Hawaii

In October Brandon and I went to Hawaii. It was the first time either of us have been to Hawaii. I have a friend, Jacob Bennett, who I met while I was flight instructing in Florida who owns a house in Kona. I have been telling him forever that we were going to come visit. It finally worked out that I had enough days off in a row to go. It was a very quick trip but so worth the effort. We flew in Friday afternoon and took the red eye home Monday night. Jacob had some time off from work so he was our tour guide. He actually gives air scenic tours around the island so he knew so many interesting facts. The three of us piled in his truck and hit up all his favorite beaches. I was astounded at how different one beach was to the next. I was amazed at the change of climate and topography from one location to the next. It is just fascinating that there could be so much diversity on one island. We didn't even make it to the tropical wet side of the island by Hilo. Brandon and I tend to get so busy and distracted on trips that we forget to eat. Not in Hawaii. Jacob never misses a meal. He knew all the good spots to eat so we had some really good food. The highlight of the trip for me was swimming with the dolphins in Kealakekua Bay. We tried 2 days in a row. The first day we were unsuccessful. I think there were just too many people around. The second day was amazing. The three of us were alone with the dolphins for 30 minutes or so. A few other people joined in for 15-20 minutes. We took colorful leaves and dropped them in the water for the dolphins. They came and picked them up. They would leave for awhile then come back and drop them. Just as we would swim to get the leaf the dolphin would swoop in at the last second and get it. Dolphins are so intelligent. We even saw the cutest baby dolphin. It was amazing. We met an interesting man who was a recovering addict turned reverend. I believe he was smoking pot with a local guy though so I'm not sure how "recovered" he really is. Hawaii was beautiful. We had fantastic food, company, and weather. I couldn't ask for more.

I can't believe I'm posting this picture because it was after the flight and I look totally greasy but you can see the ocean from Jacob's house.