Beach Days

Didn't do much adventuring this week... although I did have a few very busy days! Volunteering, yoga, workouts, social events, etc.... and then the weekend!

Friday I got together with a group of ladies and went to a house off base where a friend of mine from Bunco, Glenda, lives. It's Southeast of here, and the view in that area is just gorgeous. Her house was on top of a hill where you could look past green hills to the remarkable view of the ocean. We hung out by the pool for a few hours enjoying drinks and appetizers before heading back to base before the kids got out of school.

Pool at Glenda's

View from the pool!

Later that evening I got ready to go out to dinner to celebrate my friend Bernie's birthday. As I put on my sundress and looked in the mirror I realized that I had pulled my now-trademark move of unevenly applying sunscreen! I had random splotches of sunburn across my shoulders, arms and chest. It was glaringly obvious and elicited more than a few comments over the next two days. It was quite funny, and looking at myself I couldn't help being reminded of the road trip Azure and I took years ago to Myrtle beach. We rode in her convertible with the top down for the majority of the 16 hour trip. I didn't apply sunscreen on my chest and was stuck with a burn in the shape of a V-neck T shirt. LOVELY! Azure, of course found it hilarious, and will be pleased to know I've continued in the mode of tanning that brought her so much joy over the years when occasionally recalling that experience. And no, I don't have any pictures... sorry! 

So anyway, that night we went to the Hyatt buffet, which was a seafood buffet, but there was a delicious selection of bread and cheese that is rare to find on Guam, so I was happy filling up on that and vegetables. And then the desserts! An incredibly varied array of dessert selections awaited our perusal. I ate a delicious mini creme brulle, a piece of creamy blueberry cheescake, and a tiny brownie bite topped with real whipped cream. And I barely made a dent in the buffet.

As we were eating dessert we heard some music in the background that got louder and louder until the people playing the instruments appeared in the restaurant. It was a Mardi Gras parade!! There was a brass band, followed by two dozen people in costumes jovially parading by giving us strings of beads. Really fun to watch and the perfect topper to Bernie's birthday dinner!

The next morning Devin and I packed coolers, chairs, towels, toys and floats and hopped into the car for a day at the beach. My friend Kristi was going to Rotidian Beach with some friends of hers and invited us to join. I had never been to this particular beach before so didn't know what to expect. It was a longer drive than I thought it would be. Considering the fact that we have 3 beaches on base within biking distance I wasn't in the habit of driving an hour to reach the ocean. However, I had heard it was a really nice beach and it was a good opportunity to meet some new people so we kept on driving.

The last road before we got to the beach was a long one, and it was gradually deteriorating until we were driving on a jarringly uneven surface covered with potholes. Considering we just got the car out of the garage the last thing I wanted was a flat tire!! It was quite a stressful journey, but we finally arrived at a Wildlife Conservation Center which marked the entrance to the beach!

We drove through a narrow road surrounded by jungle (still trying to dodge potholes) until we came to the small off road area where my friends cars were parked. It was an adventure finding space to park, but we eventually were able to get out of the car and relax. It was a very nice beach, I could see why my friends liked it so much. It had a very wide sandy shore, and went on as far as you could see on either direction. And there was some wave activity, which was a nice deviation from the flat-lines on most Guam shores.

The boys had already started up the grill so the ladies were able to relax in the hot sun and eat and chat and swim, while the kids busied themselves by digging a large hole in the sand. It was a nice day, but I was ready to get out of the sun by 3PM when we left!

The ladies who were at the beach. All very nice! 

My friend Kristi and I. I didn't think I was in that shot! 

Those were the most exciting things we did this weekend. We were supposed to do another beach day but ended up having to cancel. It didn't bother me much though... the best thing about being in Guam is that any day can be a day at the beach!