Good News on the last day of June

Although the fire came within blocks of their place, Aunt Josie and Uncle Ed report that they are safely home in Lake Tahoe. The air has cleared, and they are putting their lives back together. The evacuation was rather hasty, so they are now opening boxes of family "treasures." I told Auntie that it's a good thing she enjoys jigsaw puzzles. Uncle Ed summed up his feelings, "we're alive." And that's good news.

Today is my son Joe's birthday. I'll never forget the day 22 years ago when they put that tiny baby in my arms. Lenny and I both cried to think that we had been trusted once again with a precious boy, and we'll always be grateful to his birth mother for her sacrifice. He is a very thoughtful, interesting young man. He has the soul of a traveler, with endless curiosity and a thirst for knowledge, as long as it's on his own terms. Isn't that how we all learn best, by exploring the things that catch our fancy? I had a dream last night that Joe was writing a book. Right now it's just a dream, but someday it might be more good news.

I won't be posting next week. We'll be in Montana and Yellowstone Park. We are looking forward to driving in our little Prius. I'm looking for a bumper sticker that says, "Ya, it has a hemi." I suspect we will see fewer motor homes and more Hybrids on the road. Just to keep things in perspective, though, I paid $3.75 for gas, and $5.19 for a half gallon of milk in Maui. The price of non-native fruits and vegies was shocking. It's no wonder a common Hawaiian "mixed plate" consists of some kind of sausage or meat, potato salad, and macaroni salad. Greens are really expensive. The gourmet and friendship highlight of the trip was when my reader-and-now-friend Starr Klube and her husband Leon took me to Buzz's Wharf, and they ordered a "Baked Papaya Tahitian" for dessert. It left me speechless, looking for words other than "Wow!" and "Amazing!" Next time I'm ordering it as a meal.

Happy 4th of July everyone! Let freedom ring, and pop, and bang, and boom.