Walking through History

Our first tour was of Pearl Harbor. We visited what is known as the "Book Ends" of World War II, the USS Arizona and the USS Missouri.

They are book ends in two ways... In it's watery grave, the Arizona sits nose to nose with the Missouri like a pair of eerie bookends. The sinking of the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor marked the entry of United States into World War II. The Japanese Foreign Minister signed the Instrument of Surrender ending the war on the USS Missouri making them figurative bookends to that war.



The beginning of this video shows a model of the island of Oahu which is two mountain ranges divided by a valley. Pearl Harbor lies to the south of the island. The Japanese attacked by flying from the the north east through the valley making it impossible to see them coming out of the sun.



While visiting the Memorial which is poised over the sunken ship is quite moving, what touched us more is the fact that a number of the few survivors from the Arizona asked and were granted interment on the ship at their passing where they joined their crew mates in their final resting place.























The Missouri actually participated off shore during Operation Desert Storm and had been outfitted with newer technologies. It was very cool being able to tour this historic ship.

Location, Location, Location....

This was the view off our balcony. I spent mornings out there, before Brian and Mitch woke, watching Waikiki come to life. From this space the world looked crowded. The building in the center was an apartment complex. Some people had treadmills on their balconies. Some used it for storage. Most had tables and chairs and a fair number enjoyed coffee out there every morning from which they could view the Pacific. Obviously, we did not have an ocean view. That's okay. We were on vacation and made it a point go look for views.

This is the Alana Waikiki. The picture was taken from the Army's recreation park across the street. It is located on Ala Moana Boulevard which is walking distance from a good beach and convenient to shopping and restaurants.






We had a couple of queen size beds, HBO, a fridge and a coffee maker. What more did we need.



We were central to shopping and the beach and the tour buses came to pick us up for excursions. And if you tried, you could see the point of Diamond Head from our balcony.



We got in late Friday night and crashed. We used Saturday to register Brian for the conference and the three of us for some tours. We hit the shopping center to buy supplies for sandwiches and cereals. We freely admit that that night we went to the local cinema to see Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.

The next morning was early, we had scheduled a tour of Pearl Harbor. Pick up was 6:30 AM...

First Stop, Downtown Cooper Town

We flew into Burbank on Wednesday night and settled in at the Safari Inn. We wanted to give the Whites one evening alone in their home after their vacation. Nikki called at 8 AM Thursday morning. I could hear Cooper in the background saying he wanted to go in the pool. They came over and we went for a swim.

Next the five of us went downtown for lunch at the Market City Cafe. Brian shot this picture there.



Then we headed to the 'White House' to play and stay overnight. Mitchell and Cooper had a great time in the little pool.

We had a lovely supper that Nikki prepared with her sous chef, Andrew. I helped by husking corn.



Nikki invented a new drink, the Tujungatini. We were going to have Cosmos but we had no cranberry juice so she used some Juicy Juice instead. They were delicious!

We got a healthy dose of quality time with my dear friend, Nicole, and her men. We are grateful to Jakob for letting us invade so soon after a week being away from his own home. We enjoyed the conversation and it is reassuring to see how much he loves his wife and their son. I know Nikki is in a good place. They are a wonderful family and it is obvious Cooper is surrounded by love.



Coop is bright and fun and engaging. He leaned on me so Nikki says that means I'm "IN". I played in his tent and he read a story to me about colors. I brought Gonzo to life for him for a wee bit. We had a jam session, too.



It is inspiring to watch Nikki parent. She is brilliant at it just like her mother. She is patient and kind and consistent. Bravo!

Nikki whipped up a buffet of bacon and eggs and pancakes. It was delicious and fortified us for the next leg of our journey. Nikki and Cooper took us to the airport after breakfast. It's always hard to say goodbye.



We love you Nikki, Jakob and Cooper!

Ohana Means Family...

We had a very busy July. The weekend before we went on our Hawai'ian vacation Mitch and I popped into Franklin to spend time with family at my niece, Amy Beard's high school graduation party. We only had a day with extended relatives on the Carlson side but it was well worth the trip.



Congratulations to Amy!

Aloha!

We are having a marvelous time in Waikiki. I will post our collection of photos and videos when we get home. Right now we are too busy having fun. Mahalo!