Surf's Up!! (The last day)

Today the ocean was a whole lot different than it was yesterday. The great snorkel area we were at yesterday was getting pounded today. It would have turned me into hamburger meat! Talking with a surfer today, he told me that the waves were about 8 feet. The measurement is at the back of the wave, and the front is twice that. So an 8 foot wave is 16 feet high comming at you. There were quite a few surfers out today, but they are quite a ways out, and they don't come anywhere near shore when they terminate their ride. We were at Waimea and Sunset Beaches this morning, with the best surf at Sunset. The Banzai Pipeline is between these 2 beaches which are only a couple miles apart. We tried to get some pictures of surfers, but were only able to get the body surfers and the boogie boarders.
I did find one well protected cove to snorkel this afternoon that had lots of fish, but was only 3 feet deep with a lot of sharp rocks and coral. I managed to keep from getting scraped up. Only stayed in for about half an hour.
We took a drive down part of the east coast (we drove up it Tuesday) and checked out a couple of gift shops, then stopped for lunch. We didn't find much interesting, and a lot of the little roadside souveneir shops weren't open. They must not have known that Joyce was comming!
Tomorrow morning we head for Honolulu to catch a 1:45 flight back to reality. We've been getting lots of weather information from the home front, and it doesn't sound good! Snow in the mountains and hail in Seattle. We can hardly wait for February and the Arizona sun.
You'll be able to recognize me at the airport tomorrow night. I'll be the guy in the shorts, sandals, and Hawaiian shirt.
The final aloha, Ernie and Joyce

Cowabunga!

Here we are on the North Shore of Oahu where a bunch of the surfing spots that the Beach Boys were singing about in the early 60's. I snorkled today in a little beach that was just a couple miles west of the Banzai Pipeline, and just a couple miles east of Waimea Bay! The water here is clear as can be, and the fish are plentiful. I spent about 45 minutes in the water while Joyce read a book on the beach. Then we stopped at Waimea Bay and spent about an hour talking with a couple who relocated there from Europe about 35 years ago. After that we went to Hale'iwa for lunch. I had a pulled pork sandwich that was pretty good. Then we cruised around the shopping areas a little. By now it was mid afternoon, and a break with a nap sounded good. When we got back to the place where we are staying, the key that we left hidden in a fake rock was gone! Not just the key, but the fake rock also. So we spent an hour or so contacting the owner, and getting another key. Apparently the new young dog they have has been known to do strange things like move rocks and shells from their places. By then it was Mai Tai time, and the World Series was on. A-Roid went 0 for 4and Philly won 6 to 1, so all was well again.(Go Philly's)
Internet connection is very weak here, but I will try to post some picture later today or tomorrow.
Only one more day,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Ernie

Hawaii Day #4 & 5

Sunday we spent the day hanging out here at the resort. This property is so nice that it wouldn't be right not to spend time here. We had a sales presentation to attend at 2:00 in the afternoon which lasted for about 2 hours. It's very tempting. It could be something that fits into our plans at a later date.
Sunday evening there was a "Torch Lighting Ceremony" on the main lawn. That's where the pictures of the people dressed in native attire, and playing with fire came from.
It was well done and lasted about an hour.
Yesterday we went to the Punchbowl Volcano National Cemetery on the hill overlooking Honolulu. The cemetery was started in the late 40's. We spent a couple hours there.
As the name implies, it's located in the crater of an old volcano. That is where the other pictures posted came from. It makes you stop and think about what the generation that born in the teen's and twentie's went through. There is a complete history of World War 2 depicted in large murals begining with the attack on Pearl Harbor, and ending with the Japanese surrender. There are many thousands of names on the marble walls of the soldiers and sailors whose remains were never recovered. Looking through the cemetery, I came upon a marker for a young man killed in action just 4 months after his 17th birthday. When I was 17, I was in high school. It makes a person think.
We will be checking out of here at 10:00 this morning, and will be heading to the north shore. We will be staying just a few miles from Wiamea Bay and the famous surfing at the Bonzai Pipeline. The surf is just begining to get big there, so I hope to get some good pictures. Will up-date the blog from there.
P.S. The temperatures are still mid to upper 80's!!
Aloha again, Ernie and Joyce

Hawaii day 2

We went to Hanauma Bay in the morning for snorkeling fo Ernie, and beach sitting with a book for Joyce. Spectacular area and quite crowded. Huge bay, and very shallow reef. Probably not more than 3 or 4 feet deep anywhere. The water was warm, but slightly cloudy. Saw a fair amount of fish, but not like on the big island, or the area where we snorkeled on Kauai. I did see a couple of eels, and one big turtle.
After the beach we headed to Molly's Barbecue. Molly is from Texas, and has had the business here for about 10 years. I had a combo plate with beef briskit and pork ribs. The combo came with 3 sides plus cornbread. Joyce had the briskit sandwich. It was all very good!
After lunch we came back to the resort and relaxed, and in the late afternoon took a walk along the beach. We went to a place called Aloha Salads and got dinner to go. We ate outside at one of the many tables around the property.
Today we have a sales presentation to attend, and we are talking about going to the Punchbowl Crater National Cemetery where many of the Pearl Harbor dead are buried later this afternoon.
Aloha again, Ernie and Joyce

Hawaii, the first day

Arrived on schedule Thursday afternoon, picked up the rental car and headed over to our 5 day home. The complex consists of 3 huge highrise buildings. Everything appears to be quite new, and the grounds are immaculate. Ther are several swimming pools & restaurants. There is a very nice sandy beach lagoon that is perfect for swimming. Unfortunately the lagoon is not good for snorkeling.
We took a drive up the west side of the island yesterday. It is approximately 10 miles to where the road ends. For about 5 miles the beach is covered with tents, tarp covered vehicles, leanto's, etc. There are hundreds if not thousands of people living sort of permanently on the beach. Beautiful beach that looks like Nickelsville. I don't understand it, but maybe it's a native Hawaiian thing. But I guess if I was a bum and just wanted to do nothing, this would be the place to do it. Mid 80's during the day, and low 70's at night. Today we are heading over toward Honolulu, and go to Hanauma Bay State Underwater Park to snorkel. I'm sure that it will be very crowded. We will update again in a couple of days. Now I hope that I can add a couple of pictures, then have a little breakfast.
Aloha, Ernie & Joyce

Back to "normal"

There's been a lot going on since my last update. Joyce made it home from her European Adventure with Kristin on the 29th of September. They saw a lot, and for the most part had a good time together. Now we can get on with our travel plans starting with 8 days in Hawaii later this month. I'm looking at making arrangements for some time in the Arizona sun with Spring Training Baseball thrown in. We'd like to go from mid February to mid April. We shall see. Baseball season ended today for us with the Mariners going 85 & 77 after last years 61 & 101. Counting Spring Training, I saw 25 Mariners games this year, and Joyce saw almost that many. If this was Juniors last season, he finished with a base hit on his final at bat. Almost everybody wants to see him back next year. We shall see.
Last Sunday I attended a memorial service for an old friend who passed away way too soon at 60 years of age. This was the 3rd passing from a group that hung out together in the mid 60's. I hadn't seen her in at least 30 years, and we were just in the process of setting up a reunion of those of us that are still in the area. But on a brighter note, several of us who hadn't been together in years have re-connected. I intend to not let people slip away any more, and e-mail will allow us to stay connected. These damn computers are good for something!!
It's a beautiful day, the barbecue is loaded with three racks of pork back ribs, and there's beer in the refrigerator. Life is good. Stay connected. You never know.
Ernie