Aloha!
Reading all this is so much fun! I will learn how to use the blog and get something posted one of these days.
Here's a little bit of our "story".
We left Hawaii amid many tears, with our 8 month old son, Micah Hanalei in 1974. Thought we were going to Florida, but that was a bust so we went back to Rhode Island and planned to return to Hawaii. I was pregnant with our next son, Seth, so we stayed put, both taught school for a few years, and were miserable. Then, Hank went back to school for a masters and PhD in fisheries biology during which time we had a third child, a daughter, Rachel. When funding ran out for fisheries biologists, Hank went back to teaching, but on Block Island, a small island off the southern coast of RI. It has a year-round population of about 950 but is a bustling tourist place during the summer, so much so that it's difficult to get around in a car. Lots of mopeds and motorcycles. We all are motorcycle riders. And this is where we have been for 33 years. I guess we are island people.
We did take one trip back to Hawaii with the kids in 1992, I think, and fell back in love. The minute the plane started to descend, I started crying because it felt like I was home again. It was magical.
Our daughter lived on the Big Island for a while and wants to return with her two sons. Her oldest is Kahala; he's 16. Her 9 yr old is Zeke (Ezekiel) and they live in Connecticut.
Micah lives in Florida; he taught school for a while and is now back in college for biomedical engineering. A science guy like his dad. Very smart and funny.
Seth is married and has an 8 month old son, Wyatt Henry (after Hank) and lives in Connecticut and on the island. He is the Public Works Director for a city in RI; he used to be the Town Engineer but moved to public works, hoping he will get experience and be able to move back to Block Island and take over those two positions someday. His wife works in a store here during the summer season and he comes out on weekends and mows lawns, which gives him extra money, and does lots of scuba diving. He is very active, loves to play hard, and really should have been in Hawaii.
We just bought a house in Florida so we could get away from the cold winters, now that we are both retired. And Micah is undergoing lots of surgery to enable him to walk again after a severe motorcycle accident five years ago that left him with a deteriorating leg. The first surgery in July was unsuccessful and we are looking at another one soon. Prayers from everyone would be great!
Hank does lots of bonsai and is very into astronomy. He has two, no three, large telescopes and belongs to an astronomical society where is does presentations and they love him. He was the island naturalist for years here, and developed nature walks that are still used. He was the principal of the school here for a while, but really likes teaching better. Loves the chemistry thing where he can blow things up. Still does rocketry; he is so into the space program and knows every mission. Went to see the last shuttle launch last winter. Our Florida home is not far from Cape Canaveral.
I still do musical productions; directed the island choral group for years and have done more "Extravaganzas" than I can count. I often get Hank on stage, but never to sing! He is sometimes in drag (he looks great in a dress and pumps with his great legs and skinny ankles!), sometimes just a walk-on in some costume, last summer was a swimmer in a hysterical synchronized swimming routine, and then was Santa in a production in a legitimate theater in Stuart Florida last December. I had told him that I would not put him on stage any more after we went to Florida, but I guess I lied. He was perfect since his hair is totally white and he has a great white beard!
We're in touch with the L ****** family (the other L family); Bryant and Kelly are both still on Oahu. Bryant has polo ponies at Mokuleia and is a dentist in Honolulu. Kelly is an attorney in town, too. Chris lives in Oklahoma and Michelle is in Atlanta, I think.
So, that's it. What we would love to know is just what everyone is doing. Hank had made some predictions about you all years ago and we are curious about where you all are and what you do. How can we find that out?
So looking forward to being back with everyone.
Mahalo for all your hard work!
(Toni L)
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