This winter I really hoped for something new; honing my search into remote Caribbean or maybe way down into Mexico someplace along the gulf. The options looked promising with bargains galore but then there is, the flight. Being self employed with adult children comes with the blessing of being able to leave any time you'd like. It also comes with the difficulty of taking no more than 7 days off at a time. Cool Caribbean\Gulf of Mexico, 2 days fly time each way.... )o: So Hawaii it was. Cheap short flights and bargain hotels made the choice that much easier. We've been to Maui a few times and decided to try something completely different. Having a friend who lived in Honolulu for years helped give an idea of what to anticipate and where to eat! (Something Bill & I enjoy probably a little too much).
Since I have such a struggle finding the time to blog, I am cramming this 5 day get away into one. So be prepared, it's long. You may want to take 5 days to read it!
Our first day we did not even take the camera out. I think we were both just so happy to be away from work the first thing on our mind was pool; which is where we spent the entire day. Reading, swimming, walking the beach, eating, people watching, sunning our souls... Simply glorious.
Day 2 we were ready for adventure and headed out. With my notes from our friend we headed out to:
After a country drive through the hills (hey I know they are mountains to them but living in the Cascade Mountain Range they seem more like hills to me) our first destination was the town of Haleiwa. Beachy, cool, total surfer town. I am convinced if Heidi, Joe & Josiah lived in Hawaii this is where they would live; it felt very them.
Of course we had to stop and wait in line for the famous Shave Ice. It was good but to cold to enjoy. We were having some tropical winter weather... Who knew... winter...
Signs of the 'feel' of this town.
We did have the best Mexican food we've ever tasted here. If you go, I say stop, it's super! I am trying to figure out how to open one in Bend, OR.
We then proceeded to drive around the Island; looking for some of the famous big surf in hopes of finding surfers on top of it. It was really quite windy and seemed maybe not the best conditions; awesome to watch though. We stopped at lots of beaches along our beautiful drive.
Did I mention this was a kind of food\road trip.....
She taught me how to cut them, I have always wondered.......
The next goal; a shrimp truck.
I was not satisfied with any truck; the aroma needed to be decent too.
So we settled for the 'famous' one, along with almost all of the other tourists. It proved good except Bill wanted the super spicy (the sign said NO REFUNDS...) too hot for my tastes but the shrimp was really good.
The drive was so lovely.
With lush tropical scenery the entire way.
We ended the day with a dinner at Roy's. The reputation is well deserved. It was a fantastic dinner.
Next day we decided to make our way up the 'mountain' we had been admiring from out hotel room.
It's a fun hike\walk and even halfway up you have views that birds enjoy.
The old bunkers along with the caves were a humble reminder of why the path was originally built.
It is not in our nature to be there and think of looking for enemy invasion, another time I suppose... For me it's simply absorbing the beauty of creation.
Taking a rest before we head to the top. It's only 760 feet up but at times seemed a steep climb.
If you have never been to Hawaii, you can see right here one of the many reasons it is so special; clear blue water.
Feeling on top of the world, well almost.....
Now we could view our hotel room from Diamond Head, yep it's that speck right there, past the pink one and up some. (o:
Yes this 'hike' was built by the military, a few years back....
Heading back into town we grabbed a quick shot of Waikiki Beach, a happening place.
We decided to end the day at the Tapas Bar at our hotel.
So we could absorb some more of this.
Waking up we made the wise choice to spend our day here.
We both loved it so much and barely noticed the day of rain because our hearts and minds were so filled with history and meaning instead.
Our destination the Arizona Memorial; the USS Missouri sits nearby as she did December 7, 1941.
The rusted equipment you see are actual parts of the Arizona, that is how shallow she is buried.
It is a place of reverence. I couldn't get myself to take pictures of the memorial it's self, it just did not feel right. There are 1177 men buried here.
After almost 70 years, her oil still leeks.
They call it her Black Tears.
On our way back to shore we decided we wanted to spend our entire day here. Simply to honor the military along with Bill's dad and my brother in law who both severed in the Navy. We thought it would be interesting to learn about the world they lived in at one time.
Pearl Harbor continues to be a working base. We got to spy a sub coming back into port.
Next the USS Bowfin. Wow, what a machine!
I find it pretty amazing what man has built.
Bill was for sure playing sailor by this time, trying to get a grasp on the life that Chuck once had.
I started getting nervous that he would get in trouble for playing with everything... I tend to be a rule follower.
Seriously, there is nothing to shoot at!
Thank God.
Now for our delve into the world that Bill's dad once lived in. The USS Missouri. She was HUGE, SO SO HUGE! Bill made me salute.... I am not even sure if that is okay if you are not military.... (A rule follower...) I obliged deciding since my dad served in the Army it would be safe.
Still playing....... I told him he needed to take the sweater off his neck to be more believable; he wouldn't listen. Children......
(o:
Seriously large guns. This is one dangerous battleship!
And right here on this exact spot, the end of World War II. In my opinion once sweet place to step my feet. I love history.
At the end of the day the rain had moved on and during a warm afternoon walk along the beach we found what we thought would be the perfect spot for dinner. It ended up being an exquisite hotel adjacent to ours.
The setting was better than perfect and the food fabulous. We even worked in a factor of fun with the fact that our waiter had just returned from a 2 week vacation in Bend! Go figure...... He seems found of...... snow..... whatever!
Upon our exit i just about lost Bill, for his other dream girl was parked out front. I really did have to tear him away and he made me take this picture! I admit it was gorgeous.
We ended the week as we began, the weather was finally clear and the air was warm, we spent our day lounging in the tropics. We decided to have drinks by the pool at the end of the day.
That way Bill could hop in on a whim and get in just one more swim!
It was not easy saying goodbye to this glorious view although home is alway the better place.
This my friends is why I steal this man away. He works so hard and is so focused 100% of the time; because of him I am blessed beyond anything I've ever imagined. He is my favorite person in this world and when he is away from the office he is able to smile like this and let go a tiny bit. For that and the warm air it's so worth it!
