The Pings: Jon, Jenny, Elton, Rafa and Charlotte

I didn’t take many pictures of us grouting! I didn’t realize that grouting was so messy! We actually bought a “grout bag”, hoping to make our lives easier.  The idea is that the grout bag works like a pastry bag.  You simply pipe the grout between the rocks, smooth it out, and voila, you have neat organized lines between your flagstone.  Alas, despite our best efforts, we still got covered head to toe with grout.  We put the grout into the bags and used the bags as directed, but really, the grout still gets everywhere!   I took two showers and I still have grout on me!

A blurry picture of Elton’s fuzz and the white grout on my nails. Good think I didn’t get a manicure yesterday!

We chose “alabaster”, a tan-ish white for our grout color. We didn’t want the grout to be too dark, and we figured that over time, our grout will stain and darken with age. It actually matches the walls perfectly.

We still have a long way to go, but had to finish early– we ran out of grout! We only covered 100 sq feet with twenty five pound bags of grout!  We sorely underestimated the quantity of grout needed to cover our 400 sq feet of flagstone.  Jonathan is going to Home Depot tomorrow to buy another 15 (!!!) 25 lb bags of grout! Almost done!

After a short hiatus, we’re back to our flagstone! We first set the mesh backed stone onto the concrete patio with concrete. Here’s a picture of Jonathan and Dad cutting the stones to shape with his diamond blade saw.

Jonathan and Dad mixed up the thin-set and we plopped the stones into place. Since they’re mesh-backed, they easily fell into a grid pattern. It looks great!

Onto grouting!

Today, I learned to golf! I went with eleven other co-workers to Mililani golf course. I wanted to look like a golfer, so I borrowed my grandpa’s old clubs and bought a new visor.

I actually don’t know how to golf, but we had a great time. Here’s a picture of Sarah and Kevin goofing around on the carts.

After 13 holes (we were too tired to play all 18!), we all enjoyed burgers and fries at “The Shack”.

Jonathan and I just got back from the SSRP graduation/ presentations tonight. Neil did a great job presenting our project “Epidemiology of Jellyfish Stings”. Good food, good time. Congratulations to the new student researcher graduates! 

I just returned from my first trip to Kalaupapa, Molokai. Kalaupapa once housed hundreds of patients with Hansen’s Disease. Today, only 22 patients are left and it is now a national park. I was lucky enough to score an invite with the Straub summer student research project (SSRP)

In Kalaupapa, we made an imu, a giant underground Hawaiian oven. First, we collected the banana trees.

We stacked the rocks inside the pit, built a large fire, and then layered the banana leaves and our food inside the pit, covered with another layer of ti-leaves and banana leaves, a tarp and some dirt. Our completed imu:

Eight hours later, we took the food out, and wha-la! Kalua pig, kalua chicken, and sweet potatoes. Yummy!

Of course, we went to Kalaupapa to learn about the peninsula’s history of isolation and social injustice. Dr. Brady led a tour of Kalaupapa. We admired the beautiful sea cliffs and view.

We also visited important historical sites of Kalaupapa, including the various churches and Father Damien’s grave. Here are the SSRP researchers and Dr. Brady in front of the Catholic Church.

We absorbed Hawaiian history and explored an ancient lava tube…

And, we swam in the best swimming hole in Hawaii– crystal clear blue water, tons of fish, surrounded by steep sea cliffs. Amazing!

Sadly, I had to leave the beautiful cliffs, friendly people and pristine ocean. Here’s a picture of Jonathan and Elton (and our home!) from the airplane.