I hated Paris until today.

A little movie played aloud while I slept. Or, I should say – as I attempted to sleep. The ambient noise drowned by the occasional baby crying in the background had me twisting endlessly in my seat. Some thousand miles back, my wife was sitting at the airport. Waiting. Meanwhile, I was afloat along the airwaves bound for our ‘third’ home.

Confusing, I agree. You see, we stepped into the same time machine but the ticket wasn’t punched correctly and she side stepped onto another platform. I realized something important today – this is the very last time I’ll leave my wife behind. Notice I avoided the word never. The last time I used the never word (and I used it emphatically), I moved to Akron, Ohio. In the winter. A prison term or boarding school would have been better options.

Back in the cabin, the movie, “Midnight in Paris” played on. At first I resisted. It felt like a girl movie (a date movie) and I’ve not witnessed a girl movie  – well – since last week when MG was at the house and the two girls in my life brought me along for the ride. The movie – oh – the movie. It’s the first movie that Woody Allen has EVER directed that I would watch again. Better yet, add to my personal list of movies that will be offered up in my dead-guy-sale sometime later this century.

The interesting element in the movie revolves around the concept that we’re never satisfied with what we have, the life we lead, the cards we’re dealt, etc. The grass seemingly smells fresher and is a brighter shade in another yard, another era or even another country. Yes, the grass is greener in Hawai’i – trust me – I know.

Willingly I gathered my last bit of forced eye closure and engaged the concept offered by the movie. I found myself cast inside its mix of characters – most of whom are now famous due to literary works, artistic endeavors or philosophical contexts. I continued thinking of my wife – not yet on her plane – not with me. I flogged myself for going – without her.

Watching the movie, I thought about my wife concurrently with what I was seeing and hearing on screen (actually it was a TV). When things were going wrong for the main character, I felt even better about my marriage. Because it’s wonderful. When the fiance was acting up, I thought about how my wife doesn’t do drama. Ever. When the finance was talking about “cheap,” I thought about how my wife doesn’t care what something costs – she cares about what it means.

She appreciates simple.

She loves fun.

Heck, she is fun.

Her charm is only outmatched by her brains and lovely eyes. Yes, I’m waxing some mush, but you see – this movie proved to me something I already know. I found the right person! I caught the right taxi at the right moment – the very taxi that the universe served up. Laugh. Yes, I did too.  Without my wife, I’d be a different person and certainly a person who isn’t nearly as happy, sane nor complete.

I affirmed something important today, I don’t hate Paris anymore. It doesn’t mean I’ll visit any time soon. But it did echo what my heart’s been saying for a long while –  I love my wife.

Go there in the mind. Go there in the body.

Someone asked me this week, “when are you moving to Hawai’i.” My response, “I moved there two years ago.” The quizzical look in response made me laugh with happiness.

Long before you do something, like moving, you go there in the mind. Go there in the mind, you go there in the body. Factually stated, if you can live the experience before you actualize it, then the richness of the experience is heightened. This might sound like a heady day trip, but it is in fact a truthful reality for those that understand the power of visualization. Visualization is about experiencing in the mind the experience.

Last week after stepping out of the shower, I looked around the bathroom with a different lens. The lens was reflecting back what I was thinking, “when did I move to Hawai’i?” I noticed the photos on the wall from various islands, a framed painting of “old” Hawai’i, the watercolor images by the bathtub and the music — all of which were distinctly Hawaiian. My laughter was loud enough that I expected my wife to come in and ask me about it. She obviously didn’t hear me, and that’s ok, I just know that for the remainder of the day I thought about where I live. And it ain’t in Maryville, Tennessee.

Getting there is easy: I listen for the ocean, for doves, and of the sound of the Acaia trees rubbing against one another as the wind moves their branches near the shoreline. I can hear my wife laugh as the bak-bak walk by. I smell the plumeria, the spray from the Pacific, and ahi tuna after it’s been grilled. The texture of green sand is soft and coarse against my feet, and the lava rock sharp and hot against my hands. The colors are vibrant – from the red dirt that coats the Jeep to the redness of the hibiscus. All of this is powerful. All of the imagery, sounds, smells, texture – evoke a sense of being in the space.

Go there in the mind. You go there in the body.

Big Island has surf, sand and snow. And so much adventure.

Two roads go around Mauna Kea, the lower Mana Road goes from the 6,500 foot level and comes out in Waimea. The higher Kahinahina Road starts at the 9,000 foot level and goes 37 miles, all the way around Mauna Kea and back out on Saddle road at mile marker 43. The upper road is a diverse drive that ranges from 7,200 ft all the way to 10,000 ft. Since the tree line is at about 8,000 to 9,000 ft this drive takes you in and out of a variety of ecosystems interspersed with spectacular Mauna Kea vistas you can not see any other way.

We selected the upper road because it’s shorter. Having driven the entire 37 miles and now knowing what I know – I suggest that you start near the Welcome Center at the base of Mauna Kea and travel R-1 all the way until you reach the large lava bomb at the “triangle” path in the road. It cannot be missed.  The lone bomb is large and near the point of the left side of the triangle.


If you continue on R-1 at that point you’re asking for serious trouble unless you know how to handle a 4×4 in tough conditions. I’m referring to slopes in excess of 25% and the ability to three-wheel your vehicle across lava rocks. Or back up while on a gradient of 25%!

If it’s raining (and it began to rain late in our trip) I highly advise NOT to attempt completing the last 18 miles unless you’ve got some stubby tires for extra grip. Trust me, the rental car company Jeeps are prepped with road tires and have little traction in truly wet, muddy conditions. I am thankful we completed 30 miles of the journey before we met rain and fog (cousins who live at the base of Mauna Kea!).

The entire trip can take 7 hours if you hike and explore along the way. We stopped three times to explore the surroundings and that was nicely balanced with photo stops to capture the adventure. Afterward we circled back on Saddle Road toward Mauna Kea and took the road to the top – 13,796 feet to be exact. And yes, there was snow on top of the mountain. In fact (see my hand reaching in the snow bank), the height of the tallest bank was over 6′. On one cinder cone we notice snowboard tracks!

After visiting the sites atop Mauna Kea, we traveled toward the Pacific and rested at Kua Bay for an hour – dipping into the ocean to wash off the dust and dirt from our journey. Atop Mauna Kea it was in the low 40’s and about 58 degrees all the way around the upper road. At Kua Bay it was 83 and breezy. What a kick ass day.

Aloha.

Ahh, the beauty of Aloha

plumeria-red.jpg

The flower pictured here is a Plumeria ‘red’ from the island of Oahu. Beautiful? Smells even better than it looks. Wow. Capture and bottle that smell and you’ve got a winner throughout the year. I actually bought some Plumeria oil on Kauai some years ago. And occasionally I put some on my watch to remind me of what I love about the Plumeria – its wonderful fragrance.

Aloha.

Don’t change Moloka’i, let it change you.

There is something very unique about the island of Moloka’i. Very unique. It’s people and the way of life respect one another in manner that cannot be described – it must be experienced. I’m not suggesting that every neighbor gets along 100% of the time, but I am suggesting that the community is driven to thrive from what the land and sea offer up. The more pronounced attitude is simple – what can I do rather than what can I take. I might add, that’s very different from the continental US.

Short on time – so my time to talk story is short. In the coming months my website will expand its focus to include the life, the experience and the unfolding of history on Moloka’i. If you ask yourself the question, “why is he doing this?” I’ll answer you this way. If I can positively affect the mindset of just one person to rationally listen and understand that Moloka’i doesn’t need a resort nor luxury estates then I am imparting aloha ‘aina. Imagine, to affect just one person to take action by giving of themselves either in time or money to join the island in its quest to do what it’s done for many, many generations — just be.

Aia no i ke kö a ke au.

A pitaya or pitahaya is the fruit of several cactus species, most importantly of the genus Hylocereus (sweet pitayas). These fruits are commonly known as dragon fruit, and they are SUPER YUMMY!

Aitutaki Lagoon, mutiny was in the cards!

In the immortal words of James Michener, these atolls are “among the most beautiful features of this Earth, and it’s no wonder they have lured many men.” Aitutaki has been capturing imaginations for many hundreds of years. Legendary Polynesian voyager Ru made landfall there well over a thousand years ago. In 1789 Captain William Bligh and the men of the HMS Bounty were the first Europeans to arrive, reputedly bringing with them the vibrant, succulent pawpaw, just 17 days before the infamous mutiny.


Mutiny? How about vacation!

Celebrating a New Year, 2019.

New Year’s Day is the first day of the year. On the modern Gregorian calendar, it is celebrated on January 1, as it was also in ancient Rome (though other dates were also used in Rome). In all countries except for Israel using the Gregorian calendar as their main calendar, it is a public holiday, often celebrated with fireworks at the stroke of midnight as the new year starts. In my part of the world, many folks leave the “night out” to amateurs and opt for at quiet dinner at home along a Champagne toast at the stroke of midnight. This combo makes for a great setup to the New Year. Happy New Year!