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shannon_aWhen my dad wonders about whether the waves might have reached our towels, I tell him there's no way. We left them several feet above the water line.
But after that, as we swim back along Lawai Beach, my eyes are constantly drawn back to the shore. I finally pick out the bright orange and yellow of my towel, and it looks like the waves are nearly kissing it.
The water recedes, and there's a narrow strip of sand in front of the towels.
Then another wave thunders in.
Eight Hours Earlier.
I've been coveting those Safeway bagels since we picked them out yesterday. Finally at breakfast I get to have one. I choose the Sea Salt one.
It's delicious.
And we continue to eat our way through our vacation.
Following breakfast we get a rerun of yesterday: my dad and I go up to the golf course to hike. It's the same trail, but this time my dad points out a secret path down to the house that I hope we'll someday live in, here in Hawaii.
The path is actually quite well beaten, so perhaps it's not that secret.
But it emerges on the main street about 100 feet from the house of my dreams.
Later, when we walk out to the golf pavilion, I decide to examine the pavilion more closely. Last time I barely noticed it, because I was too entranced by the view to do so.
The construction of the pavilion isn't that attractive. It's mainly cinder blocks. But it's full of picnic tables to sit at, and it's open on three sides, with gorgeous views of the island and the sea.
I imagine leaving my house on Maka Road, walking up the secret path into the golf course, then hiking over to the pavilion. There, in my imagination, I take my laptop from my backpack and I start working on a new piece of writing. The Trade Winds are blowing through the pavilion. Every once in a while I look up at the view.
In my imagination.
As we hike back toward the car, I realize that I barely looked at the actual view, because I was too entranced by the pavilion (and my visions of tomorrow).
Our main destination for the day is a farmer's market. Kimberly and I have been convinced to attend by the promise of food trucks. So we walk with Mary a bit as she picks up this and that. And hands them to my dad to carry. But when we get to the food trucks, Kimberly and I speed off to check out the possibilities.
I settle on Rafael's Aloha Tacos, which is what I had at the Hanapepe Art Walk yesterday.
I kind of feel like I'm stalking the truck, so I pretend nonchalance when I order.
The market is at the community college, and I wanted to walk around it a bit afterward. We've seen it from the road every time we've visited, but we've never explored it before. So, we do.
It's actually not that impressive. I've seen a lot of beautiful universities, and this college instead has buildings that are utilitarian. I'm also feeling a bit out of sorts for perhaps the only time this trip thus far.
While we're there, we meet a groundkeeper. My dad and Mary seem to know every groundkeeper in Hawaii, because we also talked with one at the golf club yesterday. This one says we should check out the gazebo.
So we do, marching out across endless swards of green to do so.
It's not a gazebo at all, it's a pagoda instead.
I bet most people don't tour the community college on their vacation to Hawaii.
But more community colleges should have pagodas.
We go straight from the community college to Kilohana, which is right next door. It's an old plantation, the heart of which is a 16,000 square-foot mansion that looks like it was built the same year as our house, based on the hardware on the windows and doors. It turns out it's from about 30 years later, but maybe they get old hardware in Kauai.
It takes a while to ship things here.
Even Amazon Prime.
Today the mansion is turned into a restaurant on the ground floor, and a bunch of touristy shops in rooms throughout.
It's entirely bizarre walking into what was a bedroom and seeing them selling jewelry. But it's even more bizarre walking into the bathroom, with a toilet off to the side, and seeing more jewelry piled in the sink.
Mary is looking at the various jewelries and paintings as we walk through the house, but I get bored of those pretty quickly and am checking out the architecture instead.
It turns shopping into a spy expedition.
My dad and I finally arrive at Lawai Beach at about 3.30. I've dragged my feet about going because the whole trip through the college and the shopping mall mansion has exhausted me. I hope I'm not fighting off a cold from the plane, but I figure one more day and I'm home free.
However, I ultimately decide I'm not going to waste a scant day of tropical swimming.
We ensconce our towels safely, well above the water line, and then wade out into the water.
After my dad and I both comment on the coldness of the water, I decide that Lawai really is chillier than the other beaches on the south shore, something that I've suspected for years.
But once we get out there the cold fades away and the fish are plentiful, as always. It's the best fish beach I know of on the island.
And I see my first humuhumunukunukuāpua'a, truly marking the start of the vacation.
Our towels survive the experience.
But after that, as we swim back along Lawai Beach, my eyes are constantly drawn back to the shore. I finally pick out the bright orange and yellow of my towel, and it looks like the waves are nearly kissing it.
The water recedes, and there's a narrow strip of sand in front of the towels.
Then another wave thunders in.
Eight Hours Earlier.
I've been coveting those Safeway bagels since we picked them out yesterday. Finally at breakfast I get to have one. I choose the Sea Salt one.
It's delicious.
And we continue to eat our way through our vacation.
Following breakfast we get a rerun of yesterday: my dad and I go up to the golf course to hike. It's the same trail, but this time my dad points out a secret path down to the house that I hope we'll someday live in, here in Hawaii.
The path is actually quite well beaten, so perhaps it's not that secret.
But it emerges on the main street about 100 feet from the house of my dreams.
Later, when we walk out to the golf pavilion, I decide to examine the pavilion more closely. Last time I barely noticed it, because I was too entranced by the view to do so.
The construction of the pavilion isn't that attractive. It's mainly cinder blocks. But it's full of picnic tables to sit at, and it's open on three sides, with gorgeous views of the island and the sea.
I imagine leaving my house on Maka Road, walking up the secret path into the golf course, then hiking over to the pavilion. There, in my imagination, I take my laptop from my backpack and I start working on a new piece of writing. The Trade Winds are blowing through the pavilion. Every once in a while I look up at the view.
In my imagination.
As we hike back toward the car, I realize that I barely looked at the actual view, because I was too entranced by the pavilion (and my visions of tomorrow).
Our main destination for the day is a farmer's market. Kimberly and I have been convinced to attend by the promise of food trucks. So we walk with Mary a bit as she picks up this and that. And hands them to my dad to carry. But when we get to the food trucks, Kimberly and I speed off to check out the possibilities.
I settle on Rafael's Aloha Tacos, which is what I had at the Hanapepe Art Walk yesterday.
I kind of feel like I'm stalking the truck, so I pretend nonchalance when I order.
The market is at the community college, and I wanted to walk around it a bit afterward. We've seen it from the road every time we've visited, but we've never explored it before. So, we do.
It's actually not that impressive. I've seen a lot of beautiful universities, and this college instead has buildings that are utilitarian. I'm also feeling a bit out of sorts for perhaps the only time this trip thus far.
While we're there, we meet a groundkeeper. My dad and Mary seem to know every groundkeeper in Hawaii, because we also talked with one at the golf club yesterday. This one says we should check out the gazebo.
So we do, marching out across endless swards of green to do so.
It's not a gazebo at all, it's a pagoda instead.
I bet most people don't tour the community college on their vacation to Hawaii.
But more community colleges should have pagodas.
We go straight from the community college to Kilohana, which is right next door. It's an old plantation, the heart of which is a 16,000 square-foot mansion that looks like it was built the same year as our house, based on the hardware on the windows and doors. It turns out it's from about 30 years later, but maybe they get old hardware in Kauai.
It takes a while to ship things here.
Even Amazon Prime.
Today the mansion is turned into a restaurant on the ground floor, and a bunch of touristy shops in rooms throughout.
It's entirely bizarre walking into what was a bedroom and seeing them selling jewelry. But it's even more bizarre walking into the bathroom, with a toilet off to the side, and seeing more jewelry piled in the sink.
Mary is looking at the various jewelries and paintings as we walk through the house, but I get bored of those pretty quickly and am checking out the architecture instead.
It turns shopping into a spy expedition.
My dad and I finally arrive at Lawai Beach at about 3.30. I've dragged my feet about going because the whole trip through the college and the shopping mall mansion has exhausted me. I hope I'm not fighting off a cold from the plane, but I figure one more day and I'm home free.
However, I ultimately decide I'm not going to waste a scant day of tropical swimming.
We ensconce our towels safely, well above the water line, and then wade out into the water.
After my dad and I both comment on the coldness of the water, I decide that Lawai really is chillier than the other beaches on the south shore, something that I've suspected for years.
But once we get out there the cold fades away and the fish are plentiful, as always. It's the best fish beach I know of on the island.
And I see my first humuhumunukunukuāpua'a, truly marking the start of the vacation.
Our towels survive the experience.
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no subject
Date: 2016-04-10 08:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-04-11 04:09 am (UTC)(I've actually seen that particular beach entirely submerged at very high tides.)