Long Awaited Beach Day
Thankful to have this giant car, we loaded 8 people in with all of our beach gear! Salt Pond Beach in Hanapepe was our chosen destination. Our little one was VERY excited. He’s a water lover… no matter how much time he spends in the water, it’s never enough!
Such a special area on Kauai… very sacred lands. Just off the parking area, are the only natural salt ponds on island. Only used by Native Hawaiians, we have always had close friends share the salt with us. Very special. The waters are perfect for kids swimming because there are reef buffers between the shore and the sea. With the relatively calm waters, it was nice to hang out with a seltzer and talk story!
Before leaving for our family vacation last October, I purchased this giant blue tent. Sold as Neso Tents Gigante Beach Tent… it’s 11x11 and 8 feet tall. Made with a material that has a UPF 50+ Sun Protector, it allows me to spend ALL day on the beach! It was a bit challenging… no wait… nearly impossible… setting it up in the strong winds. Maybe if we’d followed directions it would have been easier!
Getting our little one adjusted to floating on the boogie board was fairly easy. Within no time, he was out swimming around with Aunty Caroline. His confidence grew and within no time, we had a pro!
What a blessing to have uninterrupted free time to enjoy each other! Life gets so busy, time passes so quickly… it makes moments like this, moments without responsibility or time restraints all the more special. What a gift to have family bonding time.
These two lovelies were enjoying their very first wedding anniversary. Kind of a last minute decision to join us, we love that they are having a very memorable celebration. Our family’s motto is: The more the merrier!
We never quite got the tent off the ground but propped up, visitors came to say ‘hi’ throughout the day. It was so hot out there that a little shade… a definite necessity!
Needing two tables to seat our big group, I somehow only got a photo of one! Yikes! We couldn’t pass by Ele’Ele without stopping to Port Allen Sunset Grill. Outdoor seating with tv’s allowed us to have a happy hour drink, a bite to eat and watch football. Perfect!
True story… we had the freshest of fresh ahi… broke da mouth! So exciting to see a just caught ahi being carried in! Lucky they took it in the back to clean and prepare it because I could easily have eaten the entire thing!
It’s been so long! My daughter’s high school bestie stopped by to hang out for a bit. Such a great time catching up and reminiscing about some pretty funny times!
Back in the car… time to head back to our condos. Eat, drink, look at the view, laugh, enjoy… that’s what’s on our “menu”…
Yes, it’s true… I’m a nerd. Packed in my suitcase and transported all the way from Tahoe… three solar tiki torches. Most of the time, if possible, I bring my tikes with me. Kind of fun, right? So, we visited with our friend while three of our group walked down to see the sunset. When it was way past dark, my daughter tracked down her girlfriend and found that the group had stopped in at Brenneke’s.
Well… when we walked down the road to Brenneke’s Beach Broiler, it was immediately obvious, our three friends had been having fun for awhile! We all ordered drinks. So much laughter! It was a fun night and a great continuation of the anniversary celebration! We have a friend who is a bartender there, but she wasn’t working sadly. However, the bartender working was amazing! Lots of fun!
It’s been awhile since I’ve enjoyed a warm evening. The moon was full with a smattering of clouds. As we walked away, I turned back for one last look. Brenneke’s looks beautiful all lit up. On a side note, I actually worked in this building YEARS ago. Back in the day, there was an activity business run by the restaurant owners. It was called “Banana Antics”. What a great night!
