Jed, Abby, and I visited This is the Place Heritage Park with Grandma Baldwin and the Parker family. The day started out blustery and cool, but warmed up as the afternoon wore on. The last time we visited the Park, it was Pioneer Day in 2002. There were shoulder-to-shoulder people all over the Park that day. This day was much more manageable with few visitors. We were able to meander through the buildings and exhibits and take part in the activities. It was a fun day.
On Wednesday we arose early and headed–or tried to head–north to Laie where the Polynesian Cultural Center and the Laie Hawaii Temple are located. One word of advice: DO NOT use Google Maps on Oahu. They will lead you on all kinds of wild goose chases. Just use the tourist maps that are provided around town. You’ll get there in a flash. Needless to say, it took us a lot longer to get to Laie than it should have.
Since the Polynesian Cultural Center does not open until 11:00 a.m., we stopped at the Hawaii Temple first to have a look around. Yes, it looks just like the pictures, but farther away when standing near the Visitor’s Center. It is also quite a small temple, about the size of the average house in our neighborhood… :-). The grounds are absolutely beautiful and very manicured, like all other temples. And the same peaceful spirit was present everywhere we went. Jed told Abby that we were walking through Jesus’ garden. It was very sweet.
It wasn’t crowded yet because the shuttles don’t start arriving until after the Polynesian Cultural Center opens. So we had the grounds all to ourselves. It was very convenient for picture taking. Kind of reminds me of our wedding day :-).
On our first full-day in Hawaii, we spent the morning on Waikiki Beach playing in the sand in front of the pink hotel next to the Sheraton. Our hotel was actually not far from there. We were on Lewers Street, which is right in the midst of all the new shops and restaurants, and just a block away from the beach. It was a great location.
In the afternoon we visited Pearl Harbor. This was after we had to exchange our rental van because the bell chiming wouldn’t stop, even when all of the doors were securely closed (i.e. “slammed”). We couldn’t bear the thought of driving a full week with the constant chiming of a bell. It was very nerve racking.
Shirlee had told us to visit Pearl Harbor in the afternoon, so we dutifully did so. Yes, it wasn’t as crowded. We missed our USS Arizona Monument tour because we were snacking after sauntering through the museum displays. We didn’t know that we should have snacked first, taken the monument tour next, and then looked at the displays inside the museum last. They don’t really give you any directions of how you should visit the site. So we had to wait an extra 30 minutes before taking the monument tour.
However, we enjoyed Pearl Harbor very much. It was a sobering, informative visit. The grounds are beautiful, although the museum seems to be under construction for a new facility. The guides were friendly, and the tourists, who wouldn’t obey the naval personnel’s instructions on the boat, were funny. Maybe they don’t understand English.
After Pearl Harbor we visited Costco (following a suggestion from a guide book) to purchase a week’s worth of food for our tiny kitchen and stayed inside the remaining evening. I think we all went to bed around 8:00 p.m. The time change wore us out.
Our family took our 2008 Spring Break in Oahu, Hawaii. We had a blast in Paradise. Everything was colorful and beautiful. The time change made it easier to awake earlier (although now it’s even harder to get to bed early). There were many things to do for free. All the people were friendly. The weather was consistent from day to day, something that was not lost on Triumph the Insult Dog. Bridget commented that it was the best vacation that she has ever been on. I must say, it might be difficult to select a different vacation destination next year. Click Here, or on the picture below, to view our vacation photo collection on flickr.
Bridget had been born just two weeks before, and Brad was in Europe for a 10-day business trip. I was alone with a 3 1/2 year old, a 15-month old, and a newborn. Whenever I watch this video, my stress level rises because it reminds me of how stressful it was to take care of three children born within 3 1/2 years. But it had it’s pros and cons. It was definitely easier in many ways than raising one young child with no built-in playmates.
By the way, I purchased a video converter that allows me to export straight from my analog video camera into Final Cut Pro on my Mac. It’s called DAC-200 Digital Video Converter, and is sold by Datavideo Corporation. It looks like the DAC-200 is discontinued, but they have newer products that do the same thing. I had no problems with my real-time import. Pretty cool.
Our pool had been finished just a few weeks before. Our friends, The Caslers (Chris, Karen, Cory, Ryan, & Eileen), were visiting Arizona from Illinois where they had moved within the previous year. Leslie and kids (Kendra and Pax) were up from Tucson for a weekend visit. It was Labor Day, so no school. The temperatures were typical of an early September day, probably between 110 F and 115 F. Thus, it was a perfect day for a swimming party!
Brad and I had been casually asking each other, for several weeks, where our family should go for Spring Break. On the way home from our date late Saturday, April 14 we spontaneously decided to go to San Francisco. We asked Dallen’s opinion when we arrived home and, after almost having to talk him into it (only after we suggested that we would fly), booked the flights and the hotel early Sunday, April 15, while the other kids slept. On Wednesday, April 18 we started on our adventure.
Click the movie above to watch our five day adventure in the “City by the Bay.”
