Photo Of The Day & Golf At The Bay
We had a very cruisy North Shore morning this morning with the usual trip to the Coffee Gallery for some “Americanos” followed by hanging out in the backyard watching the surf, late breakfast and reading. Keryn, Ross, Ebony and I have all finished our novels and are onto book number 2. One of the great things about being on holidays is being able to get stuck into a good book with no interruptions, a rarity at home!
Since our late afternoon drive down the east coast of the island last week, we’ve wanted to go back and check it out some more. The incredible green cliffs coming straight down to the clear blue water are just magnificent. We packed our cossies, hats and suncream (see we’re remembering to slip, slop, slap) and headed down the beautiful east coast. On the way we passed all the famous shrimp trucks, selling their world-renowned garlic shrimp from the side of the road. We are yet to try them but seem to go past at the wrong times of the day. Despite the early hour, they all boasted long queues. We’ll have to make sure we give it a go before we leave.
One spot we passed in particular was absolutely gorgeous and we thought we’d pull over into the little carpark to get some scenic photos. Soon after us, another car pulled in and out popped an elderly couple – Richard and Jo – from Southern California, San Diego to be exact, and their adult daughter who had moved to Hawaii with her husband. They were really friendly and when they saw that we were taking photos they were quick to tell us that Richard was a retired professional photographer (you could’ve guessed by the whopping big mega-lens he had attached to his extremely impressive camera!) He gave us a few photography pointers and then suggested that we might like him to take some family shots of us all. Great! We thanked Richard for his suggestion and we were all excited to have some family shots in front of this glorious vista. Well, Richard and Jo, who had photographed over 1400 weddings in their day, took their job v-e-r-y seriously!! They began by looking for the best angle from the sun and got us to group together in position; Jo primping and fixing our hair! We were waiting for her to whip out a brush! She was smoothing down Sam’s and Toby’s hair and they showed great restraint in not retaliating! Toby especially, with his hair, is a bit like the Fonz with his leather jacket. Don’t touch the leather!
Richard seemed to be taking an inordinate amount of time to get his light and aperture correct, the shadows in the right places, the zoom distance just right….It became too much for Jo who said “come on Richard, they haven’t got all day!” They then had a little tiff and joked about how they still disagree even after 53 years of marriage! In Ebony’s words “they were adorable!” (and VERY funny!) Finally the shots of the Jones Family were done. Next up it was a group shot with all of us on board. Jo went about carefully arranging us in height order and fussing about how we held our hands and whether our hair should be over our left or right shoulder. It was absolutely hilarious! As she was smarming Sam’s hair behind his ears she said “oh my, I’m used to doing this to a bride!” She then went back to stand closely behind Richard with her hand straight up in the air and a cheesy grin, which she was pointing to, to encourage us to smile, and her index finger bobbing up and down at fast pace, providing somewhere we were supposed to focus. It was like a full on portrait sitting! After a thorough photographic session with us all, it was time for the Gallaghers to have their own family shots. We were all finding it so hard not to cry with laughter. Just the seriousness of it all. Richard wanted a wave to break at just the right time in the background so there was a bit of waiting. In the down time, Jo would rush forward making some last minute adjustments to everyone and asking aloud for God “to just let the wind stop until these photos are done”. They were so lovely and really made our day. We’ll treasure our “portraits” for years to come I’m sure!
After leaving that spot, we drove a little further down the coast, along the highway that literally hugs the shore, to a pretty little section of coastline where we thought we’d have a swim. The water was crystal clear with fun little waves but there were heaps of tiny little sharp pebbles on the ocean floor which you could hear clinking when the waves crashed. They were a bit of a killer on the tootsies and everyone also emerged from the water with lots of small itchy bites all over them, especially where the sun don’t shine! No wonder no-one else had chosen this particular section of beach to swim in. The locals were probably laughing at us from inside their houses that overlooked the beach. We had to pick up some calamine lotion on the way home! One good thing about the spot, however, was the presence of a huge, winding hibiscus tree that must’ve been really old due to its size. It was perfect for climbing and the kids had a ball climbing in and out of all its twists and turns and twirling branches.
On their way home, the Gallaghers were able to actually track down the elusive Pineapple Man! They partook of his wares and his juice was allegedly still as good as any they’d ever tasted. They also found a chocolate shop with the dubious name of “Donkey Balls”, which we all had a giggle at. They purchased some “salty balls” and some “hot balls”, which were truly delicious (contrary to what the name may convey!)
This afternoon Ross, Adam and I decided it would be a good opportunity for a hit of golf down at the Turtle Bay Resort. The others weren’t so keen so they just kicked back at Turtle Cove, chilling out and watching tv. There were two courses to choose from, the Arnold Palmer Tournament Course and the George Fazio Resort Course. The Fazio course was significantly cheaper and we were only playing the first 9 holes so we opted for that one. It was a beautifully kept course and played right down to the beach outside the Turtle Bay Hilton. My only complaint would have been that it was a bit heavily bunkered! As you may have guessed, I did spend a significant amount of time in the dreaded sand and was getting RSI from all the raking! We had decided to walk around rather than get a golf cart and let me tell you, lugging those clubs around in 30 degree heat is pretty tiring and very hot! We were all pleased with how we played “some of the time” and I was the only one to lose a ball in the drink. Ross and Adam scored really well and let’s just say I got good value for money on a stroke by stroke basis. Adam told me it was quite an achievement to score nearly 100 in only 9 holes. It’s a pity the golfer with the lowest score is the winner. By far the highlights of the day though, were the icy cold perfumed towels we were given, straight from the fridge, to drape all over our sweaty little faces at the end of a long hot game. They were the best!
Ross cooked up a storm on the BBQ tonight, Keryn whipped up a delicious salad and we dined al fresco, overlooking the sunset over the surf from our backyard. It is such a treat to be able to watch the sunset over the sea each night. We had a fun game of cards and will now all collapse in a heap until morning.
