I got Cyndi to post those pics because I don’t have a laptop down here. So…
Day 0: travel, ugh, well, not so bad, but that is one looong plane trip after another. First to L.A., then to Hawaii. Everyone was pooped.
Day 1: wake up, eat breakfast with the band, go back to room, NAP. Gad, I’ve not done that since Christmas. Okay, moving on, went to the beach, found a really nice spot, and stared at the underside of a palm/coconut tree while I wasn’t reading or people watching. That’s ALL I had on my agenda. That picture is now my cell phone wallpaper to remind me to relax and chill. This was a serious day of DOING NOTHING! Remember that Calvin and Hobbes, strip?
Hobbes: “whatcha doing?”
Calvin: “Nuthin”
Hobbes: “Can I help?”
Calvin: “Sure”
Yeah, that was my day.
Day2: Today, we visited the USS Arizona Memorial, a somber moment. Despite being the WWI buff, I never knew the details of the Arizona and how many are entombed there still. Or, for that matter, the Oklahoma, also still resting on the floor of Pearl Harbor. Then we visited the USS Missouri. As Grandpa Paul likes to say, that thing could chuck VW Beetles at distances up to 23 miles. The real specs: launch 1900lb or 2700lb(your choice of Beetle, depending on the options, but it has to be 16″ in diameter) at speeds up to 2960 feet per sec out the the barrel of the gun(which I quickly calculated to be 1834mph or Mach 2.4 at sea level). Holy Cow! So, basically, park this ship 20 miles out and throw these beasts at the shore or the other guys ship. Nothing they have can touch you. How’s that for invincible? I will later post a pic of one of the inside doors near the turrets, about 20 inches of solid steel. I figured it serves two purposes: protect the guys inside, and protect the guys outside. The ‘bullet’ posted below is one of the aforementioned Beetles…I’d hate to have that thing land in my living room, much less at Mach 2.4
Later on Day 2, I decided to rent a car and check out other parts of the island. I found a wonderful spot on the North Shore nicknamed Hidden Beach, thanks to a wonderful book Debbie lent me. Hardly anyone there, and I enjoyed a backpacked dinner, my own sunset, my own pounding suf, and later, a dark night walk back to my car. I forgot to pack a flashlight, but the benefit was that I developed really keen night vision after a while, and WOW, the stars were amazing, especially this far from major cities. I was really tempted to spend the night, but I would have given Adam a fright in the morning by not being there.
Ok, off to bed, more later.