We started the day with a HUGE breakfast at KOA Pancake House (yum!) and then headed to Ko'Olina beach (lagoon 4) to catch some sun… it was stunning and beautiful for the first hour we were there and then this giant gray cloud moved in *frown." We met our friend Mark and just sat on the beach chatting, hoping that damn cloud would leave… but it didn't.

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So we packed it up and headed to pick G up from school. We tossed some sandwiches into a cooler and headed for the North Shore. Stopping at the Dole Plantation to pick up some goodies along the way.

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We had shave ice at the Aloha General Store and I picked up a couple of touristy gifts for people. Oh how I love shave ice - I get blue hawaii flavor. Sooooooo good!

We wanted to catch the sunset along the beach and since we made so many pit stops along the way (totally my fault) we didn't make it to Waimea Bay, but stopped just out of town at Hale'iwa Beach. It's simply lovely. I mean just look at these photos…

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How could you not be completely moved by this landscape? And just when I thought the guys paddling on the surf boards were amazing … along comes one of those boats with multiple people paddling. I could not have paid to have the scene set any better. Seriously. This happened.

So while I snapped iconic photos of the Hawaiian sunset, B & G explored the tide pools finding all sorts of wildlife. B found an eel, and fortunately this time from afar. No medical attention needed unlike my last trip. Wheew!

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And then the magic started to happen… fire in the sky. Seriously stunning.

Don't you just love it when the edge of the clouds light up like this? And then voila… the perfect sunset moment.

I have about twenty shots in various angles and such of this beautiful spot and honestly they barely do the real thing justice. The light. The surfers paddling along the still water. Palm trees make the most beautiful sound with a little wind blowing through the branches. And then there were these assholes - mucking it up!

Then kept climbing on top of that stump talking about how the other person(s) should take their photo. Laughing. Being loud. "Now take a video of us down here and pretend we're mermaids." Really? Come on people. Let the rest of us enjoy this stunning sight in peace. It not only annoys me when people disrespect this type of moment, but makes me sad that it's completely lost to some… Look around you. Take it in. This is nature at it's purest and most magnificent. Aloha!