Kaua'i 2011
Another lazy day. Shannon's dad is coughing and coughing and coughing; he sounds much worse than yesterday, and I think he spent much of today napping. Poor guy!
Mary (MIL) drove Shannon and me down to Poipu (our old stomping grounds) and dropped us off, and Shannon went swimming again. I sat in the shade on the shore, reading The Girl Who Played with Fire (which I am enjoying much more than when I listened to it on audio several months ago), enjoying the sound of the ocean, admiring the waves that came crashing in, people-watching, and brushing away the sand fleas (who do not appear to have bitten me).
After he'd finished swimming (for half an hour), Shannon came up and dried off, and we headed out to walk toward the Sheraton, which is over toward the condo where we stayed our first two times on the island. After a while, I decided that walking on the sand was not fun anymore, and so we walked further up, where there is a sidewalk. At the Sheraton, Shannon decided he would like to swim some more, as he has always liked their beach, and so I found another spot in the shade and went back to reading. He seemed to really enjoy his swim, and I was very happy that we both got to do something we enjoyed. The only bad thing was that I was wearing jeans and a shirt that *looked* and *felt* like it should be very cool and airy and appropriate for Hawai'i ... but in fact it was making me sweat like a pig. Wait - pigs don't sweat. But you know what I mean. So it was a day for poor clothing decisions, and I ended up a bit overheated when I wasn't in the shade, but it wasn't too bad.
We also sat here and there and read our Harry Dresden book (White Night) aloud. I'm liking it a lot.
Last night over dinner, Mary was talking about her life in Taiwan, and she said something that explained an issue I've puzzling over as long as I've known her. See, she's from Taiwan, and I don't think of the Taiwanese people as being big rah-rah fans of China, but Mary has always spoken very admiringly of China, and I always wondered what that was about. Well, apparently Mary's family migrated from China to Taiwan before she was born, and she lived in a village primarily peopled by families who had migrated from China, so she grew up surrounded by good attitude toward China. Aha!
Shannon and I are probably going to stay home again tomorrow, as we did yesterday, unless Gary is suddenly and inexplicably returned to complete health overnight, which seems unlikely. We're about half-way through our visit (Thu, F, Sa, Su have gone by, and M, Tu, W have yet to come - we leave Th morning), so there's still hope that he may be feeling better before we go. I hope so! It's hard seeing him so miserable! We don't see them very often, but at least this year we will see them again in April, as Gary and Mary will be coming to California for a brief visit (for the first time since they moved to Kaua'i in 2008, I believe), so I hope we will get some more cheerful time with him then.
Tomorrow Gary *will* be heading out of the house for a little while, though, because he and Shannon are going to head over to "the Maka house" (which is intended, apparently, to be eventually given to *us*, rather than Melody) to do some quick work on it (installing towel racks and such), as new tenants are coming to sign a lease that evening. I think I will choose to let them do such manly work by themselves, and I will stay home and be dainty and feminine (and lazy) while reading about Swedish Nazis and misogyny. And maybe eating Skittles, as I think there are still some in my backpack. :)
Mary (MIL) drove Shannon and me down to Poipu (our old stomping grounds) and dropped us off, and Shannon went swimming again. I sat in the shade on the shore, reading The Girl Who Played with Fire (which I am enjoying much more than when I listened to it on audio several months ago), enjoying the sound of the ocean, admiring the waves that came crashing in, people-watching, and brushing away the sand fleas (who do not appear to have bitten me).
After he'd finished swimming (for half an hour), Shannon came up and dried off, and we headed out to walk toward the Sheraton, which is over toward the condo where we stayed our first two times on the island. After a while, I decided that walking on the sand was not fun anymore, and so we walked further up, where there is a sidewalk. At the Sheraton, Shannon decided he would like to swim some more, as he has always liked their beach, and so I found another spot in the shade and went back to reading. He seemed to really enjoy his swim, and I was very happy that we both got to do something we enjoyed. The only bad thing was that I was wearing jeans and a shirt that *looked* and *felt* like it should be very cool and airy and appropriate for Hawai'i ... but in fact it was making me sweat like a pig. Wait - pigs don't sweat. But you know what I mean. So it was a day for poor clothing decisions, and I ended up a bit overheated when I wasn't in the shade, but it wasn't too bad.
We also sat here and there and read our Harry Dresden book (White Night) aloud. I'm liking it a lot.
Last night over dinner, Mary was talking about her life in Taiwan, and she said something that explained an issue I've puzzling over as long as I've known her. See, she's from Taiwan, and I don't think of the Taiwanese people as being big rah-rah fans of China, but Mary has always spoken very admiringly of China, and I always wondered what that was about. Well, apparently Mary's family migrated from China to Taiwan before she was born, and she lived in a village primarily peopled by families who had migrated from China, so she grew up surrounded by good attitude toward China. Aha!
Shannon and I are probably going to stay home again tomorrow, as we did yesterday, unless Gary is suddenly and inexplicably returned to complete health overnight, which seems unlikely. We're about half-way through our visit (Thu, F, Sa, Su have gone by, and M, Tu, W have yet to come - we leave Th morning), so there's still hope that he may be feeling better before we go. I hope so! It's hard seeing him so miserable! We don't see them very often, but at least this year we will see them again in April, as Gary and Mary will be coming to California for a brief visit (for the first time since they moved to Kaua'i in 2008, I believe), so I hope we will get some more cheerful time with him then.
Tomorrow Gary *will* be heading out of the house for a little while, though, because he and Shannon are going to head over to "the Maka house" (which is intended, apparently, to be eventually given to *us*, rather than Melody) to do some quick work on it (installing towel racks and such), as new tenants are coming to sign a lease that evening. I think I will choose to let them do such manly work by themselves, and I will stay home and be dainty and feminine (and lazy) while reading about Swedish Nazis and misogyny. And maybe eating Skittles, as I think there are still some in my backpack. :)