Kona, HI - Day 5
Sunday, March 28
I love that there’s a farmer’s market almost everyday on the Big Island. And they’re all different! This morning, we got up early to check out the one in the small town of Captain Cook, just south of Kona.
We found out when we arrived that the market opened at 9:00am, instead of 8:00am. No worries though! Andi, Tory, Aden and I wandered through the tents as vendors finished setting up. Andi and I recognized some of the same fruit & vegetables vendors as yesterday in Keauhou, but there were also more food and craft vendors here.
We promised Tory and Aden breakfast at the market, so we purchased them a small loaf of banana bread. Andi decided to get pork & steak tacos for his breakfast and proclaimed them to be the best tacos he’s eaten in a long time.
We weren’t interested in buying t-shirts, wooden serving bowls and necklaces at the market, so we made our way back to the car. From the town of Captain Cook, we drove about 15 minutes south on Highway 160 to St. Benedict Catholic Church, also known as The Painted Church.
The Painted Church was build in 1842 and is famous for its colorfully-painted interior. We weren’t able to tour inside the church today because there was a service in session.
This stretch of Highway 160 is one of the most scenic drives on the Big Island. The narrow two-lane highway is lined with lush green trees and blooming flowers. Exactly as you’d imagine Hawaii to be. The four of us enjoyed taking it slow this morning as we cruised along the road taking in all the Kona coffee plantations, beautiful vegetation and the sea.
Back at our condo, Andi and I made lunch from leftovers in the fridge. Tory and Aden always give me such a hard time for being the biggest eater in our family, but even I couldn’t eat the huge salad Andi built for me today. I think this salad could have fed a whole family!
We’ve been adding an Aloha spice blend we purchased here to our daily salads and it’s so good! I never thought to top salad greens with dry seasoning before, but I love it. It adds so much flavor.
The four of us ate lunch on our condo’s outdoor patio while we watched a re-play of our church’s Palm Sunday service back in Wisconsin. Afterward, we made palm tree crosses from a palm branch we collected in the yard beside our condo.
Tory and Aden FaceTime’d Grandma and Grandpa for a while that afternoon giving them a tour of our condo, and then we made our way to the pool for our 3:30pm reservation. There was hardly anyone at the pool this afternoon which was nice. Andi and I relaxed while the kids swam until dinnertime.
The rest of our evening was pretty calm. Andi cooked dinner while the kids played on their iPads and I caught up on blogging. We ate dinner outdoors on our covered patio as the sky clouded over and rain began to fall. Tory and Aden were so excited to hear the rain, they ran out into the grass to catch the raindrops with their tongues.
The four of us ended our day curled up in Andi and I’s bed watching a few episodes of Heartland together. Not everyday on vacation has to be go-go-go. It was a nice change today to take it easy & enjoy a slow Sunday together.
