It's a slow day. I am grateful that no one is depending on me for anything. Nor do I have to go into the office. We arrived home at midnight after Two weeks in Hawaii. Those two weeks seems to have drained me. Pretty loose schedule kept, not a lot of activities to record. Mostly hang out at the beach, eat dinner with Karl and Regs. And yet I am smoked. 

In many ways it is easier to travel with the kids these days than in former years. Yet there are still challenges. We used to pack their travel bag, which seems to have controlled the size of the bag as well as what was in it. The carry on, on this trip seemed a bit excessive and I was less aware of what was being carried.

We left Spokane about mid day, flew to Seattle, leisure layover in Seattle, and arrived Hawaii early afternoon. Spokane was smoky. Not really dense, or at least lighter smoke than it had been. The temps were moderate. Delta offered almost no hassles in the form of changed schedules; mostly the day went as planned. However we did start with a slight hiccup. Apparently the first flight of Delta's day out of Spokane had been adjusted. We arrived to check one bag in, and the line was extensive, and not moving. It seems the adjusted flight involved international travelers. I could feel angst in the air, and there were some addressing the gate agents in interesting accents. Maybe French? I think safe to say Euro, at least. The flight to Seattle is nearly always enjoyable as I look out the window and appreciate what we are flying over. The 40mins or so goes quickly. For the longer leg, over the ocean, I depend on entertainment. It is quite remarkable what is available these days. Our 5hr flight went quickly, hardly felt like 5hrs. The brain numbs, and time simply slips by. Delta offered a screen on the back of the chair in front, ear buds, and a sizeable library of movies, TV shows/series. and music. I think I listened to a podcast, and some shows... but I cant remember, -mind numbing. But in this case a numb mind is justified, is it not? We arrived in HI in sunshine, midday. One interesting thing about traveling west. The question becomes: are extended hours of sunlight a good thing? Regardless, Karley picked us up. We picked up some Jamba, & Starbucks, then headed to Punahau High School to pick up Preston from his Band Camp. Then headed to Bellows, met up with Regan and had Popeye's in our accommodation for the next week, the newer condos at the end of the former runway near the Moks (the two little islands just off the beach). Sarah and I had a trip to Kaneohe Marine air base where we got her new ID, and then picked up food items at the commissary and BX. Otherwise, our days for that week involved hanging out on the Bellows beach and then heading to Reg and Karl's for dinner. We did have one road trip to the North Shore for fish tacos. The second week, we stayed at the Hale Koa in Waikiki, and still had dinners at Reg and Karl's near Kailua. We did not spend much time on the beach in Waikiki, we did visit the pool which is beach adjacent. The pool has been renovated since we were there last - which reminds me of the passage of time. The pool now has an elevated tank, which is considered an infinity pool. there is a slide, a ramp, a beach like entry and a large splash pad in a pirate ship theme. There was one day we spent on Kailua beach at a Friend of Reg and Karl's, another day we went to Waimea Falls(which was a trickle this time), and the kids got surfing lessons on another day. 

Karley drove us to the airport, after Regan left for work, we had French toast bake, and Alexa was dropped off at school. There was minor chaos checking in and going through security. Rather smooth but I did miss a pair of raptors then an F-15 land. So that was a setback for me. The whole trip, I only got fleeting images of passing cool vehicles. There is so much military activity on the island, and I could only get views from a distance. This is an example of how this trip was not for me- what I wanted was not important. I did enjoy myself. It's just that this trip was for Sarah and the kids. So me wanting to watch military activity took "the back seat". I was there to be with the family, not because I deserved a trip to HI. The beach is not exactly my idea of a good time anyway. I have always put up with the heat, sand, salt water, and intense sun, however since the injury, and into my "later years", it is harder to look beyond these hurdles. So, the airport was good, regardless of the stress induced by other passengers wanting to be somewhere else and such. The over ocean flight went by quick, once again. Most likely due to my entertainment. We flew over the Puget Sound from Olympia, and turning over Lynnwood or so, as the evening glow was dissipating. As I looked west, the sky was still blue. But as I looked East, as we were on final, the sky looked black. We were unnecessarily panicky I feel. Maybe the "we" was Rileigh, and myself, with Keelie simply keeping up. We seemed to race to our gate, which was only from A gates to B gates. And maybe we weren't panicked per se.  Either way, we had McD's as we waited for our gate to receive our plane and unload passengers, then receive our crew. We seemed to be the last flight arriving in GEG, as we appeared to be the only ones at the airport. 

and now getting used to not being on vacation any more.