Hawaii Vacation - Saturday, Dec 5, 2009

We started our Saturday morning with muffins and juice on the balcony overlooking Ala Moana Blvd. Our hotel is the Waikiki Marina Resort at Iliaki. It is right at the beginning of Waikiki Beach. Behind it is the marina. To the side of it is a beautiful lagoon for public swimming and hotel guests. Then the actual beach front for Waikiki begins.

After a nice breakfast and being sure they picked our luggage up in the room to load on the bus, we headed downstairs to meet the other people on our tour. We booked our tour through LDS Travel and all of the other participants in this tour were members of the Church. Our tour guide was Sue Ochoa and her hubby John. John is half Hawaiian. They are wonderful people and made sure we had a great cruise and tour. The special guest on this particular trip was Mary Ellen Edmunds. She is a wonderful speaker and author. Last Mother's Day I gave my daughters and mother-in-law one of her little books. She served on the Relief Society General Board. She has also served missions in Africa and the Philippines and many other places. She spoke to us 3 evenings of the cruise. Mary Ellen was right there in the lobby to greet and get to know each of the people on this tour. She wore her t-shirt with an American flag on the front because we were going to Pearl Harbor first. I wore my red shirt and blue jean capris so I would be in red and blue for the Pearl Harbor tour as well. The picture below is Sue Ochoa and Mary Ellen Edmunds on the tour bus as we make our way from the hotel to Pearl Harbor.

A quick story about Mary Ellen, she came to Lexington to speak at a tri-stake women's meeting. Mimi and Papa were here by then and I took Mimi with me. She was not able to really understand a lot of what was going on. But whenever Sis. Edmunds said something funny, Mimi would laugh. It was a memory I treasure and shared with Mary Ellen.

We arrived at Pearl Harbor and I was surprised at how small this area of water really is. Our tour guide, Robert, would get the tickets. Then we all marched in the visitor's center for a viewing of a film about the events at Pearl Harbor. Then they put you on a boat to transport you across the water to the Arizona Memorial. The picture below is my first view of the Arizona Memorial as we go across the harbor.

The transport boat pulls right up to a little dock at one end of the Memorial. We were asked to not take pictures until we got into the Memorial for safety reasons. As we sat and waited our turn I was able to get this shot of the Memorial.

This is really a self-guided visit. We were given a brochure. Everyone is very quiet and respectful. The Memorial is built across the Arizona which is under the water. You can see it under the water with little spits of oil coming to the surface occasionally. It is estimated this oil seepage will continue for about 100 more years. The Memorial is very open with cross pieces of concrete around the sides and top. At the opposite end from where we entered is a room with a wall full of names of those who died on the Arizona. To the left of this wall is a small marble container with names engraved on it. These are the soldiers who survived Pearl Harbor and chose to be cremated and have their remains buried with their comrades at the memorial. Extremely moving. In front of the door to this room is an opening in the memorial so that you can see into the water and see the Arizona beneath the Memorial. Little fish swim around. There is also a display case with a picture of the Arizona and the Memorial over it so you can tell what is peeking out of the water on the Arizona. At the entry from the dock is a little room with flags on each side. I also took a neat picture of the American flag that flies over the Arizona as seen through the slats in the ceiling. These flags are taken down and you can purchase them in the visitor's center.

After we had time to visit and see everything, a transport boat took us back to the visitor's center. We looked through a little museum they have their. Then we walked around to the outside exhibits. There is a submarine, lots of torpedos and some type of airplane. Then we all boarded the bus and headed for Haleiwa on the northern shore of Oahu for lunch and shopping.

The picture below is of coffee trees. Lots of coffee grown now but not so many pineapple and sugar cane plantations. This is expensive and has been moved to 3rd world countries where labor is less expensive. I was amazed at the enormous Norfolk Pines growing on these islands. They were brought there and grew straight and tall and could be used to replace masts that broke on sailing vessels many years ago. They made really good wind breaks for the groves of coffee, macadamia nut and other orchards of trees.

Claude and I made a bee line after the bus parked to Haleiwa Joe's for a seafood lunch. We sat on the lanai facing this harbor and watched these enormous waves crashing against the retaining wall that protects this little harbor. This is a favorite spot for surfing. The only surfers we saw were in a little bay area to the right of this picture where the water was a lot calmer. These waves were 30 - 40 feet and the precursor of what would come the next day.

After lunch we walked back through town and had a real Hawaiian shave ice across the highway from this cute little church. I can't remember the denomination but the church had a rock archway over the entrance to the path that led up to it and this archway was covered in cactus like you see in the foreground of this picture. Then there was a cactus hedge around the church grounds and cemetary (which you see between the cactus and the church). It was just lovely.

Our final stop for the day was at Dole Pineapple Plantation. They do have a train tour that explains all about pineapples but we only visited the store. Next to the store is a maze. While in this store they have a booth that you can purchase an oyster and see if you get a pearl. Claude bought me an oyster and, sure enough, there was a beautiful pearl inside. The lady cleaned it up and drilled a hole in it. Now comes the part where they make their money. She brought out the settings for this pearl. The first one she showed us was not one I would choose. The 2nd one she showed us was exactly what I would have chosen. As soon as she brought it out Claude even said, "That is just like you!" Well, just like me or no, it was more that I felt we shoudl pay. But Claude reminded me this was a 40th anniversary trip and we would count that as my anniversary gift. So the nice lady set my new pearl in its beautiful setting.

Then she told me I was entitled to a free oyster. We opened that oyster and there were 2 pearls. Now she started the process of showing me settings for matching earrings. I assured here this was where I drew my line in the sand. One setting was enough. So she cleaned the 2 pearls and drilled holes in them and we'll find a way to set them here in Kentucky.

As we waited for the others to gather at the bus I got the picture of a eucalyptus tree. This one is the 'painted' variety. So named because as the bark peels away it reveals layers of wonderful color.

As it turned out they had a little bit of time for a stop at Walmart on the way to the boat. Claude and I just shook our heads. All the way from Kentucky we come where Walmart is our 'mall' to shop at a Walmart in Oahu. Actually they have the same souveniers as lots of the shops you are in at a lower cost. It seemed that every port we stopped at had a free shuttle to Walmart and/or KMart. Go figure!!

Then we really did go back to Honolulu and embarked on the Pride of America, a Norwegian Cruise Line ship. Departure time WAS to have been 8pm. More about that with Sunday, December 6th entry. This is a view of Waikiki and Diamond Head from the upper deck of the ship.

Hawaiian Vacation - Friday, Dec 4, 2009

Friday was a travel day. We were able to sleep in a bit. Then we took the shuttle back to LAX for our flight on Northwest to Honolulu. We were very fortunate in that our seats were booked as and aisle and a window and no one else was sitting in the middle seat. I took this picture of the California shoreline from our plane window.

We arrived in Honolulu after dark. I was able to get this picture of the Aloha Airport sign.

We took the Roberts of Hawaii shuttle service to the Waikiki Marina Resort at Iliaki where our hotel room awaited us. After checking in we made a beeline for the ABC store across the street and down to the end of the block for a muffin and bottle of juice for each of us for breakfast the next morning. We had an early time to meet with the group and have our luggage ready for pick up in our room. So we decided not to try any of the local restaurants for breakfast.

Then we took a walk on the lanai of the hotel. It was great to outside of the plane and stretch our legs. The air felt great. They were decorated for Christmas. The only put lights on the trunks and branches of the trees where there are not any leaves. The hotel is at the marina. Next door was a lagoon for swimming. Then the beach of Waikiki begins.

Time for a good nights rest so we could enjoy our pre-tour excursion on Oahu.

Hawaii Vacation - Dec 3, 2009, Thursday

Thursday morning we were up and out early to Cincinnati to catch our Delta flight to Los Angeles. The flight was on time and went well. Knowing we would have the afternoon in Los Angeles, I booked us tickets for Universal Studios. Silly me...I thought I was going to just do the tour of the studios. They have an amusement park now and you can't see the studios without purchasing a ticket to the amusement park. Since the hotel listed this as an attraction to see while staying at their hotel, Claude and I determined we should get the tickets and spend the afternoon at Universal Studios. When the hotel shuttle picked us up at LAX I asked the driver if the shuttle could take us to Universal Studios. He assured me it could NOT go that far. Next question...how far it is? "Well, in a car it takes 45 minutes if traffic goes well." I knew from my ticket that the park closed at 5pm. Next question...what options are there for getting there from the hotel? "I can drive you to the Metro and you can take that, or a train, or ride the bus." Next question...How long will that take? "About 1 1/2 hours." Oh My Goodness...there goes our afternoon. Next question...What about a taxi? "That would be the fastest but they are very expensive." I looked at Claude, Claude looked at me...think, process, decision. We will take a taxi so we have maximum time at Universal Studios. We got checked into the hotel and headed downstairs where the front desk had called us a taxi. Our taxi driver was a happy guy. His taxi had seen some wear and tear. He chatted as we drove along. However, his driving was a little on the scary side. We made it to Universal Studios and paid a pretty penny for the privilege. Our taxi driver gave us a card with his "personal" phone number on it. He asked us to call him an hour before we wanted to return to the hotel and he would come and get us. He dropped us off at the place he would pick us up. This was at one end of Univeral City Walk which is a pedestrian street with shops and restaurants on it. We got a map of the park and located the Studio Tour and made a bee line for that attraction. That was the purpose for purchasing the tickets in the first place. They put you on a tram with a TV monitor in the front of each car. The tram will take you through Universal Studio's lot and show clips of shows that are filmed in these places on the TV monitor. It was at this point that I realized I didn't take the camera out of my carry-on and put it in my purse. We were tourists with no camera. So out came my cell phone and we would use it for our pictures. This makes them not the best quality but a whole lot better than no photos. May I tell you what fun it is to take pictures, then try to send them to my home eMail between shows so that I have room to take more pictures. For those of you that text (I do not) this may be an easy feat. Not so much for Sandi.

I really enjoyed this tour. Claude did it many years ago when in LA on a business trip. It was different than he remembered. The sets are fun to view of towns. They tell how they can use the same town and set different things in it to represent different countries. Then they shoot a different angles so you think you are in a totally different place. We passed a patch of grass with a bench on it and the tour guide said, "This is Central Park in New York City." There was a lake with a fishing village as a background. This was were Jaws was done. While on the tram, they slow the car down and out of the water comes a recreation of the great white shark.

They took us down the street on which they film Desperate Housewives. Normally this is not a part of the tour because of filming but they happened to be on location so they headed that tram down Wisteria Lane. We saw the house from Great Outdoors (one of my favorite films). We had water run down a street and right up to the tram. We watched the parting of the water so our tram could drive through. There was a pond with the scale size model of a ship that was used in some movie. There was the set from War of the Worlds with steam coming out of places in it like it had just exploded. The tram was driven into one of the big buildings they create a set in. This set was like being in a subway station underground. They simulated an earthquake with the tram rocking, the ceiling caving in, water coming in from side entrances and sparks flying everywhere. There was even a couple of cars where they showed how they replicate gunfire around cars with smoke and these cars are actually on robotic arms that move them into the air like they are going to crash or explode. These types of sets are great because the robot movement can be replicated exactly for mulitiple shooting. We were able to squeeze in 3 other shows in the afternoon. The first was about Special Effects. They used a lot of audience participation. They moved us to several other rooms to see different ways of using special effects. Another show was 'Backdraft' and it showed you how they used fire and controlled it to get the scenes they wanted for the movie. We moved through 3 rooms for this show. It was very realistic in the last room when things were set on fire like the closing scenes of the movie in the warehouse. We had a funnel cake and water as we waited for the final show of the day for us. It was 'Water World'. Claude and I like that Kevin Costner movie and I think this was Claude's favorite of the 4 things we did that afternoon.

They have recreated the set of the atoll from the movie. Then they do a play that is along the lines of the movie. Lots of jet ski action and falling into the water from very high places on the set. The actors for this particular show were real minor actors from Hollywood. Some were on Criminal Minds and CSI. At the end of the show a plane flew into the set landing in the water in front of us. It was really, really a cool thing.

All through the park there are costumed characters from Universal Studios projects. You can have your picture taken with them.

Now it was 5pm and time for the park to close. We found our way back to Universal's City Walk and back to Bubba Gump's for a nice shrimp dinner. After placing the order I tried to call our taxi driver to come back to get us. Imagine my amazement when I got the taxi service and they said it was illegal for them to come to Universal Studios, they were not licensed for that part of town. Hmmmm....what to do? I asked if he knew of a taxi service that could come get us and take us back to our hotel. He gave me the phone number for City Cab. I called them and we were fortunate enough that they had a taxi parked right out in front of the amusement park.

We had a full great first day to our vacation. Now for a good nights rest before flying to Honolulu tomorrow.

Hawaii Vacation - Getting Ready

I sent this eMail to our family to let them know our itinerary. I've taken out all but the itinerary for this blog. Here is what the plan was "supposed" to be. From: Sandra Christensen Sent: Monday, November 30, 2009 11:02 AM Subject: Hawaii Tour Information...Dear Family, We are cruising on Norwegian Cruise Lines. The name of the ship is ‘Pride of America’. We’ll be in stateroom #4540, Deck 4, Foreward. Remember that there is a 5 hour time difference between Kentucky and Hawaii. If it is 7am in Hawaii, it is 12noon in Kentucky. Thursday, Dec. 3 – Leave Cincinnati 9:00am. Arrive Los Angeles at 10:44am. Friday, Dec. 4 – Leave Los Angeles 2:45pm. Arrive Honolulu at 6:30pm. Saturday, Dec. 5 – Honolulu – Pre-Cruise Tour Arizona Memorial Visitor Center and Memorial Aloha Stadium Swap Meet for shopping Scenic drive to North Shore Dole Pineapple Plant & Pineapple Gardens Board the cruise ship for departure at 8pm Sunday, Dec. 6 – Maui – Grand Lahaina Tour Drive through Wailuku, ancient Capitol of the Hawaiian Kingdom. Sugar plantation Iao Valley – sacred burial ground of the kings Rainforest Taro farm Iao Needle Lahaina Town Square, Harvest Chapel, Waine’e Street (Waiola Church & Cemetery) Chanter to the sacred site of Moku-ula, home & final resting place of Hawaiian royalty Surfing grounds of Hawaiian high chiefs for lunch & shopping Monday, Dec. 7 – Maui – Haleakal Crater Tour Cowboy town of Makawao Lunch in Giggle Park World Championship Windsurfing Beach & tide pools at Ho’okipa Tuesday, Dec 8 – Hilo – Volcano National Park Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Factory Black Sand Beach Rainbow Falls Hilo Hatties to shop for Hawaiian apparel Wednesday, Dec 9 – Kona – Island Tour LDS Temple & Gardens Kealakekua Bay (Captain Cook lost his life) Painted Church Pu’uhonua o Honaunau (Place of Refuge) Shopping in town by the port Thursday, Dec 10 – Kauai – Napali Coast Boat excursion around Napali Coast. Friday, Dec. 11 – Kauai – Fern Grotto Cruise City tour on way to Wailia River Boat ride up river to Fern Grotto Opeaka Falls Saturday, Dec. 12 – Honolulu – Post-Tour Hanauma Bay & Halona’s Blow Hole. Drive Windward coast to LDS Temple Grounds & Visitor’s Center Polynesian Cultural Center, Luau dinner & Horizon’s show Sunday, Dec. 13 – Morning on our own Ancient burial ground on Oahu. Leave Honolulu at 9:40pm. Monday, Dec. 14 – Arrive Los Angeles 5:19am Tuesday, Dec. 15 – Leave Los Angeles 11:55am. Arrive Cincinnati 7:08pm. And there you have it. We plan on having a great time. We’ll come back exhausted. All of our cruises in the past have had a day or two ‘at sea’ where you just rest and relax. This cruise is touring every day and should be great fun but a bit more tiring when all is said and done. Love Ya Bunches, Claude & Sandi

We packed our bags carefully to meet weight restrictions and only have 2 suitcases and our carry-on's. Then we were off for our Island Adventure!!

Claude's Christmas Newsletter...

My hubby writes the best Christmas newsletter ever. He writes the letter each year and I do the keeping up with addresses and mailing portion. This year I thought I would try and post his newsletter to this blog. I've eMailed it to many of you and mailed to those of our friends who don't do the eMail thing. If you received it this way you might just skip this post. If you want to be on the eMail list for next year, please send me your eMail address. Here goes... _________________________________________________

THE CHRISTENSEN FAMILY CHRONICLES Circa 2009 Our Annual Approximation Of The Truth…

Eagle Bend Crop Report – 2009: While in truth we did our best harvesting in the WalMart produce section, the Colonel’s gardens were worth the effort this season. The box score? Tomatoes; pretty darn good, more variety, less fauna interference, and like their planter, when they were potted, they did better. We learned that deer don’t care for Roma tomatoes – according to the messages they left us. The Strawberry Patch -- Our various airborne visitors picked it clean, then reconstituted it and dropped it on our cars. Summer Squash -- 0 for 11. We suspect this was where the “deer and the antelope played” the most. On the upside we learned that in Kentucky, you can drop these creatures at will if they are in your garden, neighbors too I heard. Peppers & Onions -Yup, red, green, and some that couldn’t decide, we onioned and peppered enough to fiber our salads and stock up the salsa supply. Things That Are The Same: We still, for the most part, lie down when we sleep.

Things That Are New: It certainly isn’t us this year, but we (read - he) built yet another stone planter around the edge of the house for her to put stuff in, (yes, it grew…) Her Hero – OK, the ugly part - He turned 3-score this year, celebrating with a family gathering at Jake’s place in Chelsea, MI. Many tacos and much pizza were consumed along with an artfully grandchild-decorated cake. Some behavioral adjustments are now necessary, e.g. when he bends over to tie his shoes, he looks for other things to do while he is down there. His most evolved grandchild joined them in KY for her spring break to try out for the all-to-soon-to-be filled position of primary care-giver. A second interview is scheduled for the Christmas break. Travel-wise he made a quick trip to Utah (can’t remember exactly why), and we are pleased to announce that by the time you read this our globe-hopping couple will be or have been in Hawaii celebrating their shortly-after-that 40th anniversary as legalized roomies. Additional excursions are planned after the first of the year and we’ll let you know how they work out. Two weeks in the islands (note to self – check Hawaii off the bucket list). By the time you read this (again) our hero will have gone public with his decision to run for Mayor in the upcoming election cycle, campaign funds and your respective votes will be appreciated, just in case there is any competition. Even world domination must begin with a baby step. Remember, vote early and often. His 1st Wife, The “Tolstoy” of Bloggers – Yes boys and girls, everything you ever wanted to know, and a great deal of what you didn’t, about these two nice old people in central Kentucky can now be found on the Internet (sandi-thepurpleturtle.blogspot.com). Kind of makes this letter overkill doesn’t it… But fear not, our two post-mid-life mortal voyagers will continue to fight the good fight, between naps, and strive to keep you informed. Except for the HaWyAn trip mentioned above, group travel this year was limited to the requisite trips to see grandkids every few minutes. On the up-side she took a mandated time out for some minor repairs in the spring and came back a whole new woman. This was followed shortly thereafter by leading the “phased” Camp Christensen effort in July. The usual excesses occurred, no casualties to report. However, if the grandmonsters ever unite and organize, we’re in big trouble. We have confirmed that we are in a “continuing and committed” relationship on “Facebook” so we now have that going for us as well. If it’s on the net it must be so yes, it’s just been a banner year for us there…

Muskegon – OK, we’re back to four… Things will move fast here so pay attention. Nissa, et.al., enlarged the clan by one-ish by recruiting Todd to live the other half of her life and help manage their yours-mine-his-ours-theirs family circus. Rumors abound of impending nuptials (now they HAVE to go through with it, IT having been given space in this letter, read – upcoming trip to MI). Again from the rumor mill, KT will be asked to leave high school in June (read – upcoming trip to MI). PaulZ and Aubs are growing up, nothing can be done about that, sorry. Anyway, they continue to worship, worship I tell you, Ma and Pa and would rather be in KY than anyplace else they can think of except the candy store. While they do bear continual “watching” and cause untold head-scratching for Mom, Todd, Ma, Pa, KT, and several government agencies, we are getting to where we like them a lot. The possibility exists that all of these kids will actually become useful at some point. Fortunately, mom has it “all under control” and assures us we needn’t spend more than a few hours a day worrying. Oh yea, Nissa, you’re still grounded… The Land of the “Interesting Children” (their term, not mine) – The Federal Open Records Act requires the following announcement. “He” is currently dealing with an increasingly long list of things he has been “asked” not to do in front of these children because “They” lack judgment. For “his” part he is relatively innocent of any infractions, real or perceived (just so you know). Life in LaGrange continues to go well. Daddy works hard selling people places to sleep and reffing soccer games on the side. He even got invited to officialize games at a big regional tournament in the mid-west somewhere. I didn’t know they allowed soccer west of the Mississippi. Mommy manages the Marx Zoo Inc. and makes the rounds with others in her same boat. Master Hayden has become the chief paleontologist (dinosaur guy) at pre-school and has added several thousand words to his ever growing vocabulary. He was pleased to announce at his birthday party in November that his brain had grown THIS much since he turned 5. And then there’s Bailey… turns out she likes BBQ ribs so PA finally has a good rib-eating buddy. However, it’s best to keep your hands away from her mouth while the process is underway. Her favorite hobby is searching out old people with their eyes closed and using her “outside voice” to help them open their eyes. Live From Chelsea, it’s well -- Jake… -- Our most favorite starving artist (kind-of), continues his foray into the high-tech world when he’s not otherwise working at the University of Michigan in “Educational Theater.” On the up-side they beam him all over the country to do performances so he gets to see a bit of the world from time to time. We have taken to listening to National Public Radio as he made a number of audio appearances there, and we can thus find out what he’s up to (read – phone home will ya?). He did have a couple of short writing works performed in Ann Arbor this year and continues to read hard and write harder. He bought some furniture for his apartment this year too. We’re so proud. He’s doing OK, and made a couple of trips home to eat and do laundry. He was called on a couple of occasions to make his way up to Muskegon and “juvenile-sit” while big sister ran away from home to search for her wits, and his efforts at hosting the old-man’s festivities in October were exemplary. We’ve decided we’re glad he lives “in the middle.” Okey Dokey, we have once again reached the limit of your respective attention spans and must end this issue of the “Christensen Family Chronicles” so go eat something festive and please do have a Merry Christmas. The Christensen’s !!!