Visit to Hawaii, Volume 6

On Sunday, the Jurkens/Davis/Johnson clan was joined by three friends of Daddy's, Pat Takahashi and Jen and Terry Williams, for brunch at the Hale Koa. Everything was yummy but I have to mention the macadamia nut pie, in particular!!!! After brunch, some of us went on to 1901 for a longer visit. John was pretty tired by the recent social activity so he and Jeffrey went home. Mr. Takahashi did not join us either. I was able to get cute pictures of:

Jane,

Jeffrey - he did come upstairs long enough to get some suitcases for Jane,

and Barbara!

While we were talking, Terry Williams noticed some whales surfacing just out from the small lanai. Tom, especially, was fascinated. Even after the company left, and daily during the rest of our visit, he would sit on the lani with the binoculars to his eyes searching for whales.

Visit to Hawaii, Volume 5

On Saturday, the four of us from 1350 (Daddy, Barb, Tom, and I) met the Davises (Jane, John, and Jeffrey) at Barbara's hotel for a wonderful brunch! Jeffrey is going to be starting a (paid) blog reviewing video games. His publication will be called THUMBS ON FIRE so I took a few pictures of him looking as if he is in pain and astounded by the fact that his thumbs are flaming. A friend will add the flames through the magic of technology. This one is my favorite of the ones I took.

After brunch, all of us went to visit Mom's niche at Punchbowl. Usually, when the family gathers here, they call me but this time they didn't have to!

On Saturday afternoon, Daddy, Jeffrey, Tom, and I went to a play, I HATE HAMLET, at the Diamond Head Theatre. We enjoyed the production and our time together.

Visit to Hawaii, Volume 4

For many years my parents had a tradition, one that my daddy carries on to this day, of meeting with Jane for lunch on Fridays and then having puu puus for TGIF with Barbara in the evening. We picked Jane up at her office and went to one of their very favorite places for some great Italian. Jane, as always, knew everyone in the place! Barbara eats lunch (for free) at her hotel, the Sheraton Waikiki, every week day so she never eats dinner. She does nibble on some cheese and crackers or chips and dip on Friday evening as she and Daddy visit and unwind. Often, I have to push back a little jealously when they talk about their Fridays together but this time I (and Tom) got to join them in their festivities!

During breakfast, I was fascinated by the window washers working on the building next door. I just cannot imagine doing this, what seems to me to be, death defying work every day! These workers are swinging through the air well over thirty stories high!

Visit to Hawaii, Volume 3, Chapter 2

Somehow, I got very confused and wrote two entries for Thursday. Since I added some new info the second time, I will keep them both!

Thursday, February 10 was a designated as the golf day for our visit. Daddy and Tommy left fairly early for their tee time out at Hickam. I played on my iPad, wrote postcards, and waited for Barbara's various appointments ( sofa cleaning, new drapes, and bathtub refinishers) to show. None of them did so she called everyone, gave them a piece of her mind, and rescheduled! Then she and I left for Ward Warehouse, our traditional shopping heaven! We had a really good time and I got lots of souvenirs bought!

Daddy and Tom did not have as much fun on the golf course as we did shopping. Both of them were having an off game and then Daddy managed to injure his left hand. He had new grips on his clubs and, while swinging, he hit the ground before he hit the ball. The grip tore a huge hole in his palm. Luckily, they were playing with a third year medical student, who was just finishing an OB/GYN rotation in Hawaii. He had decided to play golf on his last afternoon in the islands before heading home to New Jersey. Between the vet and the doctor-to-be, the bleeding was stopped and the hand was wrapped. (This medical student is a West Point graduate; Tommy and Grandpa had been very impressed with him, even before he had to put his first aid training to use!) I avoided Daddy's bandaged hand in this picture of him in his back-to-back state champs shirt!

Visit to Hawaii, Volume 3

Thursday, February 10, was kind of a lazy day for me. Tom and Daddy went to play golf and I stayed at the apartment. I decided to take a few location shots.

View from the small lanai.

This is the pool that my mother was in every morning by six a. m. It is the perfect place for private aquasize. I followed her excellent example several mornings but then the pool was closed for annual cleaning.

Barbara took Thursday off. She had appointments with several service providers, who all let her down. She and I spent the afternoon at Ward Warehouse, our favorite place to shop. We had such a good time and I got a lot done souvenir-wise!

Early on, Thursday night had been designated as a PIZZA NIGHT with the Davis family. Barbara drove us out to Hawaii Kai; it is hard for me, sometimes, to remember that Jane lives a half hour or more away from Dad and Barb. I picture them together all the time having fun together without me. We had lots of fun conversation and many laughs. John had had a few bad days and was not up to joining us though.

Visit to Hawaii, Volume 2

On Wednesday, February 9, we visited the Arizona Memorial. I think it is the only "tourist spot" that we have had on our schedule every single time we have gone to Hawaii.



On Wednesday evening I attended a workshop to learn how to better use my new iPad. The young man who taught the class so was so nice, patient, and helpful; I really appreciated him. I even felt comfortable going back to the Apple store to ask him questions two days later.

Jane and Jeffrey came to see us after the workshop was over. Barb, Jane, and I stayed at 1350 while Daddy, Tom, and Jeffrey went to the Golden Duck to pick up Chinese. It was such fun to have the three Jurkens girls together again!

Visit to Hawaii, Volume 1, Chapter 2

My last entry had photos from our visit to the Pacific Aviation Museum. The main building was devoted to World War II. A newly opened separate hanger houses planes used in other military action in the Pacific. Tommy got a little emotional when he came upon the B-52. As an Electronic Warfare officer in the Strategic Air Command, he spent many hours of his life in planes just like this one. He never was on the ground in Viet Nam but he served three TDY tours (one in Thailand and two on Guam) and flew 93 missions over Viet Nam.




During the Viet Nam War, my dad was transferred to Hawaii and was the Secretariat of CINCPAC. (Commander in Chief PACific). Admiral John McCain was the commander and Daddy was the liason between him and all the branches of the service active in the conflict. Admiral McCain's son, also John, was a Navy pilot, who was shot down and taken as a prisioner of war. On Robins AFB, where we lived most of the time Tom was in the USAF, we had a chance to buy a POW bracelet for a dollar, I think it was, and, because my dad knew his dad, I chose one bearing the name JOHN MCCAIN. I wore that bracelet until I saw him carried from the plane at Andrews AFB when the POWs were finally released. He was the only POW who had to be on a stretcher to deplane. He was subjected to even harsher treatment that the other prisioners because of his father's position.

Visit to Hawaii, Volume 1

I will be posting several entries to document our visit to my family in Hawaii. We left home on Sunday, February 7 and spent a little time with the Fussells and with the Pauls before we checked into the Holiday Inn Express. Both girls had offered to let us stay with them and to, somehow, get us to the airport and to pick us up when we returned but Tom and I agreeed that the Holiday Inn option was better. We are very pleased with that decision. The check-in clerk was super friendly, our room was nice, the wake-up call came on time, breakfast was good, the parking was free for the whole time, and the shuttle driver drove us though the small amount of snow that had fallen very carefully!

February 8

We had been dreading the flight from Denver to Honolulu but it passed very quickly. I read on my Kindle, knitted a little, and played games on my iPad. We were flying United and the food, while expensive, was better than I remembered.

Daddy, wearing a Wildcat state champs shirt, found us easily at the baggage claim and our visit began! That evening we (When I say "WE" during this narrative I will mean Tom, Daddy, and myself. If others are involved, I will mention them.) walked over to Ala Moana Center to eat supper at Zippy's.

February 9

Daddy had a dentist's appointment on Tuesday morning so Tom and I walked over to Ala Moana to begin the hunt for souvenirs. We ate lunch at Makai Market, an extreme food court! We took Daddy home a Subway sandwich but our (my?) rule is that we never eat something we can get in El Do while we are out of town.

That afternoon, we drove to Ford Island to the Pacific Aviation Museum.




Notice the hats Daddy and Tom are wearing. I had one too. Daddy was carrying them in the trunk of his car and pulled them out when we were about to enter the museum. These hats had the logo of the museum on them and Daddy had them because he had made three generous donations to the building fund. As he started to pay our entry fee, he was told to put that wallet away; the ticket taker felt that anyone who had supported the museum that well deserved free admission.

As we wandered around and Dad told stories about this battle and that island, I came to understand that my father is a true hero of World War II! I had suspected as much my entire life but, as so many heroes do, he had always behaved as if he had done nothing out of the ordinary. The tales we heard that afternoon, while no bragging was involved, made his heroism very clear!

I loved this poster. There are probably Uncle Sam signs in lots of military museums but I bet there aren't any others that say, "Mahalo for your kokua"! I know that MAHALO means thank you but I can only assume that KOKUA means cooperation.

The museum was very well done, with lots of maps on the floors. I gained a much better understanding of the War in the Pacific than I had ever had before.

This is the cause of my daddy's deafness. It is an engine of a B-25. These things had no mufflers and destroyed the ability of many pilots to hear sounds in certain decibel ranges.

Finished baby blanket

I FINALLY finished the baby blanket I had mentioned several posts ago. I love this pattern and I love this yarn. As you can imagine, this was a very time consuming project!

The Birthday Girl!

Hattie Belote Johnson at her "offical" 100th birthday party!
February 1, 2011