February 27, 2014 Photo: "Aloha"

Tiny Hawaiians in the Milwaukee Public Market sang to me of their Polynesian homeland

of coconut palms and powdery sand, of salty waves and technicolor sunsets.

Their siren song transported me back...

to the luxurious beaches of Waikiki, where the shadow of Diamond Head

cast just enough shade to shelter me from the tropical sun;

to a cocktail "sailing" cruise...

along the vibrant cliffs of Kauai's Napali Coast...

to the fearful exhilaration of a helicopter without doors...

fluttering amid jagged canyons and cascading waterfalls;

to shark-startled snorklers and lungs filled with saltwater;

to the lush Fern Grotto where natives serenaded us with Elvis' Hawaiian Wedding Song...

As the savage Polar Vortex continues to punish us with vicious sub-zero temperatures, biting winds, and threats of even more snow, I can't decide whether this mini mental holiday provided brief solace from the wicked Wisconsin winter, or exacerbated my need for a change in latitude.

A hui hou kakou, Hawai'i!

("Until we meet again!")