Bainbridge volcano! Sam thinks this is how Bainbridge came to be, of course. I suspected glacial carving and Googled it later. Yes - 13-15K yrs ago. And by the way, in case you were curious, Bainbridge is about 5% the size of O'ahu. It's 5 miles wide and 10 miles long.

We’ve been exploring our island this weekend and finding little spots with sand. Inevitably we get to talking about Hawaii with strangers because we mention we’ve just moved here and how lovely it is, etc. and they always ask from where. So anyway, it’s been wonderful to meet new people, finding many who enjoy traveling to Hawaii themselves, and taking in all the sun we can before winter sets in. It was quite frankly warm today. There are no real breezes like we’re used to, so when it’s hot, it is hot indeed. But the water is cold! I broke some more trails today and worked up a good sweat swinging my machete, so we decided to get milkshakes and head to the beach. The boys had a fantastic time, and I really enjoyed seeing them relax by the water. If you click the picture above you’ll get to see where we’ve been this weekend and perhaps enjoy a laugh or two about their acclimation to the colder water. I caught some funny faces 🙂

And I’ve been thinking about my own acclimating, making new friends, etc. We moved a lot before kids and I made friends easily because I had time to spend with them after work, etc. Then this last stint in Hawaii was quite a long one, and with kids around my time was limited to those with whom I could hike or beach-it. I was blessed to be surrounded by both friends of many years (my “A team”) as well as treasured new friends. I had more friends in my quiver than I could really invest the time I wanted in – that is a good blessing, to always want more time with friends. But it just wasn’t the season in life to indulge that much in me, which is also totally fine. So now we’re here, and I’m missing my dear friends but enjoying seeing who is brought into my path. And last night I was reminded just how lucky I am that I’m not the One fully in charge of that mission. The right people are invariably chosen for me, and it is so gratifying to be warmly welcomed by such truly neat people.

We were invited to a bbq with a group of new friends whom I met through Sam’s school. When I meet new people, I tend to try to act very normal, and I have been inadvertently sanitizing my memory a bit of all the things that truly make me, “ME.” I am not sure that makes sense. But when you’re around people who have known you a long time, it is easy to be very comfortable – to be the wide range of things and interests that truly represent you. When you’re meeting new people, you end up hiding most of the facets because there’s just not enough time to give them a full briefing on all your pertinent characteristics. They don’t have any history or context.  So they don’t know that I consider a headlamp to be an accessory item, and enjoy parties to which I can carry a flask in my pocket. Or that I treasure the machete given to me by a Samoan chief. Or that I’m into cultivating wild yeast starter and actually name my starter (and further to that point, I am so thankful for a new friend on O’ahu who I met just weeks before moving and who adopted my “Henri” – I just heard from her that he is growing nicely and proudly making sourdough breads, biscuits and even pancakes!) I don’t know where my flask is just yet, and I forgot the headlamp because it isn’t in my usual travel patterns. So they’re not getting the full “Alli” yet, and when they do, will they still like me? Fortunately, I can tell already that these folks are totally welcoming. They are all very unique and interesting people and I look forward to getting to know them. Not sure yet about the mosstache and other initiation rites…but we’ll get there.

All that is to say I am richly blessed with new friends, but I sure miss Hawaii and my friends there. I am thinking of you often, and am hoping you drop in on us here on this northerly island. It’s a warm place, regardless of the thermometer! Hogmanay anyone? Grilled SPAM is oh so shockingly good!!!