Paradise - (state of Hawaii) …Bliss – [n.: state of mind of extreme happiness]. We left paradise but will remain in the state of bliss for as long as we can.
We are home and fully adjused to time travel (jet-lag). Going through tons of images will take quite a few solitary afternoons on the computer. A task that I will linger over because it will be re-visiting our trip before the glow of our tans start to fade.
We didn’t do as much as was on our initial to do list. Instead of running around with our cameras every day – hiking trails and seeking adventures we spent leisurely days enjoying each other and the warmth of the sun. Isn’t that what a vacation is for? Not that we didn’t do our share of hiking trails or driving the circumference of the island a couple of times, just that we sat with our cups of Kona, looking out at the ocean as the sun warmed the days before headed out. We strolled through small towns, had picnic lunches, watched the humpbacks play off shore, waded through clear turquiose waters, lingered in the shade at the fishponds, held hands, closed our eyes and absorbed as much of paradise as we could.
Jene and I have enjoyed traveling together since we first met. Short weekend getaways to the Catskills and Maine in the beginning and then we ventured to a few far away destinations.
In Panama (1/05) we ziplined through the rain forest in El Valle, snorkeled for hours in the Caribbean off Bocas Del Toros. Our relationship was in the beginning stages and we still weren’t sure where it would lead. (BTW Jene cut his hair donating it to Locks of Love before our Italy trip, that simple gesture kind of clinched it for me).
Italy (10/06) – sightseeing and traveling to Venice, midnight train to Naples, ferry to Ischia, train to Rome, drove through Tuscany, Florence in 21 days. On the move every 4 days. Dragging our luggage and cameras helps us to pack lighter with each trip.
Paris (10/07) 10 days of on the go, day and night; taking in as many sights and museums as humanly possible. The city of lights – The overcast and rain couldn’t dampen our spirits, we had a most wonderful time. We rented a studio apt. 3 blocks from the Louvre.
Japan and Cambodia (5/08) – 21 days of being on the move every few days again. Toyko, Kyoto for Jene’s solo photo exhibit, the Izu peninsula, Mount Fuji, then a flight to Cambodia – Siem Reap, Angkor Wat, Phnom Pehn, and back to Tokyo. Another whirlwind vacation of a lifetime. We fell in love with the people of Cambodia and now donate photo prints through FWAB which benefits the Angkor Hospital for Children. Giving back through the arts – our prints at auction have raised over $2000. The hospital was a dream of Kenro Izu, a world renown NY based photographer.
2009 we spent most of our time and money restoring our 1970 Cougar XR7 convertible. aka the money pit.
A pre-wedding train trip (10/10) across the US. – with stop offs at The Rocky Mountain National Park and Reno before reaching Mendocino, CA. AmTrak is trying to make a comeback. Not quite the Orient Express, but a new experience for us. Something both of us always thought about doing. Check that off the bucket list.
See the USA – (8/11) On the road: National Parks – camping trip. We hiked trails on our National Parks late summer trip, pitching and striking camp every 3-4 days, drove 6,000 miles in 28 days. Shenendoah National Park, Smoky Mts, visit with Jene’s long time friend in Arkansas, Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, TX, Santa Fe, Taos, NM, Indian PowWows, Great Sand Dunes, CO, Grand Tetons, Rocky Mts, Yellowstone, Mt, Rushmore, Devil’s Tower, The Badlands, WY. We camped and stayed in motels along the way covering a lot of territory in 4 weeks (our longest adventure ever to date). Building on memories to talk about for years to come.
Hawaii (2/12) was incredible. I will be posting more images of our 50th state soon – so stay tuned. Another destination to add to our list of places we’ve been.
Life with Jene has been really good. We enjoy a lot of the same things, have some of the same dreams and are enhancing each others life. That’s what partnering is all about – sharing and enjoying all the moments of our life.
The highlights of each trip was not just discovering new and exotic places but discovering each other. How we react to the sights, sounds, smells, tastes and feel of each place. What strikes our fancy and piques our interests. How we can see the same things, differently. As photographers who have shot together, we realized that we look at life a little bit differently. We get caught up in each others enthusiasm and delight in the moment of sharing experiences.
We watched the sun set from above the clouds on Mauna Kea, drawing in the scene, wandering off to take pictures and coming back together to absorb the majestic feeling of being at the summit. We weren’t alone. Flanked by tourists a serenity enveloped us and we were one with the heavens. As the sun dipped below the horizon, the stars came out dotting the sky. It was breathtaking and I felt humbled by the universe’s vastness. We stood at the top of the world. (Mauna Kea from the base of the ocean floor to the summit surpasses Mount Everest in height). It is a sacred mountain according to the Hawaiians and you can understand why when you are there.
He’s right there on the rocks by the other workers. Disguised by his coat of deep grey and white he blended into the scenery. I whistled to Jene and told him to come here. WOW, I kicked off my silver rhinestone hiking flip-flops, dropped my bag and climbed over the lava rocks to get a better look. (S)He was basking in the sun. I asked the workers if it was ok and they said yes (like they were experts or something – they were construction workers, but I took their word). So cool, They are solitary animals (hence the name monk) and are on the endangered species list. With only about 1100 left to fend off natural/human and fishing issues that are cutting the numbers. The seal we were photographing was tagged – K-69. (S)He floundered around flopping his body from side to side but not being able to flip onto his belly.
I hoped it was ok and decided that if (s)he was in any distress that he would cry out and he wasn’t doing that. Plus the tide was coming in and the water that washed over his snout would soon rush over his body giving him the way out and over the jagged edges of the lava rocks. (S)he looked at me with those big eyes as if to say is this photo session over so we left the seal to bask in the sun and we headed out. There is something truly amazing when you happen upon such a wonderful creature in his natural habitat and get to enjoy an intimate moment of respect and understanding. These animals are dwindling in numbers, caught in fishing nets or by poachers. When will we learn to live in harmony.
Yes, it’s a drag, but my car was packed with camping gear too. It was a sight, stuffed to the rafters.
