What a great idea! And for the first time in the last 9 years together, Mike and I went to the early voting polls centers to cast our vote together! I don't know which I find most amazing; that this is the first election that Mike and I have BOTH voted in together, or that we are coming up to our 9th Thanksgiving together (our first official date). In any case, it was easy fast and no BIG voting day lines to wait in. I highly recommend it!
Today is also the first day I feel grounded and home. I arrived back from The Big Island last Monday---flying out of Kailua-Kona on a red eye to San Francisco and it took me a week to feel human again. Ironman-Hawaii was an amazing thing to witness. I was more impressed not with the winning guys/gals, but the 75+ year olds and the guys on the hand-cycles, and the woman running for Pancreatic-Cancer. These folks won in different ways which were far more meaningful to me at least.
Even though it was a work-trip, we managed a few tourist and not-so-tourist sight seeing adventures in between sweating it out in the 100 degree, 100% humidity afternoons. We went to the Volcano national Park and hiked on the lava rocks out to watch the smoking hot lava fall into the ocean. We drove the saddle road between Mauna Kea & Mauna Loa and watched the sunset into the Pacific Ocean, visited a local Kona coffee farm and watch the whole process of picking, drying and roasting coffee beans, visited the reserves where Islanders would go for safety from each other and Caption Cooks burial (only accessible via a sea-kayak or extreme mountain biking trails) and watched spinner dolphins and sea turtles swimming along with everyone else.
It took me a week to adjust to the very dry climate again in the high-desert and then we headed to Markleeville yesterday and rode the passes in the cool fall weather. My internal climate control system is back to normal now. And Fall is just what this little Taylor needed! It is perfect now. My ride today was the first time I have been alone by myself to reflect on things.
My Great Uncle died yesterday. He was over 90 years old and he lived a long and nice life. He just set off to take an afternoon nap, feeling a little tired and went to sleep and never woke up. Today on my ride I climbed extra hard and laughed about things he would say. When he laughed, you couldn't hear him, but you could see him laughing. It was very special. My Papa (his dad) laughed the same way. It's what I will always remember about him.
So firsts & lasts are in my heart forever. I loved voting with Mike today. It sounds silly, but it felt very grown up.
I am happy to be home for awhile! My colleague has all the photo's from Hawaii. I will try and get some and send them on.
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