We're home safely after an uneventful flight from Kona to John Wayne Airport.  Met a nice couple in the lounge prior to the flight who live near us but all we got was first names--Larry and Debby.

Tomorrow, we're off to Mardi Gras.  Have beads, will travel.

I've heard from a couple of people going through blog withdrawals, so I thought I'd leave a quick post before getting ready to head back to the mainland.  I have been doing twitter updates (see sidebar) but even those have been pretty infrequent.

It's been a fairly uneventful couple of days.  We played golf.  (Ocean Course, 115; Mountain Course, 101.)  Ate (mostly things not good for us but there was some lovely sushi at Kenichi night before last).  Played cards (poker--it was a draw between the Dobynses with Dan and I using consolation chips to keep playing).  Played Cranium (best not to discuss). 

There was a huge thunderstorm yesterday afternoon, the first rain since we've been on the island.  So it was a kind of fitting punctuation mark to our visit.

Today we fly for Orange County arriving around 9:30 pm.  Tomorrow we fly for New Orleans at around 9:00 am.  Guess I'll be doing some midnight packing!

April at Hale Honu is still wide open...we may be back soon.  Aloha, all.

Taking a day off from golf (the Mountain Course at Kona Country Club proved to be a bit challenging yesterday) and enjoying the more aquatic aspects of the island this gorgeous Sunday.  We rose early and went down to the famous Kahalu'u bay for a 9 a.m. snorkel.

Dan's fin strap broke early into the swim but not before Tom pointed out an octopus lurking in a crevice on the south side of the bay.  After Tom and I decided to swim out a bit further, Dan opted to go in.  Tom and I muddled on alone, swimming out to the area that I've dubbed the Coral Forest and then back along the south side wall.  Still energized by all the fish and very few people, we swam out nearly to the surfing area with Tom chasing parrot fish, butterfly fish and an assortment of reef dwellers.

I enjoyed seeing the usual denizens of Kahalu'u and had sightings of two of my favorite fish, the male bird wrasse and the male trunkfish.  But the highlight really was the octopus.

An executive decision after snorkeling found us up at KTA buying supplies for breakfast burritos and then settling in here to watch the Buick Invitational and Tiger's walk-off win.  Now we're settling down to various versions of relaxation--reading, napping, fussing. 

No whales today.  So far.  That's it from West Hawaii for today!

There's an old saying, that I will now horribly misquote, which says that when you share your burdens, they're divided in half.  I've done a lot of thinking about shared burdens, co-dependence (aka enmeshment), burdens in general (fair and unfair) in the last several years.

I agree with the hoary saying that when someone shares your burden (by listening, by doing something you can't do or don't want to do for yourself) that the load does get lighter.

I've learned that I can't bear someone's burden if they don't want to share the load.  Or, sometimes even if they want to share the load but they need to bear their own burdens to learn their own lessons.

And in light of all this, today I've come up with Laura's corollary to the burden cliche.  If sharing your burdens divides them, then sharing your blessings multiplies the blessing exponentially.

We are here with dear friends, in a place that is literally just south of Paradise.  We love Hale Honu when we're here on our own.  It nurtures, feeds, heals and cradles us.

But when we're here with others, especially those who need (as Mom calls it) the "House of Healing"--well.  Then our blessings are multiplied.  Our cups run overs.

Whales.  No whales.  Birdies.  Triple Bogeys.  It's all good.

We saw another coupla whales today...one that was chugging by early this morning and then a few that were blowing spume in the late afternoon, about an hour before sunset.

There was also a marlin sighting this morning--identified by the long, pointy nose and the distinctive way these fish sling themselves back into the water after lunging at a fish.  (Hope he got it!)  A long walk/run ensued and then chores related to owning a vacation rental.

We picked our friends, Tom and Renee', up from the airport in the midafternoon and have been enjoying snacks, dinner (Dan cooked spaghetti), wine, and good company ever since.

Interesting conversation today on the directions that life takes us and the choices we make to facilitate those directions.  How balance is a dynamic rather than a static state.  How the internet can be a tool for communication or a hide for hunters (or liars).  How to let go and when.

And then, after their long travel day, Tom and Renee' headed off to bed.  We'll follow soon enough--grateful for friends and a beautiful place in which to enjoy their company.

Tomorrow?  More whales, I hope.  And there will be golfing.

BTW, the Stephen King novel ended up being quite good.  His best is still, imho, Desperation.  But Duma Key bears reading.  Just make sure you bring a strong heart and an ability to face the truth that love is always shadowed by loss.  (And still, in the end, worth the price.)

We had a pleasant journey (albiet long) from the mainland to Kona, via Honolulu.  By the time we'd done a bit of grocery shopping and unpacking, we were ready for a beautiful sunset off the lanai.  Fortunately, this was provided, as usual, in splendid shades of orange, purple and bruise.

This morning, I shambled awake and made coffee while Dan tried to doze just a bit more.  He's on East Coast time so this is a much rockier transition for him.  The coffee had brewed and we were just stepping out onto the lanai for a lazy morning when we (Dan) spotted three whales off the lanai.  He took several great shots of them (see below).  They were about 200 yards offshore and swimming very quickly north.

We passed the morning with reading, desultory home-owner chores, getting our golf clubs set up.  Then it was off to Drysdale's Too for lunch. More reading (I'm reading Stephen King's excellent new novel Duma Key right now). Dinner.  Sunset.

My kind of day!  Tomorrow I'm hoping for snorkeling before we pick up our friends Tom & Renee' at the Kona airport.  If we're lucky, we'll see a fluke or two off the lanai. 

If we're not? 

It's still paradise.  <wink>

The big news of my day is that I collected Dan all safe and sound from the airport.  He's already hit the hay because tomorrow we fly again.  This time to the Big Island for some R&R and then on to Mardi Gras to visit good friends and (in Dan's case) throw tons of beads to people screaming, "Hey, Mister!"

I'm planning on working on the novel during our Hawaii stint but not our Mardi Gras stint.  After that, it looks like we'll make a trip to North Carolina and then back home.  Phew!

Blogs will be sporadic and mostly centered around golf, snorkeling and sunsets from our lanai for the next few days.  Here's an example.  Aloha!

I took the day off yesterday, mostly because there were some medical issues on the East Coast and I wasn't sure whether or not I'd by flying to N.C. today.  But everyone's fine and so I just chalked the day up to "just one of those things."

The Charger's loss today was another "one of those things."  I am proud of the fact that they proved all the pundits wrong.  All week long, they'd been saying it was going to be a blowout by the Patriots.  I think the Chargers showed skill and an awful lot of heart given that they were playing two offensive players hurt and without LT. 

But, and I hate to admit it but it's true--the Patriots did an awfully good job of keeping them to field goals.  If the Bolts had gotten one or two of their visits to the red zone into the end zone--but they didn't.  And the credit for that goes to the Patriots.

There's always next year.  So I'm off to the gym in a few minutes to work off some of the frustration and tension of the game.  I cleaned my kitchen and spotted my living room carpet while watching the game.  Just can't sit still when my team's playing.

Tonight, I'll watch the Packers and the Giants play (no cleaning required...likely I'll cross stitch) to see who I'm going to root for against the Patriots come Super Bowl Sunday.

Speaking of the Super Bowl, I've got two favorite Super Bowl memories.  One of which was going to the Super Bowl in San Diego in the late 90's with Dan.  Dad and Sally let us use their house and had little stickies with notes on them indicating the Super Bowl prices for things like sodas, toilet paper sheets (priced individually) and laundry service.

Then last year, Dan and I watched the Super Bowl on board the Crystal Serenity during our 25th Anniversary trip.  The Bears lost, much to the chagrin of our cruise friend, Mary.  We enjoyed seeing the game in the main showroom, broadcast in Spanish with voice-over in English.  (The American networds really get the best spots for camera and reporter coverage.)

Maybe next year, I'll add a third memory to the list.  The Chargers as champs.  Now that would be something!

Last tidbit for the day?  I finally found something I like about our illustrious governator (mostly I'm neutral toward him).  An LA Times article on Friday quoted him as saying he's made mistakes since he's been in office, he's learned and, as a result, changed his mind on some issues.

Huh.  A politician who figures out he is wrong.  And then changes his mind.  Dubya could take a few plays from his book.

Slow news day.  So, I'll catch you up on my goings-on instead of ranting.  In terms of golf, I had an average 9-hole round today at the Lake Forest Golf & Practice Center.  41 for 12 over par.  But, I am not discouraged because of two things.

1.  It's okay to be average.  Especially at something as challenging as golf.

2.  I had an amazing opening hole.  On the green in one, two feet from the pin.  Sunk the putt for a birdie. 

Gardening was on the agenda for most of the afternoon.  I weeded, pruned, scattered "Critter Ridder" and planted two gardenia bushes.  I'm wiped!  No writing today.  I'll catch up tomorrow and Saturday (even Sunday if I need to in order to hit my maximum goal of 10,000 words for the week).  The good news is that I'm already above my minimum goal of 5,000 words per week.  Plus I've written an article for the Start Small Start Now website and blogged.  Phew!

As to good friends, I enjoyed breakfast with Renee' after golf and we had a great discussion about family, faith and recovery.  So much fun to have a woman friend nearby with whom I can relax and chat. 

Another friend thrilled me when she hit the "big time."  Ms. Kelly Bozza, recently published author, was featured in Borders "Rewards Shortlist."  Kelly and her writing partner, Matthew Emerzian, wrote Every Monday Matters and are spearheading a movement that's connected with the concept of making a difference every week.  Check it out.

I think Kelly and Matthew are onto something.

I thought I'd take a potpourri approach to today's entry.  Instead of writing about the day (which has gone swimmingly--thanks for asking), I want to touch on four issues.

1.  Send in the clones.  The FDA (those wonderful people who gave the nod to Vioxx) have given their two thumbs up to meat and milk from cloned animals.  My knee jerk reaction is "eww."  But then I read the article instead of just the headline.  (In my spare time, I might get around to reading the study...but don't hold your breath.)

In the LA Times article, it becomes pretty clear that what will eventually hit the food chain will be the offspring of clones rather than cloned animals themselves.  That's a little more, ahem, palatable.  Especially when you consider that the study shows there to be no difference on any level (biological, nutritional, toxicological) between cloned meat and milk and the real McCoy.

Still, it's a bit worrisome that there won't be any labeling required by the FDA to identify cloned meats or milks.  Eww.

2.  Rock the Vote.  I have a new button on the side of my blog-->  See it there?  I've done my bit.  I've pundicated on presidential candidates (see below for more), reviewed issues and propositions, made recommendations.

Now it's your turn.  If you're not registered to vote, click here.  And do your part.

3. Theocracy anyone?  Oh that Huckabee.  What a kidder!  Do you know he actually said we should "amend the constitution to fit God's standards."  What?  He wasn't kidding?

Seriously.  Which standards are we talking about?  Do we stop (if one agrees with Huckabee) with saying marriage is only between Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve; with saying that women do not have the right to abortion?  Or do we go the whole schmear?  Stone adulterers.  Quit eating pork.  Make women cover their heads with scarves.

I think they're trying out theocracy in parts of the Muslim world.  Why don't we stick with democracy in America.

4.  How much is that doggie in the window?  Meet Charlie.  Hal offered Charlie to me as a crow deterrent.  I said no.  Now I'm reconsidering.

Who's a good boy, huh?

Hey...maybe if we clone Charlie?  Nah.