When you live on a tropical island the possibilities of fresh fruit is endless.........mango, papaya, pineapple, bananas (that could be picked from a tree out front) you name it they've got it! You add a little Greek yogurt in with that fresh fruit and you've got yourself a fine island breakfast............
Unless.........
You have a stomach like mine...
fruit is a quick turn around...
20-30 minutes max
Our friends Eli and Julie and their son Isaiah were flying into town from Hawaii for this past Thanksgiving Holiday- We met Eli and Julie through Isaiah- Isaiah and Ryan met their 5th grade year, right after we moved to Kauai, and became friends- 'Isaiah's like a brother mom!' is what my Ryan would tell me (to this day he says the same thing- It's a beautiful thing seeing 2 boys that have not seen each other in a year and a half pick up right where they left off- not missing a beat). During the conversations we shared while they were visiting this past week they said how nice the beaches looked on the ranch our family was caretakers at- how the current caretakers kept the beaches immaculate (because of the way the tide and currents moved, one of the beaches named 'long beach' at the ranch would collect quite a bit of rubbish that was thrown into the water from passing ships, etc.).....
As they were talking about the immaculate beaches a memory came flooding back and I had a good laugh to myself :)
For some reason it did not register after I had drank that smoothie what was going to happen in a half hour- After I guzzled it I asked Matt if he wanted to go walking to the beach- The beach I was asking him to walk along was on the ranch- Tourists and locals could access the beach by boat but only those staying at the ranch could access the beach by land- because of this, it was a hit or miss whether we would see people on the beach- This particular morning the beach was 'people' free (thank goodness). Midway through the walk on the beach I felt that rumble....then a sort of pressure that could only mean one thing.
'You're going to have to go "outside" Steph'
'I have never had to go outside before Matt and I don't intend to start now'
pause
rumble and more pressure
tight legged run for just a few steps
When the reality of the situation hit I realized two things
1. I was not going to make it back to a flushing toilet
2. I had no toilet paper
I was wearing a bathing suit- Layering is not an option when everyday is humid and hot
Matt was wearing one of his favorite tank tops
When it was done I knew I could not drag that tank top home so I did the only noble thing
Dug a hole and buried it right there, on the beach, in the sand- behind a large piece of driftwood.
We walked home that day, Matt shirtless grumbling about how I had used one of his favorite shirts
Me, silently praying nobody ever found that little piece of buried treasure..........
I wonder just how immaculately the current caretakers have cleaned long beach :) :)
p.s. this post is lovingly dedicated to Julie, Eli, and Isaiah who shared so many special memories with us in Hawaii and who will continue to share special memories with us in Oregon- it's especially dedicated to Julie though- who sat on my couch and talked to me while I ran back and forth to the bathroom yesterday after drinking a beefed up vitamin Orange Juice.
Here's to some buried treasure and a shirtless walk home!
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| Left to Right: Ryan, my nephew Jess, Eli, and Isaiah all walking on Long Beach (Kauai 2011) |
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