Author Archives: rsc1176@yahoo.com

Ciao Serena

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There are certain seminal events in the lives of people that leave an indelible mark on our memory.  The events are different for all of us.  For some it is that time they see that special someone for the first time.  Maybe it was the birth of a child or the start of a new job.  While I do have those memories, the one I am reminded of today is the opening of a new restaurant.  Those of us raised in Sanford, who are of a certain age, will recall with fondness the opening of Bojangles.  It was such a watershed moment in the history of our town that it earned a spot in Sandprints (our yearbook).  The line stretched down Horner Blvd. for weeks.

I am pleased to report that I still get excited about the opening of a new restaurant, although now my tastes are a bit more refined than chicken and biscuits.  This past Saturday the boss and I got the opportunity to try a new place located in the Stonehenge (oh how they danced) shopping center.  The place is Serena.  Serena was recommended to us by a friend who has children with Celiac as a great place to go.  Apparently they have their first location in Durham and I am sure that it is every bit as good as their new spot.  Serena has taken over the old location of Wildflour which means that they inherited a brick oven for pizza.  I was informed by the waiter that they are still perfecting their dough recipe and will have gluten-free crust as well.

We arrived early on Saturday evening because I wanted to talk with our server about their gluten-free options.  He was extremely knowledgeable and when he wasn’t sure, he went back to speak with the chef.  Our drink orders were promptly gathered.  The boss went with a white wine while I had Omission Pale Ale.  Omission is one of the only gluten-free beers I have found that taste like beer.  The menu is fairly extensive, so do what we did and peruse it after you order the truffle fries for an appetizer.  Yum!  All of their fries are made in a dedicated fryer so I could have my fill.  For her entree the boss had the Grey Goose Sauce with gluten-free penne topped with a portobello.  Hers was great.  As for me, I had the Red Clam Sauce with the gluten-free penne topped with blackened chicken.  It was wonderful and loaded with clams.  Both of us had enough for lunch the next day.  Since we were full, we opted out of dessert.

The only drawback to this fantastic place is that it can be a bit pricey.  However, knowing I can eat without getting gluten-gut is a wonderful thing.  It is also exciting to have a good restaurant so close to my house where I can just duck in for a beer and some fries.  Next time I’ll try another sauce, a different kind of fry, or maybe one of their specialty drinks.  One thing is certain, there will be a next time.  While Serena did not open to the fanfare of that Bojangles in Sanford almost 20 years ago, I am equally as excited, though in a more mature and reserved way.

 

Kicking and Screaming

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I’m not ready, not yet anyway.  I am not ready to say goodbye to summer.  It has got to be one of the cruelest parts about living in North Carolina.  It’s post Labor Day, but the weather still screams summer and the water temperature at Wrightsville Beach is over 80.  What is a guy to do?  Well, you leave it to the school system of course.  School started on the 26th.  By my math (something I was never good at) the girls have been in school for 8 days.  It makes absolute perfect sense that it is already time for a teacher workday.  I’ll gladly take the day off.  Hey girls, wanna go to the beach?

I loaded the car last night and put the surf board on top so we could leave this morning at 5:30.  We did a good job and were on the way by 5:45.  A short and uneventful drive later we were at Public Access number 7.  I looked at the ocean and decided that the one foot shorebreaks were not worth taking the board off of the car.  Lucy and Ethel grabbed the chair, bodyboards, cooler, and sand toys and we headed to the sand.  The three of us enjoyed a nice breakfast on the beach and after applying some sunscreen, the girls were off to the water.  So, we played.  Then we had a snack.  Hey Dad, can we get the boogie boards?  Go for it.  It is worth mentioning that Ethel is quite proficient with the boogie board and she often rides the wave until it is no more.  On this day, at this beach that was a problem.  She caught the first wave she sought, rode it to the shore, and came up gimpy.  She managed to ride it all the way to the shells.  The ones that sliced her knees.  Break time!

The girls played in the sand a bit and went back to the water.  Before we headed back to the water, we finished off our last bit of Hawaii by enjoying our Maui Chips on the coast of Carolina.  After the chips, we noticed that the gulls were getting fairly aggressive and freaked us all out, a bit.  I hung out for a moment on the sand and watched the girls cut backflip after backflip in the ocean.  Too soon, it was time to pack up.  We drove down the street at a nice slow pace with the windows down and Radio Margaritaville blasting.  I had promised the girls a new outfit, so surf shops, here we come.

Our first, and very brief, stop was Sweetwater Surf Shop.  I have never been able to find anything in this shop and the staff is less than friendly.  It almost seems that if you are not a local, then you are not necessarily welcome in the shop.  So we left.  Next we went to Surf City Surf Shop.  The folks here are friendly and welcoming.  The girls picked out new dresses and we chatted with the two guys on staff and a production assistant for a show being made in the area for a bit.  It was sort of an aloha moment where everyone was just enjoying the moment.  After the obligatory stop at Redix, we headed back across the causeway.  We made a quick stop at Port City Java (now with gluten-free bread!) and then pointed the car towards Raleigh.

We had a blast in the car singing along with pointless ’90s songs.  It is rewarding as a father to look in the rearview mirror and see your youngest singing along with “Enter Sandman” and your oldest rocking out to Lenny Kravitz.  Singing and car-dancing (don’t act you haven’t done it) made the short trip even shorter.  This was a great way to spend a teacher workday.  But much like my last post lamenting the speed of summer, this day went by too fast.  Sometimes, I am not so sure that I am doing a decent job raising my girls.  On days like this, though, I feel like I am having an impact on their lives and creating memories for them.  So yes, fall is coming.  There is college football tomorrow, the professionals play on Sunday, and the trees are starting to change.  Fall brings with it lots of great things, and I’ll go into it with everyone else.  But I’m going kicking and screaming.

That was fast…

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It always seemed like summer went by so slowly when I was a kid.  School would get out and we settle into a pattern of baseball games, a trip to the beach or two, maybe a big trip to Disney World, and figuring out ways to pass the time.  As an only child, I got quite good at throwing a ball against the side of the shop and doing what I thought were awesome tricks on my Haro bicycle.  In actuality, I was pretty terrible at the bike tricks, but in my head I was the raddest guy around.  I also remember when the Disney Channel would show classic Disney cartoons and classic live-action movies.  The magazine for the channel would come and it had the schedule in it and I would look through to find out when things like The Parent Trap or The Apple Dumpling Gang would be on.  Now, I feel like I have to monitor what the girls watch on Disney…As I got older, summers started to go a bit faster.  Eventually, I had to get a job and that made summer speed up even more.  Still, though, the days were good and I thought it would always be that way.  I never believed the adults who said to enjoy the time because it goes faster the older you get.

I find myself telling Lucy and Ethel the same thing now.  They complain about camp, about being bored, and about going to the pool (among other things).   And I say,”Enjoy it, it’ll be over before you know it and you’ll be back in school.”   When did I become my dad?  It is nice that school has started back and we can settle into our school-year routines.  But Summer, where did you go and why did you go so fast?  I feel like I blinked and it was gone.  Honestly, though, I feel that way about the girls’ entire childhood to this point.  Summer started strong.  I got to go to Chicago for the first time and I loved it.  Catching a Cubs game at Wrigley was cool, we ate well, and the lakefront was gorgeous.  We spent lots of time at the pool.  Yes, we were there for swim practices and meets.  We were also there enjoying our friends and listening to live bands.  We took at spur-of-the-moment trip to Myrtle Beach for the 4th of July.  What possessed me to play chicken in the ocean with Lucy on my shoulders, I’ll never know.  But they are finally no longer sore and she had a blast.  Watching the fireworks from the balcony was cool.  Lucy went to girl scout camp during the hottest week of the summer, but she survived.  And of course, in August, there was Hawaii.  And then, done.

I am having the realization that I have fewer summers with Lucy at home ahead of us than we do behind.  I guess that is the whole point.  When you are a kid, that one day is all that matters.  When you are a parent, you understand a bit better that time is finite.  Because of that we work, we plan, and we hope that we are giving our kids good experiences.  There are no do-overs for those summer days.  Lucy has begun her last year of elementary school.  Ethel is in second grade.  Too soon, they’ll be gone and all I’ll be able to say will be “man, that was fast.”

Hark the Sound

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The first college football games of the year are here!  I remember being an extremely out-of-place freshman at Carolina all those years ago.  I know, for me it’s only been 18 years (!?) and for others of you it has been longer in some cases.  It doesn’t matter if it was 8 years ago or 38 years ago, I bet all of us remember that first Saturday of football season at our alma mater.

My time at Carolina can’t be understood without recognizing the importance of being a Marching Tar Heel.  When I was young, I wanted to go to Carolina.  I didn’t know why, other than they were good at sports, it seemed, and my older cousin Mike (who could do no wrong) attended there in my formative years.  True, I was brought up in a UNC house, but there was more to it than that.  Carolina was the only place where I applied and by some miracle I was accepted.  I knew that at such a large university, I’d need to find my niche, and since I was a “drummer” in high school, the marching band seemed like the only sensible choice.

A month before band camp officially commenced in August, the drum line had our try-outs in Hill 107.  If you were in the band, you will remember the wonderful acoustics in there!  If you weren’t-stick your head in a metal trashcan and have someone bang it with a stick.  Did you do it???  Now you understand the acoustics.  Through some sheer stroke of luck I managed to secure a spot marching the smallest bass drum.  I told myself it was because it was a technical position, when in actuality, I was too small for the other 5.

Finally, the time arrived for band camp.  I know, I know, “this one time, at band camp…”  Believe me, I’ve heard it before.  I don’t remember much about that first band camp except for a few nuggets.  For one, it’s really hot here in August and the Rainbow Soccer Fields didn’t provide much relief-except for the occasional “breeze break”.  I remember my first time in Kenan, they even let us have a practice in there then!  Some guy named Mack promised a good season…But for me and for generations of Marching Tar Heels, we all remember that first night at camp.  Milling about outside, wondering where all of the upper classmen had gone, then being paraded into Hill 107.  What is that cacophony of sounds.  It doesn’t sound like anything, until…da/digadiga/da, getting faster now, yes!!!!  Here Comes Carolina!!!  I never, ever, grew tired of playing our school songs.  Still today, I play along at home.  Band nerd?  Maybe.  Proud Alum?  Absolutely.

Finally, it was game day, or game night as it was.  We played Syracuse, who was starting some guy named McNabb.  Sometimes I wonder how things turned out for him.  I don’t remember if we won, what our show was, or much else really about that night.  What I do remember is the feeling of accomplishment and pride I felt being in that rugby shirt (remember drum line?) and representing my university.  Through all kinds of ups and downs throughout college, playing those songs kept me sane and have connected me to a group that is so much bigger than I and for that I am proud.

Will the Tar Heels pull out a win tonight against the other Carolina?  I don’t know but I do care.  I want to see them do well.  But, win or lose I’ll be standing at the end of the game singing Hark the Sound.  I am a Tar Heel born and bred and I am honored to have attended UNC.  Football games now are not the life and death matter they used to be.  Being an adult has that effect on you!  But, this weekend, whatever school you root for, enjoy yourself and try to remember that much younger version of you in those stands screaming as if your life depends on it.  All too soon, you look back and wonder where the time has gone.  Go Heels!

Finding my way

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I haven’t been roaming too much lately.  School has started back here, so we are trying to get into a routine and so far things are going well.  The boss and I thought it might be fun to take Lucy and Ethel out to dinner after their first day of school on Monday to celebrate the start of a successful school year.  Well, that and we had to do a kid-switch since Ethel has soccer practice and Lucy didn’t want to go.  Going out to dinner is definitely more complicated since I was diagnosed with Celiac.  Often I get asked; “What is the hardest part about having Celiac?”  Going out to dinner is absolutely one of those things.

It used to be that if we wanted to go to dinner, we’d simply load up and head somewhere.  You want Chinese food? OK!  Mexican food this time?  Alright!!  Italian?  Why not!  Now however, we can’t be quite as cavalier in our choices.  Fortunately, living in Raleigh affords us lots of options, and our part of town is solid for choices.  For dinner, this time, we opted to go to Milton’s Pizza and Pasta.   Milton’s does a nice job of providing more than just gluten-free pizza.  They actually have appetizers and pasta dishes.  On this night, I went with the penne pasta with marinara and sauteed mushrooms.  Ethel had the gluten-free pizza (so I could have a slice) and the boss and Lucy opted for the salad bar.   On the whole the dinner was solid and reasonably priced.  There is a certain comfort knowing that the restaurant is attentive to this issue and in my experience hasn’t left me feeling uneasy.

There is a bit of sad news, however.  When I first received my diagnosis, I was concerned that at some point I would start to forget what items that contained gluten tasted like.  I believe that it is happening.  I took a bite of my pasta and immediately had the boss try it to make sure I was ok.  She informed me that the pasta was definitely gluten-free.  Unfortunately, I may be losing that piece of my past.  That too, is another issue that I had.  It was difficult to switch, almost overnight, close to 40 years of eating what I wanted.    My advice for those who have recently received a diagnosis of Celiac or are concerned about it is to go shopping.

Go to your local grocery store and buy whatever gluten-free foods sound good to you.  While you’re at the store, have a trusted person (spouse or otherwise) stay at home and purge your fridge and pantry of all foods containing gluten.  It was like ripping off a bandage, getting rid of all of that food at once.  But, after I went shopping and felt I had food to eat at home, it suddenly became a more manageable thing to take on.  As far as what I like, I may mention some of those products down the road.  I am considering creating a “Resources” page that contains links to foods that I find tasty and tummy friendly.

That’s it for now- We’ll be closing down the pool once again and saying our good-byes to a great summer.  I hope everyone has a great Labor Day Weekend.  Don’t forget to bookmark the blog and tell a friend!

Adios, Old Friend

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Once I had a friend who lived a few towns over from my town.  We didn’t get to see each other all that often, but when we did it was like no time had passed.  Sadly, we lost touch and the last time I tried to swing by for a visit, I discovered that they had moved.  As I drove home feeling forlorn I saw a wonderous site!  My friend had moved to my town, within two miles of my house.  I couldn’t wait to go visit.  I gave them some time to unpack and get settled and then I went by.  Unfortunately, things weren’t the same.  Maybe it is because they just got there I thought.  So I gave them some more time, and tried again with the same results.  Finally, I gave them one final shot to be my “old friend”.  They were distant, uncaring, and not the person I knew.  The time had come to move on.

My old friend is a place that holds special memories for me in Chapel Hill.  The Flying Burrito was awesome.  I remember when my cousin, Mike, used to take me there as a kid.  When I went to Carolina, it became a go-to place.  Solid food, cool atmosphere, and it was cheap.  I would go back for dinner with the boss and the girls as we could and I enjoyed introducing my old haunts to the kids.  Last year, after a women’s basketball game we tried to go by for dinner only to discover that they had closed and were moving to Raleigh.

It is with a heavy heart that I report the place just ain’t the same after the move.  I went by last Friday to give them a third and final shot to be my old friend.  I was flying solo, so I sat at the bar.  It took over 10 minutes to get a drink.  I believe that I shouldn’t have to flag down a bartender in a place with only 8 of 16 barstools occupied.  They have no gluten-free beer, so I went with the house margarita.  Eh.  Too sweet and mostly devoid of tequila.  For my food, I ordered the flying chicken without the tortilla.  My dinner was also uninspired and bland.  There was little by way of seasoning or effort on the part of the kitchen.  From the waitstaff to the food, The Flying Burrito has become a shell of the restaurant I used to love in Chapel Hill.  It almost feels like they don’t care anymore.  Like with old friends, when one person tries and the other doesn’t, you almost wish they had just faded away leaving you with fond memories.  Good bye friend, we’ll always have the Hill.

 

 

Hawaii Reflections

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It was only last week, but it seems as if it has been longer.  I have been completely taken by an island I spent only a week visiting.  I have visited many places in our country and around the world, but I can say, without a doubt, that the island of Kauai is tops on any list.  I am particularly in love with the north shore of that island from Kapa’a to the end of the Kuhio Highway at Ke’e Beach.  I’d like to visit the Big Island and Maui, for sure, but If I could only go back to Kauai I would be fine with that.  Each day brought new experiences and each of those brought new views, new emotions, new smells, and new friends.

Go to one of our beaches here in North Carolina.  They are wonderful but have you noticed that salty air that seems to hang around?  For us, that is a sure sign that you have arrived on the coast of Carolina.  On Kauai, replace that salty air with the scent of Plumeria and Hibiscus.  Replace the squawk of a sea gull with the crow of an early morning rooster.  Replace Calabash style shrimp and fries with garlic and butter shrimp served with rice.  Replace Redix with ABC Stores and you can start to get a small taste of the subtle differences.  We had some definite home runs and a few misses as we traveled around Oahu and Kauai.

I’m going to lead off, much like I did in Little League, with my misses.  Topping the list is Honolulu.  It is important to go, to see Kalakaua Avenue, to see Waikiki Beach, and pay homage to Duke.  Having done this once, I’ll not be doing it again.  Traffic in Honolulu makes everything more difficult than it needs to be.  If you go, be prepared for traffic and no driving with “aloha”.  When you go to Kauai, book your Na Pali Coast boat tour early.  I didn’t do this and I missed out on my can’t miss on Kauai.  There are myriad options for boat rides leaving from both the south shore and from Hanalei.  Pick one and go, and don’t forget to show me the pictures.  I only had one more miss and that is with airport food in Honolulu.  There are no gluten-free options that I could find.  I went to Lahaina Chicken and ordered as best as I could.  It did not work out.

For the three things that were not so great, the home runs were coming at such a clip you’d thing the island was on human growth hormone.  First on Oahu, the USS Arizona and Pearl Harbor were moving and worth the time.  Knowing what I know now, I’d have spent another hour or so there.  If you have one day on Oahu, this is an absolute must-see.  Kauai.  Where to begin?  Waimea Canyon is a great first day activity.  You see the whole of the island, the differences in landscape, and you get a feel for the different towns.  Also, you can stop for shave ice!  Surfing lessons are a must in Hanalei in summer.  Hawaiian Surfing Adventures certainly did right by us.  The Kalalau Trail was tough but worth every step.  Go early, takes lots of water, and have a picnic on the beach before going back.  I could go on an on.  Lucy and Ethel still rave about the surfing and the boss enjoyed that and the luau.  I loved it all.

Now that you’ve followed our adventures and have most assuredly booked your flights, you’re thinking:  “I am ready to go, but are there any last tips?”  Why yes, yes there are.  Take fewer clothes than you think.  I didn’t wear three of the shirts that I took.  And unless you are a competitive runner, you’ll get all the exercise you want hiking, surfing, and snorkeling.  Leave the tennis shoes at home and save that extra room for a bag of coffee for me.  Take way more cash than you think.  Many of the food trucks and smaller stores only accept cash.  This was a novel throwback to a simpler time but be prepared.  Also food is going to cost you way more than you think.  Go shop at Foodland, get the maika’i card to save some coin (I saved almost 300 dollars using the card), and eat breakfast and dinner in your condo.  The island falls asleep really early so if you go all day and return around 7, you won’t miss much.  Buy those souvenirs.  Who knows when you’ll be back so get the cheesy hula girl for your dash, get that t-shirt, and get that bottle of rum.  The best places for decent prices I found were at the ABC Store and at the K-Mart in Lihue.

Thanks for reading and don’t forget to bookmark the site.  Just because I’m home doesn’t mean I can’t keep roaming!

Those of us who have been fortunate enough to go to Hawaii and specifically Kauai, know what a wonderful, special place it is.  I hope that all of you get the chance to go and if you’d like a tour guide or just some help in planning, let me know.  I know that I will go back to the Garden Isle and I can’t wait.

Aloha and Farewell Kauai

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It is hard to write this.  Mostly because I have one hand firmly grasped to the lanai and typing with one hand is hard.  I guess we have to leave.  Heading back to the east coast is not going to be much fun.  Right now, it is 9am here in Kauai, 3 back home.  In a mere 24 hours, we’ll be home.  I am positive that I’ll have some grand reflections about this trip and this island in the coming days, but right now my overwhelming sense is one of awe and appreciation.  I am thankful to have had the chance to come to this magnificent place.  If you are planning a trip this way, Kauai is a must visit.  I’ve been here a week and I feel as if I have only scratched the surface.

I woke up one last time to roosters letting us know the new day was here.  Soon the boss was up and we were able to sneak out before 7 to Ke’e Beach for one last snorkel adventure.  We drove through Hanalei to the end of the road at the trail head for the Kalalau Trail.  We walked a short distance on the beach and had the Na Pali Coast as our backdrop.  The snorkeling wasn’t great, the water was very shallow.  Still, it was a great way to pass one final hour on the garden isle.  We begrudgingly left and had to go back to Bali Hai.  On the way we stopped off at a bakery for the family and I had a good cup of coffee.

Now, the contents of our room sits by the front door waiting to go the car.  I suppose it is time.  All things must pass and I can accept that but, man, this is hard.  I am giving you a few final images from our last hours on Kauai.  Aloha Kauai and mahalo for everything!

One last day

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I have always thought that coming to the end of any experience is bittersweet.  On one hand, you’re looking forward to getting home and settled into your routine, but one the other, vacation rocks.  There is a definite reason why we save up all year and pay to have these experiences.  I will not die rich, I won’t leave my kids with millions of dollars, but I will leave them with the memories of times spent together in some of the most amazing places on the planet.  Teaching my children to be citizens of the world and part of the greater fabric of humanity is my most important job as a parent-even if staying in the US.  Although Hawaii is one of the 50, it is still a place completely unique of all of the other places I’ve been in this country. Really though, I’m getting a little ahead of myself.

Today dawned bright and sunny with a bit of rain.  If you’ve never been to this island that last statement will make no sense, if you’ve been here at all-you get it.  Having been up late last night at the luau, the entire family took advantage of the chance to sleep in a bit.  While I appreciate the rest, I really wanted to go to Ke’e Beach to snorkel, but by the time we got there, there was no parking to be had.  We gave a salute to the unapproachable beach and went back towards Hanalei.  There was a beach there with a river flowing into it that looked to be promising.  After unloading the car and walking a solid 200 yards, we reached the water.  Lucy and Ethel played in the river with their grandfather while I decided to give the ocean a shot.  Two minutes and a mighty struggle later, I yielded to the mighty Pacific and let her have it.  I was exhausted after that little time and since the girls were ready to move on, we went back towards Hanalei Bay.

The Bay was exactly what was needed.  While the girls played and the boss and her dad sat, I headed into town.  I had promised Lucy that I would buy her an “I Survived the Kalalau Trail” shirt.  After looking all around downtown Hanalei (all of 10 minutes) I found the shirt for her and her sister.  I headed to the Big Save and bought some food for the crowd and went back to meet all at the beach.  Once we were all sufficiently recharged, I hopped in the Bay to play with my kids.  If you have children, you absolutely cannot beat Hanalei Bay in the summer for fun.  The waves were big enough for tricks and fun, but not so big that I feared for their safety.  Before long, a few hours had passed and I had a promise to keep.

The very first day we were here I promised Lucy that she could jump off of the pier at Hanalei.  This was our chance.  Lucy, Ethel, and myself walked the entire length of the bay to the pier enjoying the view and our company.  It tool a pretty good while, but we made it.  When we got there, Lucy was the first to jump off the pier followed soon by Ethel.  Clearly, I had to make the jump and I did.  A small tip…If you decide to jump and climb up the ladder, be careful.  The ladder is crazy slippery and it is really easy to lose your grip.  And so, our final day in Hanalei came to an end.  Wait, is it true?  Did the boss really pick up a property flier for a house?  I may be rubbing off on her…

We came back to Bali Hai, showered, and rested a bit.   Eventually, we headed into Kapa’a for dinner.  The Eastside restaurant , came highly recommended and it was great.  The server was on board with the whole gluten thing, and my Mahi was fantastic.  If you are in Kapa’a and need a good gluten-free option, I can tell you that for me, all is well.  After dinner, we knocked around Kapa’a for a bit and I bought the obligatory gifts folks.  The standard macadamia nuts, Hawaiian rum, stickers, etc.

When you come to the end of the day, you wonder where it went.  No day had encapsulated this more than today.  For what was meant to be a beach day with some town time built in, the day absolutely flew by.  I had fun hanging with my kids in the ocean and walking with them.  By the time we got to the pier; the moment, the feeling, and the view was gone.  Hopefully, Lucy and Ethel will appreciate where they were at that moment with their dad.  If it all ended tomorrow, I know that I my final thoughts would be of my children on Kauai.  Wait though, didn’t the boss grab me a listing for my dream property???

Luau!!!

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I have to be honest with something right off the bat about this island in the spirit of full disclosure.  I feel that it has positively sucked me in and is not willing to let me go.  The best way I can explain this is my concept of time.  Go ahead, ask me what time it is.  I don’t know.  I haven’t worn a watch since I got here and for those of you who know me well, you understand just how exceptional this is.  We’ve gone where we wanted, ate when we wanted, and pretty much did everything else with little regard for standard measures of time.  I think this is a small part of “living aloha”.  I have been perfectly content to just let things happen.  If you come here, abandon all plans for meals, activities, etc., and just see where the day takes you-except for the Na Pali Coast tour, book that early…

When we got back to the groms last night (Lucy and Ethel), I inquired as to their interest in renting a couple of boards and going back out again.  They were on board (ugh, bad pun, but had too).  We visited our friends at Hawaiian Surfing Adventures again, rented three boards, two rash guards, and bought three t-shirts.  With the discount we got for being returning students, the total was less than eighty bucks.  Once we arrived at the same beach where our lessons were on Monday, Waioli Beach Park, we ran into our friend Chas of surfing lesson fame.  It’s one of the cool things about this end of the island, after only a few days you start seeing familiar faces.  We talked with him for a bit and then I took the girls out.  They had clearly learned their lessons well on Monday for they were up and surfing all morning.  We surfed, we played in the water, we munched.  The boss sat on the beach and read (it was her birthday, so free pass).  All in all it was a great morning.  Too soon, it was over and we had to grab some lunch.  The girls all ate at L and L BBQ.  This restaurant came highly suggested by Chas, but since it was most assuredly not gluten free, I went back to Chicken in a Barrel, which was every bit as tasty as earlier this week.

We got back to Bali Hai, showered, and rested before leaving around 3 to take our jeep back to Lihue.  Another wonderful thing about this island is even driving to return a rental car is spectacular.  The views heading from the north shore towards Lihue were amazing.  Business handled, we made a quick detour to check out a waterfall from the road and then we arrived at the Smith’s Family Garden Luau.  I am fully aware that a luau is about the single most touristy thing one can do in Hawaii, but I also think you almost have to do at least one in your life.  Since my parents were going to be on the island on the 8th, they joined us for the party.  My mom even made the boss a lei on her cruise (nice touch, ma).  At Smith’s, they first take you on a tram ride around their gardens.  Lots of flora to be see and even some fauna.  The coolest sight was a peacock on full display giving us his best shimmy.  After the imu ceremony, we headed in to the pavilion to eat.  I had sent the management an email earlier mentioning my celiac and to see what my options were and they were many.  I had my full run of the salads, the pork, and the fruit.  When I got back to my seat, there was a plate of white rice, chicken, and fish waiting.  I ate way too much, but then so did everyone.  Also, there was an open bar.  The mai tais were weak and my favorite drink was the rum with guava.  I spoke with the manager, thanked him for his help and he explained that over the last few years they’ve gotten used to this.  I did notice that out of about 800 folks, I was the only one served a special meal.  Wonder what that makes me????

After dinner, we walked the short distance to the theater for the show.  In a real simple description, it was an homage to all those nations and cultures that have made Hawaii what it is.  My favorite was the Tahitian dancers (think hip shaking, now think faster).  The girls agreed that they liked the fire dancer the best and the boss scared me when she said she was going to go home and practice the flaming ball routine.  I fear for her safety and mine.  The show lasts about an hour and is crazy kitschy.  Like I said above, I still think it is something everyone should do-once.  Having done it, I don’t know that I’d go back unless I was with first timers.  Aside from the dancing, I did enjoy the percussion playing and I found the rhythms to not be that dissimilar from things we did in college.  My biggest let down of the entire night was the finale.  I was expecting this, thanks Elvis, but I got something less than that.  I was always taught that a finale should leave the crowd wanting more.  All I wanted to was find a bathroom.  Still, of all of the options for a luau, I feel that the Smith Family gives you a good time at a reasonable price, so go for it, and enjoy.

That’s it for Thursday on Kauai.  It went by way, way too fast.  I