May 4, 2008 “No shoes, no shirt, no service!” This message posted on most store fronts in Wisconsin is out of place in Hawaii. Life in the 50th state is casual!
My vacation last month was casual too. My brother, Art, and his wife, Pat, were great hosts! We visited the Polynesian Cultural Center in the north of the island Oahu. The exhibit displayed the cultures from seven different Polynesian Islands; we were entertained by singers and dancers; children were brought on stage to crack open coconuts; one dancer did incredible things with a fiery baton; I cannot to this day believe what can be done with a ukulele in the hands of an expert.
One day we boarded a catamaran to watch the whales, and we witnessed magnificent sunsets. Of course, we toured the monument to the USS Arizona where 1,177 men lost their lives at Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. Next to the sunken Arizona rests the USS Missouri on which General Douglas MacArthur signed the peace treaty with Japan four years later. The two ships, now side by side, represent the beginning and the end of World War II. The National War Memorial, “The Punchbowl”, honors the dead from all Pacific wars, those who are buried there and the many who were missing in action.
And, nearly every day we went snorkeling. Ah, the mysteries of the deep! Fish come in almost as many varieties as people. Bright yellow oval fish darting about; schools of silver fish turning “as a school” on a dime; sea turtles using their front legs “to fly” ever so gently through the waters; cobalt blue fish and so many more swimming among the coral reefs. No sharks, thank God!
And, as on every great vacation, the greatest charm, the deepest mysteries are shared among companions. Family memories glowed like embers of a fire in a breeze. It was holy time.
By the way, you don’t see a lot of out-of-state license plates in Hawaii!