Aloha!

Aloha and mahalo. My family and I just returned from our first two week vacation - ever! We spent the first week on the island of Kauai with Sarah's mom, dad, brother and sister-in-law and the second in Cotati/Olema, CA for a friend's wedding and some very nice exploring in the Point Reyes/north bay area.

Snorkeling, beach sitting, wading and body surfing in Kauai were serious highlights. The fish that we saw were simply amazing and our daughter had a lot more fun than it would appear in this photo :)

I was consantly humbled by the power of the ocean as it would thrash me around while attempting to body surf. With a few valuable pointers from my brother-in-law I avoided serious injury. Despite the abundance of 10 year olds attempting similar activities I still felt like I was rolling the dice with every larger wave... Serious fun however!

In any case, back to work here in Winthrop. I sent a new picturebook manuscript out the door upon return and I have some chapter book illustrations to finish by September.

High hopes that you'll enjoy you're own summer trips and explorations. Cheers!