Thursday, April 8

Beach day!

Today, Andi and I decided to take the fam to Beach 69 for a low-key day in the sun. We visited Beach 69 the first week we stayed on the Big Island, so we were excited to share the experience with Grandma Janie today. It’s a beautiful place to spend the day.

Aden was excited to try out the boogie board a fellow traveler gifted us at the beach earlier this week. This boy loves the ocean and has no fear diving right in.

There are two sections of Beach 69 — one to the right of the paved walkway leading into the park and the other to the left. Last time, we hung out on the right side so today Andi decided we’d set up camp on the left. We like this beach because there’s lots of tree cover providing shade and a bit of privacy between branches. The golden sand is smooth without a lot of rocks and entry into the water isn’t difficult on a calm day.

No kids around Tory and Aden’s ages at the beach today, so Aden contently surfed the waves on his boogie board while Tory sunned herself on a horizontal tree branch. Later, Tory, Aden and I snorkeled in the shallows and saw a few schools of convict tang fish swimming near the rocks. I’m not a big fan of swimming in the ocean, but was having a “seize the day” moment deciding to face my fears and swim with the kids. I’m glad I did! It was really neat!

We headed back to the condo around 1:00pm for lunch and then school. Janie offered to take Tory and Aden to the pool for an hour around 3:30pm while Andi was on a call. I stayed back at the condo and blogged — we’re out and about having so much fun on this trip, I’m getting behind on documenting our adventures!

Afterward, Janie treated the kids to ice cream sandwiches and strawberry popsicles which made the perfect afternoon treat on a hot day.

For dinner, we decided to buy fresh fish from the local fish monger at the intersection of Waikoloa Beach Drive and Queen Ka’ahumanu Highway. Near daily, there’s a person selling fish there in the afternoon. Offerings vary depending on what they’ve caught that day — all fresh and reasonable priced.

Andi coated the ahi filets with sesame seed and aloha seasoning, and then seared them in coconut oil on the stove. He paired the fish with fresh seaweed salad. It was excellent & a true “Hawaiian” meal.

Tomorrow, we’re off to adventure along the northern coast of the Big Island. Looking forward to it!