On Da Rock (It's a good thing)

I'm writing this from our little Ohana up country Maui. We've been on island about ten days. The sun is rising into a clear blue sky, the birds are doing their usual morning song and dance (and fortunately without any roosters involved in the process) and there is a new 15 ft swell arriving on our north shores today. The American Windsurfing Tour is also gearing up for an exciting week of windsurfing competition and parties. I can't do any competing but I can do parties, so I got that going for me (which is nice).

It's been 5 1/2 weeks since my little medical procedure. The whole experience already feels like a dream, or some story I read on someone else's blog. Did it really happen? I have to look down at my already fading scar to remind myself that yes, it really did. I've also seen some medical bills going back and forth to further remind me. Want to know what open heart surgery in the US might cost? Hint, around $150K. Nice to have health insurance even though we have a high deductible so we're not getting off entirely free. But what would have happened if we were without - like so many others? I find it hard to imagine (good bye life savings). I'm also guessing I might have entered that special place called "uninsurable", meaning past medical procedures or illnesses rule out future private health insurance, if I ever need any. The funny thing is I'm probably much less likely to have any medical issues now, but whatever. Such is life on the US health insurance wheel of fortune - I'll avoid further rants and just be happy that we are good for now.

Speaking of good, I really feel it. I'll admit the the packing and travel totally wore me out, and the first day or so here I mostly napped. But lately I've been hanging at Kanaha while Julia's board testing for Windsurfing Magazine's annual review, and I've been riding my beater Maui trail bike back and forth between Kanaha and Paia - about a ten mile round trip with some heavy head wind to make it interesting.  I'm not feeling any pain and all the bike riding so far has been problem free. My plan is to slowly step up the effort and soon add yoga, light jogging and light swimming to the mix.  The basic info I have on the recovery process is it takes 6-8 weeks for the sternum to heal sufficiently to allow more vigorous exercise - I'm counting on being good in 6 (just a few days away).  I've also been told to wait at least 6 months before any activities that could involve sudden impact - which is why I'm thinking no (except maybe extremely light) windsurfing until then.  But perhaps a little surfing before might be possible?  I'm in unknown waters here, but I'm pretty confident that I'm healing about as quickly as possible. If any of my readers are cardiologists or have medical expertise in this area, please feel free to leave me some comments about my expectations!

Quick rant. Why couldn't they extend the bike path from Kanaha by the private Maui golf course / country club (which resembles a retirement home in terms of the clientele) to the Baldwin beach trail which runs to Paia? Did the golf course and private McMansions along the side of it have to take up all the space between the ocean and the highway?  Really?  We need Bill Muarry to blow up some golfers, I mean gophers, and clear us some space for our bike path.  Who's with me!  One good thing about the country club though - it has one really huge kick ass Banyan tree (actually several trees all connected) right in the middle of their parking lot. Possible the biggest on the north shore. Standing under it, staring at the vines swaying down 100 ft from the canopy reminds me of a something out of Avatar. Check it out...

Back to the AWT and parties.  Last night was the kick off at Kanaha Kai (Hot Sails).  Jeff Henderson and co had a nice little throw down and it was great seeing the windsurfing tribe mostly gathered in one space.  If conditions can rally later this week it's going to be an epic competition and I promise to be there with camera in hand for all the action.  I might not be able to sail at the moment, but I sure can click, click, click!

One last thing....  when this whole heart surgery - I might die or be hugely damaged - thing was going down, I couldn't help but think about our upcoming trip to Maui and our plan to pick up some shiny new windsurfing gear to play in the waves.  At that time the whole trip - if not my life - seemed potentially on the rocks.  So I am very pleased to report that not only are we here, but we got all our new gear!  Below is the new 2012 Goya 78 quad that we picked up along with a quiver of 2012 Guru sails. Suffice to say this is the most awesome-ness windsurfing kit on the planet.  For now Julia gets to play on it, but I'm pretty sure my time will come soon enough...