chocolate waves

I know I should have a picture, but I figure its enough of a miracle for me to just post this as is. So you'll have to take my word for it that the waves are way too big to surf. Flew in on Thursday and drove straight up here to the North Shore. Stopped at Foodland for important provisions like bacon and beer on the way up to Sunset Beach. Arrived here to the yeowling of the Welcome Wagon, a.k.a. "Fortitude". Named by some previous Aussie guests, he's the feral Siamese tabby who lives under the house and lords it over all. He expects to be fed, asap. "Yo,'Tude!" I yeowled back at him as he wove himself through my legs. Ick. "Happy to see you made it through another year! Even if this is Hawaii, you're such a fierce kitty. You are the dude with 'tude!"

Friday the 16th dawned to big WNW winds and dark incoming clouds to the west. One of those Kona lows fresh in from Japan, no doubt on it's way to poor Seattle. Waves as big as apartment buildings. Beach closed to even the big wave surfers. Big enough but too sloppy and violent to hold the legendary Quicksilver (refer to future post). Suddenly, 5 or 6 KITE-SURFERS!!! appeared next to the house and all launched. My very favorite extreme idiots doing my very favorite extreme sport. Right next to the porch. I am beyond lucky. Watching those guys do what they do so well also deserves its own future post (which one of you liars out there told me there's no homework with a blog?). Anyway, being true watermen, something told them to get out of the water, and they disappeared. At 1 pm, the radio was talking about how Waimea Bay was 'liquid chocolate', referring to the intense churn. By 2, all the waves on up to here were big capuccinos, brown with cafe au lait foam and dumping unimaginable amounts of brown sugar sand on the beach.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, "This place is not real."

Long story short, the air got as juicy as it possibly could, the front hit, the wind roared in off the Pacific at near hurricane force (60 -70 mph), the rain came sideways, and it kept it up until early today. This morning the humidity was gone, it was cooler (plunged to 74), glorious blue skies, but the waves are still too big to surf. Beach closed. Perfect.

I am here. Blogging is not for here. Not now anyway.