Oahu - Day 1

Both of these boys love to swim - they love the water - they love to snorkel,  they love dolphins! - WAIT - let's go to HAWAII !!!  It didn't take much prompting and away we went - 3 days to Oahu and 7 days on the Big Island in Kona!

Sam booked us at the Hale Koa in Oahu for the first three nights.

He definitely had agenda for Waikiki!  The Arizona Memorial, The Bowfin Submarine, The Aviation Museum, the Punch Bowl Cemetary.  Add in swimming, some good food and a couple of pretty sunsets! What a way to start an adventure!

 USS Bowfin (SS-287) is a fleet attack submarine that fought in the Pacific during WWII, and helped to make famous the term, “Silent Service.”                            Bowfin was launched on 7 December 1942, exactly one year to the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor.  She was nicknamed the Pearl Harbor Avenger, so it is fitting that she is permanently homeported at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

                                       
                                                                




                                                               The USS Arizona Memorial

The USS Arizona Memorial is built over the remains of the sunken battleship USS Arizona, the final resting place for many of the 1,177 crewmen killed on December 7, 1941 when their ship was bombed by Japanese Naval Forces. This loss of life represents over half of the Americans killed during the worst naval disaster in American history.

Pacific Aviation Museum - on Ford Island


Ford Island is a 441-acre island located in the middle of Pearl Harbor, Honolulu, Hawaii. It was purchased by the United States Army for use as an airfield for the defense of Honolulu and Pearl Harbor in 1918 and was named Luke Field in honor of Lt. Frank Luke, an Army aviator killed in action during World War I.


Hangar 37, a 42,000 square foot former seaplane hangar that survived the December 7, 1941 attack.

flight simulators

An Authentic Japanese Zero in a diorama setting on the deck of the Japanese carrier Hiryu at dawn on December 7th.

National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl  

Built in 1948 this National Cemetery is located in the Pu'owaina Crater (Punchbowl). In ancient times this crater was known as the "Hill of Sacrifice". So today the cemetery is a memorial to the sacrifice made by the men and women in the United States Armed Services. Dedicated on September 2, 1949, 776 casualties from the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor were among the first to be buried here.

Hawaii is wonderful any time of the year!

But especially when you're sharing it with two awesome grandsons!

My husband and I decided several years ago that each grandchild could pick a trip that they wanted to take with KK and PopPop ( that's us ).  Now - - - they couldn't just pick ANY place!  We had our boundaries - no African Safaris or Around the World in 80 days type of trips.  So we gave them hints, options, etc, and asked some leading questions about what kinds of things they would like to do or see.  Their trip comes up sometime around the year they turn 13.  We're now wondering why we picked that age - sometimes I think 11 or 12 would be easier on us - if you know what I mean!

Chase and Trevor turned 13 in the last few months so we thought summer 2011 would be "Their" time.  Since they are first cousins and only 6 months apart we asked them if they wanted to do a trip together.  They both jumped at the chance to not be "alone" with The Grandparents!  It was definitely a great decision!  We all had a ball!

More Travels?

Since our life seems to revolve around travel these days - I've decided to start writing and sharing photos ( my favorite pastime) about our journeys.   Since we've already been to Washington, D.C.,  Italy, Serbia, and Hawaii so far this year I'll have to add trip details as I have time.  Our next trip coming up is back to Serbia to visit family.  We've already decided to add a trip in a trip and drive from Serbia to Croatia to Germany to Italy and back to Belgrade. Looking forward to sharing the highlights of our adventures!