Rachel picked me up early this morning. After the horror that was my double yesterday, I was debating whether I wanted to suffer through the annoyance of waking up to an alarm this morning (instead of sleeping in and then spending the day alone). Ultimately I decided it was worth dragging myself away from the comforts of my bed. I gathered my beach belongings (sans the necessary sunblock for my fair skin) and we made our way to pick up her cousin from the aeropuerto. From the airport, we took the H-3 to Kaneohe, which is where Rachel's sister lives.
I love Kaneohe and Kailua. The lifestyle is so much more laid back and peaceful, yet you're within reasonable driving distance to Honolulu. The best of both worlds. And their house was so bohemian, colorful, cute (for lack of a better word?), and livable. They had a real Hawaiian Christmas tree, which sort of resembles a Charlie Brown Christmas tree, but is actually much better to hang ornaments from.
Plus, there's no messy pine needle clean up!
The girls and I hung out in the house for about an hour while Rachel's brother-in-law got the sailboat ready. We drank mimosas, ate samosas (not made intentionally to rhyme, just leftover from the previous week's Bollywood party), and watched the kids as they played with their new gifts. Around noon we packed the car and made our way to the Kaneohe Yacht Club, stopping at Subway, which was surprisingly open, on the way. I finally got a hold of my parents on their way back from Canada, wished them a Merry Christmas, and applied some borrowed sunblock from Rachel's sister so that I wouldn't fry to a crisp.
Traveling on the catamaran sailboat were three toddlers and eight adults. The plan was to sail out to the sandbar, or "disappearing island," about a mile off the coast. The weather wasn't perfect. The sun kept peeking out from behind the clouds. An occasional light rain sprinkled us while we were trying to sun ourselves out on the nets in the front of the catamaran, but by the time we made it to the sandbar there was more sun than not.
Now, I grew up on boats. I am familiar with the water, although I am most familiar with lakes. In short, I have not been living under a rock for the majority of my life. However, this sandbar was fascinating to me. Here it is, a mile from shore, rising up from the ocean floor. Look at the startling contrast between the deep dark blue (the depth, I couldn't guess) and the grainy neutral appeal of a sandy bottom. For the water is merely ankle deep on the sandbar...and that's during high tide. When the water recedes a miraculous "disappearing island" of undisturbed sand appears, only to drop off into the abyss without a warning. Nature is so random. Rachel and her cousin and I wandered about the sandbar for quite some time, Rachel and I drinking mimosas along the way. When we finally made our way back to the catamaran the weather started to disappoint. The wind and rain forced us below deck for the majority of the ride back to the harbor.
Once back at the house the four of us ladies took to the kitchen. Initially we started out cooking the two little ones a little dinner, but it turned in to an Italian feast. Pasta with alfredo sauce turned in to a spicy vegetable delight, complete with olives, artichokes, and broccoli. An excessive amount of eggplant was discovered hiding in the recesses of the fridge. That spontaneously turned into a makeshift eggplant parmesan. By evening the kids were bathed and the four of us were enjoying a surprisingly elegant Christmas dinner. It was a fitting end to the day, for sure.
Despite the many alterations in my plans for today, despite the many individuals who sought different arrangements for the holidays than I had hoped, I did manage to keep myself happy and occupied. It was most certainly not a Christmas I could have experienced in Michigan, be that good or bad. And apparently I am going to somehow receive a Christmas present (and birthday present) after all, as my parents are going to mail me money.
After years of insisting that money is an adequate and respectable gift, they finally responded. Huzzah! I am completely open to anyone willing to contribute to my fund.
No comments:
Post a Comment