More from the Beach!

A colorful ending to a perfect day. This doesn't do it justice, of course. The colors were spectacular. Earlier that day, we'd had a horrific storm, with thunder and lightning, and hail was predicted - but didn't materialize. The wind was unbelievably strong during the storm, and steady during the whole time we were there. I got very little sunburn, but I am burned - the wind did it, in spite of gobs of sun block. Next time we go there, I am wearing a floor-length terrycloth robe on the beach! (Click to embiggen)

This is what we saw when we leaned out over our balcony. I suppose when you are there on an employee discount, you are not given beach front rooms. We would have preferred it, of course, but we're not about to "look that gift horse in the mouth!"

Beds of red and yellow hibiscus were everywhere on the grounds of the hotel, as were other flowers. It was truly a feast for the eyes.

This is a flowering palm tree. The photo doesn't do it justice; the burgundy-colored spikes were very pretty.

This little gull was so tame that he walked up to within six feet of our canopy, looking for a handout. We had nothing to give him, so he walked away dejectedly.

Mr. kenju and our son. Everyone got quite a walking workout during our stay. Beach access required walking further than we wanted. The boardwalk went out over the dunes, but then turned right and sloped downward for about 40 feet. This required no stairs to navigate, but it did add quite a few steps to the process. Since we had our own chairs and canopy, and didn't plan to rent from the hotel, we had to go further down the beach to set up than everyone else did. We all needed the exercise, though, so it was beneficial in the long run. Our weather was nearly ideal, save two very strong, but short-lived storms. The rest of the time, it was sunny, clear and breezy. A good time was had by all.