July 23

Today marked our last full day on Kaua'i. We've done a lot over the last three weeks so it's ironic that it feels like the time has flown by at warp speed. We started the day as we so often have by walking over to the clubhouse so I could get my coffee. (Well, Adam, Brady, and I did. Isaac and Abby opted to stay behind.) We didn't really have a plan in place, so we decided while sitting there on the lanai, looking out over that beautiful, expansive lawn and the ocean beyond, that we'd head back to Kapa'a to do the second half of the Ke Ala Hele Makalae East Shore Beach Path. (We did the first portion on July 13.)

We started at Kealia Beach and walked the trail along the ocean. Although the forecast originally called for rain, the sun was out and the sky was mostly blue, so other than air that was a wee bit warmer (and stiller) than we might've liked, the conditions made for a pleasant enough stroll. We stopped for a brief look at the Pineapple Dump (see how happy Brady is? The other two weren't even interested enough to come join us), and then finished up at Donkey Beach before taking a brief break and then backtracking to the car.

From there, it was lunch at Bubba's (after a ridiculously long wait; seriously one of the most frustrating experiences of the trip -- fast food should not take an hour to make. But given that that's my biggest gripe for the last three weeks, I'd say we're doing pretty well), and then back to the house to change for the pool and a game of Scrabble at the clubhouse. After dinner, we closed out the evening with a stroll over to Uncle's for shave ice (and snow for the Little Boys. The pic on the bottom right is from the walk home afterward. The path between the shopping center and the street our house is on is illuminated by these cute little solar-powered lamps. I liked the effect). Well, that's how the kids closed out the evening. We'll be folding and packing for a while longer, but it's okay.

What to say, what to say. I've enjoyed the past three weeks immensely. I'm glad that Adam at long last found a good time to take his sabbatical, and I'm thankful that we were able to come here to soak up some aloha spirit. Kaua'i truly is a restful place, and it's been a huge blessing to be immersed in this little slice of God's handiwork for an extended period of time.