Full Circle?

The next post after Norway was meant to be sent from the driver’s seat of a new RV, parked in some gorgeous park – say, Zion – hiking map and binoculars at my side. But life is what happens after making plans, right? Circumstances changed, and the dream of cruising the continent to explore national parks has been punched back, hopefully not permanently.

I have landed back on Hawaii Island; for how long is a great unknown. But this time, after spending 28 years in the east, I’m on the west side. Only 80 miles apart, the two are vastly different in geography, weather, population, and much more. I have tasked myself with investigating this side extensively: first job is to identify the bird calls outside my window; I’ve never heard these songs before.

My first indelible memory of Hawaii was circa 1972, when my then-boyfriend in California pulled out a map of Hawaii Island to show me where he’d spent many winters. I remember noticing two place names; Captain Cook (which I thought was a silly name, having no idea of its enormous historical significance) on the west side of the island, and Hilo (which I thought was pronounced ‘high/low’, but it’s not: it’s ‘hee/low’) on the east. Little did I know then that I would spend a large chunk of my life centered on the eastern side. And now, all these years later, here I am, in Captain Cook, two blocks from the ocean, watching whales splash in the breathtakingly blue water. I am no longer a creature of the rainy, conservative, Shōgun-like east side. Hello, tanned, beachwear-wearing West Hawaii! You are my new best friend, with your warm air, soft breezes, and nightly green flashes when the sun appears to slip below the horizon. These are the reasons I moved to Hawaii in the first place. How I wound up in rainy Hilo and chilly Volcano is the story of misplaced priorities. Or something along those lines.

Golly, this is a personal post.

Anyway, these photos are from my lanai and the King’s Trail, which I have traveled on only briefly and with only a phone for picture taking. I’m so looking forward to more explorations with my trusty Canon in hand.

One last thing: if you are of a certain age, I implore you to get the shingles vaccination. I did not, and am now in great, constant pain, except for when the dulling pain meds kick in. It’s a serious reminder to myself to live all I can, because things can change significantly in a mere moment.

Aloha!