Oahu

Last week I finally got to visit the island of Oahu (Hawaii). My cousin John and his family have been living out there for about 1 1/2 years now. He is a doctor for the Army. I would say, if there is a great place to serve your country, then it's in Hawaii. We enjoyed boat rentals, island tours and acquarium visits (not to mention PX shopping) at reduced military rates. (The island is otherwise quite pricey). When I got to the airport, John greeted me with a lei, which is Hawaiian for flower necklace (I think). Thank you, John. And thank you Joanne, for all your work, and for the bag lunches and for being Mom!


My cousin's family and kids during our outing to the beach

Hawaii is definitely a wonderful place to be a kid. Where else can you go to the beach and swim, any day of the year? It's true, they did just have a long period of rain ... but after I got there, it gradually cleared up. I went snorkeling twice, which is enjoyable, even though I did forget my contact lenses (I am nearsighted). Snorkeling is great, but I suppose if you do it many times, it could get boring. I kept cutting my feet because I was too lazy to bring snorkel shoes (and what are you supposed to do with your shoes when you want to put the flippers on?)

During a day tour on Monday (my 3rd day there), I learned about the island chain. I wasn't aware that major settlement of Hawaii didn't occurr till about 1000 A.D.. Or, that the largest ethnic group of Oahu's residents are Asian (not Polynesian, and not white). Basically, it's a big mix of people. There are also several colleges and schools in Honolulu. I wish I'd been there before I went to college!


Here's a morsel for my show-me-booty-or-give-me-death readers. I forgot to zoom in!