Culture

Everyone agreed we had to go to the Macadamia Nut Farm in Kaawa just north of the Marine Base.  We pay our money for a tour and wait with the chickens to get on our Army green tour bus (think MASH type jeep/bus).  Nate prepared me that it was pretty cheesy, but overall, fun and interesting. 


Our guide joins us - and tells us his name it sounded something like Loma Kaiwaieneeeia (Seriously...)  He had a great sense of humor and probably knew this tour so well, it was like reciting lines.  He showed us Ti leaves and how they would put their meat in it and cook food.  His necklace and anklets were mady from Ti leaves.  He said grass skirts are also made from them.  He drove through a nursery full of Hibiscus, Birds of paradise, palm trees, papaya? trees, banana trees, and lime trees.  The bus stops and we unload into a small "ampitheater" area where they would put on a little show.  He showed us how they used coconuts - how they crack the outer shell and start fire (you should use the same type of wood to make it easier!), use the coconut inside to get the fire going.  Then he lit a stick on both ends and did a fire dance that was impressive.  This was after he put out the fire with his feet!   He then cracked the actual coconut, poured the water out, then shaved the inside.  Amazing how they use every peice of the coconut. 

After pictures, we load on to a small barge.  He shows us the fish pond.  They use water from the ocean in a dam like fashion.  Which allows the small fish in to the salt water pond, the fish grow in the pond, then they are too big to fit back through the dam.  Then they are able to fish - pretty simple and resourceful use of natural resources. 

He turned the boat around and showed us where the opening scenes of Fantasy Island were filmed, Off the Map, and Lost.  Beautiful with the mountains in the background.

Was it cheesy? yes - but it was a lot of fun and very informative. 





We spend the rest of the afternoon and into the early evening at the beach.  We spent over an hour watching one kiteboarder trying to get up. Luckily, the beach is shaped like a horseshoe, so the wind blows you in to the beach and you don't risk blowing out to sea.  We saw him get a lesson and we really had high hopes for him - but in one hour, he was never able to get up on the board.  I can only imagine how hard it must be.  Meanwhile, we watch a pro just hop on like nothing and surf out, he did jumps and turns.  He made it look easy.

At one point, a japanese group were playing a ukulele and the women were hula dancing.  It was great to hear the simple music!


I could have sat there all evening.

Going South

Sunday morning, dad picked me up and we tried to find a nice place for breakfast. Trip advisor and urbanspoon were right! The two places we tried were packed. So we found a small deli and had a delicious low key breakfast. We then drove south along the beach. We passed an outrigger race. We stopped to watch for a few minutes, leaving us with a bunch of questions. Later we learned how it works... 6 men in an outrigger, three men in the water. 6 paddle out, three (every other one jump out and the three from the water jump in, all while not missing a beat! Amazing.



We continue on our venture and get all the way where we are looking at diamond head and Waikiki from the other side. We turn around and head to a blow hole. The water is bluer here. The waves crash in and where the lava rock has a hole, the water spurts up. The fun part is anticipating it and seeing what looks like steam blowing out befor the burst of water. Walking along the edge to the southern sidof the look out, there is a lagoon far below. It looks like a secluded paradise. They filmed "From Here to Eternity" and supposedly "Blue Lagoon" there. I could have spent a half day there... but the beach was calling me.



Dad drops me off at Kailua beach. It was beautiful and busy! The wind was blowing and the waves were crashing! It was so pleasant. I think I just relaxed and let my mind wander for an hour. Nothing amazing came to me other than "this is me". I love this. I love Jimmy Buffett songs, flip flops, the smell of coconut oil, the feel of sun on your skin... I walked down to the market at 2pm for a BLTA (avocado). When I get back it is sprinkling and I see everyone packing up to leave. So I pack everything and walk under the pavilion. I have no ride and this WA my day at the beach! About 25 minutes later the sun is shining. I head back out. A littLe later it starts to sprinkle and I think "I got your number weather...". And I wait it out. 5 hours at the beach did my soul good! I had a 20 minute walk home with a beach chair, umbrella, bag, and snorkel gear. Even that walk with sand all over my body and my skin tingling from all the sun, couldn't ruin the day!

Waikiki

We headed over to Waikiki on Saturday evening. What a busy place! As we drive in, we see the high end district. Wow there is a Ferrari store! We park and walk around. It is night so the beach is black but we feel the breeze still. We stop in at the Royal Hawaiian hotel. Dad is reading a WWII book right now and when they brought in the sailors in WWII and didn't have housing, they would put them up here with ice buckets of beer. Interesting enough...



We see this statue of duke... Professional surfer and olympic swimmer. Will research some more info.





We see street performers - the statue guy, the juggler, musicians, but then we see a guy who is doing art in motion. He is spray painting to Micheal Jackson songs. I don't know much more than he music mace you want to dance.

North Shore

We headed out Saturday morning to drive up the coast and see the North Shore. It is famous for surfing in the winter when the professionals come from all around the world. The little towns are interesting with their little Shrimp shacks (a mobile truck selling food). The beaches are very different. Smaller, and more vegetation and lava rock. On our way back down, we stop at a little roadside market and buy some fresh pineapple and coconut. The pineapple is delicious. The coconut leaves something to be desired again... We are over the fresh coconut.

We pull in to a tourist trap to eat lunch. There are tour buses everywhere and I am so very thankful I am not on a tour bus! How trapped you, must feel. While I may not see everything there is to see on Oahu, I am having a very relaxing vacation.



Our next stop is the macadamia nut farm tour. We go in and start shopping the gift shops and dad tells us they are not doing any more tours today. So we spend a little more time shopping. They have macadamia nuts plain, onion and garlic, honey roasted, kona, cinnamon, Cajun, salted, unsalted... You name it. BUT! They let you sample each kind so you can really decide what you like! There is a man there selling cremes, oils, and lotions for any ache or pain you may have. The jewelry is beautiful, but some of it is out of my price range. A rooster is following dad around. He must have heard that dad will feed animals. I found a bird of paradise plant. My best friend Sonya wore one as a corsages for prom. Very distinctive. Since I arrived,I have asked Susan if every orange "beak looking" plant is one. They are all related, but finally I see one. This pic s for you Sonya!



Related...

Some Beach... Somewhere

We departed Friday for "the beach". Susan and her friend Treet, had the day planned. They assured us we were going to a fun beach. Remember there are different beaches for different things. So we head out to cross the island. We are heading for Wainaie.

We drive, and we drive... Dad says, "boy, this is a long way. There are beaches everywhere, wonder why we have to go so far?". We are thinking the same thing! Finally, an hour later we make it to an army recreation area. We are excited and head out to stake our land on the beach. Treet is there and has the kayaks! We lotion up and head in the water. Is this water amazing or what? My new favorite color is blue... Hawaii blue. We float around in the water.

We find out that one of the kayaks is missing a paddle. We start to notice spinner dolphins performing for a tourist boat. They jump out of the water and spin. Amazing! I look at Treet's daughter and ask,"would you go out that far as a first time kayaker?" she says, "no, but you could get closer to them". So dad and I rent two kayaks... a single and a double. Tara swims out and dad takes the double. With realistic directions from Susan on how ungraceful this in/out of the kayak will be, I head out. This is pretty easy and fun! We go out as far as we are allowed to go with the rented kayaks... We bang the side of our kayaks as we have been told to do, to attract the spinner dolphins. After waiting a while, we head in to a cove where turtles are supposed to hang out. Kids are diving off the rocks... Not something I would let my kids do... But they seem to be keeping the turtles away.

We turn around thinking our sightseeing was a bust, and then we spot the turtle! Yeehaw! Dad, Treet, and I try to corral it with three kayaks. Treet assures Tara he wont bite and Tara jumps in the water with goggles. She starts to swim after the turtle. The turtle pops up a few times, and all of a sudden Tara pops her head up and says "it's chasing me!". It wasn't, but it turned and she saw it's face... Things are larger than they appear! We laugh! We followed him a little more until he took a dep dive and we lost him. Huge animal!

We head in to let Susan take the kids out and dad and I go snorkeling. We snorkel around some rocks and see some little fish, but nothing spectacular. We spent all afternoon there enjoying the view, the sounds of the waves, the kids playing, but tired, we head home.

Tara, Dad, Nedra and I head to Buzz's for dinner in Kailua. I order the mahi mahi habachi style. DELICIOUS!!! I crash in to bed at 9:30 after a nice cool shower. I am reading "the book of awesome" - not done yet, but I think one awesome thing is taking a cool shower after a day at the beach!

I have pictures of me in the kayak and snorkeling, but they are on my camera and will have to wait.

On base

The marine base is small compared to the bases in VA I was on. But the view is amazing. I can't imagine another base more beautiful. Nate and Susan have a beautiful home military in style, but excellent location, close to a beach, lots of kids, huge yard, and a view that sweeps you away. I can't imagine seeing that every morning. We sat outside before the change of command and watched as a rain shower marched across the water toward us, it was like a wall closing in. Amazing.



These trees are in the general's yard. Now I know why they call this the windward side of the island!



The beach behind Nate and susan's house. I don't know a purer color of turquoise and blue! I laid down in the sand with my book and listened to the sound of the waves crashing... And the navy planes circling doing exercises all day (we were right off the flight path). I learned that you have to decide what you want to do at the beach before you pick what beach you are going to. They have beaches for snorkeling, swimming, and relaxing; they have beaches for shell searching and wading; they have beaches for kayaking... The beach below their house is definitely for wading, shells, and laying on the beach. The waves are very choppy and their is a lot of the lava rock that you could hit. But... Still beautiful. The golf course on base has a couple of holes that overlook this beach.



It was a rainy morning but here is the benefit! This rainbow was so well defined, I could even see the purple! And it kept getting closer to the house. I am sure at one point, we were the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!



Alex brought a coconut home from the beach and proceeded to work on it for an hour to crack it, and carve out all of the coconut. Susan, Tara and I went to the commissary to pick up some sushi for dinner (seriously some of the best I have had!). She picks up two coconuts and I ask her what she makes with the coconut... She says, "you saw... They entertain the kids". A woman after my own heart! Now the kids were serious - they managed to make a crack quickly and the water poured out. Capturing it in a cup, we pass it around. I am not ashamed to say, I was expecting an intense explosion of coconut in my mouth. I drank and it was bland. A hint of salt, not a lot of coconut. After the kids pried them open and carved out some coconut, we ate. Again, not what I expected. More flavor, but still mild. I guess you have to shred it, and squeeze it to get the "milk" out. Interesting hour!

We sat outside before dinner with our drinks and it was chilly. The wind was stronger and the clouds kept moving in. Nate comes home and joins us. He talks about his first 6 hours as CO of the 3rd marines. Earlier, we finished lunch at 12:20 and he was heading back to the office for a video teleconference with Okinawa. I asked him about his job - what does your week look like? He said it is mostly very tactical. He has one brigade just back from Afghanistan, one there now and the other brigade is also deployed. He talks about some of the things he has to deal with that are not the fun part. While our jobs may be similar, I realize how much responsibility he has on his shoulders. Not only does he have to worry about logistics of the troops and resources, but he has to get involved with them on a personal level. When you join the marines, it isn't a job, it is your life and a lot of times your life bleeds in to the day job. He has to make sure the 3rd marines are prepared when they are called upon.

Tradition and Ceremony

I started my day with a walk at 6:45 am. I was out 2 minutes when a sheet of rain hit. My instinct was to run back home. But my brain kicked in and I remembered that the rain doesn't last long, so I looked around and found this tree to stand under. I didn't have to wait more than 1 minute and it passed! So I went on about my business proud that I had conquered the weather!





We all headed to Nate's change of command ceremony for 10 o'clock. The marines are on time! We each had a seat with our name on it. I sat next to a colonel. The troops were impressive standing at attention. Here are some of the highlights. The opening prayer was inspiring - wishing Nate the strength of David and the wisdom of Solomon. The national anthem always gets me. The change of command was simple yet powerful. The colors were presented to the interim commander,the interim passed them to Nate in a forceful way, Nate took them with a firm grip and forcefully passed them back to the color guard. A complete circle, never unbroken. The interim commander paid his thanks and Nate was passed the microphone to make his remarks. Nate talked about the strength of the 3rd marines, their families, and paid homage to the people that have supported him as he takes command. Two officers had flown in from Okinawa, Japan for the ceremony. As Nate is finishing up his speech, the rain moves in. Nate had prepared us before the ceremony, and told us if it rained, we were welcome to leave and go inside. They play the marine hymn as it rains and I close my eyes. Normally when it rains we seek shelter, but there was no moving. No one was going to make any move that would signify uncomfortableness. The troops had been standing long before we were given our seats. We could stick it out. It was a great feeling. Not cold, just a mild rain hitting your skin and I felt like it made all of my senses aware. I have forgotten what it felt like to stand in the rain. The ceremony is over in about 25-30 minutes and they shepherd us out back under the pavilion for malasadas (portuguese doughnuts) and coffee.

Later that day at the officers club and at the commissary, I realize that most of these men report up to Nate. Very proud to support Nate today. What an impressive position he has.

Amazing weather

So today was a bunch of running around, getting to know the area. We took a trip over to Honolulu to pick up cousin Tara from the airport. We cruised through Ewa Beach - note the feet in the sand (that's pronounced Eva beach as we found out later from Susan!). We had to go register at the Marine base so Tara and I could get on as Nate's guest. It is such a beautiful base... Did I expect anything less in Hawaii? After a quick refresh back at the studio and a "hello" "goodbye" to my resident gecko's, we were off to grill out with Colonel Nastase. We make a quick stop at the Safeway and I run in to the liquor store to pick up some wine. Oh. You can also pick up some fresh seafood in the liquor store, did I mention that?

We drive on to base and as we pause to show our ID's, I notice 5 marines trying to open a truck when the keys are locked in. Seriously, they were all going at it, from different angles - passenger side with the rain guards, driver side, sun roof. And of course there was one guy supervising. Quite a funny sight. Mainly because I am pretty sure, they were having a good time! Except for the one guy who I pegged as the guy who locked his keys in the car. Sorry, no pic of this one.

So we get to Nate and Susan's house. What a view!!!! They look out over the NE of Oahu. Nothing but ocean. It is like they are looking toward California. I actually feel the pang of jealousy and I ask Grace and Alex if I could be their older sister! They say yes! SCORE! What a life they have! I truly am jealous of two 9 year olds. What a different life they will lead.

We make up a tray of meat, cheese, crackers, grapes and wine and head out to the backyard. We sit and chat while we watch the kids release several years of pent up energy. We quiz Nate at dinner on the marines - how many divisions, how many regiments? As of tomorrow, he will be Colonel Nathan Nastase, Commander of the 3rd Regiment. But tonight, he is dad who is preparing to iron clothes as we leave. A good night with several bottles of wine and lots of laughs. I know he is humble about what tomorrow means, but we are all excited! He explains that this "ceremony" is what communicates to the troops that there is a change in leadership. He is taking over leadership from a Lieutenant Colonel that has been interim, so there will be no band, no parade, but we will be there to support him and he will be there to command his troops. I don't know how he commands his troops, but I would bet - he leads by example.

I am writing this at 9:50 at night sitting on my lanai, and the weather is so mild that I don't even feel it. It is neither hot nor cold... Aaaaaahhhhh!

First morning

So I woke up at 5:30am and felt great! Obviously my body thought it was 10:30am. I brewed my coffee and had a banana. Then I thought I would be brave a try out the taro rolls. Did I mention the bread is purple?



It's delicious! I am not a huge fan of Hawaiian bread, but this taro roll is sweet but the texture is moist. It is taro root that is crushed and made in to poi, then dehydrated and used to make bread and rolls. Guess I need to try poi now. I don't know if I will be able to eat this whole thing, I will probably end up sharing.

Dad picked me up and we went for a drive. There were a significant amount of people out jogging with and without babies at 9am. Do these people work? We all can't be on vacation?? I saw a group of 15 strollers with kids of varying ages in a half circle while their moms were excersizing. What a great place to live. Especially if you don't have a 8-5 job. The weather was probably 79 with some humidity, but not uncomfortable. Nice time to workout!



The beach.... Ahhhh the beach, finally! I realized as I flew in yesterday that I have not been on a beach in over 10 years! That is a crime and I vow to never do that again in my life!!! I stepped on to the sand and "The Book of Awesome" is right.(definitely a laugh out loud must read for happy people or people that have lost that happy and want it back!) The feel of sand on your feet is AWESOME! I had forgotten.



Then, dad says "I am going to test the water with my feet". OF COURSE! This is what I have been dreaming of... So I step up to where I think the water might hit my toes without soaking my pants. Here it comes.... Splash - nice cool water. Not the bath water of Lake Texoma. This was crisp, refreshing water. Not sure I would want to be swimming in it just then, as the sun wasn't hot yet. And of course, I underestimated the waves and the bottom 2 inches of my capris got wet. Who cares? We walked to the car barefoot and climbed in.


Next dad drove us up in to the mountains to Pali lookout that overlooks Kailua to the right and Kanohoe bay to the left with the marine base out on the peninsula in the middle. The parking attendant told us that the wild chickens that roam are the product of a hurricane from the 1980's that basically freed all of these chickens from their cages. Tour guides feed them, and there is no natural preditor, so they thrive... For 30 years! I don't know the lifespan of a chicken, so I am not sure how many generations that ends up being. I guess those would be "cage free".



So we looked out over the bay and watched a military plane do touch and go's (minus the "touch") on the marine base. Not sure if he was just trying to fly low or if he is in training and couldn't decide to land... Another mystery unsolved. We talked about Nate's rank and responsibilities over 3 battalions. Pretty impressive! Puts leadership in a whole new perspective!

Looking out on the pacific ocean, you realize how isolated hawaii is! It is a speck on the map. But a beautiful speck.

I picked up a few groceries. Gallon of milk - $5.99. More expensive than gas! I picked up a box of ritz crackers - $4.49 on sale. I looked at steaks just to compare... NY strip - $12.99 per pound. Peaches were $2.79 per pound... BUT pineapple - $.69 per pound!!! Bring on the pineapple!

Final observation for now... They love the vowels here in Hawaii. And they pronounce every single one! It is a different language. I get the same feeling when I am in an ethnic restaurant trying to order and I finally just give up and point at the menu item. I can't do phonetics, so I won't try. But I'll leave you with some street names. Oneawa, ku'uali, kainalu, kaikaina... See, they throw off the autocorrect too!

Aloha!

It was a long flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu - 5 hours. I haven't been on a flight that long since Europe! But first class was wonderful! I was stuffed and I attempted to drink enough vodka tonics to put myself to sleep - to no avail. So I arrived on time and my Dad and Nedra were there to greet me with a lei! Susan bought us all one. It was beautiful and smelled wonderful! I felt like a Polynesian princess. Ok, maybe not that far, but I felt special!




There are a few differences between HI and Oklahoma. One being that 8pm in OK is still light, here it is dark and the sun breaks at 6am. So I arrived at my studio in the dark and it is beautiful. I have a private entrance with a lanai. It is customary to take your shoes off before entering a house... I will have to get used to that. She has done some nice touches to make me feel welcomed to Hawaii.





Both Susan and the owners provided me a welcome basket. Some items include: fresh pineapple (YUM!), Hawaiian coffee (brand is lion), taro bread (more about that later), some hawaiian onion potato chips which I experienced on the plane and were delicious, chocolate covered macadamia nuts, fresh bananas - dole, but still so much better, blueberry scones, two bottles of Hawaiian beer, and a bottle of moscato! I believe the only thing they didn't deliver was a rich, handsome, single man!





My kitchenette is fully stocked including bottle opener. But I found two of these:



And I am not sure what they are. They have elastic on the bottom. Perhaps they are napkin rings? This mystery may not be solved.

So I crashed in to bed after a little unpacking at 2:20am CT. And I slept my usual 8 hours and woke up at 5:30am Hawaii time! Time to start my adventures!

Preparing to Leave

So everyone knows that my kids can drive me nuts.  But as I prepare to send them off for 10 days and then head off myself 4,000 miles away, I just want to hold on to them forever.  I told Hannah this morning that if we didn't take our trips, what would we be doing?  Sitting around the house, running through the sprinkler, going to work and summer camp.  I told her we can do that when we get back.   That seemed to help both of us.  She is ecstatic to go see her cousins and I think back to my summers as a kid and I loved going to my Grandma's.  These are the memories she needs to make.

So... today is the last day of work.  I am wrapping up those last things.  I am really going to let go this time and not worry that someone might need something from me.  Things will go on without me here.  I am not that important!