Heading for Hawaii

Dex, Deedee and Rumour are heading for Hawaii for a few days. It's a long overdue vacation and the first long time away from home for Rumour. We're staying with friends on lovely Maui. They're dialing in some great activities for us. We'll be heading to their special surf and snorkel spots. Besides the beach, I'm looking forward to a couple of extended dinners out with Deedee where we don't have to rush home or out to some appointment. Rumour will have some nifty child care arrangements. I also want to head up the big volcano and cycle down with the tour. We've booked a convertible to tool around in for a week. Dee and I had a minor skull grind over luggage. Apparently I'm supposed to use a suitcase as opposed to my usual arrangement. I have this nice leather overnighter that I pack full and I add my very versatile backpack (small, little larger than a day pack) to the mix. I dislike the suitcase concept as it requires either a hand on the handle or a hand on the strap. With my gear I can use the shoulder straps to keep my hands free for important things like tickets, newspapers, coffee, Rumour's hand and alcoholic beverages. I don't know why she objected so vehemently to my baggage. I'll try to find out when she's had a meal and a glass of wine or two.