Honolulu, Hawaii: Flash-back to October 2024: we were going to Hawaii for my 69th birthday. Well, that didn’t happen, but when Lisa and Lenny invited us to come along on their winter trip to the islands this week, we said yes. Then two of Dave’s college roommates were going to meet on the 26th of December for dinner in Honolulu, so we flew over a day ahead of the kids, checked into the Pink Palace (for one night) and will join the kids at another hotel in the morning.
Flash-back to yesterday: we woke to serious fog. So odd. We had fog over the ponds behind our house a few weeks ago, but this fog bank enveloped the entire valley.
We had our usual December 25th, celebrating Jimmy Buffett’s birthday with Cheeseburgers and Margaritas. My brother in Colorado takes Jimmy’s birthday a little more seriously:
A quick tomato update:
When planning our trip to Honolulu, a 10a non-stop flight from Ontario to Honolulu seemed like the best bet. It was booked, only to be changed by the airline a few weeks later to an 8a departure. That is a serious reschedule. Ugh. We are about 90 minutes from the Ontario airport. This would mean the dreaded DRIVING IN THE DARK. The revised schedule was due to the Alaska-Hawaiian Air merger, and due to airline regulations on compensating passengers due to a schedule change (do not know these details, sorry), Alaska gave us a tidy sum. (We still had to wake at 3:30a to make our flight.)
The flight was full and - before we took-off - the Captain came out of the cockpit and gave us a little chitchat over the microphone. Something about not knowing what was going on up there in the Wild Blue Yonder with (yet another) atmospheric river hovering. It had been raining for two days at our house, and we had rain on our drive to Ontario (in the dark!), and since our flight was the first one pointed west this morning… well, he would try to keep us out of the bumps. This talk was a bit scary. I am not afraid of flying at all, but hate BAD turbulance. Honestly, Our Captain found only a few minor bumps along the way. They served us a massive breakfast and I stitched most of the way to Honolulu (when I wasn’t napping).
Not sure how one person could eat all this food. We were served muesli with lemon curd yoghurt, a mini banana bread, citrus slices, chicken-apple sausages, a Monterey Jack omelet, a risotto-type cheesy thing made with barley (instead of rice), and a roasted red pepper. I couldn’t finish half the omelet, but did take down a sausage and the fruit.
As previously reported, we have only been to Honolulu to change planes to visit other Hawaiian islands. (Well, DT came here with his parents on an Air Force Space-Available flight in 1960-ish. He remembers nothing.) The last time we were in Hawaii, Lisa was in college.
The 4L’s have booked hotel rooms for us all starting tomorrow, but as we planned to arrive today to have dinner with friends, and the 4L hotel was not available tonight… so I did book the Royal Hawaiian (where my parents stayed on their 25th wedding anniversary) for tonight. Appearing One Night Only.
Of course, since we will only be here one night - just our luck - they upgraded us into a fabulous two-room corner suite! We have a view out to the sea AND a view over the garden.
This suite is called the Alfred Apaka Suite - a very popular Hawaiian singer who died in 1960..
This room upgrade is 1000% better than the time the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco upgraded us (with a ten-year-old Lisa) to a suite… only to later learn it was the room occupied by Fatty Arbuckle in 1921.
We really didn’t unpack, as we are moving hotel tomorrow, so just went down to the Mai Tai Bar and had a cold drink. First time to get a marischino cherry in a margarita, and first time for DT to get an orchid flower garnishing his beer. Wondering why I had a margarita at a Mai Tai bar? Their Mai Tai was $40.
We walked around town a bit after our drink. I wanted to find the Duke Kahanamoku statue down the street. It was amazing how many people were on the beach. We are Hawaiian tourists now!
We also found a long passageway from the main drag down to the shore - both sides lined with surfboards. It’s like a giant locking bike rack for boards.
Bruce and Lisa are here visiting family as Lisa was born/raised in Honolulu. Another roomie, Curtis (also born/raised in Honolulu) was here because he lives here! All our kids are grown; everyone has retired. We all had a very nice evening at - wait for it - an Irish Pub. Don’t think you can even get a Mai Tai at Murphy’s Irish Pub, but they poured a perfect pint of Guinness and also served some mean corned beef. The entire restaurant is completely covered from roof to floor with homemade Christmas quilts and decor made by Mrs. Murphy.
Lisa & Bruce, Terry & Dave, Cindy and Curtis
Our Lisa arrives with her family tomorrow afternoon and she has planned so many fun things for us to do in Honolulu. Stayed tuned.
Until my next update, I remain, your island correspondent.
Wishing you and your family a New Year filled with love,good health and many blessings!
And the adventures start right now 💕😋😋
Thank you, Mary!