Sunday: After honeymooning here (slightly before our wedding) 34 years ago, we are back in Hawaii. Cousin Anne Garrard/Annie Hankins Murata & her (grown) kids, Anthony/Nino/Barney and Lauren/Baby (because our family members can’t have just one name), picked us up bright and early at Pier 2B in downtown Honolulu on Sunday morning and we headed for the North Shore of Oahu. We spent the day almost circumnavigating the island. Anthony was pilot; Lauren was co-pilot; the old folks sat in the back and talked.

First stop was Ka’ena Point, the westernmost point of the island. Next, we stopped in Haleiwa for a little shopping & coffee and then had lunch at Haleiwa Joe’s on Waialua Bay, which is also where Anthony recently ended his double marathon (52.4 miles) event. Many more stops were made throughout the day… including Pua’ena Point, the Pipeline to watch a bit of the surfing tournament, Turtle Bay (yes, we did see the nose of one Green Turtle), and so much more whose names we don’t remember…. We saw some interesting (to us) things. Coconut and pineapple roadside stands. Chickens everywhere. Pele, Hawaii’s creator & goddess of volcanoes & fire, does not approve of removing lava rock (okay, I was only going to take a tiny piece). Slippers (the locals wear Locals and us outsiders call them flip-flops). After a 10-minute rest at Annie’s place in East Honolulu, we made our way to the gorgeous Elks Lodge 616 on Waikiki Beach, where we were hosted by Lauren’s husband, Maleko and joined by Anthony’s beautiful Christina, along with an amazing sunset. Just wow.

Monday: A morning walk around downtown Honolulu brought back memories of our last visit. But we saw and learned some new things, too. Like that there are feral chickens everywhere and they are protected. And that the red-crested cardinal is not afraid of people. And that it is illegal to pick or take cuttings of plants or flowers from State grounds. And that the Indian Banyan, which also provides protection for coffee plants, is abundant downtown. And that public art is also alive and well. Anne Garrard picked us up for some final East Honolulu shopping (why yes, I did buy some Locals), visiting, and our last meal on Oahu at Liko’s Tap & Table in full view of Koko Crater. While we did not master the fine art of the Shaka (Mike’s is definitely a Hook ‘Em Horns look), we did give it our best first try.

So, to our beautiful Hawaii family: mahalo nui loa, aloha, and a hui hou.