Monthly Archives: July 2015

Puna Lu’u, the black sand beach…

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I’ve been without internet for a couple of days so I’ll put up more than one post today.

On Thursday we went to Puna Lu’u, the black sand beach which is called that for obvious reasons…

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We got there early enough to snag a great spot on the shade….

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This is a great spot for snorkeling. That’s Steve,in the water. Snorkeling is not a sport that results in exciting above-water photos.

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Puna Lu’u is a reliable place for spotting amazing fish and Green Sea Turtles.

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After lunch we headed back to Volcanoes National Park to the end of Chain of Craters Road. This area didn’t use to be ‘the end’ of the road, it used to continue on to Hilo and beyond, around the island. In the 1980s the road was covered by an impressive expanse of lava.

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If you have been here before, but not in the past couple of years, it has changed. What used to be “the end” now goes farther. The park service carved out a gravel road. After walking about a mile to find ‘the end’ we gave up.

There was walking involved to get see the lava, and it was hot. Even so, we did stop for photos, but not always of the same thing 🙂

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On the way out we stopped at a pullout. What’s especially cool here is the fact that we are high up, and in the distance the water at the horizon is unexpectedly high. It’s just weird when you see it in person as you drive down the hill.

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This may be on next year’s Christmas cards—many thanks to Amanda for this shot!

Piece O’ NYC: Kid Stuff

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I’m not sure why a lot of people ask me this, since I don’t have any children, but I get a lot of inquiries about things to do with kids in the city. Perhaps it’s my love for cats, glitter, and unicorns that leads them to think I know what a child would like?? HA! Seriously though, I do love doing “kid” things. I love watching children’s movies — no curse words, usually great music (“EVERYTHING IS AWESOME!”), and lots of positivity. And I love crafting — like so much that there’s still glue on my dining room table ;p.

Lately, I’ve had to really think about things to do in the city with kids because my niece Elanor and her friend Lola are coming to stay with us next week. We’re going to call it CAMP LOLANOR! We live in a one bedroom apartment with one bath and the girls will share the pull out sofabed … this is going to be quite an experience, you guys. They’re also “tweens…” Jeff may end up covered in sequins and requesting therapy afterwards … we’ll see! Should be loads of fun (or our doom) — yay!!!

So if you’re visiting with kids, I do highly recommend the following activities in the city (even if they are fairly touristy).
1. Central Park – Pack a lunch and go for a very long walk. I’d like to think this is both a fun adventure and a great opportunity to wear those kids out!!! Come on, nap time! Also, the park has lots of playgrounds like this one and boats on the pond for the kids to paddle you around in! Many free events are also available during the Summer months in the Park.
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2. Brooklyn Bridge Park – Did you know that in the summer they have a pop-up pool? What kid doesn’t love a pool … next to a bridge?!
3. Washington Square Park – in keeping up with the park theme, this one is nice and small. One of the big arches in the city lives here and so does NYU (which I think is a lovely campus ;p ;p ;p).
4. Times Square for a show and the Toys R US Ferris Wheel. They keep hinting that they’re going to close the Times Square Toys R Us. So in the event that they do, try out the ferris wheel while there’s still time. Jeff and I think it’s loads of fun…you know, when we take kids to do it and all…
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5. Sailing after seeing the Highline and getting a crepe from Bar Suzette in Chelsea Market. I fully believe sailing along the Hudson is the best way to see the Statue of Liberty, but if you choose to take the ferry over instead, book it here.
6. Museums GALORE! Pick one! Elanor loved the rooftop at the Met Museum when she visited last.
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Dr. Jeff Goldsmith, Biostatistician and Grown Up Kid.

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Museums are a great idea to visit with kids…especially in the snow. This is the American Museum of Natural History.

7. Cat Cafe – it’s a cafe with CATS! It’s a great spot if it’s raining and you just need a few minutes to sit down. Plus, the proceeds go to helping them take care of the cats.
8. Movies on the Hudson – every summer various parks will show free movies beginning at dusk. Bike rentals are common to find on the Hudson Greenway — rent one and ride along the path for hours.
9. Top of the Rock, Empire State Building, and One World Observatory – Pick one and go up! I like the Top of the Rock myself, but I heard the latter has a good new bar ;p
10. 9/11 Memorial – Unfortunately I haven’t been yet, but I’ve heard really powerful things.
11. Upper East Side for Shopping – Just get it out of your teenage kid’s system (if they’re the type to love shopping) and take them to Bloomingdale’s on the UES. You could get lucky and it’ll be crowded enough that they”ll want to leave asap ;p. Then just stroll around the corner and get an ATM Cupcake from Sprinkles because you’ll both deserve the treat for enduring that experience.

And if you don’t hear from me next week, it might be because the girls are exhibiting this sort of attitude, but I sincerely hope not ;p.

From Kiluea/Volcanoes National Park

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We hiked today, and my feet are sore. I’m happy to report that after Steve’s MaiTais and dinner, they are less sore :-).

We hiked in and around Volcanoes National Park, and across Kiluea Iki. Luckily we got to the park before the crowds and parking was easy. And it was not terribly hot on the hike across the crater.

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There was some posing for interesting photos…

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The next shot was taken on the walk out and back up the side of the crater. We walked down the far side that you see, across the flat part, and up the other side.

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Steve, Amanda, and Keith were brave, almost looking over into a crevasse…

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There was some stopping to at least attempt to smell the flowers…

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That’s ginger, by the way. An invasive non-native that needs to be eradicated. It is also pretty.

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We hiked Devastation Trail… there’s a story that goes with the name but darned if I can remember it.

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Off in the distance, you can see the steam erupting from Halemaumu.

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Back in the day, Steve and I and students could (and did) hike out to that spot, but not now. It’s too dangerous. This is us, then. That sign is probably still there…

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Here we are today, 11 years later and still going strong :-).

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Tomorrow we are heading to Puna Lu’u, the black sand beach!

From the Big Island of Hawaii…

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We spent the day hiking, looking for birds and looking at nature. It was fun and it’s late so I’m not writing much, just sharing photos :-).

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We started with the Pu’u O’o Trail hike, which starts off of the Saddle Road. It’s not a long hike, lots of stopping for photos and looking for birds, and taking photos of people (Steve and Keith) looking for birds.

Of the nearly 200 photos that I took today, only a few turned out well. I’m still working on manual focus, aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. Maybe, by the end of my 52 Week Photo Challenge class, I’ll be much better. As it is, I’m happy with the photos that did turn out well and the rest are gone!

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This next one cracks me up… who is looking at what?

beckygoldsmith-BigIsland-1-52In the afternoon (after lunch at Sompat’s Thai in Hilo) we went to Volcano National Park and did the Pu’u Hulu Hulu trail this afternoon.

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That’s Amanda, sitting next to a broken lava dome.

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This is a spent Ohi’a Lehua blossom. I’ll have more of these later on.beckygoldsmith-BigIsland-1-34

Amanda got a nice picture of me—many thanks to Amanda! I don’t look as bad in the hat as I imagined that I did!

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This is a branch from an Ohi’a Lehua tree. The look of the tree changes depending on where they are. I am doing my best to take interesting pictures that are in focus and not over or under exposed, manually. I love it when it works!

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We saw several rainbows today and this one, on the way back to our rental house, made us stop to take pictures. The ends of the rainbow were both in the crater. So cool!

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I hope to post more photos tomorrow. I hope that you are enjoying your life right now as much as we are :-).

Show and tell…

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Jan Hirth sent me a picture of her Fitbit in front of her quilt-in-progress, Honey Beez! I can’t wait to see the finished quilt. Love the gray behind those splashy Kaffes.

And, I must add that I’ll wear my sister’s watch on my arm, with the Fitbit, just like Jan is here. Not all the time, but often. Nice to know that that’s a thing people do :-).

Thanks for sharing, Jan!

Piece O’ NYC: Favorite Spots

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Jeff and I have some favorite ‘spots’ in the city where we like to go and relax. Shhhh, these are top secret so don’t share them with everyone ;p.

One of the spots is at Lincoln Center. We live around the corner from LC, so we mosey over fairly often. It’s a really neat area. During the summer, they project free operas on a large HD screen for all to see. The chairs at Hearst Plaza are my all time favorite chairs in the world. They’re not particularly great (in fact they hurt my back), but they certainly say ‘relax here by the water … chill out for a second … ‘ which can be rare in the city. When your day-to-day hassles can start as soon as you step out the front door, you need to find some sweet spots that motivate you to chill and stop thinking for a bit. This is mine. If we ever move, I will be stealing one of these chairs. You may have yoga, I have Lincoln Center chairs. They’re my zen.

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Another spot is at Riverside Park South. Every summer since 2012, I’ve gotten an ‘adult smoothie’ from Pier i. It’s my summer tradition. Nothing beats sitting by the river, drinking a few beverages, and watching boats goes by. Add a sun shade or umbrella and it’s ‘just right.’ You can walk all of the Hudson Greenway, along the west side of Manhattan, for a good workout. And on the weekends, there’s free kayaking in the river offered right at the pier! Though I’m scared of literally everything, so I can’t recommend it personally ;p.

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Finally, we adore the Central Park Conservatory Water. You may have seen it in movies – it’s the location with the small sail boats. The little cafe (which apparently is transitioning into a Le Pain) next to the pond offers up a few local beers, mixers, and some cheap wine along with various food items. Jeff and I love sitting here on windy days to watch the boats and to spot French Bulldogs (we play “Slug Frenchie” instead of “Slug Bug”). Then we sadly amble home and start working all over again.

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Dr. Jeff Goldsmith, Biostatistician and purse protector ;p.

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