waves away

Ocean waves...they, too, are like snowflakes. They roll in like a live thing, like Wonder Twin powers--they arc themselves up and over into long bottle-green tubes, or they curl only at the thick edges and fall out in the incandescent middle. They shove forward like a dull razor blade or a snowplow, or spike into little cobalt triangles that slide playfully against each other. Watching them in relation to any landscape of rock is a feast for the eyes; it makes you feel vision itself is multiple senses. They hit a mesa corner at full swell and throw showers impossibly high up and over, or break before impact and just daintily splatter a lower rock face with foam. They advance in forceful succession like waves of intrepid cavalry; and then they disappear, the surface layers just shuffling conspicuously back and forth. The wakes they drag out behind them might be opaque sheets of milk, a mess of extraterrestrial turquoise swirls, a cauldron of stiff-peaked silvery froth. It's a co...

After my last post, we had a really lovely Christmas dinner at Plantation Gardens , from the kahlua pig mana puas to the delicate lilikoi cheesecake. I even had one big and excellent glass of wine ( Carmel Road pinot noir, Lara)--my first drink in four days; exciting! Thanks to that, I'm sure, I was well enough Wednesday and Thursday for wandering out West.   Up in Waimea Canyon we talked story for awhile with an old SoCal endless summer transplant. He was like a white buddha sitting cross-legged and shirtless on the grass at the mile-high overlook, selling home-made trail guides and feeding pieces of his apple to a loitering rooster. In Hanapepe we grilled gallery photographers, perused the cluttered shelves of the western-most US independent bookstore, and hung out with the local cats. Salt Pond Beach seemed different than prior visits; it was crowded. With both an unexpected throng of pasty, pretty obnoxious tourists and a smattering of locals camped ...

I appreciate all the sympathy for my sick interlude. The bug moved zealously into my sinuses Christmas Eve and made me a mouth-breather, but I continue to refuse quarantine. The day began with 90 minutes of meditation at the turtle cove. It was overcast and not too windy yet, making them easier to spot (if not more paparazzi-friendly). The honu have many endearing features, but coolest of all might be how long they live. I was stirred by the notion that any of these guys, or the whole family even, might be the same one I watched 11 years ago on my first visit to this special place. It's a wonder how any of them live a week in such a ferocious environment, without being smashed against the rocks. On the contrary, something about their sleepy eyes and floppy flippers looks tranquil as they surf inside the crests of the incessant waves. They are like me here, I guess, serene and insulated in a lovely aquamarine bubble amidst the thrash of tropical winter weather and bodily vi...

There is the occasional rain on Poipu Beach . It started Friday night around 8, just as we stepped out the door and onto the dirt path to the "adult" jacuzzi. The wind made the sprinkles seem more robust than they really were, and Phil hesitated, but I led him bravely on. The "adult" jacuzzi is a twenty person capacity lotus-shaped attraction with a fountain in its center and a peek-a-boo view of the sea. It was dark under the cloudy night, though, and twenty minutes into the soak, it was only us and Trevor--a funny kid from Vancouver , BC --when the rain began in earnest. But it wasn't cold, and the whole episode seemed so joie de vivre that we stayed out a half hour more. I awoke with a scratchy throat and allover achy feeling. Yep, a touch of the flu. Let's not blame it all on the rain-in-the-jacuzzi recklessness, though. School is out; I am for a brief flash beholden to nothing and no one. Of course my body is going to break down a little. No pi...

Thanks for the perfect send-off Thursday morning, Seattle :   We were graciously accompanied to the airport by Jessica and Aloe (3), through a super-soggy commute. Aloe dismissed the downpour and focused instead on all the exciting yellow taxis and the trees she wanted to eat. "I'm eating hundreds of trees. They're delicious." Indeed they are. Wait 'til you see Hawaii , Aloe; it is the trees that make me the most happy to be here. What's better than trees draped with lemon yellow blossoms or crowned with bright orange buds, power lines hidden in a row of palms.   Magnificent acacia groves and eucalyptus tunnels lining the red road...I'm home. It was dark by the time we got into our room and we were too tired to do much besides case the timeshare property to make sure our engagement tree was still standing, get a snack at the poolside grill, and discover that there is now Thursday night poolside karaoke (as well as Wednesday night poolside bi...

A couple of pals have been encouraging me to write in public. With pleasure! Like almost any red-blooded English teacher, I would consider selling my soul to see my name on the shiny paper jacket of an old-fashioned book. The options between here and there, though...meh. I never wanted to be a blogger--who cares about my middling observations and opinions? I'm not generally all that inspired. With this exception: That's the sun rising from the best spot I know to watch it, the south side of Kauai . To relish this scene, I will happily bound out of a cozy bed before dawn, day after day; and those who know me well know what an inspired feat that is. I was proposed to under that tree, and at long last I will soon be back under it. Two decadent and desperately needed holiday weeks with this in my front yard--if that's not a good reason to start writing in public I'll never have one. And if the words alone don't sell tickets, the pictures should help. Thanks,...