Eleven years ago, my youngest son came home from school the first day back after Christmas and asked if we could go to Hawaii over mid-winter break. Neither my wife nor I had ever had much interest in going to the 50th state, in part because everyone in the northwest who doesn't ski goes there. But it turned out that I could get tickets and a place to stay on Maui. I still don't know how I pulled that off: Getting to Hawaii from Seattle during midwinter break takes the same degree of advance planning as going to Yellowstone in the summer.
Well, we had a great time, and I've been going there off and on ever since. And for me, February is the month to go because that's when the humpbacks migrate to LaHaina Bay to calve. There are so many that you can't help but see them from the beach, from the hotel room, from any boat ride taken. My inner seven-year old comes out, I guess, because they are what I most look forward to.
That, and fresh frozen mangorita from the H'aile M'aile General Store in the part of Maui called Upcountry, near the western slope of the Haleakala volcano. It's not the kind of drink I usually order, but someone talked me into it once and I'm glad they did.
Is there anything more inane than this week's mini-flap over Obama's vacation to Hawaii? I mean, Hawaii is his home state, it is the home of his 85-year old grandmother whom he hasn't since 2006, and it is a state. Even Cokie Roberts admits that much:
Myrtle Beach? Myrtle Beach is in South Carolina, where the Confederate flag still on the the state capitol. Foreign and exotic? Hawaii is so foreign and exotic that 8 million Americans visit every year (source: Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism). I won't even get into the idiocy of Cokie Roberts telling the man who beat the Clintons how to run his campaign.
Here's a thought: If things are slow, why not talk about stuff that matters? Cokie, I realize that you don't have to worry about things like health care, your mortgage, or energy independence, but a great many people do and might appreciate some serious, thoughtful commentary on these subjects. I realize that that would mean educating yourself and not spouting off, but -- hey -- try it. You might even find some pride and self-respect...
Ever wonder how John McCain spends his down time? How about throwing a barbecue for the press on his ranch? This would be the ranch where he owns "several cabins" including one with Navaho rugs "worth a lot of money" (his words). I wonder if Cokie Roberts was there...
Paul Krugman of The New York Times is one pundit who manages to spend his time usefully. Here, he explains that not only is national health care necessary and affordable, it will be popular...
Did I say that Obama is from Hawaii? Turns out that he's Irish:
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