No, I don't mean Shaggy and Velma (and the rest of 'em) - nor do I mean Willow, Xander and Giles (and whomever else you choose to include in that specific group - those are the only three that I know of that have been in the bunch the whole series up to "now", which for us is halfway through Season Four) - I mean three Pucketts doing SCUBA -

                                                

(We should be individually distinguishable, even in full SCUBA gear, purely on hair alone - Silas is blonde, Ethel is brunette, and I'm "flesh toned" (copyright @1962 Crayola Crayon Co, Inc))

This was a lot of fun - no, wait. Not entirely true. This was fun - that's all. Now, Ethel went gaga for the whole experience; she was ready to sell out and move someplace where we could do this all the time. Silas was quite pleased and happy about it - he's a natural underwater (at least, it seems that way to me; not being a 'natural' anywhere, I can't speak as to that statement's veracity). I did, indeed, enjoy the experience, but it wasn't by any means life-changing - I was simply underwater, with a bunch of underwater critters.

(It did seem remarkably commonplace; we had one gentleman in our group who went down with us for both dives, and in both cases panicked and had to come back up quickly. But, speaking for myself, after two weeks of snorkling most every day, I'd already gotten used to having a mask on and breathing while my face was underwater; I really could discern no difference, other than the fact that we were FORTY FEET underwater - and the only way that that made a difference was in that I had to keep equalizing pressure as I went down the rope. Other than that, it was a fun experience, but it almost felt like I'd been doing it all along. I suppose that, at this point, I can now check it off the list as something that I've done - if Ethel wants us to go again, I'll go along, but I won't push for it.)

We got to see a bunch of critters - we saw moray eels and sea snakes

                                                           
                                                                           

and pencil urchins and moorish idols

                                                           
                                                           

and - of course - the ubiquitous Humuhumnukunukuoapua'a, who, as it turns out, was the first Fresh Prince -

                  

Humunumunukunukuapua'a, as it also turns out, does not know that thatis his name - I've been down forty feet and hollered at him"Humunumunukunukuapua'a!" and he just looks at me like I'm stupid, like"Begging your pardon - are you talking to me?"

There are way too many critters to tell you about here - there are some 140 pix that got uploaded starting near the top of Page 11 of the Mahalo gallery - if you like that stuff, knock yourself out. (N.B. - for some reason, only about a hundred of those pics have been populated - something's wrong with the upload. Maybe the tool is designed to only allow so many pictures that look alike? - anyway, the good shots of Honu, the sea turtle, are in that last group - currently the only shots of a Honu are in the distance. But there's plenty to look at, if you like that sort of thing).

Meanwhile, I'm slowly getting used to working again, and to not being in Hawai'i, and to commuting, and my tan is fading. All part and parcel, I reckon, of being a normal person (or at least making an effort to pass as one). Now we live through the next fifteen days until FOOTBALL SEASON STARTS, and then we've got the pool going in, which should keep us occupied until ski season starts - we're talking about getting season passes this year at Flagstaff. More on this later - watch this space.