"OH, WHAT do you DO in the wintertime, when ALL the world...

You sit on "Grpa's" bedroll all in snuggly jam-ies and play dolls INSIDE!
You CHECK out the depth of snow on the driveway that you ARE going to shovel!!
You build a snowMAN with that snow!
You dress babies and toddlers WARM to go out in it and
get cold! BUT CUTE!!!
You entertain indoors, by putting animal "looking" hats on
Grma Wheable's head... It's really a purse! Maybe THEY(the one's taking this picture...) should be going OUTSIDE for cool fresh air and excersize instead of sitting INSIDE and making Grma wear that "hat!!"
Looks like FUN had by ALL!!!

Wheable Winter Week on the Mainland

Boy Michael and Rebecca, Grace and Anne. SMILE!
Grace is a sunbeam in Primary now!
See, it IS sunny there SOME of the winter time! BUT then the snow started falling...
and the chain requirements kicked in and plans had to change!
Snow WAS on the road, on the mountains and over the pass.
Winter in the Sierra---s. 11 hour drive back to the bay area, with 4 of the hours moving at 4 mph! Welcome BACK to winter, Dad Michael! Boy Michael had to drive over the pass into South Shore Lake Tahoe, which he does every day in that storm too!
Dinner with Amber and Casey, back in the bay area. Notice
the WINTER clothing in this picture too!!!
Brrrr the whole time, Dad Michael said...
More food and fun!
Grma/Grpa Wheable took Dad Michael to a buffet and they ALL filled up!
Even tho he says Grma didn't eat as much as when they ate SHRIMP at the Reno buffet!
Grma is trying to stay warm with 4 layers of sweaters here...
Dad Michael says it was like keeping a blanket on a little bird!!!
OUR winter picture... Next Jan. you all come over here!
We will visit the beach on those blustery winter days and watch for whales!?!?!
I promise I'll bring snacks and we will call it a "winter party!!"
Dad Michael had a great time doing winter with you all for a WEEK!

Friday Morning/off to ukulele

This is JEANETTE sitting next to NANNETT at the Lihue Senior Center playing ukulele. I have been going to this group EVERY Friday morning when I am on the island and it TRUELY is one of THE highlights of my week! Yes, I do play a little pineapple ukulele pronounced OOk-koo-lei-lei...
On about 1/3 of the songs I back up the group with my violin. It sounds nice because I play the melody line and the ukes are strumming and people singing... Sometimes the melody wanes a bit so the pitch of the violin helps! My favorite song to play is "Beautiful Kauai."
These are the class members from one end of the room.
I sit over by the Coke machine... we are a group of haolies who are called the "precious" table,
because we speak up and ask questions and everyone else sits there really quiet like and sings and plays w/o ?...
But they love us in the class!
This is my side of the class...
The other 3-4 at the table come at 7am and stay until 11:30am each Friday.
I get there by 9:30 and we practice for a solid 2 hrs.
We have a binder of 150 songs.
Most are Hawaiian chants and songs.
We play Dream and Raindrops are falling on my Head, I do the violin back-up.
We perform in the community once a month for a local fair, charity or senior group or politician (if it is an election year.)
This is our teacher, Bro. Paleka. He served an 18 month mission in Africa while I had moved back to the mainland those 2 yrs. He is the one in the brown ALOHA shirt. The gal next to him helps with our class and she REALLY cracks the whip, Marilyn and makes us repeat songs, not just "play thru." Notice the navy blue binder sitting on the table, it has a "library" of our songs in it... The red binders are our performance binders. The fellow across from the teachers was a visiter last week. He performed with our teacher for many years and they WERE famous. He sang for us at the end of class and sounded GREAT! I think this class helps push back aging!?!? SO if you call in on Friday's a/m, this is where I am, instead of answering the cell, or walking at the beach, OR sleeping in... The roosters crow at 6am and the seminary alarm goes off at 5:30, so SLEEPING in isn't much on this Kauai schedule! ALOHA!

The year of the CRUISE!!

Leaving on a cruise ship... I can hear the melody starting up now!!
We are on a count down for leaving next Monday out of Honolulu into LA Sat.
We decided that since this was a big decade year for both Michael and me,
we were going cruising!
GREAT idea...
We are booked somewhere up on the ninth deck with a sliding door and balcony. This ship has been on the Hawaiian circuit and is being moved to the Carribean so we get to go across the Pacific Ocean on it... which is a dream of Michael's (I just wouldn't go with him on a sailboat!!)
All the "Hawaii" looking stuff will be removed and they will
paint it for the Carribean while it is in LA.
Notice our beautiful island "winter" skies...
Taken last Sat. and STILL looking like this today!!
About 79 degrees tho. Yes, we do wear sweatshirts here now!!
Still in slippers tho, NO socks and shoes, yuck!
Are they sad we are leaving? NO! I don't think so...
The purple futon is the "non" bed in question. Jenna and Jesse have negotiated an every other night exchange. Jesse is working on his GED and Jenna is taking her test tomorrow 7:15am...
Well... Jesse is PLAYING his 360 in this picture and Jenna just hopped off the computer from watching "Lost."
The word of THIS year is "PRODUCTIVE!"
This is still possible on the "in between clouds" moments.
We LOVE to watch the whales, Jenna and Jesse were just trying to catch some rays. JUST warm enough to be at the beach still.
Jesse likes to see what his expressions look like in every picture... Enjoy them, 'cuz he'll out grow this phase soon, I hope!

SO, this IS winter?

Thanks for sharing the mainland "winter" with us...
Just showing that we get it!! Cold and refreshing...
Grace in front of her snowman, looks FREEZING!
Here are the gallons of water rushing and pouring over the waterfall.
Winter rains from the wettest spot on the earth, island style...
Red dirt water.
Wild life out for a winters day stroll, looking at the airport runway.
Baby Nene (geese) and parents.
A sleeping monk seal out at Poipu beach.
NO, not "hibernating" just resting for the afternoon.
It even gets yellow tape around it so it can nap.
What a good idea for parents who need a long winters nap?!?!
Oh, this is the back end of the ship Michael and I are going on across the Pacific! A "winter" shot.
We leave from Honolulu Feb. 4, Monday and get into LA Feb. 9, Sat.
Michael has ALWAYS wanted to go across the Pacific Ocean,
and he even tried once with Boy Michael in a Katamaran out of Santa Cruz...
BUT, this is THE only way I will go WITH him across that Pacific ON the water!!
Anyways, we named this the year of the CRUISE to celebrate our BIG decades
birthdays!!! Happy cruisin' and stay warm to most!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!! Big "5-0"

Two birthday girls side by side in eating dessert!
Notice sunset backdrop, early dinner time and the two guys were there to help us with these pieces of pie, yummy!!
Happy Jan. 2 for me and Jan. 15 for Marianne!
Puka dog lunch on the real b'day!
Thanks Grpa Jack/Grma Pat!
Anyone want a bite?
Made it to the beach and NO rain!
Great beach day, lots of people, hot sun...
Happy b'day to me!! ISLAND STYLE...
See any whales in the background, in the water, I mean!!!
OK,
NO, I am not the MONK SEAL!
IT was down the beach with the yellow tape around it... sleeping!
Warm sand, the sun was starting to go down and the clouds came in and it was b'day nap time!
zzzzzzz/and beach shut eye!
Birthday dinner at Hukilau,
Wally salad, yummy bread and meatloaf for Michael.
Two desserts later, both gifted to the b'day girl, Grpa Jack would be proud!!,
and we were rolling out of there! What a very GREAT day to turn 50!
ONLY regret, no kids on the island to party with... NEXT year!!!
Thanks again for the phone calls/texts, cards, blog videos and ecards!
Been a great run! 1958-2008 and many more! Here's to a happy future!