Never Say Never

I know what you are thinking---how in the world did they get us into matching clothes like this? Especially ugly ones? When we went to our first family home evening we were behind a couple that were in mathcing clothes. I leaned over to Craig and whispered, "While we are here I will never wear matching clothes like that!" Little did I know that in order to work at the Polynesian Cultural Center taking tickets you have to wear matching muumuu and aloha shirt. These are loaners from the center. They are pretty ugly, but the two kids on the sides of us help to make the pictures much better. This is at the Aloha Luau Ambassador Entrance. We take their tickets, give them some hand sanatizer, and send them on to have their pictures taken with these two good looking kids. Then they enjoy a buffet dinner while watching a hula show.

Afterwards we finish taking ticket we get to go to the Ambassador or Gateway Restaurant and have a free dinner. They offer prime rib, crab legs, macademia nut crusted chicken, coconut mahi mahi, sushi and much more. It is pretty good, but those that have worked here for a while say they get sick of it!! I imagine we will too. P.S. I have bought a cheap sewing maching and am making a muumuu and shirt for Craig. I let him pick out the fabric. Watch for that posting!

Many mornings a week Craig likes to walk down to the bay that is on the right of the Turtle Bay Hotel. You can see the reef out there where the waves break so it is very protected and makes an ideal place to swim. It is shallow, only about 4 feet deep all of the way out depending on the tide, and has no waves. He does a couple of laps and dries off on the walk home; he doesn't like to take a towel with him. He says that is what the locals do and so when in Hawaii do as...

Much of the beaches around us are coral. In most areas the waves break out farther from the shore. There are tide pools and many crabs running around the beach. There are turtles in the waters just to the left of the hotel, but I have yet to see them. I can walk for a couple of miles along beaches like this.

Around the resort there is a trail system. Some of it runs right on the beach and other parts are set back just a bit in terrain like this. There are the pine trees and other vegetation. There are many flowers but I don't know if I can begin to learn all of their names too. I see many different birds including one that is gray with a red head. There are also mongoose that run around. But mostly in the morning it is quiet and very beautiful.

On the left of the hotel is where the surfers go. Craig caught this picture one evening when he went out to capture the sunset on film. He caught this guy on a wave instead. Right now the waves on this side of the island are small. It isn't until the winter that they change to be the huge ones that the North Shore is famous for.

On Wednesday we took a drive out to the Northwest point of the island where the road ends. It was very windy, and we found a bunch of guys windsurfing. We watched two leave the shore and go out. I have to admit it looked like a lot of fun but exhausting! This pictures gives you a view of all of the guys in the ocean,

but----

Craig got this picture with his good camera. He is being pulled by his sail that is about 20 feet in the air. He would hit the wave and fly in the air. Because of the wind they go very fast and it just looked fun!

In the evening we catch watch what the clouds are doing from our back door. If the sky looks as fine as this one was Craig will go down to the beach snap the sunset. This night that he was there he watched a couple as he proposed to her. He offered to take their picture and it turned out really great. If you want to see it you will need to ask him.

It is beautiful here and we are enjoying it but we miss you all very much. We love you and our thoughts and prayers are with you. Take care!!! Aloha.