Happy 4th of July!!!



Our first 4th of July here in Hilo, good ocassion to celebrate independence day and our one month "anniversary" of being here.

We also heard that cops were going to be on the lookout for DUI's. And since cops here usually ride around in "undercover" cars (see picture below) we were very careful not to drink anything but soda....

Turns out that cops here use their own personal vehicles as patrol cars.... why? one would ask (we did), turns out not to be a bad idea. They found out that it is much cheaper for the city that way. You see, the cops get a stipend to cover the use and wear of their vehicles, and since it is their own vehicle that they are using they tend to take better care of it than if it was a city provided patrol car. So the city ends up paying less in maintenance of a fleet... Problem is spotting them... al they have is a silly blue light on top of their car. We've been thinking on putting one on Mr. Limpet to get us around town quicker...

We heard that this year the fireworks were going to be spectacular at Hilo so we decided to go to the Bayfront with our friends the "Smiths" and we decided to leave early to get a good spot. But before we left Charlotte insisted that I changed my shirt because there was no way they were taking me with that shirt on. Honestly I don't know what was the problem, I mean, it is an old t-shirt but it was clean, and it is not like we were going to a "fancy" place.....

As you can imagine, weather had been beautiful all week and all morning on the 4th, but sure enough, as soon as it was time to leave it started to rain. And the rain remained on and off for pretty much the rest of the night.

But it didn't matter, we came prepared with umbrellas and lots of good spirit. We found a good spot where to settle across from Coconut Island which is where the fireworks were going to be launched and enjoyed the rest of the evening.

While there was still sunlight the girls (Hana, Syd, Nautika, Kiana & Trinity) played in the beach looking for treasures

Climbing on trees....

Building forts to hide from the rain...

While all that was happening there was a beautiful old sailboat cruising around Hilo bay fairing its cannons (it's a tradition here that takes place every year....)

As the rain moved in and out it offered some spectacular views of downtown Hilo (Bayfront) and Coconut Island.

IT was a great setting family's everywhere enjoying the day (in spite of the weather).

And the firework display was, spectacular!

Next year we will be better prepared and we will bring tables, a canopy, chairs, umbrellas, jackets (believe it or not, we wish we had brought our jackets with us) and most important: a GRILL and real food....

Stay tuned for more adventures in Hawai'i........