Today we said goodbye to the last of our visitors. Eric and Drew flew home to Charlotte this afternoon, traveling non-stop from Honolulu to Atlanta, George, before changing planes. I suggested Eric be sure Drew had lots of water time this morning to wear him out.
The photo above is one of the four swimming lagoons at the Marriott Beach Resort next door to the marina. They are extremely inviting for swimming, now that the box jellyfish have departed. The resort also has a lovely swimming pool with a sandy beach and a lava stone island. I think the pool was Drew’s favorite swimming spot, except perhaps for jumping off Raven’s swim step into the ocean. He spent hours each day in the water.
Thursday night Eric enjoyed a night alone on the town in Waikiki, with a room reserved at the Hyatt Regency (free again, thanks to Peggy and her hospitality industry contacts). Drew stayed aboard Raven and Mike and I had our grandson all to ourselves. In general he was cheery and good company, although there were a few tearful spells of missing daddy. This was actually the very first night Drew had ever spent away from Eric.
The three of us spent the evening at the Paradise Cove Luau, right next door. Drew received his second lei, watched a native climb to the top of a coconut palm, had his picture taken with two macaws (one for each hand), learned how to open a coconut (with a sharp stick), and enjoyed a night of good food and exciting hula dancing, topped of by an impressive fire dance.
Friday we drove to Waikiki to catch up with Eric. The freeway traffic was horrendous but we finally made it. Our start was delayed by an episode of dumpster-diving. I had packed some of Drew’s overflow possessions into a Hefty bag, and Mike faithfully toted it off to the trash! The garbage man had already made his run by the time we realized the mistake but fortunately we tracked down the garbage truck’s final destination and retrieved Drew’s belongings unharmed.
In Waikiki, Mike and I lazed under a shade tree on the beach next to the statue of the legendary surfer Duke Kahanamoku while Eric and Drew played in the inviting surf. Waikiki Beach must truly be one of the world’s best beaches. The sand bottom slopes off ever so gradually, so that Drew could still stand up even far out into the ocean. The small waves develop even farther out and then coast to the beach, maintaining an even size and speed the entire distance, gently subsiding rather than crashing down at the end. A great place to learn to surf! Of course there are thousands of tourists sharing the fun, and those learning to surf can’t steer – something to watch out for.
Mike’s off to run some errands and then visit the Battleship Missouri at Pearl Harbor, but I am enjoying hanging out on Raven, cleaning, doing laundry, working on the website, and otherwise just puttering.