Tornado on the beach!!!
Well, that got you attention, no? Ok, so yesterday was a nice relaxing day on the beach. Around three or four, a small wind picked up. Then it became a bit stronger, then suddenly there were huge gusts. Nothing apocalyptic, but we certainly wanted it to go away. Keep in mind, all of this is occurring within just a few minutes. At the height of this unpleasantness, on the Four Seasons' side of the lagoon, a swirling mass of debris--papers, floats, cups, all sorts of flotsam and jetsam--rose into the air. It was tall, the height of the hotel, and though you couldn't actually see a funnel cloud or anything, and it wasn't strong enough to lift anything too heavy into the air, everyone was awestruck and just sat there staring at it. It lasted less than thirty seconds and then just stopped, with all the debris floating downward in various directions. Then the wind completely vanished, the air was markedly warmer, and our lovely beach day continued. Apparently three umbrellas were shredded and someone was hit on the head though,
Beach attendants proceeded to immediately close all the umbrellas, and wrap zip ties around them so they were impossible to open for the rest of the day. (Someone at first did reopen theirs, hence I think the zip ties.) Certainly an unexpected turn of events!
Yesterday night it was off to Longhi's at the Marriott for dinner, delicious as usual. Then, after that, at 8:45, we went back to Aulani for stargazing! Its an activity that cost $45 per person, and takes place in one of the darker areas near the pool. It was just one other couple and my wife and I. A very fancy telescope was set up, and for half an hour our guide (who was great!) showed us one amazing sight after another...galaxies, nebulas, new stars being formed, binary stars, etc, etc. He also pointed out all kinds of constellations with a laser pointer, which in Los Angeles, because of the "light pollution," are impossible to see. We absolutely loved it! We'll probably do it again when we're back during another time of the year, since the views will be different.
There's one constellation I've always wanted to see. Its called The Southern Cross, and has been used for centuries for navigation, and is usually visible only in the southern hemisphere, and cannot be seen from the continental United States. I asked our guide about it, and was told that if we came back around 10 pm and went down to the beach, the constellation would be visible directly over the palm trees on the south end of the lagoon. So, of course we did return, and saw it!!!! For us, it was a brand new and easily identifiable constellation...how often do you get to see that?? And it was also visible from our balcony!!!
Today I think we might take a drive around the southern tip of Oahu, walk down to the lighthouse, maybe stop at the blowhole, and take some pics form a nice overlook or two. Then back to the beach!