Wednesday, 12-17-14, Temple day, Mackey's Shrimp, Exodus

Harry went to work quite late and was able to drop me off in Laie at the temple. I got there in plenty of time to attend the 11:00 session, Which was done by 2 pm. I loved the way the session moved from room to room and loved how immersive it was for me because they showed the new film that was filmed on the islands. The mountains in the background, the plants, and even one of the people in the film fit right in to where I am right now and gave it a realism that added to the experience.

Laie temple

I ate a simple lunch in the cafeteria, a creamy soup with just a little vegetables and ham in it, along with an inch and a half thick slice of homemade whole wheat bread. I got a little packet of Milano dark chocolate cookies from a vending machine for dessert.

I had gotten a bunch of family name cards printed and was so excited that they let me leave all the ones needing baptism there for one of their youth groups to do.

I spent a little time in the visitor's center until it was time to go to the bus. It's kind of a hike to get to the bus stop, and I had to wait another half hour for the bus to come. The trip took the full hour predicted to get to the stop where I planned to meet Harry, but I enjoyed seeing the scenery and people along the way.

The Bus

At the end of the line I walked a little way over to the Mackey Sweet Shrimp truck and waited at one of their tables for half an hour until Harry showed up. We had the garlic butter shrimp with rice covered in garlic butter sauce, and salad. The shrimp was very good, even better than the night before. They are farmed on that side of the island, so they are really fresh.

We were entertained by the Hens, roosters and chicks wandering everywhere, and even more entertained by the young Japanese pregnant wife who was so frightened of them she kept her feet up when they were around and squealed in fright. When the couple left I noticed a back pack left on the bench of their table and after no one else that was getting food sat there, I took it to the food window and told the lady who I thought left it. A minute later she called to her helper and gestured frantically to stop a car that was leaving. It turned out to be them, and he got their attention and returned it to them. When they saw me up and talking to the guy that brought them the pack, they realized I'd turned it in. The young husband waved, smiled, and bowed to me over and over. I did the same back to him. It was a nice feeling that I didn't hesitate too long and that they got it back before they left.

The forgotten backpack

Harry suggested we stop off at a shopping center on our way back and see a movie. We saw Exodus, which was well done, but departed from the scriptural account in typical Hollywood fashion, which made it jarring to watch no matter how I tried to think of it as fiction or alternate reality. I wish they would just stick to the story and if they want to fictionalize by fleshing it out, ok, but to leave out important things, change them, and change who Moses was as a prophet was just disturbing. Harry didn't like all that either. I was also bothered by the strong smell of rancid dirty carpet. I never got nose blind to it, It bothered me the whole movie. I notice the smell at the other theater on Saturday, but it wasn't as strong in the theater itself and I stopped noticing it after awhile there.

We still had time to watch some TV when we got back to the room, although we did stay up later than usual. Harry is working shorter because he found out there is no overtime available. He'd used up more hours than he was allowed by the time he found out, so he his minimizing his time until the new week starts.

Storm Waves on the North Shore

I don't have a lot to say on this entry. We left the Macadamia plantation and headed around to the North shore to get a look at the waves coming in from the storm. The North Shore is where the big surf is in the winter on Oahu, and with the wind up, perhaps the waves would be on the bigger side. When we found a place where we could park next to a beach, I hopped out and started taking photos.

I was so puzzled when Harry stayed in the car with the motor running and the AC on full blast. It was 76 degrees and windy, and the temperature was comfortable. I had goose bumps in the car the whole time because he kept the AC on and the fan up. I couldn't understand why, when the waves were so awesome and the sound so impressive, he would choose to stay in the car with the doors closed and look at it through the windows.  It was possible to get down as close as you wanted to the surf as long as you didn't get in the water. I stayed behind the safety tape, but still was able to get great photos and video. I'll let the images speak for themselves. I'm not sure how high the waves were, but they were impressive.

These guys didn't care what the sign said...They paddled out pretty far before they started catching waves so I wasn't able to get very good photos of them surfing. 

You can get an idea of the wind from the spray that was blowing back from the tops of the waves

We got back to our hotel just before sunset and had Steak with vegetables and salad that we picked up earlier at the Times Market before we headed up the Windward coast. Harry says the Times stores elsewhere on the island have more variety of sides and give three sides instead of two for the same price. 

We watched some evening TV, several last year's episodes of Downten Abbey before settling in. Harry is back to work tomorrow...