If there is a place on earth that has paradise written all over it…. I’d have to say it is Hawaii.   What a wonder that island is.  Such diversity.  So much beauty…. and intrigue.

I feel so glad to have been there.  Truly grateful to the  powers of heavens and earth for affording us such a place.  It touched my heart in a soft and affecting way.

I am especially thankful that I could experience such a place with the ones I love.

Mahalo.

Aloha.

“The bird of paradise alights only upon the hand that does not grasp” – John Berry

When you spend a fun day at the beach in Hawaii, it can look like a lot of different things.  But one thing is for sure… taking a long swim in the ocean is a tremendously good feeling.  I think the water is saltier here too.  My salt-loving self really appreciates that!

Yet when you are lying on the beach, you think of a lot of things. Like the things details you have learned about this new and different land.

Each of the eight islands here, has it own little nuances, and secrets, and history.

So…. with that said… some fun Big Island Facts.

The Big Island is Hawaii’s largest at 4,038 square miles. It is twice the size of all other Hawaiian Islands when you smoosh them all together.  All of Hawaii though… combined…. is really only about the size of Connecticut.

The largest contiguous ranch, in the United States, is in here. The Parker Ranch near Kamuela has about 480,000 acres of land.  Mostly cows…. and goats.

Kilauea volcano is the world’s most active.  Seriously.

Mauna Kea is the tallest mountain in the world (measured from its base at the ocean floor).  I am not sure who takes these measurements.

The island houses the world’s biggest telescope and more scientific observatories in one place than anywhere else in the world.  This does not surprise me.  The starry night sky…. is SO dang starry.

The island is the worldwide leader in harvesting macadamia nuts and orchids.  This is the only state that produces coffee.  I have had the nuts.  Yum.  Had the Kona Coffee too.  Double Yum.  I don’t know if I’ve seen the orchids or not.  But there have been lots of gorgeous flowers.

Check this… Once used as a target by the U.S. Navy and Air Force…..  the services are cleaning up unexploded shells. No one is allowed to go ashore without permission.  I’ve seen signs of this.  Actual signs like the one below.

And finally tonight…..The word Hawaii is from the Proto-Polynesian hawaiki, meaning “place of the gods”.  I am certain of this one.  Quite certain.

Whale watching can be a lot like “Choppy Water Watching”…. yet today…. we got lucky.  We took a boat out and kept our eyes on the horizon.  The Whale Watch.  As it turns out, we saw several.  Some of them were pretty close.  What a munificence to see these amazing creatures break the surface of their world, and come to our world above.

Later in the day, I enjoyed some of the artwork here in our gardens and walkways.  The history and culture here are truly incredible.  So many stories, which are intriguing… and steeped in tradition.

We snorkeled a bit.  And took in the final warming rays of the day.

Tonight, we talked about Algebraic Equations in Figure Skating.

Oh my holy smackerels.  Another day of incredible gifts….. here in Hawaii.

“A wonderful gift may not be wrapped as you expect.”
― Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Tree hugging has taken on an entirely different meaning for me.  Literally.

You know.  Not so very long ago, I couldn’t stand on a small step ladder without getting a case of the woozies.  If I were in a tall building, and looked out a window, I would get a pluck of the old Vertigo.

And today.  I was like some little crazy Ewok.

Oh yes we did.  We zip lined.  For more than three hours.  In the wind and rain.  In the tree tops of a forest in Hawaii.   Heaven only knows how high up we were in the sky.  Again, I reiterate.  We were in the dang tree tops… that is for Holy-Canoli sure.  Like the Swiss-Dang-Family-Robinson.  Our longest run was 1,150 ft  between platforms.  Yowza.  It was SO MUCH FUN!

We learned how to repel.  We traversed over swinging bridges… which in turn… hung over the gullies where King Kamehameha once traipsed.  We saw a wall he built.  Albeit, we viewed it from high above… but… by golly… we saw it.  We zagged.  We flipped. We dipped.  We zipped.

The pictures truly don’t do it justice.

But there were were.  Up through the atmosphere.  Up where the air is clear.   We did more than fly a kite.  We flew ourselves.  And it was good.

Andy and Mikoa were our trusty guides.  We learned all sorts of things about Hawaii.  We also learned all sorts of things about zip lining.  And trust.  And again…. it was good.

“Love all.  Trust a few.” – William Shakespeare

A nimbus can be a lot of different things.

Commonly associated with weather… a nimbus is considered a large, gray, rain cloud.  Another definition is a luminous cloud or a halo surrounding a supernatural being or a saint.  OR it could be a light or a color that surrounds someone or something.  Nimbus.

Today.  I met a Nimbus.  Large and gray indeed.  A saintly being?  I think so.

Nimbus is actually a dolphin.  A big male dolphin, probably 9 feet in length and  1,000 pounds in mass.  I liked him a whole lot.  Today… I was lucky enough to put my arms around him and hold him. I could feel his heart beat.  He seemed to be okay with all of that.  In fact…. he almost seemed to like it.

He is a real stud muffin as it goes.  He has a ton of kids.  Today, I met four of them.  Ipo was my favorite of his little bottle noses.  And Ipo’s Mom… Iwa…. was amazing.

We spent about an hour with those dolphins.  One of the coolest hours of my life… I think.

I met a parrot too.  His name was Flare.  You’d think that someone named Polly would like the parrots the most.  But meeting Flare waned in comparison to meeting Nimbus… for some reason.

I guess… as it turns out…I am a bigger fan on the dolphin.  It might be that we have belly buttons in common.

Here on these islands…. the waters hold so much majesty, mystery, and wonder.

It is no wonder that today’s events… once again…. have changed me forever.  And…. for that I am incredibly glad.  For that I am very grateful.

“We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.” – Thornton Wilder

“Find the good and praise it.”  – Alex Haley

If you are growing tired of reading  my observances of Hawaii, I apologize.

But it is very difficult to think about much else.  I can only equate this entire experience to one thing.  I now know…. just how Dorothy felt…. when she stepped out of the old house from the  black and white world … and into the color world of Munchkinland.

Of course, I haven’t seen any Munchkins in Hawaii.  But oh the things I have seen.

Today was a big one.  The six of us boarded a helicopter and took a spin around the island of Hawaii.  I can not begin to tell  you the level of excitement I experienced.  It was breathtaking.  We flew in close to the mouth of a volcano, where lava is still flowing out.  We crossed mountains and lava fields.  There were  forests of Eucalyptus Trees.  We circled in the sky.  We dipped down and around deep gullies which were laced with white waterfalls.  It was something I’ll tell you.  So much to see.

Some in our group almost had to use the “Aloha” Bags…. located on the helicopter.

But it was well worth it, I thought.

And, we got to wear cool headsets… and talk into little microphones.  I sang Karaoke twice.

I sing when I am happy, and also when I enter magical worlds.

We are off to see the Wizard I tell you.  Off to see to Wiz.

I like the Green Sea Turtle.  Yesterday, I met my first Green Sea Turtle.  We were swimming in the same little nook in this big Pacific Ocean.

The Sea Turtle swam beautifully, gracefully.  I watched in amazement.  In awe.  Dumbfounded.

The turtle chuckled and kept on swimming.  Then it ambled out of the water…. went to the beach….  and took in some sun.  I watched in amazement.

I am forever changed by this.  There is something about being in the same place as such a superb creature… this turtle being.

You see.  They are endangered.  We humans need to give them plenty of space.  I swam away from its area… for there’s all sorts of water available in the Pacific.

And when I saw her on the beach later… I gave her plenty of space.  Let’s thank the camera gods for long lenses.

And then.

Tonight, we humans went out to a Luau.  We were happy humans.  Very happy…

Nine out of  ten people are happier as a result of swimming with Green Sea Turtles.  I know we were.

“Goodness speaks in a whisper.”  -Tahitian Proverb

The 50th State to be admitted to the United States of America.  Hawaii.

What a cool state it is.  Located in the middle of the grand-spanking nowhere… in the middle of the big blue ocean…. specifically Pacifically.  Of all the places…  this snappy state is a string of islands.   They are islands with crazy names.

The first inhabitants here in Hawaii came from Polynesia.   Hey.  Polynesia!  That’s what I do when I am in a kick-boxing match.  Polly knees ya’!

At any rate, around 300-500 AD those old Polynesians came to Hawaii from the South Pacific  They most likely arrived from  the Marquesas Islands.  And…. they most likely found the Hawaiian Islands in double-hulled canoes.  Imagine.   A big canoe ride from Polynesia to Hawaii.  “Row, row, row, your boat……”

After they settled in here… they built some big temples.  These were used to worship their two principal gods….  KU, god of war and LONO, god of peace and agriculture.

Those Polynesians lived here a long time…. until the pesky Tahitian explorers arrived in 1200AD.  The Tahitians showed up…. AND…. not only did they conquer the Marquesasians….  they also enslaved them.

The details of the middle years are involved.  The long and short of it…. they brought Pili who was the father of the royal line leading to Kamehameha I.   A long line of Royals… Kings and Queens… followed.   Social classes emerged and the Hawaiian culture started to form.  More on this at another time.

Yet …. one thing for certain is this…. they must have seen an incredible paradise when they came to this new and strange land.  Lava. Coral. Clear Water.  Beautiful animals… like… like unicorns.   Unicorns.  Yes… dancing Unicorns and Rainbows.

The stuff fairy tales are made of.  Fairy tales I’ll tell you.

There are 24 hours in a day.  No more.  No less.  By the keep of the clock…. that is.

But some days.  Oh some days.  There is much more than that.

So from sea to shining sea.  From sky to shining sky.

The snows in Ohio….

To my first sunset in Hawaii.

“The few wonders of the world only exist while there are those with the sight to see them.” – Charles de Lint

…. and so begins another big, collective ride around the sun.

Yes.  We do it again.  All together.  All on the same ball.

Let’s take care of our vessel.  And eachother.

To a New… and Happy Year.  This Voyage.  This 2013.

“The tragedy of life is not that it ends so soon, but that we wait so long to begin it.” – W. M. Lewis

“Well, Lady.  The truth of the matter is…..  I can’t wipe this silly grin off my face.”  – Eldon the Sock Monkey