Hawaii 2019, Day 2

We had big plans for day 2. Get up early, swim at our beach and go to Shangri La.

I wish I could recreate the experience of the little beach in front of Michel's restaurant via a photo tableau, but I don't want to lose my phone there, so I just have to keep it in my heart. To get there you walk through our hotel's parking lot and walk next to the service entrance of the little hotel next door. Then you're on a teeny little beach with one palm tree. It's maybe 100 feet wide, and bounded by the sea wall and the Outrigger Club. People meet there every day to swim and take out their outriggers, with the occasional small group that has hired an outrigger to do a paddle out and scatter cremains. It's perfect for us because both the beach and the water are in the shadow of the hotel above Michel's.

When I'm feeling stressed and want to settle down I think of that beach, of floating on my back and listening to the pebbles clink against each other underneath the waves. It's so restful. I feel like I leave my body when I'm there.

We had lunch at the museum, which is always a pleasure, and visited an exhibit that paired my favorite Lee Bontacou piece with Louise Nevelson's work. So satisfying. I kinda want to make a quilt in the likeness of this Lee Bontacou.

And then we went to Shangri La. It's incredibly beautiful, and during our tour I suffered from heat stroke. This is why January is the perfect month for us to be in Hawaii.

After Shangri La we went to a great beer bar and waited for our friend who works at UH Manoa to get off work. She used to work at the forklift factory.

And then we went to dinner. OMG it was so much fun to reconnect. We heard all about her new adventures moving back to Hawaii. She's such a foodie. We told her how much we like the experience at Michel's (on the other side of the glass from our little beach where we swim). So we agreed to get reservations the next night and have some Cherries Jubilee :)

So ends day 2.

Except! I forgot that somewhere in this day we also found time to go sell clothes at Barrio Vintage. This is the second time I've brought a suitcase full of clothing to sell them, and it's been quite satisfying both times. I don't think I walk in the door looking like someone who has an amazing stash, and I do. My boobs are just too big to get into some of my outfits, so it's time to downsize. It makes me happy to repatriate the goods to Hawaii.