Breakfast On The Veranda, Naval Ship, Beachwalk, Surfer Art, A Turtle Story Breakthrough, Last Roast, Last Sunset, Last Landsharks

I started my day with breakfast on The Veranda. Standard enough food fare but the view was great. Actually the food was pretty good, but when you compare food eaten with a great view I always find my ability to describe the food to be muted. To get to contemplate them both is inevitably expensive.

In my room I struggle with that day's blog post. Mostly because it's hard to write about nothing.
Later I head out to walk along the beach. I am low on inspiration, and story ideas. I put on my AquaSox because I plan to walk in the water, and get caught in a few waves. It's almost like the surprise you felt as a child when you feel that the perceived strength of the wave is stronger than you imagined it would be.
I walk west along the beach keeping an eye on the aircraft carrier sitting off the coast. When I see it realize when I was here two years ago there always a warship patrolling of the beach, and that this time there isn't one.

I come off the beach a few hotels up and stroll into the Wyland Gallery on Lewers Street. I had been meaning to stop by and wander through. Wyland is the artist who is most publicly noted for painting Whaling Walls on large buildings. He also is a painter who's works on sea life are quite sought after. In the gallery I am introduced to the work of a fairly new artist, Heather Brown. Her surf inspired art is bold in colour, and whimsical in it's portrayal of human form. I spend almost 45 minutes staring at assorted pieces. You can take a look at her art here: http://heatherbrownart.com/
Tearing myself away I take my time, ambling along back to the beach, contemplating the colours in the art and how they somehow manage to capture the way I felt when I was up on the North Shore.
Returning to the beach I slip and slide my characteristaclly uncoordinated way through the sand back towards my hotel.

At the surf break on the border of the Sheraton Waikiki and the Royal Hawaiian a crowd is forming. One of my turtle friends has decided to put in a close up show for the humans by playing inthe water close to the concrete surf break. And suddenly inspiration strikes and the final element of the turtle story falls into place.

Not having had lunch I think I might stop and get something at the beach bar, but it's full, so I return to my room, sit in the sun on the lanai, roast, and roast, and finish off the last of the beer in the fridge. Around 4 I take a long nap, waking in time to shower off the slimy remnants of sun screen and get down to the beach for my final sunset of this trip. This never get's old.

After the sun slides the last of it's golden light in the Pacific, I drop the big camera in my room, and head out for my last Landsharks of the trip. I am lucky, my favoured child of the universe status still intact, both Dana and Justin are working. I was hoping to see them one last time to say good bye, and thank them for helping make this the best Hawaiian trip yet.

After a meal of ribs in Guava BBQ sauce with a side of garlic mashed potatoes, and of course a few Landsharks its' time to go. Well OK, maybe one last picture of Justin and Dana.

Then it's back to the room through a crowd that have stopped to listen to a guy playing steel drums. Unfortunately there is a guy 20 feet away playing a ukelele and singing through an amplifier. Shaking my head at the cacophonous confusion of musical styles, I continue on my way to do some packing, sit on the lanai, and cherish the last of my opportunities to think about nothing, for a very long time.