Another perfect day on Kauai, walk to Donkey Beach, Monk Seal

I guess I am starting to sound like DVD that has been exposed to too much salt air and plays the same scene over and over again, but it was great today. The rain we had last night both watered the new plants in the garden and cleaned the air.

Started out at 1 PM dressed in a cowboy hat and sunglasses, it was very bright, but there was a cool ocean breeze. Set the pedometer on the iPod Nano and then shuffle for the full range of music. I was walking very well today, sometimes I have a bit balance problem on hard surfaces, but I did not have a glitch until Kelia and it was minor, pushed to to Pineapple Dump and then Donkey Beach, one of the prettiest on the island. It used to be a nude beach until Maryanne Kusaka, former high school teacher and then mayor of Kauai put a stop to it. She would walk down with a police officer in tow and sternly lecture any one with insufficient attire. Should have brought a water bottle, but I stopped at the water fountain at the Kelia bath house in both directions.

As I came back I was pondering the fact we only have nine full days left Kauai. This has been a perfect trip, a great chance for Kathy to heal from surgery. Already I am thinking about the things that I need to do while I am still here to close out. It is time to start being very careful about buying food, it is tricky to get down to the bottom of a stocked fridge. We don't buy round trip tickets between Seattle and Kauai, when it starts to be time, we just go to the Alaska Airlines web page and book a direct flight.

On the way back, I was a bit sad, I had not seen a monk seal, I have seen a seal on most of the trips. However, as I was reaching the end of the path, there was 40D, a young seal hauled up on the beach just across from the lot where Captain John Nakamura keeps his boat. I had just walked 11.6 miles, but really wanted Kathy to get to see him, so I told her and grabbed a camera.

Kathy was talking with Mary and 40D was starting to get restless, he put his flipper over his chest and I thought that was kinda neat.