Captain Cook and Kealakekua Bay

For some reason I have always believed that Captain James Cook (the British explorer, who discovered Australia and Hawaii for the Europeans) was killed by the natives in Australia.  (And Visotsky's song about Captain Cook certainly supports my theory.) 

It turns out that Captain Cook was killed in Hawaii, in Kealakekua Bay.  In late 1800's the British were granted a piece of land near the spot where the captain was killed and erected a monument there in his memory. 

Monument to Captain Cook, the British explorer

Kealakekua Bay is said to be one of the best snorkling spots in Hawaii.  Nick and I hiked down 2 miles to the water in order to do the snorkling and see Captain Cook's monument. 



Kealakekua Bay

At the top the trail cut through tall wild grasses.  For all you "Lost" fans out there:  the entire time the grasses made strange noises, which made me think that either someone was following me, or that someone was whispering nearby.  It felt eerily similar to some of the scenes in the show. 
The snorlking was indeed amazing.  The coral reefs seemed a lot healthier, and hence a lot more colorful than the ones we saw in Hanauma Bay.  At one point Nick and I saw an eel.  The sun was setting by the time we climbed back up 1300 feet to the road. 

Things I do not have time to blog about right now:

• whale watching near Kona--we saw several humpbacks, including a mother with a calf about a week old
• seeing an active volcano for the first time in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
• the landscape, the flora and the fauna around us
• snapping my sun glasses in half and lamenting that I failed to lear such simple things as the Reparo incantation in elementary school

Turtles, Pineapples and Pearl Harbor

None of the items listed in the title are connected, but the title summarizes are adventures for the day.  Ryan drove us out to the North shore of Oahu, to the town of Hale'iwa. 

On a beach near the town we looked for some sea turtles.  Unfortunately, the strong surf does not seem to agree with the turtles.  The few that we saw kept getting flipped over by the waves, probably not a pleasant experience even for the turtles.  However, the heads of the turtles occasionally sticking out of the water were still pretty cute. 

Since I could not get a photo of a sea turtle,
I took a photo of a crab running nearby on the beach

We tried to look for surfers at the Waimea Beach, but the waves were not very high, and the surfers were mainly wading in the water looking for bigger waves. 

On the way to Hale'iwa, we stopped at the Dole Plantation of pineapples.  For some reason I always assumed that pineapples grew on trees.  I'm not sure where that conviction of mine came from, but I was quickly proven wrong. 

Nick and Ryan in front of the entrance to the Dole Plantation

In the afternoon, we visisted Pearl Harbor and saw the USS Arizona memorial.

USS Arizona Memorial, dedicated in 1962

Oil still leaking from USS Arizona
(sunk on December 7, 1941, during the attack on Pearl Harbor)

Hiking and Snorkling on Oahu

We continued to soak up the sun here in Honolulu. 

Ryan picks an avocado while standing on his porch
--the wonders of living in a tropical rain forest

Our first adventure today was to hike to the edge of the rim of an extinct volcanic crator near Waikiki, called the Diamond Head.  It was very crowded at the top, but the views were amazing.

View of the ocean and some coral reef from the edge of the rim of the Diamond Head

After a light lunch of sushi, we did some snorkling at the Hanauma Bay.  I have never snorkled before, so it took some getting used to.  We saw a lot of fish.  I was amazed how little I had to move to stay afloat in the water.  I guess it has been awhile since I last swam in salt water.  (No photos from the beach, as we again locked our cameras in the car.)

Enjoying views after the snorkling

Nick taking a break from looking out for whales



Aloha

Our first day in Honolulu involved a bit of hiking in the Lyon Arboretum in Manoa and some kayaking in Kailua.  There are no photos of the kayaking, because we decided to leave our cameras safe and dry in the car.

Honolulu

Talia near a giant tree, whose name we do not know



At the Pali Lookout


After our kayaking adventure we had a bit of shaved ice at the "Island Snow", the same place where the president went just a few weeks ago.

Nick eating a Raspberry Vanilla Shaved Ice at the Island Snow in Kailua

Three Sure Ways to Raise My Blood Pressure

For an institution such as a museum or another event venue:

Invite me to attend an upcoming event. When I show up to pick up the tickets, tell me that the event does not exist.

For a fellow T/subway rider:

Wait for a train while standing next to me and next to a fare machine. When the train arrives, hold up the train preventing passengers from boarding in order to use the train’s fare machine to add enough money on the fare card to pay for the ride.

For various parties concerned with saving the environment:

Encourage me to live without a car. When I chose not to buy a car and to use public transit, deny me ways to increase my liability insurance while driving a ZipCar, charge me an arm and a leg for comprehensive coverage on a rental car, and do not plow your property sidewalks after a snow storm.

Grandma Jo's Chocolate Quick Cake

Grandma Jo, Nick's great grandmother
whose full name was Anna Josephine

Even though this cake seems to have been popular in Nick’s family while he was growing up, I only made it once before, a few years back—too long ago to remember exactly what I did.

Inconveniently, the recipe omits two small but important details: the size of a baking dish to use, and how intensely to beat the eggs.

I compared the amounts of the ingredients to other recipes of known volumes and gave the recipe a couple test runs. Now I can attest that the batter fits nicely into two 9” round pans for a two layer cake.

In an effort to spread the pleasure of cake over a longer period of time (by freezing some of it), I have also baked the batter in two 6” round pans. The baking takes longer, and the cakes are higher. You can freeze one, and slice the other one for a small two layer cake.

• 1 1/2 cups flour (186 g)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder (39 g)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla

1. Sift together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. 
2. Preheat the oven to 350F, and butter the baking dish. (I also lined the bottom of the pans with parchment paper.)
3. In a medium bowl, beat the egg. (I did use a hand held mixer).
4. Add buttermilk (I beat the mixture a little more).
5. Mix in oil and vanilla
6. Gently mix in the dry mixture above. (I did not use a mixer at this point. If you do opt for the mixer at this point, stay at the lowest speed possible.)
7. Bake at 350F for 20 to 25 minutes for 9” pans, or at 325F for 40 to 45 minutes for 6” pans.

My Chocolate Quick Cake recipe card comes complete with a recipe for the cake frosting on the back.

• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 square chocolate (probably 1 ounce)
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 Tbsp hot water
• vanilla (optional)

1. Melt butter with chocolate 
2. Add the rest of the ingredients, and beat all until smooth

In the name of full disclosure, I have never made the frosting above. My note that a square is an ounce of chocolate is just a guess.

So far I have been using a simple ganache frosting instead.

• 1/2 cup heavy cream 
• 1/3 lb bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1. Heat the cream in a small pot until just boiling 
2. Take the pot off the heat, and mix in the chocolate until smooth
3. Cool until the mixture thickens, but is still easy to spread.

The above amount is just enough for a 6” inch cake, but should be doubled for a 9” inch cake.

Nick and I also enjoyed the cake frosted with the ganache, but filled with rapberry preserves.