Another day in retirement paradise, but is there enough aloe to soothe my burning skin? I feel like I’m picking up the Hawaiian language, as words like macadamia, mahalo, pineapple, hibiscus, luau, hula, hang loose, and aloha now roll easily off my tongue. Considering all the sunscreens and lotions I have applied, maybe aloha is actually spelled aloe-ha. Ha. When I think about it, I’m standing on a volcanic island where not far below the surface is 2,000 degree molten lava, combined with a blistering sun above. No wonder I was soaked in sweat following my 5k run this morning. It felt good to jump in the pool once I had reserved our lounge chairs that would allow us to lie in the sun like the giant sea turtles on the nearby craggy shoreline.  

The heat was not as bad as yesterday. I found a path that had some shade and a refreshing breeze. I was also entertained by a herd of wild goats, “the feel good island music station,” and a row of what I believe to be sun-bleached banyan trees. The gnarled branches were reminiscent of how my muscles felt this morning, as I continued to procrastinate in taking that first step forward. My stomach was also a bit upset after a combination of beer, white wine, red wine, martinis, and rich island food. In fact, the glassware surrounding my dinner plate was lined-up like a crystal xylophone. After our dinner at Brown’s Beach House, I knew that I would pay the price on this morning’s run, but instead it was rather pleasant. I took several wrong paths yesterday, including a dead-end archaeological trail through a field of black pumice and the black asphalt hotel parking lot. I’m now in the process of cooling off with a refreshing Diet Coke as I write these words. The only draw-back of Marriott Hotels is that they only serve Pepsi products. At least the Fairmont has my brand even though it’s at twice the price. 

I promised my wife a birthday gift, even though it’s more than a month away. She was probably going to buy herself some jewelry anyway, so at least my purchase will “kill two stones with one bird.” She initially wanted a chocolate pearl ring to match her earrings that we purchased on another island trip, but quickly got distracted by a glitzy band of colorful sapphire stones. It’s more than twice the budget I planned to spend, but I’ve got to distract her from dwelling on my “kept-man” status that is a key element in my current retirement plan.  Plus, she deserves it for letting me tag along on her business trips. Next week we travel from the Big Pineapple to the Big Apple for more meetings.

I’m finishing up Veeck as in Wreck, my second book about the controversial baseball team owner from Chicago. There has to be a little bit of baseball in every trip I take, so it seemed like an appropriate beach book.  I left the hot sun to watch the Cubs continue to score runs against the Marlins, something they failed to do against the rival Cardinals. Kerry Wood sang “take me out to the ballpark,” to commemorate his historic 20 strike-out game twenty years ago. I have a framed picture of that record-tying performance on my home office wall. Tonight is the convention luau finale before our six-hour flight home tomorrow. Before I put on the customary Hawaiian shirt and begin to shake some hands, I will be slathering my body in aloe-ha lotion to get some of the red out.