After 7-8 days in Hawaii, I’ve lost all track of time and priorities. I suppose that’s a good thing. I have to think hard or use my phone to figure out what day it is. I missed an important meeting with folks back on the mainland yesterday – that was embarrassing, but again probably a good thing. I’m relaxed.

We’ve done a lot – snorkeling a few times, swimming, a bus tour around the whole island, a no-holds-barred meal or two, bought a house (!!), watched some world-class sunsets and some movies. And in spite of all that it’s been relaxing. We have a few more days and we’re visiting the Keck Observatory atop Mauna Kea (we can’t really visit the observatory, we can only observe it) and swimming with some manta rays at night. Both are things we can’t do in Socal or KY, so there’s that.

I like the Big Island. I’m not sure I like it more than Kauai, but it’s in the running. There’s a LOT here, many things and places we haven’t even attempted yet. The rain forests and canyons around Hilo are spectacular – we saw bits of them on our one-day round the island tour, but it’s obvious you could spend years getting to know those areas. And golf. I haven’t played any here (yet), but the courses here look amazing.

Finding this AirBnB rental right on the water has been central to our being happy on this trip. It’s not as fancy as a high-end Waikoloa resort, but it’s got a kitchen and multiple rooms, parking right at the front door and an on-the-water patio that’s as good as anything for 3-4x the cost. Listening to the waves crash at night has made sleep pleasant.

We’re leaving in a few days. I’m not sure why….