Labor-Free Weekend

After counting on a camping trip to our favorite destination on the island, we were disappointed to cash in for "average" adventures. The weekend ended up exceeding our expectations, even though nothing was really out-of-the-ordinary.

We started our weekend with our typical Brennecke's boogie boarding. The waves were exceptional--with side waves coming in from multiple directions that gave us air time when they were hit right. Very nice. We stayed for hours.
At several points in the evening, we commented on how much Zachary loved to play with the sand, and how good he was about not eating it.

This is the angle we see him from 85% of the time, now that he has this crawling thing down.
Saturday morning, we cleaned the church and ate breakfast with the ward. After our typical Saturday cleaning and grocery runs, we took off for the Grand Canyon of the Pacific. We haven't been to the west side for a couple of months, and there was a particular hike Brady went on when I was still in California that he wanted me to do. It was only a couple of hours, and Zachary handled it just fine. We are ready to try some longer distances with this fellow.
Waimea Canyon is cloudy in the afternoon most of the time. It never fails to amaze me how different the landscape is from one part of our tiny island to the next.
Most of the time we would dip in for a swim at a natural pool like this one, but it was beyond disgusting and smelly. Two things to look for in the picture below: Zachary's crazy ear and the brown water.
I told Brady he could not consider purchasing another lens for the camera until I knew the camera features as well as he knew them. He spent a lot of this hike explaining aperture, lighting, shutter speeds, and other settings to me. (He believes his job is complete, but I still have to prove that I can actually apply the information before he gets the okay to hit "purchase.") This picture was taken with very slow shutter speed.

The destination for this hike? A bright blue picnic table--the essense of beauty in nature. It must have been airlifted in. We all ate some snacks,...sported crazy hair,
...and got excited about our spectacular views.
This waterfall is viewed by most visitors on the opposite side.

On Labor Day, we went for a company picnic to Kalapaki Bay. We both had a chance to surf for about an hour each. No, Julie V., we were not cutting up the wave curl, but they were still great rides.

Shaun, Brady's boss, hard at work on the grill.

This trip to the beach, we were impressed with the amount of sand Zac did eat. Six times in a row, he face-planted, then stuck his tongue out to eat. It took me that long to realize it was deliberate. I'm curious to see his diapers tomorrow.
Jeff, using his well-honed construction skills to build castles.

The highlight of the afternoon was paddle-boarding. Shaun rented a couple of boards, and most of us took turns trying out this new fad. None of us were successful in the big waves, but on the rolling current, it was completely refreshing and fun. Here's Brady (and at this point his desire for a new lens with more zoom actually makes a little sense):