When I arrived at home, I found Nico in the driveway riding this contraption he calls a “wawa” (short for Chiuaua). He has bungy corded a lawn chair to a skateboard and propels the arrangement with his crutches. Maya also served in a propulsive capacity.

Lots to report for a Monday. On the home front, Jeanine and Maya captured a bat that found its way into the house. Nicolai photographed the entire undertaking.

For family night we went out to a new Indian restaurant with two other families. The kids had their own table and Maya held court among a group of six boys. I hope this is not a pattern which will contine in her future.

Kyle and buddy Seth hanging out. Kyle has grown to within 2.5 inches of his father as confirmed by measurments this morning. Maya grew an inch in the last couple of months. Nicolai grew slightly. I am happy to report that I have not started shrinking yet.

Most families pay a barber to cut hair. I am the barber in our family and for the first time had to resort to paying the boys to let me cut their hair (the negotiated rate was approximaely $20 per inch of hair removed). They acknowledge that the quality of my work is better than the in town barbers but that I take forever to finish the job. It was worth the combined cost of $80 to know that Kyle and Nicolai will both be returning to school looking respectable.

The cruise back to port took quite a bit longer than the trip out when the boat lost two of its four engines. We made the best of it and enjoyed the fresh sea air.

This was an experience none of us will ever forget and one which we can highly recommend.

One of the larger humpbacks which is longer and weighs more than the boat in the background.

Here is a finback. They are smaller and not nearly as magnificent as the humpbacks but just as graceful.

Whales can be identified by the patterns of their tales which are the equivalent of a fingerprint for humans. In total we saw at least a dozen different humpbacks and several finbacks.

Here the whale is cruising along the surface with its mouth open allowing the water to filter out while the little fish remain behind. This big bump on top is the blow hole.

Occasionally the whales would turn on their side and raise a flipper before slapping the water with it. It was almost as if they were waving to us.

Whale Ho! Here is our first sighting, a young humpback. This is one of the few experiences I have had where photography fails to convey the feeling I was experiencing. The boat gives a sense of scale, but nothing can convey how gracefully and peacefully these great giants make their way in the world.

On the one hour trip out to the whales we passed an identical version of the vessel we were on. I staked out a prime photography location at the front of the top deck and set up my tripod and long lens.