back home

It’s coffee picking season, the first blush ripe and ready. Mangopaclypse  is coming to a close, the trees too tall to easily harvest before the parrots get to them or they come crashing down like grenades, exploding on impact.

A heavier humidity is setting in, September a little hotter each year. Wild chickens shredded the garden while we were away, but are leaving us eggs at the bottom of the stairs. The chicks we saved last year are roosters now, their body clocks set to a mainland time incompatible with a good nights sleep. They may need to be evicted soon.

I’m feeling the rise and fall of the ocean, like the ground is moving, trying to catch my balance back on land. I’ve been practicing knots and tying off cleats. Night swims with manta rays at Keauhou Bay, training as a crew member a few nights a week. Opelu, needle fish, an eagle ray and sea worms made an appearance last night. Found a hook with my hand on the mooring and am soaking some sore spots in Betadine & Epson salts.

My nails are thrashed, I’m scraped, bruised and happy—back on the water and it's so exciting.