Families are the compass that guide us. They are the inspiration to reach great heights, and our comfort when we occasionally falter. -- Brad Henry

Monday, February 2, 2026

Hawaii


Our first big vacation since retirement was a trip to Hawaii! It was scheduled just as I wrapped up my contract assignment at CDS and the weather dipped into the teens. We were off to 80 degrees!

Eric upgraded our flight to first class into ATL. It was pretty nice because it gave us 2 free bags checked the entire way.

We arrived into Oahu safely and took a stroll along Wakiki beach. The next morning, Eric hit the surf.

As we embarked onto the ship, we were given leis made of shells. They looked nice with our matching shirts!


One of the first things I noticed about the islands is how green everything was, and how different the trees were. It's a silly thing to notice, but just look at these pics! So strange from what we have in SC.




Our first stop was Maui. Here, we went wale watching...


And exploring for some merch (ie. necklace and flower clip).

In so many places they had statues dedicated to their heritage, or flowers arranged beautifully in nature in respect of a sacred space.



Our beach day in Maui was my favorite! The bus ride over was pleasant, and I was encouraged to see so much revitalization after the fires last year.


Here is a cute monk seal who came ashore to nap.


Our next cruise stop was the big island of Hawaii. Here, we explored lava caves and walked on cooled pyroclastic flows.



At one point, we walked on lava rocks that still had thermal heat below the surface, enough to turn rain into steam.


The next day while still on the big island, Eric again tried his skills at surfing. This time, the waves were a little bigger and he was able to get up!


Our third island to visit was Kauai. Here, we enjoyed a great hike to the top of a mountain called the Sleeping Giant.



The trail was more challenging than we expected, but that just made it more fun.


Besides the spectacular views at the top, we also saw a waterfall.



On the way down the opposite side, we passed through ceremonial rows of pine trees planed by Capt. Cook, one of the early explorers of this island.


After the hike, we rented bikes and rode along the shore line. Simply beautiful!




Our 2nd day in Kauai was supposed to be a boat tour around the Napali Coast. Since that was cancelled due to high swells, we made the most of the opporunity and explored more of the island. We saw the Wakamea Canyon....



And soaked up the sun on another gorgeous beach.


This time, we were treated with a green sea turtle coming ashore to relax.


Back on Oahu, we disembarked the ship and took a tour of Pearl Harbor. The memorial and museums stirred deep gratitude for those who lost their lives as well as the ones who continued to fight in WWII.



With enough daylight left for one final hike, we trekked up Diamond Head, the most famous crater in Oahu.





I was proud of how much exercise we got on this trip. Eric's watch logged an average of 20k steps a day. It's the only cruise where I've lost weight! 

Wednesday, September 17, 2025

Trip to China

Eric recently took a business trip to China.  He saw many interesting sights and some neat architecture.  Below is a picture of the area outside of the Guiyang Airport.


Here is a view of the city of Guiyang taken from the hotel room on the16th floor.


The hotels that Eric stayed in were very nice.


Here is a view of Shanghai from Eric's hotel room taken from the 77th floor.


China had smart toilets that had heated seats and all kinds of advanced features. Fancy!


The roads in China were very similar to roads in the US except the signs had Chinese characters.


Eric was able to try interesting foods like worms, crickets and pig’s feet, but most of the food was vegetables with rice and perhaps a little meat in a sauce. Most of the meals were on a table that spun around, and everyone would take a little bit from the dish as the table rotated.  



The meal in the picture below included rice noodles, vegetables, and pig's feet. The pig's feet is the brown dish above the bowl of rice. There is no meat on the pig's feet. Eric did not like it, but the locals loved the dish.



This was a chicken dish complete with head and feet.


Here is a video of a dinner with local's playing music and dancing.


Eric was able to do a little sight seeing when he was not working. Here he is on a Great Wall. It is a Great Wall around the old city of Guiyang.



Here is a garden site popular with locals.


Here is a shopping area, including a Walmart.


Here is the financial district of Shanghai.


Here is a video of a park where Eric went for a jog.


Here is a video taken in Shangahi which is the world's 3rd largest city.