Saturday Hike

This is my first posting in Saucy Sauce, and I hope that the psychotic Army job I have allows me the time to engage in more writing. When I was in Iraq, I worked every single day for over 15 or 16 hours, and sometimes more. Here, I've been working around 14-hour days, at a pace that is often reminiscent of my darkest Tikrit hours. However, all I have to do at the end of the day is drive to our fantastic beach condo, where Heidi often is waiting for me drink in hand and a Puerto Rican meal on the stove, for me to realize that this ain't no Iraq. We live in heaven, and all hell is bearable in this paradise.
Today we went on a hike on the Southeastern side of Oahu, climbing atop one of the coastal mountains there to go whalewatching. This is the time of the year when humpback whales migrate to the South Pacific, and practically anywhere you look you see these "roaches of the seas" cavorting, breaching, and splashing. This is further evidence that we're in paradise - to be able to see whales practically every time we look out of these shores is for the two of us the equivalent of a religious experience.
The photo on the left was from one of the mountains we climbed today, looking along the Eastern side toward Waimanalo. The beaches on this side of Oahu are simply stunning; off in the distance in this photo, way back there, you can see the long shore that makes Lanikai one of those places that, were you a Japanese officer from WWII and so inclined, you'd choose for final self-evisceration. The water's hues go from light blue to almost purple, and visibility for snorkeling and scuba is fantastic.
We've just returned to the house to clean up and get ready to visit tonight our favorite Japanese steakhouse in Hawaii, Ninniku'ya (which we believe means "garlic"). Those of you who know me already know why this place is my favorite; redolent of the most glorious and sacrosanct of all herbs, I shall escape this place tonight with the distended belly that other South Pacific cultures know as "pigbel," after consuming the most amazing steer flank I can tolerate. I can't wait!
Love, Luis