Day 359: Settled In On Kauai’s North Shore — Kids Hit the Beach — Mama Gets “Me Time”
Teddy woke at 9, the rest of us at 10. And that was by sheer force of peeling ourselves out of bed.
(It was an okay night, all things considered, jet-lag-wise. James and Teddy slept through the night. Willa was up around 2 am and wanted me to sleep with her for a while. Eventually I let her read and she was asleep by 3.)
Teddy went for a run and I followed with a walk.
It’s so beautiful here. Our house is on a dead-end street that leads down to the beach, about 15 minutes’ walk away.
Chickens and roosters are everywhere. In the road, in the grocery store parking lot, etc. The raucous crowing makes me think of Bali.
Around noon, we welcomed May Cacal, Teddy’s former NYC colleague at Rave (a startup company before he started GameChanger). She stopped by with her husband Thor, a Swede. They live on Kauai with their three kids, who are 8, 5 and 4. They homeschool. She doesn’t work. He started his own marketing/ad agency, with major European clients like Puma. Works from home. Done with his work day by 2 pm “at the latest.” They all surf. They travel whenever they want.
Living. The. Dream.
We chatted for a bit in our kitchen, then Teddy and the kids decided to join them at the beach.
As for myself, I opted to stay behind for an afternoon alone…in this gorgeous house…with the views….and myself. It ended up being about four hours of the most indulgent alone time. I did some reading, writing and cooking.
Look at this desk. Could you imagine a more perfect place to write? (Wish I played guitar).
Meanwhile, here are some shots from the day at the beach.
Lest I feel guilty about having Teddy take over kid duties for a full afternoon, he reminded me that “a day with the kids at the beach in Kauai is a lot different from a day with the kids in Tokyo.”
It’s true. Cities are a lot harder when it comes to travel.
Teddy also shared that he spent an hour surfing, and, after a lot of frustration, caught a great wave — maybe his best ever — and called it a day. “I get it now,” he announced.
On that note, I’m reading “Barbarian Days,” which I’d been saving as a final treat read for Hawaii. Hooked already.
Apparently Willa had a blast boogie boarding, despite a few thrashings. James tentatively went a few times but ditched it after a thrashing of his own. Very on brand, both.
Everyone came home and showered, and we ended the day with a (vegan) dinner, a little Sports Center (Teddy can’t get enough — “it’s so easy! It’s just…on!” — also loves the fact that it airs so early), and Hobbit.
