This painting, part of my nautical art series, captures a moment that brings back the spirit of youth... when there was nothing we could not do nor be in the zone of our own imagination. It’s early morning and a new day emerges. We grab our friends and head to the little beach that overlooks Chinaman’s Hat on Oahu.

There, in a very twisted old tree near the shore is built a perfect tree fort. Chunks of driftwood, cragged branches and thatched palm create a platform that overlooks the golden horizon. In a tide pool pond just a few yards away the kids have built the ultimate pirate ship out of wood scraps, old tires and a cast iron bathtub they found nearby. Sheets and borrowed laundry become the sails that snap and pop in the sweet Hawaiian trade winds.

Against the tree fort, one anxious buccaneer mans the “Coco-Pult” - a device made from an old wagon and shovel and propelled by the force of a stretched bicycle inner tube, it launches coconuts high into the sky. Swords are made from bamboo, wood and old plastic bleach bottles. Whatever they can find on the beach, in Dad’s garage or Mom’s clothesline, these kids have used imagination to create a perfect magical adventure on the tropical shores.