Kailua Beach, Oahu, Hawaii

Kailua Beach, Oahu, Hawaii
Originally uploaded by quangas

Beach Stuff
Originally uploaded by _BigK_

Surfer Crossing
Originally uploaded by _BigK_

HAWAII BOUND! (Kalani Sanders's Photo)

Surfer Crossing
Originally uploaded by _BigK_

I cannot WAIT to touch down in my beloved Hawaii in just a few short weeks!  I'll be joined there by a wonderful friend from England ... and will be met at the airport by another wonderful friend -- someone who knows the Island of Oahu like the back of his hand, as he's lived there for nearly 30 years!  Who's got it better than me?!

That sign over there to the right stands outside a terrific surf shop up on the North Shore in the town of Haleiwa.  We'll be staying on the North Shore (home of the famous "Bonzai Pipeline") for the first few days ... in a little 2-bedroom cottage in Pupukea.  I'll get to explore stuff I never got a chance to when I lived there.  That's part of what this trip is all about.  Mainly, though, it's a physical and spiritual retreat for ourselves . . . with FUN permeating every day!  (We're going to do what WE want to do when WE want to do it.  My friend and I figure we both deserve it -- given what we've each been through in the last 10 years with our kids!  It's LIBERATION time!)

I found myself overcome with fear today . . .

It struck out of the blue, it seemed, almost like a presence crawling up my neck. The fear was of losing my job (I'm an "at will" employee . . . can be dismissed without cause with no explanation) since there is such a climate of fear as so many wonder about the "security" of their jobs. But then, almost as "out of the blue" as the fear arrived, a beautiful thought came to me. In one sentence I know so well: "I shall not want." Psalm 23. One of my most beloved. So I began to type out on my computer what I recalled of it from memory, and as I did, the fear shattered like broken crystal. I found this on YouTube ... and thought the acoustic guitar mad fantastic!

Southern Ocean

Southern Ocean
Originally uploaded by rozsavage

Whoo, Whoo ... I got to be one of the names on an earth ball that Roz Savage presented at the Copenhagen Climate Change summit (for being one of her supporters on the Big Ben to Brussels walk I helped sponsor). Exciting stuff, indeed. :-)

Road to Raw, Part II - Check Out My New Blog - Click on Link to the Right --->

I've been following the adventurous ocean-rower (and eco-advocate) Roz Savage, as she's rowed from Honolulu, Hawaii to Kiriboti and after 104 days at sea, she has just arrived on land. For a bit of inspiration, check out her WEBSITE. Her journal/blog entries are terrific ... and as she listened to mucho books on tape as she rowed along, one can avail oneself to quite a few good book reviews at the same time.

PS: She also solo rowed the Atlantic and has a book about that coming out next month, I believe.