Charlie on Kama'ole II Beach [Maui] Canon EOS 20D w/28-135mm IS Zoom

Another lovely day on Maui has come and gone. This morning I took a snorkeling trip to Molokini Island aboard the Paragon II, a 47 foot sailing catamaran. I was expecting to have a nice snorkel at Molokini, which I did, but I was not expecting to get such a kick out of sailing on their boat. As someone who has logged thousands of hours sailing I guess I'm kind of a hard sell, but Paragon II and her crew blew me out of the water. Skipper Eric let me take the helm on the way back, and I drove the boat at up to 24 knots! That's screaming fast, certainly the fastest I've ever driven a sailboat, and what a kick. That seemed to have been the magic I needed to turn back on the usual Dawn passion for life, as I've felt more animated and alive today than I've felt in a long time.

This afternoon I snorkeled the point between Kama'ole Beach I and II, out in front of the condos where I've been staying. While the snorkeling there wasn't as impressive as on Molokini, I did get to swim with three giant turtles!

Finally, this evening began the festivities that brought me to Maui in the first place, with a barbecue here at the condos for my friends Jill (who I've been friends with since 4th grade) and her wonderful fiance Scott, who are getting married here on Maui tomorrow. I probably would never have chosen a Hawaii vacation for myself, as I'm one who generally hates feeling like a tourist, but I'm so glad that these two decided to get married here, because now that I'm here all I can think about is "when can I come back?" So yay for friends and weddings and Hawaii.

Special thanks to my mom, who made this trip possible. Thanks for seeing how badly I needed this and going above and beyond to get me here. Thank you, thank you, thank you...