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Hawaii, Day Four – Bellows Beach Burn

We hit the beach on that Saturday – and the beach hit us back.

The high winds were still in effect, which made for some big rough waves.  The waves were strong enough at one point that they swept Tad’s goggles right off his face.  They are probably still floating out in the ocean somewhere, because we sure didn’t find them again.

Getting in the water at Bellows Beach

Thumper was anxious to get back in the water again, but soon discovered that the waves were a lot bigger and stronger than he was.  This was not the gentle lapping of Ko’Olina lagoon.

The big waves

That was not what he had in mind

The Major and Q-Bee had gotten their shade tent set up, and I found Thumper curled up in his aunt’s lap after a few rough waves.  Once I saw down, he crawled into my lap.

In the lap, relaxing

He ended up falling asleep and taking a three hour nap in my lap.  Good thing we were under cover!

The older three, and the Webmaster, took on the waves.  I particularly loved Rerun’s version of surfing.

First, head out with the boogie board.

Heading out

He would go about waist-high (his waist, not mine), and then turn around and hop on.

Coming in!

Rerun then let the waves do the work, and push him back to the beach.

Incoming!

You have to admire the kid’s ingenuity.

Tad almost never came out of the water.

The Webmaster and Tad

Tad in the ocean

All of the kids got their fair share of frolicking in the ocean (aside from the sleeping Thumper).

The Webmaster and Ane

Kids in the waves

Rerun on the beach

But by the end of almost 5 hours on the beach, the kids were salty, sandy, and a little pink around the edges.  So we rinsed off in the bathrooms, called it a day, and headed out for an early dinner.  Peace was preserved by making it a pizza feast in Kailua at California Pizza Kitchen.

Tad waits for dinner

And then going for local ice cream at Mokulua Homemade Ice Cream.  (When the shop has a sign on the door that says “we buy local fruit,” you know it’s local.)  And it was goooooood.

Ice cream!

Of course, every single kid (except Thumper) sported a sunburn that night.  So we slathered them up well (Q-Bee had a few shortcuts), and packed them off to bed early after a long day.  The Webmaster and I were off to bed early, too – we had a long day planned for the next morning!

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