a little weird at the same time since streets, stores and just the general look of things are less familiar to me now. It's an odd feeling going back to the place you lived for 26 years and not recognizing certain things.

Since so much happened while we were back I'll divide the time up into days (starting the weekend before Thanksgiving) so we can keep things straight.

Saturday - bachelor party details not for the faint of heart
Arrival in Chicago after a miserable overnight flight filled with weird dreams fueled by Ambien and Tanqueray. A quick nap at the Country Inn and Suites followed by dinner with the guys for Tom's bachelor party. Things started out pretty slow and then Big Den took Chase back to the hotel. The drinking ramped up pretty quickly with shots of Jagermeister, Patron, Jack, etc. We went to several bars and Tom managed to find an extra 13 bucks in his pocket toward the end of the night (ask him how). All of us were managing pretty well until we tried to find a cab and in doing so I tripped over the curb into the street in full view of 6 cops. They must have had better things to do because I picked myself up, smiled and they just laughed. We finally got a cab and hauled Tom back to his room. I think by that time he'd gotten rid of his last few beers/shots in one of the bar bathrooms. I thought he was doing OK until the girls got back from the bachelorette party and told us he was in bad shape in his room. Of course we needed to investigate. What we found was quite entertaining - Tom, passed out on his belly, with a nice cascade of puke over the side of the bed into Kelsey's shoes. For some unknown reason, they left me with him to further defile the bachelor. I unrolled 2 rolls of TP, covered Tom with it and stuck some pink bachelorette party stickers on his head. By that time the girls had arrived back, so we took some pictures of the lucky guy. I forgot to mention that in the meantime Jesse had set the new kicking distance record for elevator light panels in the hotel hallway. Bedtime 4:45 EST.

Sunday - Terrible
We woke up at 8:45 EST in order to make it back to Cincy on time for the awful Bengals game and Dominic's birthday party. I'm pretty sure that my heart was still pumping pure Jagermeister at that point and my head felt like Jesse had place-kicked it. Chicago to Cincy in the back of Mike's minivan - Terrible. I'm sure I looked great when I walked into Laura and Paul's to see my family for the first time in 4 months. Tina cried when she saw me probably because I looked like a drunken bum. Dominic was cute as ever and managed to tear into a few 1 year birthday presents. Then we headed back to my parents' house for our first decent night of sleep in over 48 hours.

Monday - The Comet and Poker
Uneventful day of sleeping late and recovering from the weekend's festivities. Went to the Comet with a select few for excellent burritos, salsa and beers and then on to Essen's for poker. We had a great showing, so great that I didn't even get to hang with a couple guys since we had to split into 2 tables. We went to the disgusting Wagon Wheel for a beer and a carton's worth of secondhand smoke. At least you can still get your nicotine fix at the Wheel.

Tuesday - Girls Night for Em
She said there was a tight group of friends there and they had a delightful evening talking about makeup and boys or whatever. Paul, Dominic and I went for a short hike at Miami Whitewater. I spent the majority of the evening just hanging out and talking with my Mom which was a nice relaxing break from going everywhere trying to see everyone.

Wednesday - Gebhardt Traditional Pre-Thanksgiving Celebration
We headed to Grandma and Grandpa G's for a the traditional German Thanksgiving meal of ham crepes. Unbeatable. I count myself lucky to still have so many grandparents and enjoy every second of this time that I spend with them. We finished up there and went to Tim's because he was kind enough (or unkind enough) to get a 1/6 barrel of Great Lakes Christmas Ale for the crew ( http://www.greatlakesbrewing.com/beerProfile.php?beer_id=00000009) . If you've ever had about a dozen mugs of Christmas brew, you'll understand why I said this might be unkind. We spent the night talking and laughing, mostly about Todd and his friend the ottoman. Laura, Paul and I formed a family band to the XM radio in Cathy's Escalade while I performed the requisite drunken, head through the sunroof, neighborhood wakeup at who knows what time.

Thursday - Thanksgiving at Grandma T's
Em's parents gave us a reprieve from Thanksgiving with them since we were going to spend the majority of the next couple days with wedding festivities. This made for a very pleasant, relaxing Thanksgiving day instead of running from place to place trying to see everyone. Grandma T kicks some serious butt in the kitchen, especially for an 82 year old - preparing full Thanksgiving dinner for about 20 people every year ever since I've been around. Delicious as always.

Friday - Black Friday and the Rehearsal Dinner
I spent Black Friday playing paintball for bachelor party number 2. I'd never played before, but I was pleasantly surprised at how much fun it was to try to shoot some of your good friends in the (helmeted) face with a CO2 powered rifle. Everyone survived and came home with a few nice welts to prove we'd been there. Tom looked much better after bachelor party #2 than he did after #1. The reahearsal dinner was at the original Montgomery Inn and enjoyed some classic Cinncinnati Ribs King fare. It's been awhile and I'd forgotten how good those ribs are.

Saturday - The Big Day for Kelsey and Tom
Guys went to the hotel, drank a few beers and got dressed for the wedding while the girls went to the salon and spa to have their hair done in ways that defy the laws of gravity in order to look nothing like they do in real life. For the next wedding, I'm getting my hair done in dread-locks. In any case, I managed to forget my tux coat at home (moron). Tragedy was averted when the photographers brought it along. The wedding went off without a hitch and we headed to the reception on the trolley, coolers in tow. I couldn't even convince Em to have a drink for her sister's wedding. We did the traditional Jagermeister shot outside the reception and filed in to hang out with family and friends we hadn't seen in quite awhile. I tried to make the rounds and see as many people as possible. It was a fun time, but I was about partied out by then. Despite this, we still had't made a trip to Rootie's, the neighborhood pub. Onward to more beers. Rootie's was unremarkable until Hilary got totally wasted and then left her dinner on Jen and Jesse's driveway. Bedtime 3:45 EST - again.

Sunday - The Sad Task of Leaving
Goodbyes were painful, as always. Understandably so for our parents, Em and me since the parents are going to miss some of the fun of Garyetta's birth. We weathered the flight home relatively well since we had an exit row for the Atlanta to Honolulu leg. Em nearly ran her pregnant butt off making the connection to Lihue in less than 20 minutes from a different terminal.

When we finally made it home, I felt like crap from too much drinking and not enough sleep and Em was just generally exhausted, but we enjoyed seeing everyone (though for too short a time). I'm just starting to feel better from my cold and Em's in tip-top shape for pushing Garyetta out in the not too distant future. Scary! Thanks to everyone who made our trip home tremendous.

Please email me pictures from the week so I can post them. 'Til next time...