no longer a honeymoon..

David and I have joined his parents and his brother+brother's gf in a small compound inland from kailua bay. Kitchen counterspace is miniscule and the sink is a single. There are only three "glasses" and none very interesting or cocktail-worthy although 2 match and can be tolerated. There is no shotglass nor can i find the black garbage can outside, as is advertised.

However, my bed is comfortable and there are 2 bathrooms. Close by is Kailua Bay which was the best swimming I've had since September at Cape Cod and that vacation had turned out rather dreary at times, for swimming purposes. So yesterday, when David, his parents and I arrived at Kailua Beach Park, after finding no parking at the closer by Kalama Beach Park, I found myself ripping off clothes and tossing possessions aside to thrust my body into the gentle, welcoming and playful waves that folks were already enjoying. The water here covers the most wonderful cream-colored sand and I found only exultation at this swimming location. It was religious. David, Jim and Shirley also were swim-happy.

Afterwards we went to Rai Rai Ramen, a nearby noodle joint and found satisfying bowls of soup, except for Jim who only had shumai. After he and I tasted David's chicken curry soup, we both vowed we would get that next time, although my spicy pork and tofu soup was damn fine.

David fetched his brother and the neighborhood suffered a brown out. This morning the newly arrived Texans woke me while suffering from their jetlag. At 6 am or so they were escorted to a sunrise location by the Russells. I cleaned up the kitchen and cut up the pineapple in anticipation of their return. Also made another pot of coffee for David if he ever emerges from his separate 'snore quarters'. Listening to the new Radiohead, per Sal's tip.

swimming swimming swimming swimming swimming

here in honolulu, we rent a hotel room just for one night before decamping to the Kailua compound. in front of the new otani Kaimana Beach Hotel is a lovely beach just east of waikiki beach where David loves to swim. it lies just inside a reef and is mildly more private than the city beach. this is good and bad. good because its more mellow and spacious and close to our hotel room. bad because there are no surfers or townies to stare and gawk at rudely.

yesterday after checking in we went immediately to the beach and it was hot and it was lovely and we swam, floated and grinned. later, after dinner, david wanted to swim again and we swam in the darkest twilight before the huge moon honored us with her presence.
this morning after attending the mad and lovely farmers market at diamond head we came back to hotel room and changed, heading straight back down to the beach. the water was lovely and different today at 9:30 am than it was yesterday at 2:30. the low tide showed off the coral reefs we stayed away from, happily floating about in the deep sandy shallows. I saw a large school of fish hanging out with us humans in the same area. These fish were about 4-7 inches long. they were shiny and silvery, psychedelic to behold.

New Best Friend

Esmerelda, or as Peter calls her, Oggie, as in "Oggie the doggy"

Later that day..

ate a great buffalo burger at Bullshead and felt like a million bucks afterwards. We hung around Peters freakhouse for a little while then he drove us around San Fran and it was beautiful. Going down Market Street in his vw toward the east side scared me a lot, even when I was sure of his good driving, all I could do is fret and think things like, "what if the brakes go?" I related my nervousness to everyone by recounting the many scenes from the movie "What's up Doc?" when during car chases through San Francisco, large plate glass windows being walked across busy streets get run into incessantly.


But with Esmerelda at attention between me and Tanya in the back seat we cruised happily around, finding Bay Front Park an industrial wasteland and hail on top of Crissy Field. Very pretty as the sun tried to break through during a walk around the beaches of and here we are back at Tanya's looking out on South Ocean Beach pre-pie time and the sun is trying to reassure.

San Francisco, February 2011

Fun. Yesterday we flew into SF and it was like summer. After this Hard Winter, that was a pleasant paradise. Today is crazy stormy and wet, but maui wowie is a happy treat as is Peter, Teresa and Emerelda. Fun.