Classic Ka'anapali

After the Sunrise at Haleakala and before the Road to Hana, we had a regular day along Ka'anapali Beach.

Any regular day in Hawaii is a spectacular day in my book.

Dad got up early to ride. Mom and I had coffee and tea on the Lanai.

My parents were VERY nice to let me crash their vacation and ocean view room.

I also think it was VERY nice of me to offer to join them. 

Mom and I decided to explore our hotel a bit. 

My most favorite thing was the plumeria trees, and all of the blossoms littered below.

I grabbed one for my hair every day.

There was also a giant checkerboard, which I was dying to play.

So mom and I decided to give it a gander.

I miiiiight be a liiiiiitle competitive. So I basically dominated this game. And mom ended up forfeiting. But a win is a win.

Then I was feeling courageous, so I ran to the room to get my swimsuit on and I was going to try stand up paddle boarding. By the time I got back to the beach, conditions had changed, and it was too rough for SUP, so they denied me. I am not sure whether I was more disappointed or relieved.

And slightly annoyed at the thick layer of sunscreen I had unnecessarily sprayed on. Oh well.

By this time dad was back, and we were ready for breakfast. Lunch. Brunch.

We headed over to my favorite spot, Leilani's. 

I have an anti-from-the-ocean-policy when it comes to food. However, there are a few exceptions. 

Fish & Chips and Fish Tacos.

Apparently these were award winning Fish Tacos. And, they were. I got them again a few more times, too.

And you can't go to Leilani's without getting Hula Pie. 

It's literally against the law.

And you don't want to get thrown in jail, right?

Hula Pie with a side of Lanai.

Oh, so good. 

And then they give you a receipt for a free one the next time you come back.

It is just a downward spiral from here.

But you gotta do it.

After brunch, we headed back to the hotel to spend some time by the pool, relaxing, and resting up for the next meal. (Oh, vacation.)

I found a spot in the shade. And made one of my dreams come true, a drink in a coconut.

I was kinda hoping for it to be in one of those fuzzy coconuts, with the meat still in it, but this was not a problem either.

And while I read, and snoozed, this guy practiced his uke on a bench nearby.
I'll tell you what.
Almost no bad sounds can come out of a ukulele. It's just so relaxing.
Even when a beginner is repeatedly strumming the same notes.
(It's the singing that can really make it a harrowing experience. At least in my case).

After a fun afternoon of just being lazy, as you should be in Hawaii, we headed back to Whaler's Village for happy hour.

This guy checked us out along the way.

And a happy hour it was.

I love the way he smiles at me.

One of my favorite things about our hotel was that with the ocean view off our lanai, we also had a mountain view out our front door. Every single day, except one, I caught a rainbow as we came and went. This was one of the more vibrant ones, I love how low it was. 

Dad and I decided that we needed to head to the grocery store so that we could pick up some snacks and drinks and bug spray (oh man, how I wish I had used it) for the Road to Hana in the morning. 

So we hustled, and got what we needed. Catching a few more rainbows in the process.

And then I was very concerned we weren't going to make it back in time for the sunset. So along the way back, I made him pull over into one of the beach front parks along the highway.

As we waited for the sun to sink into the ocean, my dad started noticing turtles! Surfing in the crashing water below us! SO many turtles. I have no clue how many there actually were, but I would have guessed 50-100, if not more. They were all along the surf against the rocky wall.

It was so hard to capture these little big guys. They had the perfect camouflage, almost the same color as the water, and their shells blended with the rocks around them.

Their heads, rumps, and flippers would pop out of the water as they surfed each wave, and it was nearly impossible to catch a picture of anything that looked like more than a rock.

And then the sun did its thing and sunk down below the horizon, and did it quite beautifully. 

God is good.