This path is one of my favorite morning walks on the Big Island. The colors, the flowers, the beautiful sounds of the sea, it combines so many things I love about Hawaii.

Today, in the Midwest we are expecting rain and possibly snow. It’s April. I can’t complain, as there are so many things we love about living here, but I am desperate for color and signs of spring. The weather forecast for where we live shows a bright sun now and 27 degrees, turning to mostly cloudy by this afternoon with a high of 44 degrees, followed by rain later this evening and all day tomorrow.  April showers bring May flowers, I know. But still, it’s been a long, snowy, cold winter and I’m done with it. I just want to take a walk without gloves, a jacket and mittens in April. Is that too much to ask?

In Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, the temperature right now is 71 degrees at 3 a.m. with a forecast of 83 and sunny for Friday. Saturday’s forecast is for 84 and mostly sunny and Sunday’s calls for 82 and sunny.

There are parts of the Big Island and other islands of Hawaii where it rains constantly. Even if you are visiting, you really don’t mind since the rain makes for a gorgeous lush landscape and there is almost always a rainbow to discover somewhere in that rain. A hike in the rain with 78 degree weather is still magnificent, rain or shine.

Ah, paradise.