A bit about the trip

Alrighty. I'm back, and I'm on the road to Catch Up, that little town that all of us keep pursuing. I have a huge piece of road to cover before I actually get there, but I will.

It is very good to be home. You know how it is .... vacation is wonderful, but coming home is also terrific. My bed felt good last night, but I woke about 3:00 and didn't go back to sleep. I think it was just tiredness mixed with the excitement of being home, and probably some time zone wonkiness. Anyway, I was a little tired today, but not bad. I also woke congested and feared I was getting a cold. I do that when I'm at the end of a run of stress, and this has been a doozy. Planning for the Hawai'i trip was a good stress as was the trip itself, but even "good" stress can be taxing. Then add my sister's death a month ago, and all the little irritations that were popping up in my face, and ..... well, you know. As the day wore on, the cold symptoms went away. I think it was probably more allergic in nature (airplane air?), and the effects of altitude and climactic change.

The pups were ecstatic to see me! Last night they ALL had to be touching me in bed! I couldn't turn over! Hmmm. That might have been a factor in my sleeping, too, doncha think? It was so good to see them! I did miss the little stinkers. Max has been especially clingy to me. Now that he is settling down and doing a better job of "fitting in," he relies on me to keep him grounded, I think. Linda said he did well while she was here. Jazi also wants to be next to me. She is decidedly "my dog." She doesn't mind the others being around, but she wants to be front and center, preferably in my lap! And the famous Lola .... she "talked" to me incessantly for at least a couple hours after I got here. I think she was telling me I can't leave again! Sam and Joe were actually pretty laid back. They both wanted to get their fair share of petting and cuddles, but they are both more relaxed about it. Joe is probably better adjusted, and Sam .... well, Sam is Sam! He loves to be near me, but he takes the sharing in stride very well.

Tomorrow morning the dishwasher repair dude will be out here shortly after 8:00. I'm hoping he doesn't have to order parts, but since he knows what is wrong, I'm hoping he will have the right stuff with him. I'd really like to get that back in order, although my dishes are all done.

After he is gone, I will call Big O and see if they can get me in tomorrow to get a new tire. If not, probably Saturday will work out. They rarely have more than a day delay. It will feel good to have a safe tire on the truck again.

I'm happy to report I had a message on my answering machine from the mortgage company saying that they paid TWO YEARS of taxes on my place. Whew. I also had a receipt from the county in the mail, so all is well again, and I can quit sweating the security of my home. Man, am I relieved!

Also, the latest hiccup, the one I mentioned just before coming home, has been figured out and will be resolved tomorrow or Monday. Too much detail to go into, but trust me, it is a huge load off my mind. It was another big dollar mistake, not mine, that is being handled right now. Again ..... whew.

So you can see, all is moving back to a better place already.

Now about the trip. I will probably tell about part of it over a couple days, mostly because I'm tired and don't want to be too tied up with all of it tonight. Let me start with this ....

I sincerely enjoyed my trip. It was very good to see my friend, to spend time, to visit and catch up on each other's lives. I am sad that his health is not good. There are many things wrong, and none seem to be well controlled, some are not even properly diagnosed. I helped him to organize some papers and write some letters to try to get some medical attention for better coordination of his health care and hopefully even a bit more financial reimbursement on his disability. That would make his life easier, I think. I knew he was very ill, but being there, seeing it, really made an impact on me. Not an easy thing to see.

I loved the kind of tourism I experienced. He took me to see some of the big sights, but we didn't spend a lot of time at most of those. Rather, he took me to see the out of the way places that most tourists won't know about or stumble upon. We had to limit our trips to areas that were fairly accessible for him, but he did a pretty good job of keeping up with me. I enjoyed all the sights, the shopping and the food. It was all great!

As most of you know from my posts while I was there, the weather was less than ideal. It rained a LOT. There were good periods of sunshine, too, and believe me, I soaked them up! It rained often enough and in amounts enough that the air was often carrying 100% humidity. The temperatures were good. A couple times it was in the 80s and I was feeling the heat/humidity combo I hate so much, but most times the temps were in the low 70s or upper 60s. Now 68° is pretty comfortable; but link that with 100% humidity after the sun has set, and it is very uncomfortable.  Dell had only two blankets, so one for each of us. I put a couple sarongs and my ruana on top of my blanket to help keep me warm, and I wore socks to bed to keep my toesies warm!. And several times we turned on a space heater (most houses don't have heat) to warm us a little in the evening or early morning, and to dry out the air in the house. I was chilly a good part of the time I was there. Me! Chilly!

Hawaii is a beautiful place. The flora is amazing. The ocean is amazing-er. Although I'm not crazy about swimming in the ocean, the surf draws me. I love walking in the water and the sand, taking pictures, looking at shells and stones. The sky, when t isn't raining, is gorgeous. I already talked a little about the different climatic zones, so you know there is a little of everything there. I really enjoyed my time on the Island. However, I know it would not be a place I'd want to live. The weather, especially the humidity, makes it uncomfortable for me. I suppose I would adjust, at least to a degree, but I don't know if it would be enough. I hate, hate, hate humidity. I love, love, love the climate here in New Mexico. Nope, I'm home.

More tomorrow, OK?