Airline Miles

(I have been trying to put this up for almost a week and eBlogger is giving me trouble! I may be up to my limit in photo storage, so as I work this issue out, I will not be able to post some of the photos I've been wanting to share here. Here is the flickr page where you can see some pics from our trip.) Our first family vacation is behind us and summer has just begun! Miles travelled like a little champion, so excited about every detail: noticing new people on the trolley from the remote parking lot to the departing flight, jumping up and down and squealing on the plane ride from LAX to Honolulu, flirting with the flight attendants, patting the plastic window on the short flight to Kaluhui. All fears of ear pressure were dismissed-whatever it is that causes newbies to feel that discomfort (still-developing ear parts?) was not present for Miles. Sitting around in paradise is not something we do every year. The escape was truly the nicest thing we could have done for ourselves in this year of a new baby, a new home and an impending move to another new home in the year ahead. I got a Thai massage at Honua spa (and a heavenly outdoor shower) the day before we left. If you've never tried Thai massage, it is different, but I found it really quite effective at opening those crunchy, closed parts-especially in the hips and shoulders. The therapists use their feet a lot. Loved it! But you know how at the tail end of a big adventure the yearning to be home comes pecking at the window? Perhaps it is thinking of the long day of travel before me, the slapdash packing which is so unlike the meticulous, orderly suitcase I arrived with, or racing down to the beach on the last evening to get one more glimpse of the palm trees that stretch out toward the water and up toward the lazy sky...i don't know what invites that feeling in...it feels like sand cemented between the toes that only two-handed scrubbing can unglue. Heading back to a different world always finds me melancholyish. Home a few days now, one suitcase still sits on the bedroom floor. I'm living out of it, partly, not wanting to pack my adventurespirit away until our next jaunt. I've been steering clear of the internet to extend the essence of my vacation a little longer, it has been nice, but I do feel like I've got a lot of catching up to do! It is good to be here, on my pine-sweet scented mountain where green pollen covered the cars, a mouse met his tragic end on a stepping stone, the cherries turned bright red, the sun set just a little bit earlier, and all of the roses bloomed in our absence. I picked up I Sit Listening to the Wind at the spa on my day of shameless indulgence. The format is a bit unconventional, but the sentiments resonate strongly for me. Give it a peek if you are feeling at home in your quiet place within. I'm heavy-headed, as allergies or some such sinus issue plagues me. I must retire, but will make my sleepy way back here soon.