Hawaii 9

On the morning of the 17th, Anna kindly kept Amelia for us so that we could snorkel at Hanauma Bay Preserve. It pays to get there early - literally - because you don't pay an entrance fee. We got down there early enough to see several mongoose and no lifeguards. Paul took good pictures of the fish. This isn't as easy at it seems - you can't see the screen to know what you're photographing.

Afterward, we stopped at Leonard's Bakery for their famous Malasadas (donuts) and took back a box for all to try.

This was the last day of StarBase Space Day Camp for Sydney. We all attended graduation and then watched the rocket launching.

StarBase was held on Ford Island. Afterward, we drove over to the USS Utah Memorial. One of the lesser-known casualties of the Pearl Harbor attack, the Utah rolled with most of her crew still inside. Rescuers were only able to save one crewman. Later, the hull was turned to free the passage for boats, but the Utah pretty much remains where she perished.

We decided to do Friday night right down in Waikiki. This included an hour long drive to travel the few miles to Buca's Italian restaurant. The food was awesome and the atmosphere so boisterous, no one noticed Amelia having a meltdown. We then walked off the pasta by watching the fireworks and touring the main drag, watching the street performers. Mack really wanted to see the bird guy and we got lucky. All the kids enjoyed being around the huge macaws.

Teri

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