Day 15 A Day at the Beach and A Night as a Sardine

Well, it had arrived, the end of our trip, the last hurrah, the final aloha, the last day of our Hawaiian odyssey and it was unanimous, it was to be spent at the beach.  No long, scenic drives, no history lessons, no tours...just a day of relaxing in paradise.  We decided to take a look at Anaehoomalu Beach in Waikoloa, about 30 miles north of Kona.  It was a beautiful salt and pepper beach and lined with palm trees; the quintessential Hawaiian paradise beach.  The water was a beautiful vibrant, electric blue (it's so hard to describe colors seen here).   A dive boat was moored offshore and the bay was calm and picturesque.  The windswept palm trees swayed as if performing a winsome waltz with the wind and waves. 

I was ready to plop down my towel and spend my last day in paradise, baking in the tropical sun and maybe even a little snorkeling.  The kids, however, had other ideas.  Apparently, beauty, calm, and relaxation was not what they had in mind.   They wanted to head back to Hapuna Beach, where we spent an afternoon last week.  There the waves were huge and it was easy to body surf and play around.  After getting a few pictures, we loaded up the car and headed to Hapuna.   As hoped, the waves were rolling and thundering against the shore and the sun was high in the sky.  There would be better tans, and definitely more sunburns today, before the clouds blew down from the Mauna Kea.

 We enjoyed our afternoon, but it was bittersweet for me.  I was trying to remember every color, every experience, every moment, and having a small tinge of regret for the experiences we missed.  Because all good things must come to an end, that meant we didn't make it to the Wai'pa'o Valley up north of Hilo, we didn't make it to the observatory on Mauna Kea, and we never did make it to a waterfall. But actually, we accomplished quite a bit from our long list of must do's.  After getting back to the condo and packing up, we went out to the lava field and waited for our last sunset.  The sun made it's descent, casting it's colorful shades of oranges and reds, painting the sky with its hazy hues.  A bit of smog hid the final touchdown at the horizon, but it was still as breathtaking as ever.  We savored every moment and I asked everyone to come up with their favorite top 3 memories.

Here's what my thinker's came up with.....


Manta Ray Dive, Wave riding/beach, Ironman Race

Ironman Race, Manta Ray Dive, Snorkeling

Ironman Race, Manta Ray Dive, and spending
time with us (awww ain't he sweet?!)

Beach, Manta Ray Dive, Volcano

Manta Ray Dive, Ironman Race, Snorkeling/Beach,
(and from my observations, texting Daniel...haha)

The scenery and history, Manta Ray Dive, and
Ironman Race

 

  

 

 The airport was packed at 8:30 pm and check in was uneventful this time....Lily learned her lesson, no lotions confiscated and I didn't break any rules in bringing home my beloved rocks and shell souvenirs. It seemed everyone was leaving the island tonight.  Every seat on the plane was filled and we were all packed like sardines, luggage shoe-horned in every last crevice.   As the plane lurched from the runway, into the sky, so did my thoughts as I began to think about all that would need to get done when we got home.  This morning as we taxied into the gate at Lambert Int'l, my memories were already becoming like footprints in the sand.  The tide of reality washing over them and carrying them out to sea.  But what a wonderful blessing this trip was and I will always treasure the time we spent together.  I saw my children in a different light, they are all growing up, into their own people with their own hopes and dreams, thoughts and ideas.  Paul and I caught a glimpse of a quickly approaching future, where it would be the two of us taking these adventures as a couple, instead of a family....more bittersweet, but good.  My hope and prayer is that one day the kids will have families of their own, and they too will take a trip such as this, making their own sweet memories.

To the island of Hawaii, I send much Maholo!