A Funnny Thing Happened on the Way to City of Refuge...Or the Debacle at the Coffee Shack

   This morning, we decided with our friends that we would spend Sunday snorkeling at City of Refuge.  Following a close run thing with a Galapagos shark, Kim is reticent to return to the seemingly placid waters of Ho'okena.  So City it was to be.  In either event, we were going to host our guests for breakfast at the Coffee Shack on the way south.

Star Eye Parrotfish,  City of Refuge  February 2020

   I got the mob out the door by 7:30 and we arrived at the coffee shack well before 8, the time that I thought they opened their doors.  To my surprise, the parking area was all but full and the place was humming.. We dropped Sandra off at the door and headed to the lower lot to park.

   By the time we positioned the Honda and walked back up to the restaurant, Sandra was not in front. We headed back into the restaurant to find where she had secured a table.  As I entered the second room, I saw a waitress pushing two tables together for us.  "Good job, Sandra!" I thought to myself.  That second room with the sweeping view of Kealakekua Bay through the open windows just reeks of Old Hawaii.  I love it there.

    The four of us sat down and waited for five minutes, surprised at the slow service.  About then a young lady in a nice dress asked if we had been helped, to which I replied with a smile, "No. But we'd like to be."  A waitress came a minute or two later and gave us menus.   Knowing that the Coffee Shack serves large portions, we had pretty much decided that each couple would have a three egg omelet, toast and potatoes and one of their cinnamon rolls.  Familia Hillis was going to have avacado on their omelet.

Whitley's Trunkfish  City of Refuge February 2020.

   At that moment, the well dressed lady returned and asked, "Are you the Schnitzengruber party of three?"  She didn't need to pull out her abacus to deduce that we were not a party of three.  She then asked, "Did you check in at the front desk?"  All eyes turned to my beloved who said, "No.  I just walked through and got us seated."

   The pretty lady in the nice dress departed, but was soon followed by the waitress who had pushed the tables together.  "You will have to leave."  she said.  "There is over a twenty minute wait for seating and you didn't check in out front."  Not wanting to create a scene, we slunk out ignominiously. 

   That's what it feels like to get Coffee Shacked!

    Outside, we were pondering the small amount of food we had brought with us, presuming a huge breakfast at our sometimes favorite eatery.   Culprit Number One said, "They sell cinnamon rolls to go."  And so I went back in and addressed the lady behind the counter and next to the sign saying, "Please check in to be seated!"

Pyramid Butterfly wearing papal colors for Sunday.  City of Refuge 2020

   "I represent the poor schmucks that you guys just threw out of your family restaurant, " I said, "And we are wondering if you would sell us a couple cinnamon rolls to go."

    And so, twenty minutes later, we found ourselves seated bayside at City dining sumptuously on the best cinnamon rolls in Hawaii.  You can't beat the view at Two Step and who would dare complain about dining al fresco?  I dare ya.  I double dog dare ya.

    Just before 9:00 we hit the water.  I went in first and before my colleagues could join me I had the pleasure of observing two pretty wanna be geishas speaking to each other in Japanese through their snorkels.  Amazingly, I understood them just as well as if they had been conversing with out their snorkels.  A regular polyglot, he was.

   .As is so often the case, the couples immediately split up, each to find their own fishy treasures.  Sandra and I headed for the north cusp.  On the way we saw a handsome star eye parrot and a

Thompson's Butterfly in mourning because he got thrown of of the Coffee Shack

Whitley's trunkfish, the first of two that we would uncover.  At the corner we were pleased to run into a solitary pyramid butterflyfish.  Dressed in yellow and white, this may be Hawai'i's most elegant fish.  Certainly those papal colors could not have been more appropriate for Sunday snorkeling.   A moment later we saw two more, making a holy trinity of pyramid butterfly fish.

 Dominus vobiscum.

    We swam along until we were just about at the end of our usual route when we hit a small group of Thompson's butterflyfish.  Pyramids and Thompson's share the small genus  Hemitauricthys and on occasion we find both species in this bay at the same time.  Having said that, such an occasion has not occurred for about two years, so this was a real treat.

   To begin our swim back, we chased an Achilles tang for 10 meters and then, temporarily exhausted, we paused to photograph some handsome and remarkably cooperative agile chromis.  Sandra and I then continued back in tandem, defeating the efforts of the competing snorkelers to separate us.

Agile Chromis says, "Where's my omelet !"  City, February 2020

   As we neared the congested Two Step entry I was surprised by a reticulated butterflyfish.  About the time our friends Bob and Kim took flight, which is to say about four years ago, we were seeing this fish every now and then.  Over the last three years this beauty has been uncommon at best.  Along with the pyramid, it is an extremely elegant fish.  I delighted in its crisp markings and hounds tooth coat.  All day the water had been clear (in addition to cold) and this made for a great photographic opportunity.

    Finally ashore, we waited for Bob, who was investigating tiny, obscure species in the caves and crevices of Honauna Bay.  That, along with an astute power of observation coupled with intellectual curiosity, is how you build a really impressive list of species.  I finally captured him, emerging from the sea like a primordial monster.  Not satisfied with his underwater work, he took some amazing pictures of those tiny fish that live in the tidepools.  Cameras filled to the brim, we repaired to Sandra's by the Sea where we feasted on the sausage, cheese and rolls prepared especially for apres swim.

    Who needs that damn Coffee Shack, anyway?

jeff

Reticulated Butterfly   City of Refuge  February 2020