Day Off... Leads To Memorable Adventure

Honomolino Bay.     Ocean kayaks parked on the beach. 

Every once in a while I have to remind myself that I'm living in Hawaii. I get so wrapped up in my busy life that I tend to neglect enjoying this dropdead beautiful place. So when a friend invited to spend a day at the beach, I took her up on it.

What has this got to do with homesteading? Well, I believe that I need to love where I am living in order to be content with homesteading. If I hated where I lived, then what's the incentive to live and work there? Thus in order for me to be successful, I not only need to like where I am settled, but also go out and actively enjoy it. Sometimes I forget that as I slowly, almost unnoticed, settle further down into a rut. Ruts might become comfortable and safe, but they are not "living life" as far as I am concerned. Ruts cause me to lose my enthusiasm ....and enthusiasm is a requirement if I am going to create and live on a family homestead farm. 

Coconut trees surround the beach and bay. 

So one morning a friend and I headed off to Honomolino Beach. This is one great beach that not too many people go to. There's only two ways to get there, paddle in by kayak or hike a mile down a sometimes rough trail carrying all your gear. We travelled light and hiked in. (there is a 4 wheel drive road but only for use by the couple residents that live in the area)

Our little camp site on the beach for the day. 

A morning of snorkeling, an eclectic lunch, an afternoon of walking the coast. I could easily forsake the world and live in a tent under the trees. This is paradise.

Heading on out. Just a short walk later the absence of the car keys
was discovered.      Oh my!

But the title of this post says "Adventure". Such an idyllic place, how could I have an adventure? Well, as the comment on the photo above says, it's those dang little things called car keys. Normally when at this beach we are the only ones there. But this time we had company, a bunch of tourists/vacationers. So in order to safeguard our valuables while we tooled about, we buried the keys, cash, and credit cards in the sand. Upon leaving the beach at the end of the day, we retrieved everything but the keys. Such are the problems with being over 60! The memory isn't all that great anymore. The error of our ways wasn't discovered until we were almost back to the car. O-o-o-o. Drats! Since my friend was the one who had buried the keys, it was her job to hike back the mile to retrieve them. I shouldered her backpack + stuff and headed out, now well weighed down.

What an end to a good day. Both tired out, we now each had our new challenge to go that one step further. Maybe not a challenge. More like a necessity. But I'm sure it will be an ending we won't forget for awhile. At least I can look forward to not forgetting the keys for awhile.

While my friend was hiking those two miles, I entertained myself talking with tourists. Just having fun, acting the part of the local color. Tourists are often so entertaining. I remember when I first started coming to Hawaii. I'm sure the I asked all those inane questions too, while some local took the time to give me answers.

"Where'd your friend go?"
"To go retrieve the car keys."
"Down that trail?"
"Sure. It's safer that way."
"Really?"
"Yeah. The beach is down that trail and there's plenty of sand to hide things in."
"How far is the beach?"
"One mile."
"A mile? Couldn't you bury them closer, say right over there?"
"I suppose so but it's awfully close to the car. People might find them and steal the car. No, a mile away is much safer."
...tourist leaves after giving me a very odd look. I chuckle inwardly. I remember thinking that people who lived in Hawaii are often odd. Ah, I've become one of them!