A Day at the Beach

We had good intentions of taking a hike this morning in the hills above Honolulu. We left a beautiful, sunny Honolulu morning and drove 20 minutes or so, but in the hills there was cloud, fog, and drizzle. As we neared the trailhead, the road was blocked with a sign saying that the area was closed. After debating the options for awhile, we decided to go back to the condo and spend a day at the beach.

Our condo came supplied with two beach chairs, obviously old and well-worn, but useable. Also on hand was a rather nice beach umbrella -- not just the kind you stick in the sand, but one with an auger at the bottom that really digs in and holds the umbrella even in the wind.

As we entered the public access area of Waikiki Beach, it became quickly apparent that much of the beach was also closed today. Waikiki may be a natural wonder, but it gets considerable help from heavy equipment. Sand is dredged from the sea bottom several hundred yards out, piped back to shore, dried in the sun, and then spread out once again with large trucks and bulldozers. The beach was getting its pre-season tune-up.

The area immediately behind the Royal Hawaiian Hotel was still open, so a lot of people were crowded into that area. We set up early, before the afternoon rush. The people-watching was great! We read our books, at our lunch, took the occasional dip in the ocean, and generally enjoyed the day. Generally, we aren't able to spend the better part of a day sitting on a beach. We get too restless and want to get up and do something. Blame the pandemic, old age, or just the ambiance of this particular beach, but today we managed it quite well.

Walking back to the condo, we stopped at The Cheesecake Factory and picked up a couple of desserts to go. We did a seafood take-out restaurant this evening. With so many things closed today, we were glad to find the place open. The poke boxes were good, but quite spicy. We topped off the evening with a walk to soak up the Waikiki night life. The place is really happening on a Saturday night, even more than Friday.