a few more days to thrill

The day started out with JPs slightly odd gardener puttering around in the back yard. He does a great job with the jungle, but I locked the door before I got in the shower. After a quick stop at Safeway, I headed to Kahalu'u Beach for some snokeling. I used up the rest of my underwater camera taking some great pictures (I hope - it is one of those feee-yulm cameras and I need to get them developed and then scanned - what a pain!) of the yellow and black fishies, and the neon pastel ones. There was also a really cool all black one with a rainbow colored fin. It was really a nice time - the coral and all the little fishes nibbling away on it, I even saw Nemo....or maybe it was a cousin. Then, I felt something tug on my foot....twice....nothing was there everytime I turned around, but it freaked me out enough to get out. Kahalu'u is also home to a few Honu, or sea turtles. They were trying to get up on shore - you'd think people had never seen turtles before...they just could not leave the poor things alone. Fortunately, i know how to use the zoom lens on my camera!! One thing that drove me insane was the number of people YELLING at their children! This one kid, Weston, really took the heat for his obnoxious sister who got off scot free everytime she did something wrong....Parents, next time you feel the need to chastise your kids, make sure it is n't the littler, cuter one you should be yelling at!!

Finally I had enough of humanity and went up to the almost always deserted beach near the Energy Lab by the airport. Planes were taking off - big jumbo jets and little commuter planes, all whizzing right over my head. I sat on the lava rocks and watched the day fade. The surf pounded the rocks as if it were trying to hack a short cut through the island. Let's anthropomorphize the sea even further, it was an angry beast trying to take back the path that this intrusive 40,000' mountain of rock was blocking...did you know, if you put Mt. Everest on the sea floor next to the big island, it would just barely poke out of the ocean...and Mauna Kea would still be going up and up???

Anyway....it was a nice finish to the day, watching the surf destroy the tide pools...much nicer than watching the kids try to destroy the turtles at the other beach!

Wednesday was a much more exciting day...I drove to South Point, the farthest (duh) South point in the United States - take that, Key West. As you can see from the tree, it is pretty windy down there....all the trees have a certain "lean" to them. The water down there is BIG and wild and incredibly blue...I stood by the old boat hoists and it was lulling me into wanting to jump...come to me, it was saying. Jump in, I will catch you and toss you gently against the rock cliffs. I literally had to force myself to hang onto the rusty ladder, or I think I might have done it! You could see all the way to the bottom, the giant boulders - it really was beckoning to me. I knew if I got a good running start I could get far enough away from the rock wall that I might be able to clear the boulders. Finally, I tore myself away and walked a little further, to get to the actual "south point." I had cell reception, so I called my mama :-) She gets calls from me at random places I find myself...at the Arc de Triomphe, on the South Rim, from the Empire State Building, etc.

Then, I walked the 2 1/2 miles to the Green Sand Beach - it was hot and windy and I almost wimped out a couple of times, but boy am I glad I am not a quitter....It was AMAZING!! and of course, I scrambled all the way to the bottom and sat in it! I ran my toes through it. It is such a curious unreal sight! I dreaded it, but I had to go back, particularly as 4 van loads of church kids where not too far behind me and they were due any moment so I trudged back up and started the walk back (and yeah, there they were!! talk about a way to destroy some peace and quiet in a hurry!) - fortunately the wind was at my back now, but the sun was in my face and it was hot.....Even so, it was awesome. I was even singing..."sunshine, on my shoulder, makes me happy..." and I WAS. About 1/2 way back, a jeep slowed down and they asked me if I wanted I ride....HELLS yeah!! I wasn't THAT happy I would turn down a ride, so they made room and I hopped in, buckled up and HELD ON...wheee! Rog and Chantal from Boise were great - he is an artist and as soon as I get home, I will post a link to his web site