Our first visit to Kauai was 18 years ago. On that trip, of all the images I took on that trip, as well as the trip to the island in 2024, one image has always bothered me for many years because I didn’t really get what I was after. On this visit I’m on the hunt for an object, the subject I photographed 18 years ago on Pu’u Poa beach in Princeville. A hammock. In 2024 when Solace and I tried to find the beach we tried through the resort area of Princeville which is how we found the hammock in 2008 but were unsuccessful locating it. This time though we’re getting to the beach via a private road that many years ago was the site for Club Med on Kauai. Not many privately owned land on Kauai allow public access but this is one. We hike downhill through tropical trees and brightly colored flowers with the temp around 80 and the humidity the same. It’s hot. Reaching the beach we walk past a group on a kayak/snorkeling tour. All the snorkelers had a laminated card ID’ing all the fish (a great idea) but in what sounds like an Australian accent I hear the guide telling all his snorkelers about the sharks on the reef. Not exactly the best way to start off a tour in my opinion but maybe those laminated cards deter sharks. We reach the resort and Solace opts to cool off and get some snorkeling in. I however am in hunter mode. Where’s the hammock? I walk around the beach property, no hammock. I follow a pathway to another beach area that’s completely empty, no hammock. I make my way back to the resort pool area and I ask a hotel employee about the hammock. Employee tells me the hammock was taken down years ago when the resort was owned by another company. Damn!! After taking a swim to cool off I’m reminded when one door closes another opens. Just before reaching the beach, a tangent path hugs remnants of a small Club Med building heading toward the Hanalei River. The beach along the Hanalei River is rocky with the bay and pier visible. I photographed this scene using four different cameras but it was a $100 digital Camp Snap Pro with a built in vintage filter that blew me away because it has a faded old postcard look. I didn’t get to revisit my old hammock shot but instead got an incredible view of Hanalei Pier with the mountains I didn’t expect to capture.