"Wake Me Up, When September Ends"

Our computer has been down for a few weeks, then in the shop, which is the reason I haven't listened to this song even once in September.

I love September. It is the season I miss the most being away from the mainland, and most especially living in Utah. I love to run with leaves crunching under my feet, I love watching the colors change (oh, I miss you Provo Canyon), I love the smell of pumpkin candles, and I love being chilly enough for a jacket, but not a coat. There is something magical about attending the first BYU game of the season, with all the energy and cheering fans. We made our own magic this year, I guess, and watched the season opener, which turns out to be the only game that has felt magical thus far in our sorry season.

So, I miss "home" this time of year, but then again, we've had a nice hot month, filled with trips to the swimming pool (Zac's favorite activity even overriding his love for the beach), little adventures, and lots and lots of sunshine.

Labor Day weekend was the first time I was allowed to go swimming in a while. We took advantage of this new freedom, and enjoyed a kayak trip up the Wailua River, followed by a hike to Secret Falls. We did this little jaunt about three years ago, and we've since sent most of our visitors on the trip. They come back with pictures of a much different waterfall then the one we saw--the one we saw on our first trip was like a trickle. Well, this time wasn't much different. Maybe we'll try again another time of year. The major difference on this trip was Zachary--he hiked the entire way there and back (which in truth is probably only two miles round trip, but pretend to be impressed).
Ah, see the mighty waterfall.
Zac wanted to get in and swim in the falls, which for some reason were way too warm for fresh water. It was a really hot day.
Brady, then me, underneath the drips.

Zac kept wanting to take turns paddling. That was great, because my arms were burning on the way back.

That same weekend, we figured out that Kealia is best in the morning. The beach is cleared out (and without dogs!). The day was beautiful and hot, and the water was crystal clear.





Brady went to Utah the following weekend, then dealt with a nasty cold the week after that (but was nice enough to kick me out of the house for some beach time--ahhhhh). We were hurting for a good weekend this time around, and ended up with an ideal one--camping at Polihale with perfect weather conditions, company, and water.

Zac with his new friends Olivia and Emelia.

The area where we camped, called "Queen's Pond." (We used to only camp next to the cliffs in this pic.)
We didn't snap many pictures, but we had a solid group of about 6 families. Can you count the number of Tommy Bahama chairs in the pic below? Thank you, Costco, for providing us all with exactly the same products as everyone else on the island.


Zac's love, Linnaea.
All set up--I include this picture because it is a fairwell to our huge, 8 man tent (in the middle). We decided we're done with the beast, after a solid almost-nine years of many, many adventures together; starting with a perfect, full-moon weekend at Bryce Canyon and ending with a perfect, full-moon weekend at Polihale. In the future, we're going to use a canopy, like the one Chad and Mary have (to the left of our tent). Unless it rains, it's great for beach camping, and much less cumbersome to put up and take down.
I don't know why we haven't figured out that changing into a swimsuit is the FIRST thing we should do when we go beach camping.
Brady got off work early so we could enjoy the sunset.


Rob was lighter-fluid happy.


We spent the evening roasting s'mores, playing games, and chatting it up. The morning brought bright sunny weather, fantastic boogie boarding waves, and plenty of playtime on the beach.
Refreshed. Maybe a little homesick for September, but very content. (And trust me, my homesickness ends the first time all of you get snow.)