I’m back.

Just spent three days on the green green island of Kauai, HI. What a lovely place. Really a small slice of paradise: Sandy beaches. Clear blue-green ocean. Good, locally grown coffee. Dolphins visible from the back porch of the cottage. Two monk seal sightings (rare pleasure!). One honu (green sea turtle) sighting. And, much to the delight of the kids, plenty of horses along side roads, paved and unpaved.

The only notable disappointment was the helicopter miscommunication: passengers must weigh at least 35 lbs. Our youngest family member only weighed 32 lbs, so he couldn’t go on the 60-minute ride, and since someone had to watch him, neither could I.

The MWR agent who booked the trip wasn’t clear enough on this. That’s where the miscommunication comes in. As I sit here and type this I am waiting for a call from the MWR manager to talk about refunds.

If you receive a postcard from me, consider yourself lucky.

Overheard on the beach, two young mothers discussing child rearing and language skills:

“I, like, want my kids to use proper terms for, like, things and stuff, whatever.”

Oh, boy …