Friday,
07.05.2002
We rushed back to
the beach house after work, armed with 2 boxes of KFC hot wings
and all the necessary ingredients for S'mores. By the time we
got to Punalu`u, it was nearly dinnertime. Before the sun set,
we had a hole dug for the bonfire and also had some time to
squeeze in a spontaneous game of `Ulu Maika (Hawaiian Bowling).
We
scouted for some sticks and some round rocks, but ended up using
a small hollow coconut as our `Ulu Maika bowling ball. The
sticks were erected as goals about a foot apart. A
"goal" is set up for each team and our course was
approximately 20-feet away. (It's supposed to be about 30-feet
away and set up on grass, but being that we were dealing with
uneven sand, we made the goals a little closer together.) The
idea is to roll the rock (or in our case, the coconut) between
the opponent's goal. Each time you do so, your team gets a
point. The first team to get to 5 is the winner.
The teams were
broken up by gender. Mahealani and myself versus Hubby
and Fernando. Needless to say, it got a little
competitive.
It's
not as easy as it looks, especially on the sand with uneven
terrain and small obstructions like ocean debris, seaweed, and
small pebbles. We tried to keep it as clear as possible, but
then when the tide starts coming onto the playing field, it
brings more surprises. Like Portuguese Man-of-War.
Unfortunately, Fernando stepped on one during the play
and got stung. Machismo wins out and he shakes it off and
continues playing.
When
Mahealani and I got to 5 points before the men did, they
blamed it on Fernando's injury and the strategic time out
(my bathroom break) which they claimed "broke their
momentum." Meanwhile, Mahealani and I did the
victory dance, which looked oddly like the Fukushima Bon Dance.
A rematch was demanded, and like the good sports that we are, we
agreed to it. In fact, we were looking forward to it.
All
of that competition made us work up an appetite. Kamuela,
the BBQ Master, was already hard at work on the steaks, slaving
over a hot grill. We sat on the benches on the deck and watched
him at work as he skillfully seasoned the steaks and tended to
them with great care.
The steaks were
cooked to perfection and we enjoyed a literal feast for dinner.
Besides the wonderful food, we enjoyed the great company,
talking and laughing the entire time.
We ended the
night with a bonfire and S'mores, under the stars with the
sounds of the ocean just several feet away. For most of the
night, we all simply gazed into the fire, mesmerized by the way
the ocean breeze would make the flames dance inside the
pit. It was an awesome way to end the evening.
We
scouted for some sticks and some round rocks, but ended up using
a small hollow coconut as our `Ulu Maika bowling ball. The
sticks were erected as goals about a foot apart. A
"goal" is set up for each team and our course was
approximately 20-feet away. (It's supposed to be about 30-feet
away and set up on grass, but being that we were dealing with
uneven sand, we made the goals a little closer together.) The
idea is to roll the rock (or in our case, the coconut) between
the opponent's goal. Each time you do so, your team gets a
point. The first team to get to 5 is the winner.
It's
not as easy as it looks, especially on the sand with uneven
terrain and small obstructions like ocean debris, seaweed, and
small pebbles. We tried to keep it as clear as possible, but
then when the tide starts coming onto the playing field, it
brings more surprises. Like Portuguese Man-of-War.
Unfortunately, Fernando stepped on one during the play
and got stung. Machismo wins out and he shakes it off and
continues playing.
When
Mahealani and I got to 5 points before the men did, they
blamed it on Fernando's injury and the strategic time out
(my bathroom break) which they claimed "broke their
momentum." Meanwhile, Mahealani and I did the
victory dance, which looked oddly like the Fukushima Bon Dance.
A rematch was demanded, and like the good sports that we are, we
agreed to it. In fact, we were looking forward to it.
All
of that competition made us work up an appetite. Kamuela,
the BBQ Master, was already hard at work on the steaks, slaving
over a hot grill. We sat on the benches on the deck and watched
him at work as he skillfully seasoned the steaks and tended to
them with great care.
