So today I decided to walk down to the beach. Well, really I drove to the park and then walked down to the beach. Let me explain. On the northern side of Kauai off of Anini Road, there is a park called Kalihikai Park. It is a lovely place and also one of the few places on the island where you can go camping. When I was first learning to write, I would wander down to the campground and “people watch” for hours. It’s amazing how many stories you can come up with if you just have enough interesting people crammed into one place.

Anyway, Kalihikai Park is right on the ocean, so the beach is readily accessible. Whenever I want to “people watch” for a while, I take my notebook and head to the park, walking down to the beach to admire the sapphire waves and the white sands. All sorts of people come to the beach, especially since many different water activities are made available there by Hawaiian businessmen. When searching for a fun activity or two, you can find any number of rental deals from boats and surfing gear to snorkeling and scuba equipment. It’s just that kind of place.

Today was my day to simply relax, however, and leave the water activities to the tourists. I brought a good book, a large beach towel, a small cooler of refreshments, and absorbed the sun for a few hours. It felt good to be out in the sunshine enjoying the humid weather and the scent of the sea breezes. While I enjoyed watching a few tourists learn how to surf, the day wasn’t about “people watching”. The day was about me. I was relaxed, I was enjoying the sights and sounds of the oceanfront, and I was suddenly very sunburned! That teaches me to forget my hat!