Sliding Rock and Sadies (Mom’s Visit: Sunday)

(From Mom’s trip journal: Told from her perspective)

We slept in today until about 10:00. We got ourselves up and dressed and went in search of a good breakfast. Sadie’s was our original plan but they stopped serving breakfast at 10:30; so we ended up at the Deluxe Café. We had a really good breakfast there.  After breakfast we ran back by the house and changed into swimwear and shorts then headed west to Leone. 

We were going to visit Sliding Rock which is really close to two of Jessie’s World Teach friends, Kate and Thanh. We parked at their house and stopped in for a quick visit before heading down the street to Sliding Rock. Thanh joined Jessie and I for the walk. Sliding rock is an area right on the coast where there are somewhat flat layered lava rocks smoothed by years of being washed over by the ocean waves. According to the girls the tides and waves are coming in much higher than they have ever seen them before. There are places where there are small pools filled by the surges of ocean water where you can cool off. We watched a group of boys who were playing in a larger pool. It’s very beautiful here but can be quite dangerous due to the strong waves washing in with great force. 

We didn’t get into the water at all. We enjoyed the view, climbed around on some rocks, and talked awhile, then headed back to Thanh and Kate’s house. It was really hot out so we were pretty hot and sweaty by the time we left. We went home via Tafuna Road so we could swing through McD’s for a cold diet coke. 

We went back by the house and changed back into clothes and gathered our computers to spend the late afternoon and evening at Sadie’s so Jessie could get some school lesson planning done. Jessie’s internet card usually works much better in town. By the time we arrived at Sadie’s the wind had kicked up considerably so we sat at a table by the windows inside instead of out. I read a magazine while Jessie worked on her school planning.  Over the course of the afternoon a pretty strong storm blew through with heavy rain and strong winds. We sipped iced tea and passed the time. As dinner time approached we ordered a dinner to split and dessert for both of us. It was good food and a nice relaxing evening and Jessie got her lesson planning completed. Around 7:30 we headed home. Back at the house I helped Jessie by making some posters for her classroom while she worked on other things for her week ahead. I think it was around 10 or 10:30 when we turned in for the night.