Did we really just go backpacking in Europe?

I just got back from 3 weeks in Europe, and yes, I had a backpack. Over the next however long it takes me… I am going to be sharing the experiences and sights enjoyed by myself and my husband on this trip. It was my first trip to Europe since the Euro went into use, and my husband’s first trip ever!  

It was a long trip, and the jet lag is still killing me. Therefore, let’s start at the very beginning (a very good place to start). Even us getting to Europe is a story! We left on June 13th (Friday the 13th with a full moon!). After work we went to the movie Maleficent with my coworker who drove us to the airport. It was a red eye so we didn’t need to be there until at least 9pm. When we got there and checked in we were greeted with “Oh YOU’RE the ones going to Zurich! I spent 30 minutes on your reservation!”  

Turns out the plane was delayed on the way into Kona, and the flight was going to be at least one hour behind, causing us to miss ALL the other connections. We were upgraded to first class for the Pacific crossing and given a hotel room in San Francisco since the delay of one hour in Kona meant a 24 hour delay in the rest of our flights. 

So we flew to SFO, checked into our hotel, took a nap, and called some friends in the area. I ended up having a dream about a place I wish existed, with a system of pools and falls and hot springs in a cave. Wish it were real! We took the cal-train and the BART into town and wandered around Union Square. It was odd to see it without the tree and ice rink, since the majority of times we have been there have been for AGU. 

Taken from the Macy's Building. Unions Square looking bare without a tree and rink!

After our friend Charity got off work we BARTed over to her place. We then went with her to a party of some of her Chinese Traditional Medicine friends and had a BLAST! She gave us a ride back to our hotel, and we set our wakeup call to try to get to Europe again!

Sign across the street from the Cafe where we had dinner and watched a bit of World Cup. Cafe La Boheme was very good!

What a wonderful 24 hour delay! 

Sunday morning now, we got to the airport and got checked in and ready to fly cross country. We flew back of the bus to Newark where… after landing early we had to wait, and wait, and wait for a gate to open up. We made our transfer to the next flight where we were seated in Business First! We had pod seats that lay flat so you can sleep! Also you get real blankets and pillows!

FIRST CLASS TRANS-ATLANTIC!? 

We were given warm towels, a placemat, real silverware, a three course meal, and lots of on demand movies! It was truly amazing. I watched The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and Saving Mr Banks. Then I slept and woke up in ZURICH!

First glimpse of Europe as we ate breakfast on the plane.

Ohia and her nap spots

Ohia is a champion napper

Here is a new and interesting place for her to nap... the coffee pulper. 

I don't think shes getting up any time soon!

.... I guess we should paint the floor today...

Some older photos of our floor paint.

Now I know what Broody means….

A few months ago I purchased a few more hens. They all started laying at the end of February taking me from one laying hen to five! For the month of March I was a wanderer due to the farm being used by the owners family for a wedding. When I came back I had a broody hen. I have heard the term before but never had any firsthand experience with a broody hen.

Like I said I had other people watching the chickens and she had already been doing this for a week. I am not against having more chickens and was interested in seeing if my poor sweet rooster was actually doing his job. So I left her be.

A few days later when I went up to feed and let out the chickens in the morning, I was filling the water container when I noticed her get up to grab a bite to eat. I decided to peak in and see how many eggs she was sitting on...

I only saw one egg shape. And when I say egg shape I mean one of my fake eggs I was using to try and get the girls to actually use a nesting box. 

I guess in her defense it is a realistic looking fake egg....

After I stopped laughing I took her fake egg away and shooed her out into the run to play with the rest of the hens. I took the nesting boxes out during the day and at night picked her up and put her on a perch. It only took her about a day and a half to stop being broody and go about her chicken business. 

We definitely had a good laugh though! 

The new lawn project

My Husband had an awesome idea to use an area on the farm that isn't really used by turning it into another lawn. The problem was that it would need to be leveled.

Before photo. The new lawn will be from the palm tree on the left to the steps on the right. 

The first thing we did was set up a level line and build up a rock wall to that level line to fill with a base of gravel and a top soil. After building the wall and filling it up with gravel and soil (easier said than done...) it has now been planted. 

You can see the pink level lines in this photo. We didn't realize that it was SO uneven until we put the lines up. 

Another shot from the same spot as the before (with our cat checking it out). 

Now we wait for the grass we planted to come in. We are also going to be adding a boarder with different plants (to discourage standing on the edge). I have a few in the middle photos but very few (we were just working hard and didn't pause to take many photos). 

We now have landscaping to finish but getting the lawn in I think is a huge improvement! 

Night Snorkeling

I have gone night snorkeling a few times. We went last weekend and my husband took some amazing photos! We went to Kahalu'u just after sunset and jumped in the water. We have also gone night snorkeling at Keauhou but I think I like Kahalu'u more simply for the fact that it is so shallow. Everything is closer and easier to see.

Jeweled Anemone Crab

Night Octopus (I think he is this guy)

Devil Scorpionfish

I rented lights again for tonight!

New hen! & Putting the chickens to work

I got a new hen last week! Her name is Sucia and she came to me from a friend and fellow blogger Gwen (Saturdays with Maggy). She is a laying hen and a great addition to the flock! It is so nice to have a tame (not feral) hen in the mix. Plus she gets along well with my sweety Black Dynamite.

Hello there!

I like having a hen I can hold

Today after spending some time in the run this week I let Sucia and Black Dynamite help with the yard work. I remember reading an article somewhere (I can't remember where) about making your chickens work for you. So since we pulled an area of the personal caretaker gardener, we let them help us out.

There they are working! 

I am enjoying having a tame chicken! :)