2022 Oahu Adventure Day 3

 Today was kind of an awesome day...probably one of my favorite days of the entire vacation.  It was jam packed from early morning to late evening.  It included everything from favorite foodie finds, the famous food trucks of the North shore, a gorgeous buddhist temple and some wild time at the beach!

We started out fairly early, and drove over to Kailua.  Our first stop was a restaurant called CINNAMONS . (Make sure you get there early, because they get CROWDED!!)

 I had read about their world famous Guava Chiffon pancakes, and they were features on numerous lists for "must try".   I will also put in my recommendation that if you are in Oahu and are looking for something that will knock your socks off, then the Guava Chiffon pancakes at Cinnamons are a MUST MUST MUST!!  When I say that these were some of the best pancakes I have EVER eaten, I am not joking.  The pancakes themselves were a fluffy buttermilk , and they were soft,  smooth an velvety.  The guava syrup was sweet and tangy and mellow yet intense...all at the same time. Like, how is this even possible?  I am not a huge fan of guava in general, but honestly I could  eat these all day every day for the rest of my life and be happy.

Hubby got the Red velvet pancakes, which were dense and moist like a real cake and they send out a sweetened condensed milk/powdered sugar type "syrup", which soaks up into the food and almost makes it a better than sex cake consistency.  but you need a BIG glass of milk for these bad boys.  PRO TIP:  ask for extra topping.  take home and eat leftovers as dessert. You're welcome.

After we stuffed ourselves silly at Cinnamons, we drover to Kanehoe and went to one of the most beautiful spots I have ever seen.

BYODO-IN temple.  (taken from their site): "The Byodo-In Temple is located at the foot of the Ko'olau Mountains in Valley of the Temples Memorial Park. It was established on June 7, 1968, to commemorate the 100 year anniversary of the first Japanese immigrants to Hawaii. The Byodo-In Temple in O'ahu is a smaller-scale replica of the over 950-year-old Byodo-in Temple, a United Nations World Heritage Site in Uji, Japan.The Byodo-In Temple is a non-practicing Buddhist temple which welcomes people of all faiths to worship, meditate or simply appreciate its beauty."

From Go Hawaii.com " The deep drone of the sacred bell (bon-sho) fills the tranquil temple grounds, as it is customary for visitors to ring the bell before entering the temple for happiness and longevity. To sound the five-foot, three-ton brass bell, you must pull and release a wooden log called a shu-moku. Inside the Byodo-in sits an 18-foot gold leaf-covered Buddha where visitors are welcomed to light incense and offer a prayer. Outside, peacocks and black swans roam the garden grounds and turtles lounge beside the pond. The temple’s pond is also filled with koi, a Japanese decorative fish that is a symbol of love and friendship."

The cost for admission is 5$ a person. You can also buy containers of pellets for the koi fish for 2$ each.   (The little birds also like the pellets and will sit in your hand while you feed them.  The black swan they have in one of the ponds is kind of cranky, so I would avoid him..)

All in all we spent about 90 minutes at Byodo-In, just walking around the grounds, feeding the birds and fish, ringing the bell and taking photos.   This is one of the stops on  lot of the bus tours/senior trips etc,  but they didnt seem to spend very long, and it never felt too crowded. 

After Byodo-In, we continued our drive around the Island on the Kamehameha Highway, and hit a bunch of the little beach stops and beach parks on our way to the North Shore.

Once we hit the North Shore we found the FOOD TRUCKS!!!  One of the most famous is Giovannis Shrimp Truck.  There was a wait. It is Cash only. It is messy.  But were those Garlic shrimp worth it?? Yep.   I could have kept vampires at bay the rest of the day!

After a delicious lunch, we went to WAIMEA BAY BEACH PARK

Waimea bay is famous for the largest surfing waves in the North Shore. And I mean LARGEST!!

This is not my picture, It was taken from worldbeachguide.com  

Unfortunately I had forgotten to bring my phone with me on the beach and I was too lazy to hike all the way back to the parking lot to go get it. I wish I had though, this was one of the funnest beach days I have ever had.

The day we were there the waves were BIG and powerful. The current was crazy strong. It was so intense, and we spent the afternoon playing in the water and trying to body surf  with these waves just HAMMERING us . We found sand in places we didnt know we could get sand.  In face I am STILL finding sand a month later LOL.

Those lifeguards dont play though, and they are BRUTALLY funny about some of the people in the water and taking selfies and putting themselves in danger for the insta.  

After a glorious day in Waimea,  we ended our day in  Haleiwa, a quaint and historic old North Shore surf town with lots of great little shops and of course the famous  Matsumoto Save Ice!! I had Strawberry/Pineapple/Coconut with vanilla ice cream.  Charles chose Strawberry/Lemonade/Guava with vanilla ice cream and Finn went ALL OUT with  White Cake/Coconut Cream with vanilla ice cream AND sweetened condensed milk.  We sat outside at a picnic table, enjoying the warm air and gentle breeze, eating our "dinner" before making the trek back into Honolulu. 

Seriously one of the most perfect vacation days in my life.

2022 Oahu Adventure - Day 1

 Day 1.  We started off our vacation with a trip to a highly rated breakfast cafe near us. It was called Sweet E's Cafe.  It did not disappoint!!  The staff were SO friendly and efficient, and the food was delicious...In fact it was so good we went again before we came back home!

 Just look at that stuffed French Toast!!  

 

After breakfast we hit the highway and head up to Wahiawa. 

Would any trip to Oahu be complete without a trip to see the DOLE PINEAPPLE PLANTATION and gardens. ? 

This place has been around since 1950, when it was just a fruit stand. In 1989 they opened to the public as Hawaii's Pineapple experience, and they host over 1 million visitors a year.  The gift shop is free (but is it ever really free because I certainly spent my fair share of money there), however the train and gardens are a cost.  We decided to do the gardens, which  are a self explore walking trail through 8 different areas, and costs about 8$ per adult. These gardens showcase some of the most beautiful trees, flowers and plants in Hawaii. Worth the money!!

And would any self respecting trip to the Dole Plantation be complete without an authentic DOLE WHIP??? (sorry Disney I know you say your is just as good...but that is a lie.) The Dole Whip is worth every calorie. A sweet and tart, creamy pineapple soft serve that reeeaaallllyyyy makes your taste buds sing! If you love pineapple like I do, you HAVE to try one.

After the morning at Dole Plantation, we continued on the road and drive along the north shore, and stopped off at a quiet little beach.  It was called Lanaikea Beach and it isnt really a beach for swimming.  It is a great place to wade and lay out and look at the beautiful surroundings, but because of all the rock and coral it makes it hard to swim.  

Lanaikea beach is also called Turtle beach due to all of the Green Sea Turtles that like to come ashore and bask in the sun.  Unfortunately the turtles were a little shy that day and we did not see any...but we enjoyed the warm rays and clean beach and the scenery wasnt too bad either....if this doesnt scream Hawaii, then I dont know what does.

To get to Lanaikea beach there is no parking lot. You find a place along the side of the road and you hoof it. Just be careful not to park in front of anyones driveway and pay attention to no parking signs.  The great thing about Hawaii is all their beaches are public access, and there is a lot of street parking and little lots along the roads for all the beach goers. Lanaikea just happens to be in a stretch where street parking is all that was available during our stay.

We ended our day back in Palolo and tried a Korean restaurant in Honolulu.  We really didnt know anything about how this restaurant worked, (or what we were doing), and I am sure the experience could have been better had we been with someone who knew the drill.  They sat us at a table with a grill built in (Galbi) and we went up to get our meats and veggies etc. We then grilled it ourselves at the table.  Watching others who came in after us we realized we were woefully inexperienced in the ways of Galbi, and next time I will be ready!!

I tried some new things at the restaurant. Some of them I really liked.  Others I dont think I will eat again.  But I am glad for the experience! 

We ended our day back at our BnB, enjoying the breeze and listening to the neighbors rooster.

It really was the perfect start to our vacation .

The beach, a memory and a little red bikini

Next week I am off with the boys to the Beach for the McBride Family Reunion.
The Theme of the event is "Water you doing in Virginia?"
(we are going to a beach in Virginia for the reunion and it is a water theme reunion)
Well each family is supposed to prepare some sort of water talent, i.e.: water balloon juggling, lip synching Splish Splash or something like that.
My mother in law wrote a group e-mail that stated, "Papa Jon can eat an entire watermelon by himself...and I can cut it for him" We all got a good chuckle, then realized she was perfectly serious.
So it got me to thinking what I could do as a talent in front of 40 people that wouldnt completely humiliate me. I cant juggle unless I want a concussion,(though thanks Lindsey for trying to teach me) I dont lip synch or do dance routines and throwing water balloons at people is just plain mean unless it is a water balloon fight.
So I thought long and hard and kept going back to my Mother in Law's email about the watermelon.
I decided to make everyone a lip balm. It will be watermelon flavored and I am designing a custom label for it. That way they have a nice souvenier for the reunion, yet get some yummy lip balm in the process. I will take a radio or something with me and play wipeout or something as we pass them out. Who knows. So my talent is lip balm and Charles' talent is standing back and letting me do what I want. (Just the way a good marriage should work.)

So The flavor name?? You guessed it! Water(you doing in Virginia)melon

Here is the first draft of the label I made up:(For privacy issues I am blocking out some of the details)

Yes As you can see I really like this picture so I have it in my new summer themed Blog Header as well.

Now to quote Bill Cosby "I told you THAT story to tell you THIS story"

All this getting planning for the beach reminded me of when I was little.

Every year we went to Nags Head for our Summer Vacation. The year this event takes place I was 6 years old. I had a red one piece bathing suit that had a little cluster of yellow flowers near the leg, kind of like a "Speedo" mark, but it was flowers. Anyway there was another little girl on the beach who had a bikini. The green eyed monster in me took control. I wanted a bikini, and I wanted one bad. My mother wouldnt let me get one. So I tried my dad. He wouldnt let me get one. I didnt have enough in dimes, Nickles and pennies in my piggie bank to go to Ben Franklin and get one myself either. So I was stuck for 2 weeks, miserable without a bathing suit like the other little girls on the beach had.

As fate would have it, 3 days later, my parents left me to the charge of my older brothers(ages 12 14 and 16) while they went for a walk down to the pier. They said they would be back in a half hour or so. I siezed my opportunity. My brothers were outside on the beach and left me to my own devices and said "we're out here if you need us... you better not need us". My brothers had a system: One would keep watch while the other two flirted with Edith, the pretty girl on the beach. When they would see mom and dad coming , the oldest would race back to the house like he had been there the entire time. This way they didnt have to watch me, yet made mom and dad think they had been there the entire time watching me like they were instructed.

I didnt mind their absence, in fact I found the solitude perfect for my undertaking. (I guarantee had my brothers actually done their job of watching me this never would have happened) I found a pair of scissors and I CUT my red bathing suit in half. By gosh if they weren't going to buy me a bikini, I would make my own. I would sure show them. In my 6 year old brain it really was a good idea. Now looking back more than 25 years later, I see the flaws in my plan.

The deed was done, my new red bikini pretty as can be. Todd came rushing in and flopped on the couch, turning on the TV, as if he were engrossed in Days of our Lives. I knew it would be only minutes before mom and dad came walking in.

The came back to find my creation lying on the kitchen table. My mother got the tight lipped "Im trying to control my temper" look. My dad shook his head and tried not to laugh. Then they came up with a BRILLIANT plan. Instead of getting mad, my dad said "Come on, lets get your new bikini on and head out to the beach!"

I thought I had gotten away with it. I was actually giddy. I had vandalized my clothing and gotten away with it.

So I put on my newly designed Red Bikini with the little yellow flowers on the thigh and grabbed the raft and walked out to the beach with my dad. I was so proud of my ingenuity and skills as a fashion designer.

I took my raft and ran out into the ocean only to be bombarded with a huge wave that knocked me to my knees...and pulled the bottoms OFF my bottom. SO I pulled them back up and they immediately fell down again. I tried rolling the waistband, which helped a little, but with every wave the bottoms would fall off. Eventually even rolling the wasitband wasn't enough and my bikini bottom was sagging around my rear and I was showing all of my tush to the entire beach.

I ran back to the house and told my mom I needed to go buy a new bathing suit. She said No. That was a brand new bathing suit she had bought from JC Penny's and I ruined it on purpose. So I was stuck with it. i had to wear that homemade bikini the rest of the vacation.

Eventually I got some safety pins and was able to secure the waistband tight enough around my bottom and waist to keep it up...although I looked quite silly with a bathing suit full of rusted out metal. The salt water and sea breeze had caused the pins to corrode, leaving my little red bikini with brown stains where it was pinned.

Having a two piece wasnt as fun as I thought it would be. I learned my lesson and I learned it well.

So thank you mom and dad for making me wear my Sarah Original bikini and not buying me a new one. It was a unique punishment and I never tried to customize my clothing again after that day.

The Greatest Place in the World

I have a favorite place.

When I am feeling down and blue, I think of this place. I have been coming here since I was a child. Our first trip was in 1979.

Every summer for 10 days to 2 weeks we would come here.

It wasnt anywhere fancy or tropical, it wasnt a high falutin' resort area.

It was Nags Head North Carolina on the Outer Banks of NC.

I have had the opportunity to travel to many many places both in the US and Abroad, and when someone asks me "Where is your favorite place you have ever traveled to?", my answer is always Nags Head.

Every summer my family would pack into 1 car complete with our summer gear, fishing tackle and poles, rafts, boogie boards etc. When my brothers were old enough to drive we would take 2 cars and caravan. They would be in my moms old Volkswagon Rabbit and I would be stuck in the other car with my folks. After all 15, 16 and 17 year old boys didnt want to be bothered with their much younger sister.

Every summer I would play hard, swim in the ocean, build sandcastles, torture jellyfish, get burned to a crisp, eat crabs and clams and all sorts of seafood, and buy a pursefull of crappy souveniers from the Souvenir shop across the road.

Every year I looked forward to MY place. And every year it never failed to deliver.

My husband and I went there for our honeymoon almost 11 years ago. We stayed in my parents beachhouse and spent days and nights at the beach, touring the lighthouses, fishing, walking in the sand, looking for shells, crabs, starfish and more. We went to the Sand Dune and watched the sunsets, ate fudge and played mini golf. We toured Elizabethan Gardens and the Aquarium. It was a magical time and the perfect place for our newlywed bliss.

Every year we go back for a few days, sometimes a week. We never get tired of it. Nags Head is OUR place, our special family time. The kids love it. We take friends and family, we invite people to share in our love of the Outer Banks.

The Beaches never seem crowded, the weather always seems nice and the sky is always that Carolina Blue you hear about.

I love Nags Head and the outer Banks. I cant image the world without it. In the almost 30 years I have been going to Nags Head, i STILL get the excitement butterflies as we pack up and head out. Oh Nags Head, I love you.