Obviously, you'll need to click on it to see it full size). Now that I've actually used it I can finally delete it from my desktop where it's been sitting there catching my attention--Waiting for it's golden opportunity.I've been home from Kauai for a week now. Okay, almost a week--Close enough. My thoughts?
I miss the ability to get up and not have to put any additional clothing to feel comfortable. (That reminds me--Thank you Flynn and Maggie for putting up with my wearing those garish boxer shorts around your house. It made me feel very much at home in your house.) Although the weather here and there differs greatly, I did welcome the change when I got home. That is, when the house is comfortable. I've already had a fire in the woodstove twice this week. Here all it takes is a simple clothing change to match the environment. Over there, you can only take so much of your clothing off at any given time... After that it's breezes, fans, or air conditioning.
I don't miss the mosquitoes. I never really thought about them being there in Kauai. I guess that's because the only other time I've been to any of the Hawaiian islands was a visit to Maui several years ago, and because we stayed on the arid side of the island I never saw a biting insect the whole time. I remember noting that to several people ("I couldn't believe it--There were no bugs there!") at the time. The mosquitoes there where I stayed in Kauai were very small. They easily escaped detection while I was being eaten. The itch started usually after they were safely on another part of my body feasting. The ones we have here are slightly easier to spot, and fortunately not nearly as abundant. While I was there I got frustrated more than once because I couldn't even rush from the car to the house without being bitten a time or two on my lower legs.
I miss the photographic opportunities. I'm sure that was because I was new and taking it all in, but the truth is, the change of scenery made it so easy to come up with pictures every day. Even if I had nothing the seemingly ordinary (like even the dirt for example) was way different that what we have here.
My job didn't suffer too badly in my absence. My replacement, who is young and green, was bright enough to pick things up quickly, but wasn't really afforded as much training time as he should have been. That part was mostly out of my hands. He was recruited to work other areas of the shop due to personnel shortages before I left so he really didn't get as much training as I would have liked. Still, the training I did give him, coupled with the help files, tip sheets, and screen prints that I made from scratch, enabled him to muddle his way through okay. When I got back, the general consensus was that he did okay. From what I heard, his first day was the hardest. He got bombarded with stuff from multiple directions and realized that he should have paid more attention during his training (his words). But again--The fact that even after going over everything he did and making some tweaks, fixes, and adjustments here and there I was caught up by Thursday. That's a huge difference from when Suzie and I took 2 weeks to go to Utah and California two years ago. Even though that was before we had the big computer system in place at work and my job was more "analog" (what a geek!), it still took me a full two weeks to get everything fixed and all the problems ironed out. The person that filled in for me then was plainly not the right one for the job. Not only did he not want to do it, he was just wrong for it. He is a wrench guy, not a paperwork guy.
I don't like coming home to an empty house. I miss my wife. It's too quiet, too cold, and too weird. Without my wife to share a hot tub with, even that's not as much fun. We are, in my humble opinion, a great couple. Although have our differences, she and I are a very good fit. I can honestly say that Suzie is my best friend, my confidante, my photography buddy, and my life. It will be good to have her back.
Maggie and Flynn were such gracious hosts! They opened up their home to me as they do to Suzie. That means a lot of bathroom juggling, bed juggling, time differences (waking, eating, etc), and all sorts of day-to-day things that people have to adjust when someone is staying with them. I'm sure Flynn had reservations about me in the early days--Especially because I'm not within the Truth of Jehovah like they and Suzie are--But I'm pretty sure he decided that I'm good people. I liked him a lot. He was always eager to share things with me--Whether it was Hawaiian history, computer stuff, or anything. The night before I left they took us out to eat at Dukes for a great, great dinner. Thank you for everything Flynn and Maggie!!
The island of Kauai astounded me many times while I was there. The beaches were all first-rate. It's funny how beaches can vary so much. I was amazed to see that Kauai has its own "grand canyon" too. On an island?! Hooda thunkit? Everywhere I went I saw bananas growing... I'm sure the locals don't even notice them. Probably like blackberries here... I started to get used to the chickens, but they still made me look when I saw them. I guess because they were everywhere. Along the highways, roads, fields, even deep in the woods or on beaches. Chickens. Is it any wonder that one of the t-shirts I bought has a chicken on it?
I met so many nice people while I was there, and all seemed to be genuinely warm, nice people. All the time the local folks were trying (in vain) to teach me to speak Hawaiian. I did gain a more thorough understanding of pronunciations after reading road signs during my stay, and I was actually starting to get them right. My perception is that all the people on Kauai are nice people. Whether that's true or not doesn't matter. I'm going to assume it.
It will be good to go back.
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