Travel Log: July 7, 2012

A long hard day.  Missing Grace so, so much.  Woke up and finished reading The Five People You Meet In Heaven.  M was really low energy and slept in, so I started reading Sense and Sensibility.  We went out for breakfast at Vista Restaurant at the Kona Country Club.  Great view and decent food: pancakes with raspberry, macadamia nut compote for M with sugar cured bacon, veggie eggs benedict for me.

Then we shopped at the Farmer's market, Long's drugs and the KTA Grocery store.  Lunch was sandwiches at the condo after a long walk looking at the shoreline near the condo.  There is no good ocean access within walking distance for swimming or boogie boarding.

We drove up the coast in the afternoon to look at some of the beaches in the guide book.  Long drive made even longer since I got confused and we went to the wrong beach the first time.

The correct beach was a 20 minute walk from another beach which was 1.5 miles from the highway.  The road to to the first beach was not drivable so we hiked in with all of our beach gear.  The hike was long and hot and ugly, through an old lava field.  We finally got to the first beach and there were signs at the trail head for the second beach saying not to go down the trail.  So we decided to stay at the first beach.  The wind was heavy and my hat was blowing around and I broke the chain on my Grace necklace without even knowing it and lost the charm.  When I noticed a few minutes later we spent over an hour walking the beach looking for the charm.  I burnt the bottoms of my feet on the hot sand and burnt my skin in the sun.  A German woman and her son helped us look for a while as well and I was very grateful.

We gave up looking and M briefly swam in the water and then we started to hike back to the Crown Vic.  Some people took pity on us and drove us back to the car.

Walking on that ugly road through a barren lava field we realized that we had been playing the happy couple on vacation, but the truth of being baby loss parents shown through then.  Losing my tangible link to her, the necklace, was like a slap in the face.  I can order a new one when we get home.  I know it is not her.  Maybe the islands needed to remember her and the charm will help them.

I don't think that I like this place... it is too harsh, too barren.  Hilo was historied and alive and fecund... this place is so raw and difficult.

Grace my darling I hope to dream of you tonight.  Cradle you in my arms, feed you from my body and smell your sweet, perfect baby smell.

View from Vista Restaurant

Outrigger Beach