Being a Volunteer
When we moved to Wuerzburg Germany in 1981, after nine months at Ft Bliss for the Officer’s Advance Course, I had never volunteered. I had not thought about volunteering and did not have an interested in doing work for no pay. Then Lupe and I volunteered to help with Kristie and Maria’s Girl Scout Brownie […]
Stepping Back in Time
Our visit to the Shetlar family lake house on Pomme de Terre Lake included an outing to Lead Mine. It was a 30 to 40 minute drive back into the Missouri country side. The community is located about 3.5 miles east of Tunas on Missouri Route E and approximately 50 miles north-northeast of Springfield, The […]
The Story of Us: 2013 Final Day in Hawaii
When we first reached the Helona Blowhole area we stopped at an overlook area thinking that this was where the blowhole was located. We soon realized it was not. It was a place to look at the coast line. Further down Hanauma Bay we found Helona Blowhole. The blowhole is created by water being forced […]
The Story of Us: 2013 A Magical Place
The Kelly’s picked us up at the cruise port and we were off to Aulani, a beachfront paradise, for two days of relaxation. Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa, sets on the white sandy shores of O’ahu in Ko Olina. Upon our arrival we were presented with leis. By this time we were getting a […]
The Story of Us: 2013 Part 7 Cruise
The Pride of America docked in Nawiliwili Harbor, on the island’s southeast coast, near the town of Lihue. We hopped on the Harbor Trolley to the beaches of Kalapaki Bay. We enjoyed the refreshing water, the sandy beach and watching boats coming and going. We stopped in at Kalapaki Joe’s for drinks. After a morning […]
The Story of Us: 2013 Part 6 Cruise
Kauas origins are volcanic, the island having been formed at approximately six million years ago, is the oldest of the main islands. One of the wettest spots on earth, with an annual average rainfall of 460 inches, is located on the east side of Mount WaiÊ»aleÊ»ale. The high annual rainfall has eroded deep valleys in […]
The Story of Us: 2013 Part 5 Cruise
We watched as the crew as they lowered the life boats down to tender us to the shore. We picked up tender tickets and was off to Kailua-Kona was the first royal capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii. There were historical landmarks within walking distance of the pier including a Heiau (temple), the first Christian […]
The Story of Us: 2013 Part 4 Cruise
At the Big Island Candy Factory we were met at the door by a super friendly staff member, who immediately offered fresh sweets and coffee! The facility is clean and modern with large windows through which we observed staff creating a variety of hand-made chocolate treats. The Thomas A. Jaggar Museum is a museum on […]
The Story of Us: 2013 Part 3 Cruise
The 318-foot-long Olowalu Tunnel on the Honoapiilani Highway along Maui’s southwest coast west of Maalaea Harbor was built in 1951. It is the oldest highway tunnel in Hawaii. On the mauka (inland) side of each portal is wire netting to keep rocks from falling onto the roadway. Mai’Poin’a ‘oe Ia’u Beach Park is a quiet […]
The Story of Us: 2013 Part 2 Cruise
As we docked in Maui, the sun was coming up with dense cloud cover. As it began to peeked through a hole in the clouds, it was as if it was burning a hole in the clouds. Finally, the sun won and the sky opened up to a bright sunny day. The Coast Guard came […]