Into the Blue

Okay.  The first thing I realized is: the title, "Into the Blue" is going to be hard to find.  Perhaps the address, "ktown56.blogspot.com" will be easier to find.

Why did I choose the title?  Answer: The last few months have felt like I was flying through a big, old cloud bank.  Now it feels like a new stage has begun where I am flying into some clear, blue sky.

I am typing this first entry in a hurry because I am on my way to the beach in a few minutes.  Yes, I am in Kona, Hawaii.  My cousin, Gord, who you may recall from the series, "Mondays With Gordie", invited me to spend a week in Hawaii with him and his wife, Mary Lou.  I flew Calgary, LA, Kona on Friday, March 4.

The last two weeks have been an emotional time.  There was a week of planning Judy's Celebration of Life.  Indeed, the Celebration of Life was a true celebration.  By all accounts I have heard, people came away feeling Judy would be pleased.  I was overwhelmed by the support of family and friends.  There were about 400 people at Judy's Celebration of Life.  I cannot count the number of cards, texts, emails, and Facebook messages I have received.  Of course, I feel that I have to respond to every message that comes my way, but I know that replying is not necessary.  If you haven't received a reply from me, know that I appreciate the love and support everyone has shown the girls and me.

After the service, I had the whole family to our place for an evening meal.  The evening ended with some heartfelt toasts to Judy then my two beautiful daughters gave a wonderful toast to their dear, old dad.

On Saturday, the girls arranged a birthday party for me.  They had asked me in December what I wanted for my birthday.  I said, "A dance.  And I get to choose the music."  The girls booked Albert Community Center.  When Judy's service was on Friday, people assumed the party would be cancelled.  I reminded people that Judy always said, "When I die, I don't want a funeral.  I want a party...a wake."  David called our little party a Polish Wake.  Yes, there were plenty of polkas.  There were nearly 60 people at the shindig.  I taught everyone a square dance and there were lots of old time dances with a smattering of other dances.  I didn't sit out one dance.  The party was a wonderful release after the emotions of the preceding week.  My mom, sister Paulette, brother Wayne, and brother Vince were all at the party with several other family members and friends. On Sunday, I made breakfast for my family and we had my Uncle Clarence and Aunt Chris over as well.  Mom stayed with me until Monday and my sister, Paulette stayed until Thursday.  Another special treat was a visit from my old buddy, Brian Hartzell.  Brian and I went to elementary and high school together in "The Center of the Universe" aka Kelvington.

Back to Hawaii...Yesterday, Gord and I did the daily 5 mile walk at 7:30 am because walking later in the day is not advised due to the heat.  After coffee and midday brunch, we toured Kona and area.  We had our evening meal at Kona Brewery.  In the evening, I discovered there was a huge ukulele festival across the road from the resort where we are staying.  |Unfortunately, I missed the whole thing.  Didn't have a clue the festival was taking place until it ended. On the upside, I visited a ukulele store and played a 2000$ ukulele.  I chewed the fat with Hawaiian ukulele master.  Oddly enough, he hadn't heard of me.  The evening ended with a dip in the pool.

Today, we went to Hapuna Beach State Park and Mauno Lani Resort.  Gord and I stayed hydrated with wobbly pops and we got pounded with a few waves.  We also toured the brackish ponds at Mauno Lani.  We saw coronet fish, moorish idols, yellow fish, eels, puffer fish, and several other species.  According to Gord's IFit watch, we racked up 17 000 steps today.

Tomorrow's plan is to drive to the Hilo rainforest.  Gord and Mary Lou are treating me like a king.  We spend the day talking about family, friends, and future.  This trip is just what the doctor ordered.