Visit to Pearl Harbor

"We are now in this war. We are all in it -- all the way. Every single man, woman and child is a partner in the most tremendous undertaking of our American history." 

~ President Franklin D. Roosevelt, fireside chat, December 9, 1941

The photos shown here can in no way describe how we felt upon visiting Pearl Harbor. It was a very emotional visit as we read the names of those who died in the attack. To stand on the very ground where men sacrificed their lives was a very sobering experience. 

Monument listing the fallen, with the Battleship Missouri in the background

USS Arizona Memorial

1,770 men died on this ship

Anchor from the USS Arizona

Looking in a submarine hatch

"Acts of heroism were many that day and not all recorded." 

~ Gunner's Mate Third Class Alvin H. Bruene, USS Arizona

Luau - The Feast at Lele

The luau was by far our favorite activity that we participated in during our visit to Maui. The Feast at Lele was held in an amphitheater-type setting right off the water in Lahaina. We were treated to great food, drinks and entertainment for three hours. There were four courses of food, representing the cultural influences on Hawaii - Polynesia, Tahiti, New Zealand and Samoa. Each course had its own food and entertainment. Here's a small sampling of the evening.

As we came in we chose a drink and were given a beautiful lei, something I had wanted since we arrived on the island. We drank fresh squeezed guava juice and ate fried plaintain and purple sweet potato chips with a delicious fresh island salsa.

Polynesian Course:

Pohole Fern, Asparagus and Heart of Palm Salad

Swordfish with Mango/Pineapple Salsa

Fresh Kalu'a Pork with Poi and Cabbage

Hula Dancers

Pina Colada - delicious!

New Zealand Course:

Upcountry Greens Duck Salad with Poha Berry Vinaigrette

Harore Kumara (Roasted Mushrooms with Sweet Potato)

Kuku Patties (Fishcake with Scallops and Shrimp)

Haka, War Dance

Fire and Knife Dancer

What a wonderful evening this was. I'm guessing there won't be another like it, unless I can talk Jeff into going back to Hawaii next year. I'm going to start saving my pennies, just in case...

Hawaii Flora and Fauna

I neglected to mention in the previous post that Hawaii was going to take several blog posts. There are just too many pictures to wrap up our entire trip in one posting. Part of what makes Hawaii so beautiful, of course, is the unbelievable amount of unusual flowers and plants. The temperature was around 85 degrees with a slight breeze and no humidity that I could feel. In other words, my perfect temperature! And, that's year round. No wonder the flowers there are so showy. 

Bird of Paradise

These were everywhere in the Garden of Eden.

 Orchids growing on a tree on the golf course

Bougainvillea, which grew along the roads in hedges

I will never smell plumeria again without thinking of Hawaii. The trees are everywhere and constantly drop fragrant white petals on the ground. Glorious!

Hibiscus

A crazy bird of paradise

More plumeria

Hibiscus outside our condo

Banyan tree in Honolulu

Palms in Waikiki

Shower Tree

One of these grew by my Nanny's house when I was young. She called it a Rain Tree. I thought it was interesting that the Hawaiians called it a Shower Tree.

Red Ginger

White Ginger

I think I'll go to Bath & Body and see if I can find some plumeria lotion. Ahhhhh.....

Hawaii Landscapes

There is absolutely no way for pictures to perfectly capture the beauty that is Maui. Breathtaking, every inch of it! I selected a few of my favorite photos to showcase God's incredible creation on this island.

View from our condo in Kihei (pronounced key-hay)

Where we walked on the beach every morning

Garden of Eden on the Road to Hana

Also, where the opening scene of Jurassic Park was filmed

Sunset over Maa'alea Bay

Golf at Wailea, Old Blue Course

See the ocean in the background?

View from the golf cart at Wailea

Sunset over Waikiki Beach on O'ahu

Pali Lookout, Honolulu

Oh, Summer, How You Are Flying By

I'm pretty sure I recently blogged that time is going by really quickly. I think I say that frequently. I checked my blog today and realized I hadn't posted anything in some time. I think that's because I've met myself coming and going. Travel has been a big part of our June and July. We've had some great events going on in the Holmes' house. I've pulled some photos to highlight the last few weeks. 

Katherine's book came out in paperback

(I have copies for $10 each! Autographed!)

Pa taught Abigail and Rebecca to shoot a gun.

Becca turned around only a few days later and killed a squirrel!

I went to Wichita, Kansas with Jeff on a business trip. We saw this beautiful park statue, "Keeper of the Plains."

The entire family went to the Peach Festival in Weatherford. Katherine and Abigail had both entered artwork in the contest. Awards handed out:

Katherine - "Best in Show"

Abigail - 1st Place in 10-12 Grade

Katherine - 1st Place in Oil on Canvas

I took Abigail and two friends to the One Direction store in Dallas.

(Note: This is a big deal.)

I made these chocolate cupcakes with vanilla buttercream for someone's birthday. How sad is it that I cannot remember who that was?  Oh dear...

 We are still harvesting cherry tomatoes from the garden. And, the occasional zucchini.

And, that's a little glimpse of our summer so far. Up next...Hawaii!!! Come back in a few days and I'll have my slide show ready.