Back To Reality

White sandy beaches, palm trees and rum drinks one day, homework, laundry and dog poop the next. Yes, our vacation to Maui is over. I've included a picture, so you can share my feeling of loss.

I got a sneaking suspicion that maybe the Tiki gods didn't want us visiting their beautiful islands. We had landed in Los Angeles and were waiting to switch planes ,when the news broke that Hawaii had been hit with a huge earthquake. I wasn't the only nervous tourist standing in the airport gift shop, drinking overpriced bottled water that was worried about their trip. We were able to fly in, and to our great relief, Maui had not sustained much damage. I know other islands did, but let's be honest, this was MY vacation, and I was only worried about myself.

It would take me hours to recount the whole trip, so I'll try to boil it down Some stories deserve their own telling, so I'll give them their own postings. I'll start by saying this. If you've ever thought about going to Hawaii, go. It is truly one of the most beautiful places on earth. As cynical and cranky as I usually am, I got on "Island time" and really soaked up the beauty and the culture of our 50th state. After being in some of our less beautiful states, it's hard to believe Hawaii isn't a different country. I also used our locale as an excuse to go native. Don't worry, I still wore clean underwear, but I put my cell phone in the safe, left my laptop at home and went completely unplugged for the week. It was weird for a day or so, but I have to admit I loved it. I watched in amazement as people walked around talking on their phones. Hey jackass, you're in paradise. Why not put down the phone and enjoy it. These are the same idiots who, when they get back to Cleveland will say they didn't see what the big deal was about Hawaii.

We did a lot of touristy things and I just decided that I'm going to have to do a short series of blogs about the trip, so, just like a serial TV show, you'll have to stay tuned. Here's a little tease to keep you interested, swimming with sharks, fatty don't surf, Hula girls really can shake it, and smokers are rude everywhere. Man, I know what's coming and I can't wait. I'll bookend it this way. The trip started rainy. We spent most of the first day walking in the rain and shopping. It was as if, knowing we would have to leave, we wanted to bring as much of the island back with us as we could carry. The trip ended with a picture perfect water front dinner at one of the best restaurants I've been to, Mama's Fish House. The scenery was priceless, the food was pricey, but worth every penny, and it put an exclamation point on an otherwise fantastic trip.

I'm still suffering from jet lag, so I'm off. Stay tuned. Aloha, Brian