Arrival at the Honolulu International Airport
Our first morning of waking up in paradise.
We were just a block from Waikiki Beach.
Jaxon, Sydney, Mason, and Gavin--such great sports and always up for a good time! 
The kids absolutely LOVED the beach!
We never went here, but we passed this little restaurant every time we walked along the beach. I couldn't help singing the Jimmy Buffet song of "Cheeseburger in Paradise" in my mind as we passed.
Grandpa and all the boys.
We saw these beautiful cardinals often while we were in Hawaii.
The banyan trees are always fascinating. They look like they are walking.
Sunset on the beach.
I told everyone we should walk down to the International Market which had all kinds of little shops from artisans and crafts from all the local people. Were we surprised when we came upon this beautiful updated, very sophisticated outdoor mall! It was spectacular, but I still missed the original shops and local people selling in them!
For instance, these were in front of one of the stores. The boys all were fascinated!
Jaxon's dream car!
We ate some wonderful Japanese food there in the mall.
The next day we headed for Pearl Harbor. I wondered if
the kids would be interested in this, but they absolutely LOVED it!
Mason had just talked about it in school, so he was particularly
interested in everything we saw!
Standing in the circle which is surrounded with markers of the eight battleships that were located here at Pearl Harbor on the morning of the attack Looking over at the USS Bowfin Submarine to the right.
We did a fascinating tour inside the Bowfin, which is called the Avenger. It was launched one year to the day after the Pearl Harbor attack and ended up sinking 44 enemy ships during the war. Here is where the torpedoes were loaded. This submarine is such a fitting tribute to the 52 American submarines that were lost during the war and the brave servicemen who gave their lives.
The men slept in bunks stacked three high.
Our grand kids don't even remember these old-fashioned typewriters, but this is how I learned to type on one of these.
George was trying to decide the best way to get through the small openings between the compartments--front first or back first. It wasn't so easy with his fused back, but he made it work somehow!
We then boarded a boat to go over to the USS Arizona Memorial
The USS Arizona Memorial, at Pearl Harbor marks the resting place of 1,102 of the 1,177 sailors and Marines killed on the USS Arizona during the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 and commemorates the events of that day. The attack on Pearl Harbor and the island of Oahu led to the United States' direct involvement in World War II.
This was the plan of the Japanese Commander, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, to break the United States' will to fight when they were beaten so badly here at Pearl Harbor. However, he soon found out the resolve of the American military and people that they would stand together and not let Pearl Harbor be forgotten. He soon is said to have made the statement: "I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve."
Aboard the memorial, you can still see oil floating out from the ship even after these 75 years. These are sometimes referred to as the "tears of the Arizona."
The memorial is built right over the top of the Arizona. You can still see it beneath the memorial.
The chapel at one end of the memorial gives the names of all those who gave their lives in action on December 7, 1941, on the USS Arizona. For 1,102 of those aboard the ship, this is their final resting place in the ship below.
After touring the Bowfin and Arizona Memorial, we all sat down for a little rest.
There are wonderful museums there that describe and show how all of the events at Pearl Harbor came about.
I had always wondered what the term, "Tora! Tora!" Tora!" meant. This sign gave the answer--these were Japanese code words to signal that the surprise attack was complete.
We next boarded a bus, which took us over to the USS Missouri battleship.
I asked Cameron and Anne to recreate the famous pic that has become iconic with World War II pictures! They very readily obliged! Hah!
In addition to fighting in World War II, this battleship also saw service in the Korean and Persian Gulf Wars. But, probably she is best remembered as the site of the surrender of the Empire of Japan which ended World War II. This picture shows the signing of that surrender and you can actually see the papers in the case that show the signatures.
This marker is where the signing took place.
Standing on one of the stop tiers of the USS Missouri and looking out at all the sites below.
Sydney sitting in one of the captain's chairs.
I had to take a picture for our two dental sons of the Senior Dental Officer's lodgings aboard the ship. He got some pretty nice lodgings compared to the three-tier beds many of the sailors slept in. 
Amazing how these kids went this whole day without one complaint. They really enjoyed learning so much about this very important historical event!
Leaving Pearl Harbor.
That night, we decided to try out a drive-in that a friend had told us about. Cameron and Anne and a couple of the kids went in one car, George, two more of the kids, and I went in another. When I put in Rainbow Drive-in, the Mapquest stopped at Rainbow Drive and we ended up in a very swanky neighborhood with traffic police letting people come and go--we knew we were in the wrong place. When we called Cameron, we found that our hotel was two minutes from the place where we were supposed to be. We finally got there after 25 minutes! Although it was a favorite of the locals, I think we could have skipped it altogether!
No Oahu vacation would be complete without visiting Dole Plantation. It was a little disappointing that they had just cut all the pineapples, but we still had a great time seeing all the other fruit and flowers they grow there.
Grandpa George telling the kids about growing sugarcane in the South when he was young.
We strolled through the beautiful gardens.
It started raining lightly and my hair got flatter and flatter, but oh well!
Such a cute pic of Cameron and Anne . . .
and the kids!
Before we left, we had to have some of the delicious pineapple ice cream that they make here at the plantation.
We then met up with a friend of Anne's that used to work at her father's store and had lunch with him.
We then headed for the beach at the North Shore
As we looked further down the beach, we saw something that looked like a big turtle!
To all of our delight--it was a huge sea turtle! We absolutely all were fascinated!
After a few minutes of watching him, he slowly crawled back into the ocean.
There are always new little trails to investigate. As we did one little turn-off, we saw this Hawaii Temple constructed between 1470 AD and 1700 AD. It was dedicated to Lono, one of the four principal gods of ancient Hawaii. He ruled agriculture and harvests, weather, sports, and medicine. Very interesting!
Sunday morning, we went to the Mormon Church not far from Waikiki Beach. They were having Stake Conference. Their choir was absolutely angelic!
The grounds were so gorgeous here.
Plaque dedicated to the first Mormon missionaries to Hawaii in 1850.
Hanauma Bay is a must when you go to Hawaii. After me reminding George that he needed to put on sun screen, I looked over and felt certain no sun rays could get through that! Hah!
The younger kids had so much fun making sand castle with their mother.
The older kids went snorkeling with their dad.
The birds noticed if you even dropped a tiny crumb!
While Sydney, Mason, and Gavin, played on the beach, Cameron, Anne, and Jaxon climbed clear to the top of the mountain for quite a view. I don't see how they did it, but was very impressed!
Wow! We might be taking back more than our share of sand!
We were surely glad we paid to have the tram take us back up the hill after we finished for the day!
The next day was rainy, so we headed for the mall!
We had a great time getting Gpa George a new phone, doing a little shopping, having lunch, and going to a movie. The rain didn't stop our fun!
The next day, we were scared that it might rain on us again and we needed to be outside all day to go to the Polynesian Cultural Center. It turned out to be a gorgeous day!
The Canoe Pageant was such a hit with the kids!
Each island is represented on a canoe where the dancers do their native dance from that island. It is beautiful!
There is a little place where the kids can fish, but I don't think any of them caught anything! Oh, well, it was still fun!
Lots of green coconuts. There are warnings that they could drop on your head!
George trying to do the hula dance with one of the islanders--just like he had nearly 45 years ago! Didn't get my camera ready quick enough!
All of the islands have demonstrations or learning activities.
Sydney learning how to play one of the island games.
Yes, husband and wife are very competitive but have fun competing!
Coconut bowling
Jaxon and his mom trying out some raw coconut.
The best program of any of the islands is definitely the Samoan program. It is entertaining, informative, and so funny!
Fire dancers!
The star of the Samoan program.
Sydney learning how to make a fish out of a plant.
Great job, Sydney!
This is such a beautiful place!
That evening we enjoyed a fantastic buffet dinner in one of the lodges there.
This is just one of the many lodges where people dine. They do a great job and the food was really good!
We then took a tram over to the Mormon Temple there in Laie. This was taken inside the Visitor's Center. Since it was dark outside, I didn't get many pics of how beautiful it all looks at night.
I loved this tree at the Visitors' Center all decorated with items that remind us of the Savior's birth!
That night, we saw the fantastic production put on mostly by the students attending the BYU Hawaii campus. It is filled with singing, dancing, and a beautiful story about family.
On our final day in Hawaii, we went over to the other side of the island called Ko Olina where we could let the kids play on another beautiful beach.
The Disney Hotel and what used to be the Marriott are located here. It is absolutely gorgeous. They keep it so neat and clean!
Even Grandpa got in on the football fun!
I can't even begin to tell you how many times he threw the football for his own boys . . . now he loves doing it with his sons and grandsons!
One final memory--Anne trying to climb a palm tree like she had seen one of the islanders do at the Polynesian Cultural Center.
But, she could only get so high and then needed assistance. I don't think Cameron minded too badly! Hah!
What a great week it has been in this beautiful paradise island of Hawaii! Cameron and Anne's family were so pleasant to travel with, and we will remember the things we did together forever! Thanks so much for inviting us, Cameron and Anne!
What a great week it has been in this beautiful paradise island of Hawaii! Cameron and Anne's family were so pleasant to travel with, and we will remember the things we did together forever! Thanks so much for inviting us, Cameron and Anne!
No comments:
Post a Comment