Hula Press: Branching Out

Well, I am very sad to report that our neighborhood beach is closed for the next five weeks. Benji and I were speechless when we saw the sign. I found myself defaulting into his mode... "Why?" But, why?" As if this were really some major hardship I needed to overcome. Turns out there is some important dredging that must be done and it apparently takes a while to scoop up the ocean (five weeks, to be exact).

So with that news, we're going to have to take our show on the road and force ourselves to swim in new locations. I think we can rise to this occasion. Yesterday Michelle and I took the kids to Anini Beach, which is north of here. Anini is a long, narrow stretch of sand with a sandbar far out in the ocean that seems to break the waves and make the water very flat. All in all, a pretty good place for the kids except for the sideways current that carries you away from your beach chairs and sand toys.

The funniest thing that happened was when we were leaving Anini. Gadd and I showered the kids to rinse off the sand, and then started to change them into their normal clothes for the drive. I had Benjamin done, but was working on naked, squirming Alice without much success. For some reason Benji decided at that moment to lick my legs. This has never happened before. It tickled, so I was laughing, and Michelle was cracking up because I was defenseless. I couldn't let go of clean Alice for fear of her darting to the parking lot or the next pile of sand. I was compromised with no free hands and absolutely no sympathy from laughing Gadd, and Benji kept licking me to taste the salt and for the sheer pleasure of torturing his mama. I have no idea what the other people were thinking... crazy woman laughing hysterically, child licking her, and naked baby trying to escape. I was glad to finally get out of there alive.

Today the whole group of us went back to Poipu Beach because it has the best chance for sunshine on the island (it was pouring rain at our house). We packed lunch and stayed until the early part of the afternoon. Michelle had a chance to do some snorkeling and had a good interaction with an eel. Tag took Benji for a swim and the lifeguard let him have a ride on his rescue surfboard. Alice met some other little girls and they made sand pizzas for the better part of an hour.

Tag went off to check his turtle traps after we returned home and while Benji was napping. It was raining so hard I was afraid Missy Kia might get stuck in the mud, or he may get swept away in the creek. Yikes! Neither happened, of course. Instead he came home and we made burritos. It is amazing to see the culinary wonders Michelle and I have been able to achieve using the limited flavoring ingredients available in our rental home. Who knew that lemon pepper spice mix could add the right amount of tanginess and zing to guacamole? Well now you do, and you can thank me and McCormick's later.