Stories – Page 2 – The World According to Mike

Hawaii 2024 – Shopping, Walking, Dining, Drinking

Mike and Sara would golf every other day or so. Becky and I would drop them off at the course, and then have 4 or 5 hours to amuse ourselves.

Hawaii 2024 – Come Sail Away

Monday, we hopped aboard a catamaran sailboat, and set sail for a little snorkeling along the reef near Keahuolu Point. The captain of the vessel was named Mike. Both Mike and I approved of his name, much to Becky and Sara’s amusement. We then dubbed his first mate to be an honorary “Mike” as well.… Continue reading Hawaii 2024 – Come Sail Away

Hawaii 2024 – Welcome to Paradise

Wind. We woke up before the sun but waited until twilight to get out of bed. Donning our clothes from the day before, we started checking the airline site again for any word about our luggage. The locator now said the luggage was in Denver (small comfort). We wouldn’t get an update until it actually… Continue reading Hawaii 2024 – Welcome to Paradise

Hawaii 2024 – To the Big Island

Last year, we were invited by our good friends, Mike and Sara to join them in February for up to two weeks on the Big Island of Hawaii. Realizing we hadn’t vacationed in over four years, we decided to go for it. The thought of returning to Hawaii after more than 20 years, over the… Continue reading Hawaii 2024 – To the Big Island

Hawaii 2024

In February 2024, Becky and I took our first vacation in four years, visiting the Big Island of Hawaii. I’ve created a series of posts chronicling our adventures. Each page contains multiple photo galleries that you can page through.

The Relation-ship

As long-time gamer and sci-fi fan, I’ve long thought about what entices me the most about this genre, and why I prefer some properties to others. -Mike

Days of Thunder

March 28, 2020 Last night, Chicago experienced one of our first thunderstorms. It was mild, as spring showers go, with only a half hour of good rumbles. Rory (pictured here as a composed figure in the right) has developed, in his advanced age, an aversion to loud noises. And as the elder role model has… Continue reading Days of Thunder

The Magic Shovel

July 1, 2018 The education of my daughter into the ways of the world continues… Julia: I went outside and Rory was very actively licking something out in the yard. I went over, and saw that he had caught a rabbit. Me: And he was licking it? Julia: Licked it to death, apparently. It was… Continue reading The Magic Shovel

D’oh!

5/12/2018 Julia: Dad, how do you spell dough?Me: D-o-h…actually D-‘-o-hJulia: No, Dad, dough like…Me: D-o-e?Julia: No. Dough! Like bread!Me Ohh. D-o-u-g-h. Just like the money.

A Father’s Pain

“Abort, abort, there are children aboard, say again, there are children aboard this plane!” There are moments in life that leave you forever changed. Those moments are etched into your psyche – moments that leave you scarred, maybe even a little broken. They reveal themselves when you least expect. For me, the scene depicted in the… Continue reading A Father’s Pain

Stories

Hawaii 2024 - The Voyage Home

Date: February 17, 2024

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<Details Coming Soon> [< prev] [top] [0] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] We may not have seen it all, but we came pretty darn close! [< prev] [top] [0] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14]

Hawaii 2024 - Kona Coffee

Date: February 16, 2024

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<Coming Soon> [< prev] [top] [next >][0] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [< prev] [top] [next >][0] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14]

Hawaii 2024 - Goats, Kona, and the Great Bag Hunt

Date: February 15, 2024

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Stop me if you've heard this one before. You pack a couple suitcases for vacation, and you stress out about coming in under the magical 50 pound bag limit. So you pack two suitcases. One is 40 pounds. The other is 48 pounds. That leaves you some room for some souvenirs on the way home. Right? Nope. [< prev] [top] [next >][0] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] But first we woke up and sat out on the deck sipping coffee, and watching as a giant ... uh ... flock? herd? goatisserie? ... um group of goats came down from the golf course fairway, and started munching on the decorative plants in the condo yard. Anyway, back to the luggage issue... I don't know if you realize this, but sweatshirts are heavier than t-shirts. And ...

Hawaii 2024 - Valentine's Day

Date: February 14, 2024

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Valentine's Day had one planned event. Dinner at Ulu Ocean Grill - a beachfront restaurant at the Four Seasons resort. We went a little early to check out the vastly overpriced shopping at the resort. Then we moved to the bar to have a few drinks while we waited for the restaurant to open. The surf was up, and we watched the sea for any sign of whales. There were a few splashing about, but we didn't get any really good shots of them. The weather was beautiful, and we were all dressed in the best clothes we had brought with us... or bought during the trip. Becky work the pearl pendant we found in Kona that first day of shopping. I wore my fine hat, and my new shirt. The company was merry. The food was delicious. There was one item on the ...

Hawaii 2024 - Akaka Falls

Date: February 13, 2024

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The Big Island has eight distinct climate types (out of a possible 13). There was still one that was missing from our tour of the island. We were missing the tropical / rainforest. And if you want to see that, you need to cross over Kohala and follow the north-eastern coast to Hilo. [< prev] [top] [next >][0] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] The shores on this side are steep and cut with deep crevasses down to the sea. The trees and plant life are thick. The predominant color is green. Unlike the western, leeward side of the island, it rains daily. Those rains provide runoff for a number of impressive waterfalls. And that was our target for the afternoon. Akaka Falls. We headed up through Waimea, over the back of Kohala and picked ...