Clifton Family

Home again!

2008-08-15T23:40:00.002-04:00

Awake for 29 hours and I wasn't able to sleep on the plane but we made it home. I had 13 hours of sleep last night so I'm feeling better. I posted photos from our last day of sightseeing - Pearl Harbor and the Dole Plantation. We had a really great time in Hawaii especially since we had our own cottage and didn't have to rely on hotel amenities. If anyone ever wants to go to Hawaii I fully recommend our cottage. You can find it at this link (http://www.vacationhomes.com/6487) and tell Dian we sent you!

The Swap Meet

2008-08-10T04:18:00.002-04:00

I don't know why they call it the Aloha Swap Meet, there was no swapping, however it was a huge stadium parking lot sale with lots of Hawaiian gifts and stuff. I think Sam and I managed to find something for everyone on our Christmas shopping list and then some! We walked all over the lot and browsed for a few hours! Sam found a couple of stalls that provided him with a heap of Pokemon cards which he has already sorted. He is quite excited about them.

2008-08-08T00:31:00.002-04:00

Kualoa Ranch and a ride into the world of movie sets. We went to "Jurassic Park," "Lost," "Pearl Harbor," "Tyrannosaurus Azteca" and "Godzilla" just to mention a few. Sam's mount was named Rudy, I was on Bear and Janice rode Grinder named so because he grinds his teeth. We had a two hour ride into the valley and learned not only about the various films that were made here but also how to tell if your horse needs a potty break! Sam really enjoyed the ride and we all have sore bottoms now!

Waikiki Fun

2008-08-07T18:10:00.002-04:00

Yesterday we went on a submarine ride to see the reef off of Waikiki. It was a fun ride but there were very few large sea creatures. The biggest was a pair of sea turtles. We did see a lot of very pretty fishes. After the sub ride we had a VERY expensive hamburger on the beach then spent the rest of the afternoon on Waikiki Beach sunning and swimming.

Lotsa fun and sun!

2008-08-06T03:38:00.002-04:00

Today we had a slow morning - enjoying our house, deck and tropical breezes. After lunch, and after the heat of the day, we headed for Diamond Head Crater to take the 3/4 mile hike to the lookout point. On the way we stopped at the Pali Highway Lookout. Both places provided panoramic views and lots of wind! We took many silly pictures of windblown hair formations. After the hike we followed the guidebook directions to a restaurant called Kea for some Thai food. Sam had a chicken and broccoli which he dove into with gusto. I had Evil Jungle Prince (beef, Thai basil and chilis) which was marvelous. Janice had Panang Curry with chicken which she enjoyed. After dinner we walked down to Waikiki Beach to wet our toes and watch the sun set. We'll be back there for a swim tomorrow afternoon.

More Aloha!

2008-08-05T17:57:00.002-04:00

There are two new slideshows for all to enjoy. We have been having a great time swimming and hiking and generally hanging out. Our big trip to the Big Island and the volcano tour/hike was a blast, quite literally. Our tour guide, Dennis, was a font of information about the volcano, Big Island history and every tree and plant we encountered.

For Ben

2008-08-02T20:49:00.005-04:00

I'm in Hawaii, but finally got the chance to respond to Ben's request. So here are my two kittehs, half grown up, engaging in one of their favorite activities! Roxy on the left and Henry on the right.

And be sure to check out this link to Janice's blog for more photos of Hawaii.

Aloha from Hawaii!

2008-07-31T15:18:00.002-04:00

Greetings from Kaneohe, Hawaii on the island of Oahu! Sam, Janice and I arrived here after a very looooong day of bus, airplanes and finally a rented Jeep Wrangler. Sam survived his first airplane ride of memory and was quite excited at take off and bored with the 9 hour flight from Atlanta to Honolulu. We have a neat little cottage with a view of the mountains and the ocean. Sam is already dressed to hit the waves and is trying to be patient for Janice and I to catch up with him.

Orange Kitteh has a name!

2008-05-07T19:43:00.003-04:00

The voting was not quite the resounding success that Roxy's vote was but a favorite has emerged. His name is Henry Loveland Clifton. Henry for his regal bearing (a good name for a king whether he be king of the jungle or of England) and Loveland is the name of the street where he was born. Both Henry and Roxy survived their first trip to the vet where Henry expressed his displeasure by splattering oral worming medicine all over the vet tech! Both are enjoying the company of each other and the kitty tree that we bought at a yard sale for Mr. Weasley but he hardly ever used. Now I am finally getting my eight bucks worth!

Another New Kitteh!

2008-05-04T19:48:00.004-04:00

Our family continues to expand! Another kitten has moved into our house. He is orange and white (my favorite kitty colors) and is a pretty calm little fellow as compared to Roxy who is quite a firecracker. After about 5 minutes of hiss and posturing they took to each other and have been cavorting madly about the house ever since. Blessedly they did take a nap in Pookers' old basket while we had dinner. Our new kitty does not yet have a name, but we are collecting ideas. I will publish a slideshow of the new kittehs in the next few days.

Our New Kitteh!

2008-04-22T17:21:00.005-04:00

We adopted our new kitten over the weekend while David was away! He came home last night to find her little 'condo' set up in the front entrance. She is an adorable little tiger and white kitty who loves to give wet willies and snuggle on laptops - both computer and human. We had a family conference to decide on a name. Many good options were suggested by family and friends. After narrowing down the list we have decided to call her Roxy Ainsworth Clifton. We intend to let her have a litter or two of kittens so we wanted to give her a name worthy of a good mother. Roxy was David's grandmother's name and she had fourteen children! And Ainsworth Road is across the street from the farmhouse in which she was born.

2008-03-29T21:19:00.002-04:00

Well, this blog got off to a slow start.

I survived my 40th birthday yesterday. The night before Dave gathered the family at Kodo for a celebration. Many cards, gag gifts and a really good dinner were enjoyed by all. My parents gave me a kit to build a little pond in the yard, so I'm anxiously awaiting spring. Erik and Linsey even came up to enjoy the celebration and a good time was had by all.

Spent my birthday with Sam as he had a snow day from school. He built me a lovely snowman out of the 6 inches of heavy wet snow that had fallen. We went to the bookstore to use a gift card from my mother-in-law and I have added four new books to my reading pile. Dave frizzled up some sirlion tips with his coffee bean and chili dry rub for dinner. All in all it was a very pleasant day.

A New Webpage for the Clifton Family

2008-03-23T17:46:00.001-04:00

Welcome to the new Clifton Family webpage! In here I hope to keep current photos and family news for all of our friends and family near and far. As I am new at this blogging adventure, it will probably take me awhile to get things up and running in a decent fashion.