Mondays can be plenty of fun . After a mellow morning and early afternoon of work . With a cooling smoothie stop at midday before finishing off our stops . Ute and I pulled up to a warm and clear ocean down at Kahaluu beach park . Small waves broke softly with their white foam over the reef . After a summer of either no waves or too rough of waves , Ute and I went out for her first time surfing . Ute on the Slick a 9 foot long board with three fins in back , this board has been around almost 15 years . One of the classic boards made by the Slickermeyer a super cool old time Big island board maker . I went out on my black body board . Entering the ocean in a small channel thru the lava rock with its fresh cold spring water coming up in the warm water of the sea . With a little push out we paddled , Ute getting right on the board for her first time . Voyaging out toward the breaking waves with her first strokes pushing her out to warmer waters . Once out about midway we stopped for a little lesson in sitting on the board , Ute with her Horse back ridding experience just sat right up and balanced just right . Floating around a little we moved just inside the break after not getting any waves breaking where we had been . Now as the first ones came I had Ute lay down and paddle , but at the last minute I pulled her back worried about a wipe out . LOL I shouldn’t have , the next wave off she paddled and with a push she caught the wave and sped away . Riding along till the wave rolled up on the inside , her first wave . Back out right away we went just a bit farther out and caught a little bigger wave . Ute ridding cleanly right along again 50 or more yards right to the inside . Now the Slick is not the perfect learning board , one of those big foam one that float so much and are super stable are , anyone can ride those . Ute tuned right into the board and rode a total of 7 nice waves , the biggest one I thought for sure I would see her flipping and the board go flying . But off she went just the back of the wave visible , speeding in a long ride about a 75 yard cruise toward shore . Inside , right in line with the ride a tourist and a surf instructor sat catching the smaller inside waves . Ute unseen from the back was being propelled right toward them . The reason this was apparent was the instructors eyes slowly got wider and wider . Oh no , it looked like Ute was going to run right over them , realizing that there was no brakes on a surf board . At the last second she pulled a perfect turn right out of the wave . laughing away as the instructor asked if she was alright , Ute paddled right back out thru two breaking waves to ride some more . It was such a classic wave for the first time surfing that we laughed for several minutes , rode a couple more and headed in surfed out , happy and hungry . Just the way to be after a reat afternoon in the water . Now I don’t know if I ever will get the Slick back , I think I will have to drop her off tomorrow while I go work . lol

What a fun afternoon , Steve & Ute

After a long hot week of work , we found some beds finally . We found one on Thursday for Ute and I on Craigs list . Rushed down in the morning and got one , they go quick if you don’t get there . We had to load it up and leave it at one of the houses I work at so it didn’t have to ride around on the truck all day . It was a llloonnng day , we worked all day and then hit the big food store and loaded up at the end of the day . Then went back loaded up the bed again and off to home . Where we unloaded the bed again and hauled it into the house , we had been sleeping on a air mattress so long . Oh it was almost to comfortable to be on a real bed again . LOL It is pretty nice from a vacation house so it wasn’t used much and came with a bunch of sheet and pillows too , all almost new . Friday the kids had no school , due to the new furlough of the teachers to save money . Its a little crazy but they are not having school for 17 Fridays to save money on the teachers pay . Republican Governor has screwed up the state once again . Just a ploy to cause trouble to the teachers union . Anyway Ute stayed home with Kaylee and Chris and Kyle came to work . Ute found another bed and we called at the end of the day for that one . When we called back for directions to the house they didn’t answer so we thought we had missed it . After stopping at the book store for Kyle , he wanted a book that was his pay for working , and a couple of other stops we were just headed home when they called just before we left town . Hurray we got another one for Chris , another good one , we lucked out big on used beds . Now we just need a set of bunk beds so Kyle can have one and a extra for sleep overs and guests . Kyle hasn’t come down much but I hope he will .

Saturday the whole crew , Ute , Kaylee , Chris and myself all set out on a moving garage sale mission . Looking for a desk or table for Chris’s computer and also any furniture or other good stuff . We scored two boxes of really cool dishes , lots of plates and bowels and a plethora of coffee cups . Chris got a house intercom system , yikes , lots of buzzing the first day LOL . A set of small book shelves , but no chairs or anything , our offers must have been too low . hahahaha After shopping we stopped for lunch at Bale a Vietnamese French spot , they have a great crispy noodles dish and that Pho soup that is so good . It comes full of rice noodles and chicken . Then you add fresh bean sprouts and basil plus a little bit of fresh hot peppers . Yum . Then went for a little shopping for some clothes and shoes , a little this and that . Loaded up we hauled out booty home and kicked back sending the dishes thru the washer and getting buzzed with the intercom system . As evening set in we hauled down for a little swim with Dewey and then home for dinner and a little Movie watching .

We did have a little scare at lunch , a large bit of crispy noodles , almost had Ute . Looking over Kaylee had a wide eyed look and turning my head left next to me . Ute could not talk , some expanding noodles had got lodged in her throat . She couldn’t talk a sign of choking , just before I jumped up for a little Heimlich they slipped back out . Neatly into a napkin phew that was close . watch those crispy noodles .

Hanging out now having coffee in some of the new cups with the neat blue flower and leaf vine wrapping around . Ute got a new drip coffee maker since that was the kind she liked , but we may have spoiled it for her with all the espresso , oops LOL

Rubbing Ute’s toes on Sunday Morning , Stay Cool Steve

Hot today, as I am everyday , just joking , I am in that pre holiday weird mood. Worked late didn’t get home till after dark , though I have been staying on schedule and getting a lot done . On my new thing to get everything done and only work 5 days instead of the 6 that I have done for several years now. That way I can have some time for my own life since for many years I have devoted most of my time to the boys . Now that they are older I can re connect with doing some of the things that I love and look for my own happiness. Blah Blah Blah and all that.

Still flat as a pancake on the ocean not a ripple in sight, the winter big wave season is upon us , though no giant swells yet this year. The ocean is very nice perfect for little swims and lolling around on the shore, sitting in the shade and laying in the sand. Taking a nap in the shade enjoying just being and feeling the breeze and listening to the palms and waves and the warm sun.

Art shows are planed for the future with many different styles.See the rest of Paul Gauguin below.

Wiggle your toes in the sand, get a back rub , eat a mango, Steve