Last Day in Hawaii

Aloha, everyone. Today is our last full day in Hawaii … for this year. I am already looking forward to next year. I love this place. Even though we had a few unfortunate circumstances, everything has worked out for the best. Golfed twice. Snorkelled in two different locations. Lots of pool and beach time. Sunny days, an earthquake and 30-foot swells. It is always interesting. Things are changing here the way they are everywhere else. Businesses close or change ownership and name. Prices increase. Traffic increases. The number of people here on the Big Island feels like more than in other years. Things are also staying the same. The wonderful weather and the aloha spirit live on. The highlight for me was the snorkelling trip we took with Sea Paradise. I love sailboats and this gorgeous catamaran was under sail for the trip back. I felt something greater than the nervousness I usually feel when I snorkel. A calm, peaceful excitement settled in as I watched a manta swim directly under me. It was so wonderful to be in the ocean and see its wonders so clearly. And the whales!! A mother and baby on the way out. The crew estimated the baby was 2 or 3 days old. And four or five show-offs trying to out-breach each other for 10 minutes, jumping right out of the water on the way back. Thrilling. The whole 5-hour tour was exquisite. The ocean was very present when we golfed right on the shores of the biggest water hazard in the world. During our second round, it was angry. Waves crashing sending spray 5 stories high. It was exhilarating. It didn’t improve my putting though. All of this happened while my dear friends in Halifax dealt with not one but two snowstorms of record proportion, five feet over three days. That’s a lot of snow and then, days later, another foot or more. Back in Alberta tomorrow. Already planning to come back to this magical place soon. ALOHA