So hard to say Goodbye

My Dad used to always say we needed to be home 'before' sunset. Sunsets were his love in Hawai'i among other things.

So this blog entry is for him.
Sunsets.

Sunset over Puako...
Sunset over our rented house in Kialua-Kona:
This was on our second to last night. I watched in awe. It was as if Dad was putting on a display for me.
[Okay, maybe it was in my mind and it was really VOG, or Hawai'an Volcano Smog]

The last day we were there, we had to check out at 11AM. Our flight left the Big Island at 10PM that night.

We spent the day wandering and generally bumming around.
We found ourselves back at the Old Airport Beach in Kona.

For a while my son and I walked around exploring the tidal pools.

Then we all spent time on the picnic table watching the waves, enjoying the rain that Kona was having.

Through the cloud burst came sunbeams shining onto the ocean.
Joy captured it for me.

I felt as though I didn't really want to leave this special spot.

But I had to go home.
I had to say Goodbye.
I didn't want to.

I truly didn't want to.
As our plane lifted off into the darkness, I looked down on the lights and asked myself how long before I came back.