4th Place Winner

Check out my 4th place winning essay on Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.  The essay was inspired by my 4 month adventure in Hawaii and is closely related to my blog post "Mother Nature."

Enjoy.

http://www.52perfectdays.com/articles/mother-nature-alive-hawaii-volcanoes-national-park

Aloha

Sunset in Waikiki

We are going home today.

  

You Can Take it With You

          There is so much to do before we go back home.  I'll spare you my list this time.  There are also so many things I want to take back with us to Phoenix, including macadamia brittle, coconut syrup, taro mochi, Maui Mango tea, strawberry-guava jam, Li hing cherries, artwork and, of course, souvenirs.  Although I may have to buy another suitcase to take all of this with us, there are some things more precious, that I wish we could simply pack in our luggage.

          I wish I could take the breeze  back to Phoenix.  It blows all our papers around and knocks the cereal boxes off the top of the fridge each time we open the front door (creating a strong cross wind), but I love the feel of it as I sleep on the sofabed (in the living room).  I often wake up in the middle of the night reminded of our remarkable circumstances by this breeze and the lights of the city right outside our window.    The breeze reminds me of the ocean that surrounds us even when I don't see it.

That's what the view looks like at night when I'm not wearing my contact lenses

          I want to take back the spirit of aloha.  A sense that "it's all good" or at least will be.  The love the people have for their culture and the island.  The optimism of the vacationer who left their worries back home to spend some time in paradise.  I believe Nicki will be our ambassador of aloha when we get back.  Always eager to make friends and share her experiences, she embodies aloha and will take the lead in sharing our love with friends and our appreciation to those who have kept us in their thoughts and those who have contacted us.  These daily reminders that there is aloha at home as well, makes it easier to leave. 

          I want to take the family coziness back with us.  When we return, we'll probably relish all the

I'll Miss You, Honolulu

          Having been in Hawaii for nearly 4 months now, I can hardly believe it is almost over. While my Hawaiian activity list is near and dear to my heart, I think I'll remember and miss the truly local experiences we've had in Honolulu. I'll miss the library, with its shushing librarian and old stacks. A place so familiar that it now feels like an extension of our apartment. I'll remember the trick-or-treating in our neighborhood away from home with families that may look a little different from our neighbors in Phoenix, but have the same desire to share a holiday and "talk story" with the newcomers. I'll remember the trapped lady I helped rescue from her 15^th floor apartment who reminded me that living in a city has its charms, least of which is the fact that there are always people around and ready to help. I'll miss the local general store that serves the best shave ice in town. 

With our many trips there, we now recognize the tourists who are confused by the menu and we chuckle when their ordering slows the line. And I'll miss the park, with its rundown rec center that is the heart of this community, the place where my kids learned hula and ceramics and, most importantly, made friends.As our trip comes to an end, I am reminded of all the fun we had on our vacation, but I'll cherish the moments we spent living in our home away from home.
 

This post has been entered into the Grantourismo HomeAway Holiday-Rentals travel blogging competition: 

http://grantourismotravels.com/2010/11/10/grantourismo-travel-blogging-competition-november/

November's theme - Living like locals

       

One in a Million

          Contrary to what you may think, it's not all fun and games 24/7 here in Hawaii.  Well, at least not for Steve -- he has to work.  We are here as part of Steve's sabbatical at University of Hawaii. This is a way for him to collaborate with others in his field in addition to all the research he continues from ASU.   His work can be fun too, though.   This week, he hosted a public outreach event for anyone in Honolulu interested in space.   The usual educational lecture was replaced with a fun-filled game show format based on the popular show  Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.   Steve's  version, Who Wants To Be A One-In-A-Million-aire, explored how likely it is for life to evolve in other solar systems in our galaxy.


         In order to to see how the scientific community is working on answering the question, What are the odds of intelligent life and civilization in our galaxy?,  Steve led us through each variable in the Drake equation,

Each contestant had the opportunity to chime in on a specific variable.  For each, a question was