Day 1:
Flying to Maui was the first family challenge. Morgan would be getting married in five days. Jenny, also known as Gammy, was to be matron of honor, Kaki and little Julian would be playing parts in the ceremony, and Michael Ray, Grandaddy in Julian’s eyes, would give his first-born Rae away. All of this would take place in Kihei on the Hawaiian island of Maui. The first leg of our trip took us from Huntsville to Dallas, where we had about an hour to aboard the Skytrain from the B terminal to the A terminal. DFW’s trains were especially speedy for 3-year-old Julian, but it was Grandaddy (Ray) who was almost shut out as the electronic voice announced the door were closing. We didn’t need to hurry, though. Our next flight straight from Dallas to Maui was to be delayed by at least an hour because of what the pilot called a problem with the right engine. He said it had been corrected, but the paperwork was taking a while to complete. He could have provided a little less detail, and we would have been more comfortable with the situation.
The plane was probably half full at best, so Gammy grabbed a vacant window seat for the trip. Kaki and Julian were able to take over the four-seat spread across the middle of Row 34.Grandaddy joined Gammy a few rows back. Finally, the jolly pilot assured us all paperwork was done, and hoped to make up the lost time over the Pacific Ocean. A few naps and a few snacks later, made better by a TV screen on each seat back, the 8-hour flight ended with a long line at the Kahului airport. Everyone had to show their Travel Safe papers from the Hawaii website, with proof of a negative Covid19 test, hence avoiding a 10-day quarantine on the island. At the end of the process, a few stairs took us to an awaiting islander named Morgan (Rae), who had brought leis for each of us and two for Julian. It was a warm welcome. Shortly afterward, we loaded a half-dozen or so bags in the trunk of Rae’s Honda and headed up the dormant Haleakala volcano to the town of Kula.
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