Becky and I went to Maui to visit family, relax, and simply enjoy the sunshine and beach. We believed that Henry came along because we packed his bag and told him to. I am now realizing that our belief is incorrect.

I've played enough Dungeons and Dragons and watched enough Lord of the Rings to know a quest when I see one. It usually involves a need to acquire some magical objects (swords, rings, jewels, staffs) and then use those objects to defeat some larger evil, almost always in front of a beautiful, natural backdrop.

Henry spent plenty of time in the toddler wading pool. He loved walking around, splashing and smiling, and ultimately ended up enjoying the waterfall that lined the rear of the pool. The other side of the waterfall bordered on the rear wall of the 5 foot pool, allowing the water to trickle into the toddler pool. Henry endlessly rooted around the waterfall, held his hands and head under the water flow, and eventually ended up with 2 small stones in his hands -- a white and black stone (yes, like Lost). He then wandered again around the toddler pool, firmly grasping the stones. He did drop them a few times, after which he quickly got our attention so we could reach down and retrieve them. At the end of the hour Becky and I both agreed that these stones were very important and needed to be safely stored. They are now securely back in Anchorage.

I won't pretend to understand the exact nature of their importance, but Henry knows. I'll consent that he knew Maui was the tropical paradise we needed to visit whereupon he could find the mystical black and white stones hidden near the Westin waterfall.



The other important activity for which we traveled to Maui was to satisfy Henry's need to pull and slap canvas awnings in Lahaina. How this fits into his quest is unclear at this point.