Aloha!

Here's my girl, lookin' windswept and mermaidy at Diamond Head Park. She begged for her hair to be dyed blue and the stylist asked if streaks were ok and being a push over, I said yes. Look at her face. I'm in trouble.

Almost at the top! The trail is steep, winding, with lots of loose gravel and the views are breathtaking. I learned that I am not keen on heights after slogging up a narrow staircase of a hundred steps and looking back. I froze in horror at what I'd just climbed. I stumbled through the cave to the top and realized I didn't give a fig if I saw the view or not, or that I just hiked an hour to get their. I was fixating on getting down that awful staircase, which I did, one agonizing step after the other, gripping the rusty handrail with both hands. I could feel myself falling, which is sort of sickening. I never imagined myself as having phobias, but I guess I can add dangerous heights to my list. The annoying thing is no one else seemed to think it was scary. Azalea made it all the way to the top and got a certificate to prove she climbed Diamond Head.

The koi pond at Dole Plantation, a touristy spot to get fresh pineapple sorbet or to get lost in the enormous maze on the property.

One of the things I love about Hawaii is all the beautiful vegetation. I looked up and saw this intricate lacework of leaves. This pattern will certainly show up in future work!

Greg and Azalea resting on the bridge with Waimea Falls in the background.

We stumbled on this beach in Haleiwa, on the North Shore, to find sea turtles resting! Talk about serendipity! We just wanted to watch the sunset and maybe a little beachcombing before heading back. It was perfectly magical.

Before we spotted these, we saw some in the water and hoped they would come closer. We found five along that beach.

The crew posing at The Royal Birthing Stones, a ruins where ancient royalty came to have babies. Folks still leave offerings of plumeria and seed leis out of reverence.

We spent a lot of time at the beach, looking for lost treasure, sea glass and shells. It was a hard trip back, three planes and a two hour car ride home, but it was worth it. It felt good to be in my own house, but I long for the warmth and the sea. We were gone for about nine days, which went by fast. I felt a little disconnected, not doing my routine of checking email, cleaning house, working on my book or making new pieces. It was nice, but I missed going through the everyday rhythms that make up my life. I suppose I'm most comfortable in my own surroundings, doing familiar activities. I was back at it, the moment we walked in the door!