They call the wind Mariah.....

So me and the black Mariah went for our ride and it was awesome. I rode probably 16 miles in under an hour - woo hoo!!!! Of course, now I am dying. My ass and legs are sooooo sore from yesterday and today, it's hard to get up and down. It's a good sore though; something I haven't felt in way too long. So after bathing and eating breakfast I decided to go hang on the beach with the kids. It's an absolutely beautiful day here in Hawaii and I just couldn't resist. It still amazes me, even after 12 years, this is where I live:

That little island is known as Chinaman's Hat because it looks kind of like the hats the chinese used to wear when working the sugar cane and pineapple fields. Those mountains behind the Hat are the Koolau Mountains of Kaneohe. They run down the center of Oahu and are some of the most beautiful mountains in the world.



This book is the story of Chinaman's Hat and very cute. So yeah, this guy is hanging out under the water right by my house!!







So once we got outside the kids had to immediately head out into the water even though it was low tide. They love to swim and will just go swimming all by themselves.












Rocco will just sit in the water if the tide is low enough. Silly boy.....












Meanwhile Nala heads off to find something to play with; oh, this coconut frond will do nicely..












If I start at this end I'm sure I can destroy the whole thing......











Meanwhile, after a nice dip there is nothing like a good roll in the sand....












Now for a little crab hunting......














Whew, it's really hot out here. Maybe it's time for a little break in the shade....







At this point I layed down in the hammock and the picture adventure was over. There was a gentle breeze blowing swinging the hammock just slightly; there were boats on the water; the dogs were laying in the shade of the hammock resting; all was peaceful and quiet and achingly beautiful. God, how lucky am I to get to live in a place like this???