Yes, it’s true, I’m finally putting a recipe on this recipe blog!

Miracles can and do happen. As evidenced by the sunset photos below!

But before I get to that, I need to do a little housekeeping on some final miscellaneous Hawaii  happenings.

I hope you won’t mind  But if you do … scroll down to “read more” and skip ahead to the cocktail.

My feelings won’t be hurt, only because I won’t know you’re doing it. But be careful, there could be a quiz at the end, and if you do poorly … yeah, then I will know and … whatever… do what you must.

I mean if these gorgeous photos aren’t doing the trick to keep you right here, nothing will!

The first thing I want to share with you are photos of Punalu’u Beach, also known as Black Sand Beach.

It is located on the southeast side of the Big Island.

We drove out of our way just so I could collect some black sand.

I collected sand from all of the islands we visited. I had expected most, if not all, of the sand on the Big Island to be black, but no, only at this beach.

The texture is completely foreign from any sand I’ve seen or touched before. (Special thanks to Connor for being my hand model – sand holder!)

Here is a sample of my sweet little “Sands of Hawaii” collection. Crazy how different the sands of the various islands are. It may not be apparent in this photo, but the sands from Maui and Kauai are vastly different from each other too.

Next up, I forgot to show and tell you about the awesome collection of vintage Hawaiian  signs that were all over the exterior breezeway walls at the B&B we stayed while on the east side of Hawaii.

I am still coveting the Laupahoehoe Sugar Company sign. It was so long, that I had to use the panoramic feature on my iPhone to get it all in one shot! Then I discovered the sad history of Laupahoehoe … heartbreaking.

And this fabulous C and H Sugar sign! Sigh… if I could have figured how to pry it off the wall and fit it in my suitcase… it was tempting! I may have to begin an eBay search for such a treasure.

I was intrigued by the “C and H” instead of the “C&H” that we’re used to today. I did a little research and was surprised to find that 107 year old company didn’t switch over to the ampersand in their iconic logo until the early nineteen-seventies. Do you know what “C and H” stand for?

California and Hawaiian. Now you know.

Each Friday night at the Beach Tree Restaurant at the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, there is a the beachside barbeque. The Friday we were there… fresh Mahi Mahi…

… cooked on an open grill, in the sand, on the beach, waves rolling in only steps away. Outstanding!

Finally, I have to show you a souvenir I bought myself from the resort. It’s the beach bag that awaits you in your closet. You are encouraged to use it during your stay. I did not, I wanted it to be pristine when I brought it home.

This adorable burlap coffee bag turned into a chic beach bag, lined with vintage Hawaiian fabric. Now you are privy to my plans for the burlap sacks I purchased at the store at the Kauai Coffee Company while we were on Kauai.  All I have to do now is find vintage Hawaiian fabric and then learn how to sew.

Thanks for sticking with me through all the Hawaii posts, I hope you enjoyed it half as much as I enjoyed reliving it. Now it’s time for your reward, a Hawaiian cocktail recipe…

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