His BIG FOUR Train Party

We celebrated Son1's birthday party at the Hawaiian Railway Society Ewa Station. (W is pronounced like a "v"...Eh-vah; that means west in Hawaiian.)

The train normally runs Sundays only, for the public. It runs weekdays for field trips and private birthdays. This past Friday was Statehood Day, a Hawaii state holiday. This day commemorates the 1959 anniversary of Hawaii's admission to the Union. Schools were closed, and some parents were off from work. Other parents kindly took the day off for the party.
Our little conductor was so excited to celebrate with his buddies and their families. We celebrated with friends from this year and last year's preschool classes, his Baby Hui friends, and friends from church. The party lined up outside of the train yard and waited for the engineer and crew to call a booming "ALL ABOARD"! The keiki guests sported cardboard conductor hats from the Hawaiian Railway Society.Our party filled two passenger cars, though the entire train with many more passenger cars chugged out of the station. Son1 decided our family would sit at the end of the caboose car. The passenger cars were once old military flatcars that were rebuilt by the Hawaiian Railway Society.The gorgeous weather was breezy, warm, and not too bright. It was still morning, though. The train was rather quiet, even with all of the children. They contently gazed at the scenery and the construction along the route. The construction workers and the cross traffic waved the Hawaiian shaka (hang loose sign, pinky and thumb extended), and the kids eagerly waved shakas back.Twenty five minutes after leaving the station, we stopped at the midway point, and played games. We sang the whole Hokey Pokey song, led by the train narrator. Then, our passenger car competed against the other passenger car to see who could shake their car the hardest by rocking, jumping, and shaking the cars. The train crew judged. We were slipping and sliding and rocking and rolling, but our car won! Finally, we switched sides so that we could have a different view on the way back to the station for the last 25 minutes. Those sitting facing the mauka (mountain) side rotated with the makai (ocean) side.

On Sundays the railroad crossing signals work. During the week, they are inoperative and a crew member jumps off the train with an orange flag to halt the cross traffic. That's what Mr. Lou did below. The train engineer repeatedly blew the train whistle as we chugged through cross traffic. All of the passengers waved shakas and the halted cross traffic waved shakas back. The caboose led the way back to the station, since we didn't switch tracks. We tried to hold 16 month old Son2 in our laps, but he scrambled away to sit with his brother. I love this picture.We lugged into the station, and I handed off Son2 to our babysitter, at the train yard. The last activity before lunch was too noisy for Son2. We were so grateful to our babysitter. She was a tremendous help to our family all day. While we were on the train she readied our lunch. All of the keiki followed Son1 off the train and past several passenger cars to the train engine. One by one they climbed into the engine of the train, stood on the engineer's seat, and pulled the rope that sounded the train whistle.The train engineer presented Son1 with a birthday certificate from the Hawaiian Railway Society.

The train engine is a 300 horsepower Whitcomb diesel electric train.

Son1 and his preschool teacher

Son1's preschool teacher suggested she take a picture of Hubby and me.

All the kids had their chance at the train whistle, before we congregated in the train yard. We kept the party simple, yet colorful. The tables were all decorated in Thomas colored tablecloths of red, blue, and yellow. We tied colored balloons to different train accessories on each table. Some tables were decorated with train sets, and others with station pieces.

The kids lunches were super easy. We packed an Uncrustable sandwich, string cheese, juice box and gummy bears with a Thomas napkin in each lunch sack. This worked so well! The parents loved,loved, loved this idea! While the kids were quickly served, the adults popped up and grabbed their lunch without distraction. They had grapes, a veggie tray, chips, dips, and salsa, roast beef croissants and tortilla wraps from Costco. You know I couldn't get away with sack lunches for adults! HA! The fabulous lunch sack idea came from Hubby. The cake was another Costco wonder. One of the children has a chocolate allergy, so we stuck to vanilla with strawberry mouse and buttercream frosting. The toppers were from a LEGO Thomas set with some tracks. Son1 requested balloons on his cake, so he had four balloon candles in addition to his number FOUR. Look closely. Can you see why folks think we're local?

Cake was served, but the kids invented their own game. We brought a couple of Thomas pop up tents. The kids played a game of Chinese Lion. You know, like the lion that is commonly used for the Chinese lion dance? They lifted and lowered, and lifted and lowered all over the yard. Ahhh so Hawaii!The party came to an end. Son1 handed goody bags to his friends, complete with small wooden train whistles. But we were wise enough to hand them whistles as they left!

When his teacher helped clean up after the party, Son1 asked for a purple balloon. I told her the story of last year's last day of preschool. Son1 accidentally let go of his purple balloon after the preschool party. Coincidentally we had been reading Where Do Balloons Go? about a little boy who let go of his purple balloon. I reminded him of the book when he lost his balloon that day. But he has never forgotten that balloon. He reminds me every time he sees a purple balloon that he wants that purple balloon back from the preschool party. We chuckled at the story and finished gathering our things. Just a few minutes later, we exited the train yard with the last of our belongings when his teacher looked up.

She said, "Look! It's your purple balloon! It came to find you for your birthday!" He was stunned. We were all taken back a bit.

The purple balloon is actually stuck in the trees above his head.

After a quiet rest time at home, Son1 opened his gifts from friends. I love that at almost every birthday party I have been to in Hawaii, gifts are not opened at the party. My local friend explained local people want the focus to be on the party and the guests and not on the gifts. This is the second year we have opened gifts privately. We love this idea, and plan to make this a family tradition, even on the Big Rock.

The party was over, but he wasn't four yet. I still had one more day with my three year old!

Spring Break with Grandma T. and GG

Grandma T. and GG planned their trip to Hawaii during Son1's break from preschool. Here is a little more about the visit.

One of our favorite things to do is go to Waikiki on a Friday night and swim at the Hale Koa. We usually have dinner at Bibas, and then watch the fireworks at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. Grandma T. loves to swim, so this suited her perfectly!

Now this is what I love about Hubby. He sat with Son2 and helped him with a roast beef sandwich, just so I could get in and swim, too. We had just one little problem. There was a little confusion and Grandma T. and GG did not bring a change of clothes. Thank goodness for swimsuit cover ups because the Farmer Family had plans. We were going to dinner, and were going to watch the fireworks! Let's just say they eventually came around! You know what we say when there's a problem? We just flash the shaka (hang loose sign) and blurt out, "Hang loose!"
Another day we went to the North Shore to the Turtle Bay lagoons. This is a different resort than I have previously written about, that also has lagoons open to the public. People do snorkel, and do see turtles. We did not see any that day, though. Hubby and GG sat up on the beach while Grandma T., Son1, Son2, and I swam in the ocean. Now, it just wasn't a four generation kind of a swim without GG. She thought about how her great grand kids were in the water without her. So she sprang up and decided it was time to get in.
We were kind of all over the place, so this was one of the only pictures to prove we had a four generation swim. Clicking on the picture will make us bigger.
At the beach we watched this dog be trained to retrieve a boogie board alone, over and over , far past the water break. He is a Newfoundland, and he was big! The sun started to set, and we headed home. GG and Grandma T. were tired! They relaxed at home, and gave Hubby and I a chance to have dinner out, without children! Imagine that!Another day we rode the The Hawaiian Railway in Ewa Beach. Since they were encountering some construction on the railway, the trip was only 45 minutes. We went a different route than the time we had ridden the train before. One of the engineers punched the tickets with an old fashioned railway ticket punch.
The train headed eastbound rather than ewa bound. (Ewa is pronounced eh-vah. The w in the Hawaiian language makes the "v" sound. The word means westbound.) We saw one of the original sugar cane plantations on the island. See the tree in the upper right corner? It is called a Golden Tree. The blossoms are always golden. They make me smile because they oddly remind me of Fall on the East Coast, with the vibrant and deep gold color. My favorite part of the train ride was watching the old fashioned railway switch signs that tell the trains in which direction to travel. They are original from when the Oahu Railway and Land Company used to operate the narrow gauge common carrier railroad, until 1947. They could be in full use, but are not, since the only train riding was the one we were on. At the halfway point of the trip, the engineer that was the narrator asked if anyone had celebrated a birthday recently. The entire train, consisting of several open passenger cars of people, sang Happy Birthday to Son2. GG was so proud!

Well, all good visits must come to an end. On Grandma T. and GG's last day in Hawaii, they got to visit Son1's preschool class. Their last day in Hawaii was the first day back from Spring Break. GG was so impressed she was moved to tears. But the teachers were also impressed with her. Being a senior member of a family in Hawaii is a huge honor. So, the preschool teacher and teacher's aide asked how old GG was. They were so honored to have Son1's great grandmother in class they took our picture and offered hugs. It was a very sweet moment.

Once Son1 was home from preschool, we spent our last hours together on the North Shore. From the time we left our house to the time we got to our first stop, the Dole Plantation, the rain was pouring down. We were afraid the rain wasn't going to let up. We rode the Pineapple Express, and both boys loved the minutes on the train with GG and Grandma T.

We rounded a bend and the rain came to an abrupt stop. I looked out across the pineapple fields and saw this rainbow. If you look above it you can faintly make out the second double rainbow. One day I just may tell you why I think God made these for me. But right then, we all looked out at those rainbows in awe. We arrived at the train platform and headed for the big Dole store. Hubby met us there shortly after work.Our last stop on the North Shore was historic Haleiwa Town. This is the largest commercial center on the North Shore, with a residential population of just over 2,000. This is also where our family favorite, the Grass Skirt Grill, is located. GG loves coconut, so of course we ordered a plate of coconut shrimp. They served it with two sauces, an orange and a more spicy sauce. This is one of their specialties.

More importantly, they serve the best teriyaki cheese fries. To the Farmers, these are the best fries on the island. We just giggled and giggled watching Son2 devour these. Once he got a taste, he just couldn't help himself, probably because I have him on such a fresh diet. Mmmm, saturated fat!

Their burgers are also our favorites. By request, they also come with a half an avocado as a topping. To die for!

The owner of the Grass Skirt Grill also owns the Surf shops next door, called Strong Current. This is his Woody.

This was a great way to end the visit, with full bellies and wide smiles. The boys were sad to say goodbye to Grandma T. and GG. But we have this saying in Hawaii...A Hui Ho! Until we meet again!

The Little Train Driver That Could

Our days on the Big Island were full of fun, and we would go go go until our kids wiped out. Son2 generally had an earlier bedtime than the rest of the family. He went to sleep in the bedroom, and then Hubby would sit in the living rom with his laptop and do schoolwork.

Which meant Son1 and I made ourselves scarce. The boat dock was right at the bottom of our tower, so we would hop on a boat until we got to the main lobby. The lobby was still decorated for New Year's. The display was quite large, and inspired by the Happy Feet movie. It had several electric trains running through the penguin palace with hot air balloons above, and other stationary trains around. The display was created by the exectutive sous chef for the hotel. He made train tunnels through the display, and the trains ran through tunnels and over bridges. Now you know how crazy Son1 is for trains.
So, we would jump on the tram that runs through the hotel at the lobby, and take it the wrong way to the end of the line. We positioned ourselves so that when the train was going our direction back to our tower, we were directly behind the driver. Son1 cheered the whole way for the driver. He gabbed, gabbed, gabbed the whole way with the driver. See those finger prints on the window? Evidence we were there...yeah, they belong to Son1.
I have no idea how this little boy gets people to do him special favors, but the driver let him get in the driver's seat.

Historic Ewa Beach Train

This weekend Hubby was working a bit on the proposal for his dissertation and needed some quiet at the house. So the boys and I headed for the historic Ewa Beach train. We took a 90 minute narrarated ride from the Ewa Plain to Kahe Point. This is a 300 horsepower Whitcomb diesel electric locomotive that was donated by the military. It was built in 1946.We sat right near the narrator on the outbound. Can you see his twirly mustache? We heard the history of the Oahu Railway and Land company, and how the trains were used on sugar plantations. The trains are former military flatbed cars that have been restored by the Hawaiian Railway Society.

First we rode through the Ewa Plain. This is a coral bed. The ocean used to run over these beds. Now they are building homes over the coral beds. We rode from Ewa through the Ko' Olina Resort, and out to Kahe Point. Everyone must stay seated the whole trip until we get to Kahe Point. Then the passengers are encouraged to get up and stretch, and switch sides. On the outbound, we sat on the makai (Hawaiian word for ocean) side of the train. On the inbound we sat on the mauka (Hawaiian word for mountain) side of the train. While we were standing, we saw several whales breach out at Kahe Point!!! It was so exciting....and Son1 totally got into it. He was screaming at the top of his lungs (with all of the other kids on the train) "A whale! A whale! I see the whale!" I am not sure if it was just one whale or multiple whales, but they completely breached themselves out of the water in a backward arch, from head to tail. The conductor shared that this is the most they have ever seen of the whales in 12 years! The whales travel in the channel between Oahu and Kauai to Maui for their migration pattern. We were so excited we called Daddy at home from the train. The conductor was excited, too. He called his wife back at the station. She was selling train tickets. Just as we pulled into Kahe Point, we saw Electric Beach where Hubby scuba dives. I had never been out there before. That was fun! We rode all the way back to the train station. The kids were all allowed up to the locomotive to pull the whistle. It was too loud for Son2 so I hung back from the train a bit, and he jumped up there all by himself and blew the whistle.
This was at the edge of the outdoor train museum. Inside the train barn, we peeked at this parlor car. It was built in 1900 for the Oahu Railway & Land Co. founder, Benjamin F. Dillingham. It is called No. 64. This was the finest parlor car that ran on the tracks, and was also an observation car. It originally cost about $4,400. It has a double-size rear platform, surrounded by ornate iron grillwork. Inside it is made of oak, mahogany and birdseye maple. The parlor car originally had a galley, lavatory, washstand and sideboard. It was used frequently by the OR&L for visiting dignitaries. Some the famous guests were Queen Lili`uokalani and other members of the Hawaiian royal family.

Here is an old original car that belonged to the Oahu Railway and Land Company.


This train was built in 1890. It has a tender and was the first steam locomotive used on the Ewa Sugar Plantation.

This coal burner was the first locomotive bought and used by Oahu Railway & Land Company. It was built in 1889. Son1 bought a little locomotive at the gift shop. He is holding it here in his hands.

This is a 150 horsepower diesel electric built by General Electric in 1942. It was used as a switcher by the military.

We walked along the rest of these old train cars.