Blog Post

By Guest Chris Dickens with edits from Jack Dickens

Welcome to another elusive guest blog post. If you are not a fan of meandering extended metaphors (analogy, allegory, zoomorphism? Not sure which literary device I am using), the summary is that Sophie and I joined a trip to Hawaii, and you should just enjoy the pictures.

Spouting:

Looking out at the ocean from our balcony you would typically see a whale spout every 30 seconds. The whale density is pretty extraordinary when you consider that, like icebergs, 90% of whales are not visible (don’t fact-check this). Flying into Maui it was cloudy and windy. Sophie went on a run at the airport and saw an army of turtles. They are organized, watch out. 

We were excited to see my parents but thought that our activities might be somewhat limited by a rainy forecast.

The Breach:

Our trip exploded into an awesome experience much like a whale shooting out of the water into the air. Too on the nose?

A break in the weather allowed our good family friend Beth to take us on an incredible hike. Winding through dense forest, scratching our shins, and trying to eliminate the invasive strawberry guava by eating every single one, we emerged at a truly breathtaking summit in the ʻĪao valley. The start of great weather and great fun.

SPLASH:

Not sure what it is called when whales slam back into the ocean but you get the point. The rest of the trip we were immersed in wonderful Maui experiences. We swam in the ocean at Makenna beach, ate at the famous Kihei cafe, and for our personal favorite, went whale watching on a sunset cruise. We also got to try a few new things: felt the mist at the Nakalele blowhole, watched a local surf competition, and volunteered some time preparing meals .

Fluking:

Much like my putting on the 18th at the King Kamehameha golf course, our trip was all over the place. See, even my non-animal similes are ham-fisted.

After a high paced vacation, Sophie and I said goodbye, but just for a little while. I’m not sure what 30 minutes in whale-time translates to in human-time, but in the ripples, we left cousins Gretchen and Chris P. to keep the cycle going.