But hot dogs don’t hold a candle to operating anti-aircraft guns. He is all boy!

Nearby they had some periscopes set up, one at Schäfer’s level.

View from the periscope with the USS Bowfin, USS Arizona memorial and USS Missouri.

“Look at the big spinner!”

Schäfer and I went on the USS Bowfin, a submarine used during WWII

The doors inside were quite small.

Schäfer loved working the rudder planes. “Down 10 degrees!”

Everything was brass plated (less conductive) and gleaming.

The bunks were shared by shifts of crewmembers.

Schäfer smiling in the engine room. The submarine was powered by electric motors and when on the surface, these diesel motors charged the batteries.

The aft torpedo room.

In the submarine museum our little swimmer wanted a picture by the diving suit.

Following the submarine museum we went to the Pacific Aviation Museum back by the Missouri. It was very well done and explained some of the other stories from Pearl Harbor and WWII.

Including the story of the fleet of bombers that took off from US aircraft carriers to strike at the heart of Tokyo, sending a message that the US will not back down and that Japan was not as invincible as it believed.

The entire hanger was packed with aircraft.

Sianna enjoys some flying near a B-23.

“Zoom!”

At the end of the day, we were thankful to visit the National Park and bring our kids to a site that represents who we are as Americans. A nation that will not stand for tyranny. A people who cherish freedom.

The USS Arizona is one of the battleships that was sunk that morning. A high altitude aircraft released a bomb which ignited the forward ammunition magazine, resulting in a tremendous explosion, sinking the ship and killing 1177 crewmen on board.

In 1962 a memorial was built arching over the remains of the USS Arizona. The memorial is only accessible via boat which leaves from the front visitor center.

It can accommodate up to 200 people. The atmosphere was somber, allowing for a reflection of the loss of that day, so far removed from my generation.

From inside you can look down upon the fuselage. It still leaks nearly a quart of oil a day into the harbor. Called the “Tears of the Arizona”, survivors say it will continue to leak until the last survivor has passed.

A wall commemorates those who lost their lives on the ship that day.

In front of the wall is a listing of survivors who have subsequently died and have chosen to have their remains buried with their colleagues below.

A somber experience, but a good reminder of the price of freedom.

If you come to Honolulu, one of the top sites to visit is Pearl Harbor. We visited and it did not disappoint.

Our friend Lance kindly gave us a ride to Pearl. Otherwise it would have been another two hour added onto travel. After walking in we got our free tickets to the Arizona Memorial. Since our tickets were slotted for 11am and we had a couple hours, we took the park bus to start off at the USS Missouri.

Many people are familiar with the USS Missouri as the boat featured in the classic film, Under Siege. Film inaccuracies aside, the USS Missouri is impressive.

Very impressive. Just how big is the Missouri? If you could stand the ship on end, it would be 332 feet taller than the Washington Monument.

Two of the main barrels combined weigh more than a 747 airliner. Filled with people.

When these guns fired the concussion was enough to cause a headache hundreds of yards away from the blast. This is a shock-and-awe boat if ever there was one.

Not to be forgotten, this is the ship where WWII was ended. Japan surrendered to the Allies upon its very decks.

The Missouri is moored close to the USS Arizona Memorial. (Though to get to the Arizona you need to leave from the side where you got the tickets.)

Schäfer enjoyed climbing all over the ship. Note that the doors weren’t made for tall people.

This is the captain’s deck quarters.

It’s a family boat.

“What does this do?”

The library

One of the kitchens

Standing in the Truman line…no service today!

Bunks

Fire control for the Tomahawk missiles that were added to the ship during the Persian Gulf war.

The last engagement map. It was continually updated by crew members from behind…who had to write backwards.

Massive! Depending on the shell used, the main guns will shoot 23 miles and will blow a hole in the ground the size of a tennis court.

Schäfer in a navigator’s chair

“Full speed ahead!”

One of these shells weighs more than 2700lbs! That’s as heavy as a Volkswagen!

Sianna was getting tired by the end of the tour!

The Mighty Missouri was decommissioned shortly after the Gulf War. The aircraft carrier made battleships obsolete. However, the Might Missouri still stands ready to testify as a symbol of peace, not necessarily of war. A reminder that man pulls the trigger, but has the responsibility to seek peace as much as possible and be willing to fight for freedom when necessary.

We are America. We seek peace at all times and fight for freedom wherever it is not found. We’ll even launch VW vans at you from 23 miles away if necessary.

More Interesting Facts*

Designing the Missouri took 175 tons of blueprint paper. The ship was built in three years and required over 3 million man-days to complete the job.

For comparison’s sake, the Missouri is 279 feet longer and 11 feet wider than the USS Arizona. The Mighty Mo is also 5 feet longer and 18 feet wider than the RMS Titanic.

The nine 16-inch guns are the Mighty Mo’s trademark feature. Each gun barrel is to  approximately 67 feet long, weighs an incredible 116 tons, and can fire a 2,700-pound shell 23 miles in 50 seconds — with pinpoint accuracy.

The Missouri was the last U.S. battleship to be launched and the last to be decommissioned. She was also the most formidable. In addition to her massive firepower capabilities, she possessed thick steel armor plating that protected the hull (13.5 inches), the gun turrets (17 inches in front; 13 inches on the sides), the citadel (17 inches), and the conning tower sides (17.3 inches).

This morning, we played with the boys who are staying in the upstairs apartment. By 11:30am, we returned to our flat for a quick lunch and long naps.

After naps, we headed down to Magic Island at Alamoana Beach for some fun.

Today was a good day.
We returned to the Guest House to find Hubs waiting outside. Bless his heart. He looked happy, but tired.

Since taking up cycling in China, I have often regretted not taking it up earlier when I lived in the States (in beautiful San Francisco at that!).

Knowing that we wouldn’t be back in Hawaii anytime soon, I thought it would be a good chance to start my new goal: Ride a century (100 miles) in every State (possibly country) I visit.

Why have I chosen this goal? It’s good exercise and I get to see the countryside better. Simple as that.

So I called up a local Bike Shop and asked if they had my size (63cm). It turns out that they had a 62cm…which works in a pinch. And they gave me 36 hours for the price of a 24 hour rental. All the better!

I ended up riding what is known as the Dave Evans route around Oahu. A gorgeous loop that hugs the ocean and weaves in and out of stunning bays.

This point near Waimea is famous for being a great diving spot. It drops straight down from the shore.

I stopped by this roadside stand for a snack.

Fried banana. So good I bought two.

The north shore of Oahu is more arid: great for growing sago palm.

I stopped by this shrimp stand for a drink of Guava juice.

This McDonald’s was pretty cool looking! Very indigenous! Now if they would only serve McShave Ice and McKalua Pork.

At last I find the Giovanni Shrimp truck! By this time it was too early for lunch and I was still working off the fried bananas.

This looked like a great place to swim…too bad I didn’t have time to stop…

I thought the storm clouds contrasted nicely with the crystal clear sunlit waters.

A few residents of the islands voice their disapproval of the way they have been treated and would like Hawaii to become their own sovereign country.

The windward side of the island is lush and tropical.

Makes you just want to drive a VW van around the valley, eh?

This little island was called the Chinaman’s Hat.

Lush!

You can’t see them, but two sea turtles were diving right in front of me.

Let us not forget that this island was formed by volcanic activity.

The island is literally one layer of lava after another.

At last I reach the Hanauma Bay and the home stretch.

I turn in the bike and waddle back uphill to the guest house. I was sore the next day, but it was a good and well-earned kind of soreness!

Hanauma Bay Family Bike Ride at EveryTrail

Of course we took a few breaks along the way…

Our first break came about 1.5 hours into our ride. I insisted we stop for lunch at this little beach. All of the beaches in Hawaii are public. It was amazing to see all the small, practically empty beaches along the way. Since the beaches are public, they all have excellent restrooms, water fountains, picnic tables and a fresh water outdoor shower for rinsing off the salt water.

After our picnic lunch, Schäfer couldn’t wait to play in the sand.

Eventually, we got back on our bikes and made it about another 1.5 hours before I requested a break at Kawaikui Beach Park. Remember, I’m 5 months pregnant and I’m riding with Sianna strapped on my back.

What a beautiful day.

I tried my best to get Sianna and Schäfer to take a nap. Alas, I think I was the only one who fell asleep.

When I woke up, I found some monkeys in the tree.

Our kids love the surf and sand.

Schäfer just wanted to play in the dirt with the rocks.

Even the waves did not interrupt his play.

Meanwhile, Sianna (who desperately needed a nap, but refused to take one) snuggled with Hubs.

Eventually, we got on our bikes and kept riding to Hanauma Bay.

I tried wearing Sianna on the front, but I ended up putting her on my back.

During our next leg, I heard Hubs ask, “Is Schäfer asleep?” Sure enough. I looked up and Schäfer was rocking side to side about to fall asleep. After all, he’s 3 and he’d already done about 7 miles. We had two options:

1. Ride the 23 bus back to Waikiki (the public buses have bike mounts)
2. Get some sugar in him

We opted for the sugar. A Teddy’s peanut butter shake + small hamburger did the trick.

We made it!

I was so proud of our accomplishment.

SK x 4.5

The peanut butter shake totally woke him up.

This was Schäfer’s first time to ride a tagalong.

We weren’t at Hanauma Bay for 10 minutes before Schäfer was ready to go.

From Hanauma Bay we could see Diamond Head in the distance. Oh my. We’ve got a long ride back!

Filled with adrenaline from our accomplishment, we made it back much faster.

During a restroom break, Hubs ran into Whole Foods for from groatmeal. Schäfer requested a granola bar. I’d say he deserved it.

Sianna spent the entire day on my bike.

Some personal thoughts from the ride:

• Hubs kept me in front setting the pace. This was hard because I felt guilty for slowing him down, but if I was going to do the 20 miles, I had to pace myself.

• I really did enjoy the ride and the adrenaline that came with accomplishing it.

• At three uphill spots, I had to get off my bike and walk. Hubs encouraged me to give it a try. I did push myself, but if the incline was too much, then I walked for a while.

• Hubs also taught me how to shift by proclaiming numbers as we went uphill or downhill. “Go to 3! Go to 3! Move to 6! Change to 1! Right now, 1!” I was thankful for his assistance. I ride a bike about like I drive a car – ignore everything and enjoy the scenery.

• I also had to say to myself, “Hey, I’m a pregnant woman with 20lbs. strapped on my back. It’s OK to take a break.”

• At the end of the day, during the last part of our ride Hubs and I agreed, this was our best day in Hawaii so far!

And so we were off.

Church went well. Schäfer was excited to go to Sunday School and make a craft. The teaching was incredible – so refreshing and inspiring.

We had packed and planned to stay in Kailua for the afternoon. We wanted to check out the beaches over there. Unfortunately, we had to change our plans when Schäfer began a meltdown at 11:50am. He was worn out. The best decision was for us to take the buses back to the guest house and let the kids get some rest.

The beach would have to wait.

So we went back to the guesthouse. Enjoyed a simple sandwich lunch. Allowed Schäfer to go “pickle fishing” after he finished most of his meal. Then, put the kids down.

They each slept for 3 hours.

I guess I was tired too because I fell asleep during Pride and Prejudice (Kiera Knightly version aka Condensed Cambell’s version).

Later that afternoon, we decided to take a walk to the National Memorial of the Pacific.

Unlike Arlington Cemetery, the gravestones here are inset into the ground.

It was quite overwhelming how many had given their lives for our freedom.

On either side of the stairs leading up to the chapel were the names of those who had died in the Pacific Ocean during WWII, the Korean War and from the Vietnam conflict.

Adjoining the chapel were huge mosaic maps of various battles in the Pacific.

The space allowed plenty of room for contemplation and remembrance.

Just when I thought I was looking at a patch of grass, I noticed the gravestones went on and on.

From the top of the cemetery, there is a viewpoint of Honolulu.

Once outside the cemetery, we stopped by a nearby park to blow some bubbles and let the kids run around.

Sianna enjoyed the bubbles and the grass.

We enjoyed a slow refreshing and relaxing Sunday.
That is a good day.

Sianna is 14 months old. She has 6 teeth and weighs close to 20lbs. She is excellent at “cross crawling.” She’s only been crawling for two months, so we hope she will continue to crawl for as long as she wants.

Sianna also enjoys pulling up. She hasn’t yet started to “cruise” around on the furniture, but thankfully, she did learn to pull herself up and sit back down. (When she first started pulling up, she would scream because she didn’t know how to get back down.)

Sianna’s favorite babble is “dah dah dah!” so far, this means everything – brother, Papa, dog, food, etc. Some mornings, I think I hear, “mmm… mmm… mmm…” and I hope she’s trying to say, “Mommy” but I have yet to hear her say that to my face during the day.

Despite how much Baby Sign Language we’ve been throwing, Sianna refuses to sign. She SCREAMS. For anything. She SCREAMS. We’re hoping she’ll either start signing or speaking soon. Until then, cover your ears.

The last six months have been challenging. We have been trying to rebuild all that was negative from her institutional care.

Today, we’re celebrating:

she is comfortable in our home

she loves Hubs

Schäfer loves her and offers to crawl around on the floor with her, “Come on Sianna! Let’s play!”

she loves Schäfer. He makes her laugh.

she prefers Mommy

she is very “stranger aware”

she loves: riding the bike, taking baths, swimming with Papa, any kind of food, crawling, playing in the sand, moving objects in and out of a bucket, playing with Schäfer’s cars

she sleeps for 2-3 hours in the afternoon

she goes to bed at 7:30pm and wakes at 6am. Lately, she’s woken up at 5am, stood up in the pack-n-play. Looked at us sleeping and laid down and went back to sleep.

Six months with Sianna. We couldn’t imagine how wonderful and hard it would be. Yet, every moment with her is a precious gift from God.

Fish. It is a huge snorkeling area.

Our local friend, Karen, offered to take us on a personal tour. Her specialty: finding octopus.

Bonus: if you arrive in Hanauma Bay before 6:30am then you don’t have to pay for parking or $7.50 per person to be in the Nature Preserve.

When we arrived and got situated on the beach, Hubs went out first. During this first dive they spotted one sea turtle and two octopuses. Yes, they were in the water before the sun was up.

Meanwhile, the kids and I…

Snuggled on the beach.

Enjoyed some milk.

Transformed Schäfer into a sea turtle.

Watched the kids laugh.

Schäfer so desperately wanted his own set of fins, but we couldn’t find any small enough. Don’t worry. Even the shallow waters of Hanauma Bay have fish so Schäfer was able to see a few.

Today also celebrates 6 months with Sianna!

Sianna spent most of the morning moving rocks in and out of the bucket.
In and out.
In and out.
Load them in.
Take them out.

I’m doing my best to get her to wear a hat. My best isn’t good enough. She usually takes it right off. But then again, so did Schäfer when he was her age.

Our attempt at a family photo. Ha! This may be the only time I’ve ever been taller than Hubs.

Thank you Karen for sharing your passion for creation with us!

Sianna allowed Karen to hold her for a bit while I gathered our stuff.

The kids were quite smitten with Karen. (She won their love two days earlier when she gave them each an octopus.)

Just as we were leaving the beach, the lifeguard made an announcement over his bullhorn. Concerned, I silenced the kids so I could hear what was wrong. “Attention! Attention! If you look out in the water you will see The Black Pearl. They are filming the next Pirates of the Caribbean.” And I was concerned that someone was drowning.

We left the bay about 10:30am and it was getting crowded. Karen is normally there at 5:30am and gone by 8:30am, but she was generous and allowed the kids to play in the sand. Hubs said the second time he went out in the water it was less clear because all the swimmers were stirring up the sand.

I love to snorkel, but had problems getting comfortable breathing with the snorkel. At 5 months pregnant, I’m breathing much  deeper, longer and slower. This morning, I gave the snorkel a good try, but decided it wasn’t worth getting stressed out about so I stayed with the kids.  Not being able to go to the deeper water did not take anything away from my enjoyment of the morning or this beautiful spot of creation.

Busy Hanauma Bay.

The kids did not want to leave. Oh no. They were not tired at all.

We got back to the guest flat in time for the kids to have lunch and nap on time! Sianna took her full 3 hour nap. Schäfer played and didn’t go down until nearly 3pm. Sigh.

When they got up, we read all the ocean books that we brought.

Sianna doesn’t yet enjoy the same books as Schäfer, but she does like to snuggle up and look at her board books while Schäfer and I read longer stories. Of course, there are moments, when she tosses her board books aside, crawls over my legs and tries to turn the pages of Schäfer’s book. Good times.

After reading, we went for a nice walk up to the gates of the National Cemetery of the Pacific. Alas, we arrived at 6:30pm when the gates were closing. We enjoyed a small nearby park and got some great sunset shots of Honolulu city.

Honolulu.

Honolulu.

Hubs enjoys the view of Honolulu with Diamond Head in the background.

Sianna at 14 months.

Schäfer at 3.5 years.

Before we realized it, the time had come to head back for baked potatoes, bath, books and bed.

Today was a good day.

We hopped on the 52 bus to go to the Dole Plantation. While boarding the bus, a nice lady in a motorized wheel chair also got on.  Schäfer was fascinated with her mode of transportation. One our way to the plantation she told us some facts about Honolulu, showed us the “Twin Towers” of Hawaii (two apartment buildings the Japanese used to find Pearl Harbor), and gave us some tips on visiting Haleiwa (near the Dole Plantation).

An hour later, we arrived at the Dole Plantation.

First on the agenda: riding the pineapple train.

Of course, Schäfer selected this outfit for the occasion.

The pineapple train took us on a 20 minute loop around the fields of pineapple (aka: halakahiki), mangos, sugar cane and other tropical fruits. I was amazed that the pineapple plant is actually quite small. The dirt is naturally red from iron.

James Dole started growing pineapple in Hawaii in 1899 knowing that pineapple was bound to have a huge market. He utilized the technology of the day – canning – to enable shipping pineapple around the world. This machine was created by Mr. Dole. It allowed men to pick the pineapple and send them up a conveyor belt so that other workers could pack them on a crate for shipping.

Another major crop that played a major role in Hawaii is sugar cane. Almost half of all the crops grown in Hawaii were sugar cane.

Note: They also have a red train which your three-year-old might beg to ride.

Sianna loved riding the pineapple train.

Pineapple parents.

Pineapple kids.

Can you believe how small the pineapple plant is? Picking pineapples is not easy. They are quite prickly.

After the train ride, we were ready for a picnic lunch and the famous Dole whip. Dole whipped is an “ice cream” made from pureed pineapple. Yes, the Dole Whip at the Dole Plantation is better than anywhere else in town!

Hubs ordered a Dole Whip with fresh pineapple.

Schäfer and I shared Dole Whip Float (floating in fresh pineapple juice). We couldn’t finish it.

Bellies full, we entered the Dole Plantation Maze…the world’s largest.

Schäfer was mostly interested in filling his pockets with rocks.

After about 10 minutes Schäfer and I had to go back inside to escape the heat. Sianna slept in the ergo and went with Hubs further into the maze.

The goal is to find eight stations within the maze and return to the front gate. After thirty minutes, Sianna woke up and expressed that she was tired of the heat, so Hubs had to call it early having only found half of the stations.

Hubs returned to find us in the gift shop reading books.

We finished by visiting the plantation garden which features hundreds of tropical plants found on the Hawaiian islands.

This was my favorite flower. We saw it all over Hawaii. I love the hot pink stem with bright orange tips. Pink and orange are one of my favorite color combination’s. Of course, the white petals make it even more dramatic.

There were flocks and flocks of Bird’s of Paradise.

Every once in a while, we’d come across some pineapple equipment which seemed odd in a tropical garden, but completely made sense if with the audio tour.

I’m obsessed with color and shape and lighting.

That wraps up our visit to the Pineapple Plantation. Both the kids were hot and tired… I think we might just need to become a 2 Ergo family.

We boarded the 52 bus and continued on to the famous North Shore of Hawaii: Haleiwa.

In the winter months I imagine that Haleiwa would be packed with crowds of surfers taking on the massive waves. In the summer months, when the water is flat, it’s a sleepy town with the occasional groups of tourists coming through to visit the shrimp trucks and eat “shave ice”.

We stopped off at the famous Macky’s Shrimp truck and order a plate of Lemon-pepper shrimp and one plate of Butter Garlic Shrimp. Both fabulous! (For those Lost fans out there, you’ll recognize Macky’s as where Sawyer visited once.)

The menu is simple.

The food is serious.

We then walked down the road to find Matsumoto’s Grocery Store. But wait, there is a line of 50 people outside waiting to order the famous “shave ice”.

We ordered a Rainbow and a Matsumoto combo. It was a hard decision.

While we waited in line, Schäfer spun this spinner. They have these “penny machines” all over Hawaii. If you put in a penny + 50 cents, it will engrave your penny with a location. I’ve never seen this before, but LOTS of kids are into this. Everywhere we went, these machines were very busy. Souvenir pennies, who knew?

Speaking of busy, Matsumoto’s shave ice machine hasn’t had a vacation in a very long time.

Schäfer was very happy with his “rainbow” shave ice.

Hubs enjoyed his “Matsumoto combo with condensed milk”. Meanwhile, Sianna slept.

Wow. Shave Ice. Thank you.

After a long day, we hopped back on the 52 bus and rode it back to Honolulu. Then, with two very tired kids, we switched to the 17 to get back to the guest flat.

Today was a good day.