Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Island of Oahu, Hawaii, March 2015

Off to Hawaii, Oahu first.  Main goal,,,, visit Craig and Barb, Teri's wonderful brother and wife. Visits with them are always so special as they are too.  We talk, we eat, we laugh and they always think up something new to experience

New experiences in Oahu this trip started with a visit to the Hawaii Plantation Village.  Between 1852 and 1947 an estimated 400,000 laborers came to work the sugar plantations in Hawaii.  Included were individuals from Japan, China, Puerto Rico, Korea, Portugal, and the Philippines.  Eventually catalog brides would arrive and families would develop within the plantation community. The village today includes both restorations and replicas of buildings and provides a good vision into a time when the sugar plantations dominated the Hawaiian economy and culture.  In the early days, each plantation worker was given a Bango (meaning number in Japanese).  The Bango was a metal tag with a number that would identify not only the individual but also his ethnic origin, Individuals were paid based upon where they came from. Filipinos were paid approx. $10/month while Chinese were paid approx. $15/month. The Bango was used to pay for all of the worker's needs and also used to collect their pay.  The plantation became a self-contained community with shopping, worship and medical facilities all in one place. The village we toured had houses from different eras and also different ethic parts of the Plantation. Also included was a general store, temple, barber shop, bath house and medical facilities for the workers.

Our next new Oahu adventure was the Pacific Aviation Museum, located on Ford Island.  We began our Docent led tour at the authentic Japanese Zero.  Our docent gave us a good image of how the day was just prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor, He explained how people were going about their normal affairs.  Included in the museum is a light civilian plane with pilot and son that was in the air and shot when the attack happened. We were shown how a Japanese Zero crashed on the island of Ni ihau and that the natives welcomed and cared for the pilot, not yet realizing that this pilot had just attacked Hawaii. There was a good selection of aircraft in the museum and the docent was terrific.  One of the hangers we visited you could still see the bullet holes from when the attack occurred.

Waimea Falls Park is so beautiful and one of our favorite places on Oahu.  We love the abundance in both quantity and variety of flowers there and the waterfall is always peaceful.  This was a return visit for us, but a place we always try to see when on Oahu.

Craig and Barb have really made Oahu  a special place for us.  We shared, talked philosophy, visited the Tiki bar and a great Irish Pub with a live Irish band. Oahu is truly a place where we feel the magic.

Next, the Big Island of Hawaii.

Single Worker's Dorm
Hawaiian Plantation Village
Oahu
Chinese Society Building 1909
Hawaiian Plantation Village
Oahu
Portuguese Forno
Hawaiian Plantation Village
Oahu
Tofu Ya
Soy Beans had to be imported
Hawaiian Plantation Village
Oahu
Tofu Ya
Soy Beans had to be imported
Hawaiian Plantation Village
Oahu
Tofu Ya
Soy Beans had to be imported
Hawaiian Plantation Village
Oahu
Tofu Ya
Soy Beans had to be imported
Hawaiian Plantation Village
Oahu
 
Community Store
Hawaiian Plantation Village
Oahu
Bowling Ball Tree
Hawaiian Plantation Village
Oahu
Daily Visitor to Craig and Barb's Backyard
We so enjoyed watching these guys every morning
while we visited and drank our morning coffee
Oahu
Flowers in Craig and Barb's Backyard
Oahu
Flowers in Craig and Barb's Backyard
Oahu
Japanese Zero
Pacific Aviation Museum
Oahu
Bullet Hole remnants from attack on Pearl Harbor
Pacific Aviation Museum
Oahu
Pacific Aviation Museum
Oahu
Pacific Aviation Museum
Oahu
Pacific Aviation Museum
Oahu
Waimea Falls Park, Oahu
 Waimea Falls Park, Oahu
 Waimea Falls Park, Oahu
 Waimea Falls Park, Oahu
 Waimea Falls Park, Oahu
Waimea Falls Park, Oahu
 Waimea Falls Park, Oahu
 Waimea Falls Park, Oahu
 Waimea Falls Park, Oahu
 Waimea Falls Park, Oahu
Waimea Falls Park, Oahu
Waimea Falls Park, Oahu


Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Mesa, AZ December 2014 - April 2015 Post 2

We spent five months with Mesa, AZ being our base and the time just flew by.  Bob rode his bike with friends most days and Teri did various classes including exercise, water volley ball, stained glass and jewelry making.  Teri especially got into doing various stained glass projects and also some glass fusion.  We both played Pickle ball and also enjoyed Country Line Dancing. We were so busy our blog has really suffered.  We will share a few highlights with pictures and we will try to get things caught up soon.  

Sunrise and sunsets in Arizona are beautiful and we were treated to many.  Hiking with the hiking club took us to many new places with lots of desert flora to take in.  We were busy everyday at the park and at times we almost looked forward to the weekends being a bit slower.  While staying here we took off from here on various adventures.

One such adventure, we attended the 55th Escapade RV Rally. This is a five day rally focused on the RV way of life. The event was attended by about 2000 people from all over the country and Canada. The rally included five days packed with meeting new friends, listening to informative speakers and enjoying evening entertainment including talented comedians and also a mentalist. Following the Escapade we  joined an Escapees 'HOP' (Head Out Program) that toured Mescal Movie set and Tombstone, Arizona.  

The Mescal Movie set was a treat to see as it is seldom open to the public. Several Westerns and TV shows have been filmed here including: Quick and the Dead; Oklahoma, McClintock; The Young Riders; Tombstone; Little House on the 
Prairie;  and Jose Wales. Our tour guide was Frank Brown who was a very fun 'Old Timer'.  Frank was great and to better experience this wonderful guide, please read the following:Interview with Frank Brown

Next up was Tombstone, AZ.  The Bird Cage Theatre opened in Tombstone, AZ on December 25, 1881 and got its name from the 14 cages suspended from the ceiling that had drapes that could be pulled around while prostitutes entertained their clients.  The theatre operated continuously 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, never closing for eight years. In 1882 the New York Times reported the Bird Cage to be 'the wildest, wickedest night spot between Basin street and the Barbary Coast.' Within the walls of this Bird Cage Theatre individuals such as Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday and Johnny Ringo drank and gambled.  Over 140 bullet holes are embedded in the walls and over 26 lives were taken within.

Also while in Tombstone we attended an reenactment of the OK Coral shoot out as well as visited the actual gunfight location.  More on that famous gunfight can be read at: OK Coral Shootout History

Before leaving Mesa, March was packed with many activities.

  • Visits and dinners with new friends Bill and Shirley.  
  • Bill and Sharon Brown (good friends from Palmdale, CA) came from CA and joined us for a cookout and a wonderful afternoon visit. We so look forward to when we meet up with them again.
  • Teri made a second trip to Santa Barbara to visit with her Mom who is in Hospice Care. 
  • We made a trip together to Oahu to visit Teri's brother and wife, the Big Island and then Teri went to Molokai for a week to visit with her good friend Barbara Osha.  (Hawaii we will post separately).
  • Upon returning from Hawaii Teri flew up to Bellingham, WA for 3 days to visit with childhood friend Carolyn Hunt and her parents, Jim and Arline, who are very notably Teri's second family.  They are so special to Teri.  Teri spent many vacations with them growing up and having these days with them was so special.  While there Teri also got to try her hand at clamming again, which was fun.  Teri flew back to Mesa, AZ out of Seattle where she got to share a wonderful visit and dinner with our youngest son, Garrett.  Back in Mesa, AZ and we are preparing to get back to traveling the country once again.


Stained Glass Table by Teri
Stained Glass Window Hanging by Teri
Fused Glass Plate by Teri
Arizona Sunrise from our 5th Wheel
Hiking with the Hiking Club in Mesa, AZ
One just has to love the name of our hike
Mescal Movie Set
Mescal Movie Set
Mescal Movie Set
Bird Cage Theatre
Tombstone, AZ
 Tombstone, AZ
OK Coral Reenactment
Tombstone, AZ
 Tombstone, AZ
 Tombstone, AZ
Tombstone, AZ
Clamming treasures
from visit with Carolyn
Teri with Second Family (Carolyn, Jim and Arline)
Garrett (our youngest son)