How I Spent My Summer

When I was in High School I dreaded the ever popular essay assignment “What I did on my summer vacation", that teachers loved to hand out. I never had anything interesting to write about. I was a typical teen whose major summer interests were hanging out with my friends and making out with my boyfriend. Neither subject made for a proper essay. Embellishment was something I learned to become quite good at. Most of my adult life my summers have been busy taking care of the family. We never had the money to take vacations but did manage to squeeze in day trips here and there. This summer my life took an interesting twist and I was given the chance to travel not once but twice. I traveled to Arizona to help my brother in law who had been injured. During his recovery he felt strong enough for a day trip and we ventured out to see beautiful Sedona. I should mention that my extreme boredom may have pushed his recovery just a tiny bit. I had never visited him before and was amazed that he lived without cable or satellite television, and had no computer or internet hookup. Granted I was there to assist him and not on vacation but I needed something to do during the down times. One of the things I did do was take morning and nightly walks. I noticed during my morning walks that I appeared to be the only person outside. My brother in law admitted that he was concerned that I was going to be placed in the psychiatric ward for my behavior considering no one in their right mind would venture out in 120 degree heat to take a walk. The heat did not feel as bad as all that but I did keep my walks very short and always brought along water. I can now understand the difference between a "dry heat" and the “humid heat” we have on the East Coast. The weather is quite beautiful in Arizona but it doesn’t seem to be enjoyed by too many people. I loved that the play grounds and the parks were beautiful and so well maintained but never once did I see children playing in them. I picked up a few important tidbits while spending time in the outdoors. Don’t go barefoot even for short distances, if you are wearing metal hair barrettes expect they will get very hot and avoid body contact with anything surface that has been exposed to the sun. Sedona is a 90 minute drive from my brother in law. The climate is a bit cooler than the Phoenix area. The scenery was unbelievable. It was interesting to hear about the theories on some of the rock formations being a vortex of sorts. One of the ill effects of my brother in laws injuries was a persistent static like noise in his ear. I carefully made sure we did not get too close to any of the vortexes in case he accidentally began to pick up some sort of signal. Knowing my love for things with a physic bend to them Kevin directed me to a little shop filled with mystical objects. I enjoyed exploring it. Knowing he has been seeking love in his life I persuaded him to select a small pink quartz crystal to carry with him. Skeptics can note that it has worked since he discovered how much his family loves him. No matter how much we understand that our family loves us nothing makes it clearer than when we are in need of support. As for the other kind of love…he might need a bigger crystal. My trip lasted two weeks which was long enough for Kevin and I to develop a good relationship but not long enough to get on each others nerves. He claims to look forward to my next visit. Winters here in New England can be brutal so hopefully he is serious.

My real vacation began two weeks after my return home. My husband has to travel for work and his destination this July was Hawaii. Last September he had taken me with him so when this opportunity presented it’s self I was not going to decline. Oahu is a beautiful island. There are so many things to keep one occupied. Our hotel was the Ohana East. It is not the classiest hotel but the rooms are clean and two blocks away is Waikiki Beach. It was not so much a vacation for my husband as he had to work. My first trip there I did not venture out on my own except for walks along the beach. This time I made the best of my time. The bus system is fantastic. I plotted out which museums and attractions I wanted to see and hopped on the bus alone. This was quite the accomplishment since I rarely attend anything on my own. Maybe I grew up a little this summer. My husband did take the Fourth of July weekend off and we explored Hanauma Bay together as well as traveled to visit the volcano on the Big Island. The beach at Hanauma Bay is breath taking. I surprised my husband by suggesting we go snorkeling. Being so close to the coral was a little scary as was being face to face with some fish. It was amazing to see them in their own environment instead of an aquarium. We used an underwater camera but keep forgetting to get the film developed. I was a bit unsure of snorkeling but it was rather easy once you get used to breathing through the tube. I was mostly afraid of touching the coral. I did not want to cause damage to it nor did I want to damage myself. The beach was also interesting. I half thought I was going to be adopting a new pet. There was a wild chicken and rooster roaming about. They were getting into people’s backpacks and bags. My second attempt at snorkeling was not as successful as the first since the tide was coming in. I returned to our mats while my husband continued snorkeling. I noticed the rooster standing at my mat but simply shooed him away before sitting down. A boy approached me and told me I had almost sat on the chicken. I was going to point out that there was no chicken near me when I noticed a small lump in the mat. Just mere inches from where I plopped myself down the chicken had been huddled down creating a nest. Shooing her away I thought problem solved. She choose to sit behind me on my mat and I left her alone. I was engrossed in reading when again I was interrupted. This time a lady asked me if I realized that the chicken had left me a present. Present by a chicken? My thoughts wandered to the worst scenario but I was delighted by the gift of an egg. Our trip to the Big Island was interesting. Our guide brought us to a viewing area to see the lava as it flowed into the ocean. The power of the Earth is so evident when you’re standing on an old lava flow that swallowed up a highway and town. It was amazing to see people rebuilding their homes even when the lava is still flowing and its course is unpredictable. Part of our tour took us to an orchid nursery. The orchids were spectacular. A rare orchid was on display with quite the hefty price tag. The tour we had selected was on the Hilo side of the island. During the tour we discovered that Hilo has a great deal of rain fall. We lucked on with not a drop of rain falling which we were assured was quite rare. Another point of interest was that the tour we were on was composed of 25 people. Only eight were adults while the rest averaged between nine and 16 years of age. These were the most polite children I have encountered in some time. Imagine groups of siblings that never said a cross word to one another and not a hint of foul language. I was very impressed. Keep in mind that this tour included an hour long plane trip to the Big Island as well as an hour back to Oahu. It was a long and tiring day for adults never mind for antsy youngsters.