Pineapple HEAVEN!

I am not for sure what it is these days, but...

ALL the friends of our family seem to be going to HAWAII.

Take the Dabling family:

Bart

Janice

Sienna

Tyler

Cody

Chelsea

Gentry

Gee, I hope I didn't forget anyone. Bart and Janice became our friends when we first got started working at none other than The Brass Hearth (now Ruby River) in Provo some 25 years ago. They had kids the same age as us so we traded baby sitting services among other things. They took their family to Hawaii this past couple of weeks as well as caught a couple Rancho Cucamonga Quakes games. (Thank you for the pic of Andrew Gentry!) In return for really doing absolutely nothing...They brought me back a PINEAPPLE. YUM! Oh, did I mention they also brought me back some D.I.R.T. / beach S.A.N.D. Yup, and it is BEAutiful! In addition to the pineapple and the sand, I also got a really cool bracelet. WOW! Glad I got remembered on their journey. Thank you Dablings! Hey, isn't time for a road trip to Idaho Falls?

Sand from the following locations:

Kamaole Beach, Maui Lahaina Beach, Maui Waikiki Beach, Oahu

Black Beach Hawaii and Meagen's Beach

A L O H A H A W A I I

Even Steven has been a friend of the family for many years and has come to be one of my favorite people that travel. Mainly because he always brings me back some soil from wherever he goes. His latest trip was no exception.

Black Beach Hawaii. WOW! Was this dirt B L A C K. Now I can honestly say that I have seen some different colored dirt and sand in my time, but this truly was the darkest black sand I have ever seen. He said it was that dark because it was still wet from being in the bottle, however, even after it had dried out the darkness was unchanged. The other dirt he brought me was in contrast, quite light in color. Put them together and they looked like salt and pepper.

The second bottle of sand was from a location known as Meagen's Beach. OBVIOUSLY I am going to L.O.V.E. this place because that's my oldest daughter's name. Both of these locations were vacation spots for Steven. He has traveled more and more over the last few years and I look forward to him bringing me a little part of his journey. THANK YOU and on a side note...Steven, see you at the park!

BEACH SAND...dirt's favorite cousin

I recently got an email from Donna Boyd, the grandmother of Beau Brooks, one of my favorite players that shared our home during baseball season. She told me that dirt collecting was an interesting hobby. And although she didn't collect dirt, she does have several bottles of sand. One in particular from a beach in Destin, Florida. Her family meets together each summer and at Christmas at this location. She saves a little sand in a bottle and it serves as a constant reminder of the great times shared with her family. Along those same lines, whenever one of my daughters is asked where they would like to go on a family vacation, the answer is always unanimous. Anywhere with a beach! The following are my collection of sand from beaches around the world. When people ask me about sand in my collection, and I already have it from a certain location, their response is usually, "Oh, you don't want it from there then." No 2 grains of sand are alike, I promise. Note the 3 bottles of sand from Maui on the right. All from Maui, all different. Sand, dirt, beaches, call it what you want. I love to look at it. Thank you to all of you that have sent me sand from beaches you have visited on your cruises, vacations, fishing trips, bon fires, exercise outings and clam bakes! Hey Donna, I checked on my collection and guess what? I don't have any from YOUR beach! (hint hint)