This week I’m back in Hawaii, visiting friends and generally soaking up sun that I’ve been missing for the last eight months. Next week I leave for the Philippines and a very different trip; this week is about relaxing and enjoying good company.

I don’t actually have much to report. The island is the same, and my inner auto-pilot still works perfectly. It actually feels more like I never left, and in that sense it’s really nice to not feel pressure to do any of the touristy things. I’ve already done all of those things. Instead I get to hang out on my favorite beach and catch up on my reading.

I’ve taken a handful of photos, but really since it’s all the same, I have perfectly good photos already at home. I’ll just leave you instead with the view from this afternoon, late in the day when the sand turns golden in the low burning sunlight and the water has turned silver and smooth. Early morning and early evening have always been my favorite times in Hawaii.