Waves, Fruit, and a Morning Walk

There weren't very many beaches on the rainy side of the island. Just steep lava cliffs and powerful crashing waves. The view was so beautiful from the house we stayed in! I love watching waves anyway. But big waves are the best!

I loved watching all the different kinds of skies, too. Lots of rain coming in and moving out over the ocean. Lots of rainbows. Lots of mist and moisture in the air from the waves or the rain or both.

There were many little fruit stands and farmer's markets around. We wanted to try everything, but there just wasn't enough time! I still don't know what that huge spiny fruit is on the top right there. It looks vaguely menacing.

So many papayas! I took this picture solely so I could text it to my mom with the caption, "No way, a papaya won?" (She loves palindromes…as does any right-thinking person.)

It's good Abe wore his pineapple shirt so often on this trip. We ate the best pineapples we've ever eaten!

We didn't travel with a port-a-crib, obviously, so we got creative with making beds and play-places for Clementine. She did NOT usually sleep when she was supposed to, preferring to make cooing noises and smile at us instead.

More crashing waves

And such turquoise water, even on a grey day!

Abe loved this "vacant lot" across the street—overrun with plants and vines and palm trees!

I love this so much—sunlight slanting through the misty air. There's Clementine's bed-fort over in the corner there.

While I was sitting outside looking at this, I was talking to the kids on the phone, and they sent us a picture of what THEY were doing:

So strange and funny to imagine these things existing in the same world! I confess I felt a LITTLE bad enjoying this tropical paradise without them. But at least they seemed to be having fun in the snow.

We got some little baby bananas at the Farmer's Market, which they called "Apple Bananas." They were just the right size for a banana, in my opinion—I usually only want half a banana, when I eat one at home, and that's how small these were. They tasted different too: a little firmer and with an almost tart flavor. I had heard there were different varieties of banana, but had never tasted any of them, and I loved these! I wish we had them at home.

They were just the right size for Clementine. Too bad she couldn't eat any!

We ate fresh papaya (it was pretty good but maybe overripe) and THE BEST PINEAPPLE and THE BEST AVOCADO, which we spread on toast. My goodness it was good. Just so soft and mild but flavorful. We had avocado toast for breakfast every morning.

Some with furikake seasoning. Some with cheese. Both delicious.

This house had a pool, but we didn't swim—it didn't ever get warm enough! It sure looked pretty though.

On Sunday morning, Clementine (FINALLY) fell asleep long enough for me to sneak outside for a morning walk. I always love running or walking in a new place because it gives you such a different view of where you are than driving does. There was a pretty little park nearby where I watched the sun rise over the ocean.

I walked along the coast and couldn't get enough pictures of the waves and the pale pastel sky.

Sebastian was texting me about some things as he was heading off to church that morning, and I loved talking to him from a world away, and then being alone and praying for him while looking out over the ocean. It's so cool we can communicate across long distances like that—Utah and Hawaii, and Hawaii and Heaven too, I guess. :)

After a while the road got more forested and there were some little campsites to the side.

There were some wild…chickens running around? Yes. They are wild (and protected) here, apparently.

The road got more tree-covered and it started to rain a light misty rain. I wish I could have bottled up the feeling of standing there under the trees, vines hanging down all around, warm raindrops pattering on the leaves and sifting down onto my head and face, frogs and birds chirping around me.

And then the rain was gone as quickly as it came, and the sun came out and lit the tops of the wet trees.

I heard a tree-frog close by, and I was just thinking I wished I could see what he looked like when I saw something move like a brown leaf on the ground. And it was a tiny frog! He stayed there as I moved carefully closer, and I saw him decide not to hop away, but just try to look like a leaf instead until I went away. It didn't work—I reached down and grabbed him!