Photos from today

Boxing Day beach party

Mark's favorite Christmas present

This is the stained glass fish that Diane gave me for Christmas, now hanging in one of our kitchen windows.

Christmas dinnner . . . . Island Style

Andrew's new Mustang

Diane's early Christmas present

Our 17 week old baby girl - "Meeka" came to live with us today. They just don't come any cuter!

Water Spout

This giant water spout sucked up lots of water just outside the bay in Kailua Kona. This photo was taken on our balcony during a morning thunderstorm that swirled through and left, leaving blue skies and gorgeous sunshine just an hour later. We're not in Kansas, that's for sure!

Thar' She Blows!

We (Mark and Diane) went on a whale watching cruise. We came upon a pod of Pilot Whales that came right up to the boat. Wow!

We swam with dolphins (again)!

New truck and a trip to a lighthouse

Thought I'd kill two birds with one stone on this photo. I (Mark) bought myself a new (to me) pick-up truck. We (Mark and Diane) took Christine and her kids for a drive up to the north of our island to meet up with our friend Dan who took us to see some local sights.

How many people can you fit into a Kayak??

The answer is five.

Double Birthday

Andrew turned 18 on October 10th, and Luke turned 13 on October 21st.

Christine, Louise, and Luke are here

Diane's sister is here (again), this time her two kids came too!

Swimming with dolphins!

Wow, what an amazing experience. A dream come true, awesome. We (Mark and Diane) swam with dolphins - a pod of around 3o swam under us, turned around and swam back around us. Then they jumped out of the water, spinning and jumping. Luckily we had our underwater camera and managed to take these fantastic photos.

Rainforest hike

We (Mark, Diane, and Andrew) all went for a two hour hike through the nearby rainforest here in Kona. Along the trail we saw a wild pig, but it disappeared into the brush before we could get the camera out.

Kona Pacific Public Charter School

Tea-time at Diane's new school.

Turkey Street

We have a family of wild turkeys that pass our house each dawn and dusk. Sometimes they even wander into our back garden for a scratch around. So if you ever want to come over for Thanksgiving . . . .

Anniversary Trip to Oahu

We (Diane and Mark) went to Oahu for a three day anniversary get away, and stayed at Turtle Bay Resort (what a view from our room!) on the North Shore. We had some spectacular beaches all to ourselves, and went swimming in an amazingly beautiful lagoon. Oh, and we stopped by the Dole Pineapple Plantation. The photos speak for themselves!

Our trip to Maui

We (Diane and Mark) went to Maui for a two day getaway. We drove to Hana, and went on a hike through a bamboo forest, swam under waterfalls, and saw the most amazing sunset. Good times were had by all.

Yes, Andrew is the most spoiled boy in the world!

The photo says it all!

Andrew went to his high school prom

Andrew went to his high school prom . . . it wasn't a 'Senior Prom' because there are only sixty students in the whole high school, so it was open to everyone. Andrew had a great time, and after the prom, five of Andrew's friends spent the night at our house. They all stayed in the downstairs apartment, and finally went to sleep around 5am!

Banana harvest

Our first harvest from our banana trees. Mmm mmm good!

Our first overnight guests

Some boys from Diane's school all spent the night. It was a late night of non-stop movies. The last of the boys finally went to sleep at 5.30am!

We now own a house in Hawaii ! ! !

Today we closed escrow and got the keys to our house. Woo hoo!

Diane's sister Christine is here!

Christine came over for a two week visit. It was great seeing Christine again, and while she was here we flew to Oahu and drove all around the island (photos below from that day). We went to Honolulu, Waikiki Beach, North Shore, and too many places that I can't pronounce or spell - oh, plus we went by one of the filming locations for Lost (the Dharma village).

Beach Barbeque

We got together with a few friends for a beach-barbecue. Good times were had by all. Oh, and by coincidence, this is the same place that we went for a picnic when Mom and Alan visited last weekend.

We saw a Hawaiian Monk Seal

On our way to the beach, we (Mark and Diane) went for a walk around the harbour and saw a Hawaiian Monk Seal. It might not sound like a big deal, but Hawaiian Monk Seals are officially designated as an endangered species. There are thought to be only 1,200 remaining. Of those, there are only five on the Big Island - so seeing one was a rare treat for us.

Mom and Alan's visit

It was short but sweet. Mom and Alan arrived at 9.00am this morning, and left at 4.30pm. We had a nice day out, took them to see our new house (see photo of them below on our back deck with their ship in the background), did some sight seeing, and had a picnic at the beach. Too bad they couldn't stay longer!

Our New House

We should close escrow on April 30th. There's no going back now! Here's a photo of the front, back, and the view from our back deck (and pretty much every window at the back of the house).

Pineapples and Parrots

We (Diane and Mark) went for a walk around a coffee farm up in the hills this afternoon. They also have lots of other fruit trees too, and a pineapple patch which (I thought) looked pretty cool for some reason. While we were there, a flock of about thirty wild parrots flew overhead and landed in a tree.

We snorkelled with a Giant Manta Ray

We (Andrew and Mark) went on a night snorkelling trip to see the Giant Manta Rays. Snorkelling in the ocean in the dark was spooky enough, but seeing a ten foot wide Manta swimming towards you was incredible. Unfortunately, our underwater camera didn't work so great in the dark, but I managed to get one decent-ish photo.

Andrew bought a car!!

Working at Pizza Hut has paid off. Andrew bought a shiny little red convertible Mazda Miata today! It is a real beauty.