Aloha Hawaii

Honolulu, Hawaii.

Aloha.

Hawaii is not a place “I've always wanted to visit”. I'm more of a Caribbean mindset. But, when my son was stationed there for two years we visited. The first time, it poured the whole week. Every morning we set off for the north shore beaches. Every morning, before noon, the rains came. Waikiki beach was closed to swimmers because of sewage backup. Luckily we were on Kaneohe Bay on the north shore with the most beautiful beach. Our next trip was full sunshine. I made sure I crisped my body. Painfully so. We had use of kid's car and drove all over. It made up for the disappointing first visit. 

 

Kaneohe

Now we come to our third visit. This is a meeting of cultures, language, and families. We are here to celebrate the marriage of our #1 son, to his lovely Korean bride.

Imagine, going to the airport knowing you have, not just a seat, but a First Class seat! For me this is an exciting experience. We decided to use all the man's miles for the family. First class for the bride and groom. First class for me and the man. Sorry Kid#2. Only enough for you to go in the back of the bus. We tried. We really did spend the better part of an afternoon looking for the best deals for our miles. All 800,00 of them.

The wedding party, family and friends total 14 people. The Bride and Groom, 5 family members for her, 5 for my son, and 2 local friends. Because of the language barrier they chose not to have a traditional wedding reception, but instead a sunset dinner cruise.

The location was Ala Moana Beach Park, with Diamond Head in the distance. The sun mostly shined, rain was  just a few sprinkles. The wind kicked up and we thought the little bridal trellis would take off and fly away. The only problem was late flowers. The leis were not ready when promised but they did throw in a lovely centerpiece. Not that they could use it. But it looked nice in their room.

A short and simple ceremony. Smiles all around. Then off to our sunset cruise with entertainment. The dancers were placed all around the cabin and we had a great view. The dinner was yummy. 

those thighs...

 

 

Before and after the wedding day, we thoroughly relaxed. Beach and poolside with libations. Visiting with family, catching up on everything.  Wandering the shops. And especially sitting near the pool or in the hotel lobby. We spent 3 nights at the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani and then 3 nights at the Hale Koa Military hotel.

grape juice

grape juice redistributed

free with purchase

The Sheraton is old and will soon be remodeled. It was a very short walk to the beach where, twice a day, the hotel brought us water and a piece of fruit. A bit pricy considering the “resort fee” was $26 per day. Ok that did include towels and chairs. 

do not be fooled. that water was COLD

Duke Kahanamoku  “The father of modern surfing”

The Hale Koa was everything we could want for our resort hotel. We could visit with our neighbor on the balcony, aka the lanai. But the best part was the lobby. The couches and chairs had opiate properties. The breeze was delightful. If only we could have brought our drinks there. Ahhhhh......

sharing my snack

View from my lanai

looking up

We tried NOT to get too crispy. We ate too much, we drank too much.  North shore drive led us to Maui Mike's and Ted's bakery.  We stood under Banyan trees, and in front of the Hawaii 50 building.  We had Japanese cook-it-yourself.  We went to a luau and got ourselves inked. I bought souvenier Honolulu Cookies for others and HAD to have a box for myself. 

 

under a banyan tree

 We had a lovely time. Would I return? I suppose for the right reason. Mahalo.

Achtung ...Berlin

Berlin, Germany

With a last minute check on flights, the man and I head off on a Wednesday morning for Berlin to visit Kid #1.

We land at 8am Thursday in a light rain, and quickly pass through immigration. The kid is there to meet us with his "company car". Our hotel room is ready and we regroup. Kid back in an hour to walk us to the train station and show us how to get tickets. Being Germany, the trains are efficient and on time. Off we go to the city.

We walk towards the Brandenburg Gate. On our way we pass a Holocaust Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe...huge stone blocks. 2,711 concrete pillars -called steles- of varying heights. Some tall, some short. Lines and lines of them. The ground is smooth but unevenly inclined with small dips and hills. You can can enter the maze from all four sides, and the view is different from every angle. The paths criss cross and meander up and down. There is no color, no symbols. Very surreal. I search for meaning but can find no defining information. Underground is a small information center. 

Across the street, tucked away in the woods, is a stark concrete box that is the ‘Memorial to Homosexuals Persecuted Under Nazism’. Through a viewing window are short videos of same sex couples kissing in public. Nowadays uneventful, but at one time, forbidden and punishable. No fancy signage. I find it sad.

Back on the main street, we head to the Brandenburg Gate  for some rest time and people watching. We sit outside the American Embassy. Then off to Check Point Charlie. We glance up at buildings trying to decide which was East and what was West. Part of the wall still stands here. It is 4pm and we are drained. We happen upon the Check Point Charlie Beach. Yup, complete with sand and beach chairs. Since we have been awake and going for many hours now, a frosty cold beer (as everyone was drinking) would have had me snoring. So we opted for coffees. The day had turned out lovely, sunny and warm. After a nice long rest we headed back to our hotel and dinner with the kid.

We chose the hotel to be near the U.S. Consulate. It is half a block away in a quiet residential area. The only problem with this was no restaurants near by. We started out walking, getting hungrier by the minute. The Kid said "Two blocks more." so was walked on, passing more homes. "Two blocks more." he said again. I do believe we heard this about eight times. LOL Finally the Block House Steak house was in sight. English menus provided, and beer on tap. Goulash soup and cucumber salad. And beer. Finally a beer. 

Back to our room and crash time. Friday morning is again drizzly and cool. Perfect walking weather as we head off to F.U. or Freie Universität Berlin in search of T shirts. An hour wandering about. Then the S Bahn to CheckPoint Charlie Museum. Small and cramped, here you can see objects used to escape over, under, and through the Berlin Wall. 

Next stop the Stasi Museum in the former headquarters of the Stasi. “STASI” is the acronym for East Germany’s “Ministerium fuer Staatsicherheit,” or Ministry for State Security. Wander through and see the many techniques the communist dictatorship used to keep track of their people. Onward and upward to the Topography of Terror Museum. Not at all what we expected. Nothing really gory for the tourists. Just facts on the history of the institutions of terror in the vicinity. Lots of reading. Lots to think about. 

 

Lunch is CurryWurst for the man and Bratwurst for me. Snackily delicious. We wander back to our hotel. Dinner with the kid at Gasthaus Kronprinz Biergarten. Another long walk but the food is delicious and the beer cold. We enjoyed every mouthful. 

Saturday: Train to Friedrichstraße and the DDR Museum. Pass through the turnstyle into another place and era as the door at the end “unlocks” to let you pass. A leisurely walk along the river to the Reichstag Building. We decline to enter, and stop for a pretzel and people watching. Then a long walk to the Tiergarten area flea market. Another train to Alexanderplatz shopping area. And Döner Kebab for lunch. There are street performers and roof divers t keep us amused. Tonight dinner is at the Marine House Halloween party. The kid is bartender in his Nigerian wedding suit. The haunted house is excellent and I am sufficiently creeped out. Hot dogs and beer, and mulled wine to end the evening. We fall into bed, glad it is only a short walk away.

Sunday morning we jump out of bed at 0915 as breakfast ends at 1000. Wait... phone says 0815. Breakfast room clock says 0815. It is Fall Time Change one week earlier here. We enjoy our leisurely meal. We then head to kid's room and wait while the cook makes him his full breakfast. Must be nice to be so spoiled. :-)

Off to the Deutsches Technikmuseum where we wander for the better part of the day. Dinner at Augustiner 

Too bad we have a surly waither and he never did return for us to have a second beer. We are sufficiently stuffed and wander around to view the sights at night.

 We then part with the kid setting up an 0700 taxi run to the airport. Man and I walk to McD for coffee, served in large glass mugs, and a chocolate fix.

All too soon we are headed home in cramped middle seats. But glad we could visit. 
P.S.  Berlin has the best walk/don't walk traffic lights.   I started putting MY arms straight out when waiting for cars to pass on any street.  I also needed  to get a pair of earrings of these lil guys.   Good .  

 

Viva Death!!!

The Houston Funeral Museum is very interesting.   Tastefully historical, factual information.  Dare I say fun?   The fantasy coffins of Kane Quaye will bring a smile.  Yes, some of the displays are thought provoking.  There are articles of mourning clothing, jewelry, and adornment.   Funeral and embalming equipment.  Caskets and coffins. (yes, there IS a difference) And hearses from around the world.  http://www.nmfh.org/       

       

Imagine my surprise when, wandering through the museum with DDD, we both started tossing out random thoughts of how we wanted our own funeral to go. Imagine how astounded we both were to find another person with the same thoughts.  It's not morbid.  It's more like…preparation.  And for us, it is for a celebration!

We would see a display of commemorative booklets and say, "Oh yeah.  That's what I want."  Sorta like the booklets for the Eagle Scout Ceremony. And  for the mourners to take home. And an open bar.  

"Music." I said.  "We'll need music."

D replied, "Yeah, like Sha na na na Hey Hey…Goodbye."

"Exactly.  Or… The Beatles.  You say hello, and I say goodbye."

We spent a pleasant time wandering and snapping pictures. Later we would think of more songs for our Farewell Party as we were calling it.  It has been a labor of love.  Nothing morbid about it.  We've selected songs because they have meaning for us or because they are just fun "goodbye" songs. Listen to them some time ... REALLY listen to the lyrics.   

CD1 for LL

The Byrds                           Turn Turn Turn
Green Day                          Good Riddance
Elton John                           Circle of Life
U2                                       Still Haven't found what I'mlooking for
TheAcademyIs                    Everything we had
AFI                                      Of Greetings and Goodbyes
Beatles                               Hello Goodbye
Brian Eno                            And Ending (ascent)
Kermit                                 Rainbow Connection
MCR                                    Helena
Norman Greenbaum           Spirit in the Sky
SemiSonic                            Closing Time
Tiger Army                           Afterworld
 VNV Nation                         Beloved
Frank Sinatra                        My way 

CD 2 for DD

Depeche Mode             Blasphemous Rumors
Judy Garland                Somewhere over the rainbow
Kansas                         Dust in the Wind
Louis Armstrong           What a wonderful world
Monty Python               Always Look on the Bright Side of Life
The Pogues                  Parting Glass
Semisonic                     Closing time
Steam                          Sha Na Na
The Smiths                   Girlfriend in a Coma
The Sound of Music       So Long, Farewell
The Stranglers              Let me Down Easy
The Tramps                  Disco Inferno (burn baby burn) For the cremation!
The Verve                    Bittersweet Symphony
Tiger Army                   Afterworld

 CD3 for the heck of it.  We just don't want the party to end yet.

30 Seconds to Mars     A modern Myth
Prince                           1999
The Ramones                What a Wonderful world

??????????                   ??????

No, I am not dying!  Ok, well, we ALL are dying…."Since I was born I started to decay." But this I am planning.  Whether it is a meal, my job, a vacation, or my funeral, I do like to be prepared. Do as much as I can ahead of time.  I also plan on sticking around a bit longer.  I hold an organ donor card and they can slice and dice me however they want AFTER I go.  But give me a fighting change BEFORE you pull the plug, ok?

I will continue to pray to God and/or the gods for DDD's safe and eventual retirement when we can meet again, share drinks and giggles, maybe get some ink together, listen to some good music, and cause some ruckus wherever we might be. 

So help us out.  If you have something we might like, tell us.  We really hope to be around for a long, long time yet.  But… one never knows. 

Any Day Above Ground Is A Good One.

Or as Stephen King said: Sixty's the new fifty, and dead is the new alive.

I'll say goodnight and bow to everyone.

The Story of my Life...in a nutshell

shy, clueless, repressed, wanting. youth.
bold, careless, awakening, wanton. female.
dormant, controlled, restrained, wistful. mother.
open, confident, alive, willing. woman

For those of you that still have it...   All my old blogs and pix are over on myspace.

http://www.myspace.com/well_functioning_adult

And a little poem.

 

Strong and nicely tanned.
At my desk, I think of you
Our afternoon tryst.

Your scent fills the air
Before I am awake.
Ready and waiting.

Strong and nicely tanned.
Elixir for the weary.
Pick me up.  Java.

A Dam Good Time in Nevada

One final week of vacation, and the man leaving for Africa the next week.  We needed a trip that did not require a whole lot of preparation or thought.   We needed to veg.  Vegas.  The man had never been.  I emailed the transplanted NY cousins to inquire about “hotel availability”.   They said yes.  We said yes. Off we go.

Early Sunday morning flight and we actually got First class! They serve the same breakfast they’ve been serving for years.  Cheese omelet, tasty fresh fruit and yogurt, horrible sausage and ham, and that potato-spinach thing.   I love spinach, and potatoes too, but this Continental Combo is truly not fine dining.

On arrival we take the journey to baggage claim. Carrousel #6, and we wait.  And wait…And wait some more.  Then a skycap says the Houston bags are OUT on carousel #10.  Gee, thanks for letting the passengers know!   Off to the car rental yard and we are offered a variety of makes and models.  I choose the WHITE car.  It is 100o + every day.  I will be the designated driver. With the man giving directions, we stand a better chance of actually leaving the airport than when *I* am the navigator. Heh.  I plugged in the GPS and we are off to the LAS Burbs. 

Cousins K1 and K2 are both home and we catch up and regroup. K2 soon off to work and with tour book in hand Man and I head to the nearby Red Rock Canyon. When I say burbs, I mean there is nothing behind their house except a dug out quarry and the mountains. 

Hot, dry, desolate. First stop is the visitor’s center. Nicely done with info, overlooks, artwork and “touch” tables. 

Then the scenic drive. Thirteen miles of overlooks. Hmmm…most of these overlooks over look…red rocks.  Mountain layers with varying shades of red.  Then we start to see them. Zombies.  More specifically, Rasta Zombies!  I think they are yucca plants, but they sure look like Zombies coming to get us!  Rows and rows of them with outstretched limbs reaching out to snare us.  

We watch an old geezer couple smoking while reading the sign that says NO SMOKING.  Amazing.  Towards the end of the route, we veer off to some tables for a picnic lunch before heading home.

We were back at the house in time for dinner with K2. Evening spent talking about and watching old movies. The Cousins are most knowledgeable, and this is Man’s favorite pastime.   They get along well.

Day 2 and we head to The Strip.  I had already noted stops I wanted to make and we parked mid-way.  First stop is the Bellagio. We are just in time to see the fountains.  Inside is the beautiful Dale Chihuly ceiling display.  I love his work.  We wander the casino and I find another, smaller, Chihuly!  Photo Op time.  The lobby attraction is birds in a garden setting.  Next stop Caesar’s Palace and the search for David. He is deep in the labyrinth of rooms, but we find his nakedness and take our pix.

Walking the strip is an interesting adventure.  You can’t really get THERE from HERE. Walking involves side treks up stairs and escalators (if we are lucky), detours into casinos and shopping areas and street crossings.  This is all done while dodging those passing out cards for various shows of …disreputable content.  The man gave up and started taking these cards. We ended up with a large collection of pictures of naked women.

Lunch at the Burger Bar near the Mandalay Bay.  I let the man in on a few bits of my past visits to LAS, when I stayed at the Mandalay and spent hours in the lobby outside the House of Blues.  Nevermind.  No, you don’t need to know what I did back then.   Go read those blogs.  LOL  Sadly I declined to see Rancid that night as I THOUGHT I would see them two weeks later at home on the Honda Civic tour.  Too bad my town was one of the stops they DIDN’T make.   *sad sigh* 

Visit to NYNY, Paris, and the Grand Canal shops. Saw most of the Mirage Volcano before we headed home for the night.

Day 3  Early start to Boulder, NV, home to Hoover Dam.  We opt for the free parking higher up. The dam is immense. When you see it in the scale of things, like a car driving across the top, or looking down, you can feel it.

I put on my borrowed hat (from K2) …FUBAR… and off we hike down to the visitor’s center.  We decide on the full tour. First an historical movie.  Interesting information on the dam project and how it was built. Then the Dam Tour.

We must pass the metal detectors.  Guard notices my hat and asks if that is true.  I grin at him. First stop is the Turbine Room, with huge equipment to move them as needed.  The guide announces that we may take as many Dam Photos as we want. Then…Inward.   Yes, we are actually inside the Dam Wall.   On the face of the dam, you can see four vents.  These bring air into the interior passageways of the dam.  One at a time we walk the corridor to the vent.  This is worth what we paid to get in! How strange to look OUT these vents.   I stuck my arm out and waved.  Wonder if anyone noticed.

Look closely...the VENTS. Just under that line.

Looking OUT the vents.

 We walked along the bridge into Arizona.  After a bit more wandering we headed back. Dinner out with K1 and then lounging in the hot tub and pool, sipping wine. On a beautiful full moon night.

Short and sweet, this has been a great getaway for both of us.  Now, back to the real damn world.

Slipaway to Seattle

I love reading a book where I LIKE the characters, and the story is thrilling enough to keep it interesting but still real.  The ending has me on the edge of my figurative seat, and in the denouement, the bad guys get it, and the wounded recover.  This description fits Ridley Pearson’s books.  I especially like his Seattle PD's Lieutenant Lou Boldt.   So when I needed a quick get away on my vacation, I naturally thought of Seattle.

Seattle is difficult to get to on a space available stand-by ticket.  Since this is the only way I fly these days, I risked it.  I bought the Frommer’s Seattle book.  I prefer these guides with include good tips and map.  Using the book and Expedia I chose the 

Hotel 1000

Guestrooms offer a soothing sanctuary for the weary traveler and feature two-person pedestal tubs with dramatic ceiling mounted water fillers. Floating frosted glass walls surround generous, limestone tiled walk-in showers. Ok I’m sold.   Yes it was a splurge for us, but it was centrally located and the staff were very nice.  We could have checked in at 10am, but opted for a room on a higher floor, meaning with a view, at 4pm.  We left our bags and our phone number, and wandered off. 

First stop: Lunch at Ivar’s clam bar.  I am not a seafood fanatic but the chowder was superb.  Small portions, but delicious. The seagulls squawked while we ate.  I held some fries in my fingers and the gulls grabbed. 

The drizzle is steady, but not enough to open the umbrella. My Peruvian Llama hat protected me. Walk to Pioneer Place for the 2pm Underground tour.  Interesting. You roam the subterranean passages that once were the main roadways and first-floor storefronts of old downtown Seattle.  After the fire the city built retaining walls, eight feet or higher, on either side of the old streets, filled in the space between the walls, and paved over the fill to effectively raise the streets, making them one story higher than the old sidewalks that still ran alongside them. This was to prevent the constant tidal flooding.  I try to fathom the imagery of walls built over salt flats and rising tides and people clambering over them in ladders while holding their purchases. 

 Next the Klondike Museum.   Story of my life… I spin the wheel and just miss making it rich!  Great photos of an era of Americana. Then our room is ready so we regrouped. Nice room, not so much of a view, but then we usually only come back after dark. 

 

Off to Pike Place Market.  At this time of the evening most of the stalls are closing down, but the flowers are still beautiful.  I wish I could take some home with me.  Here is the very first Starbucks, looking worn and weary but still with a steady stream of customers.  I was more interested in Piroshky Piroshky, but alas…they were sold out of all the items we wanted for a snack.  I suggested we return for breakfast. Then I found the ABC Gum wall. The man said “Ewww gross!”  Yes I added my small piece.  Specifically it was gum purchased in Korea last summer and still I my travel backpack.  How international is that?

We continued wandering along the overlook to watch activity along the waterfront.   In darkness we returned to our hotel, noting the bright lights of the Taboo Adult Video like a beacon in the night to guide us home.  Between the hotel doors and XXX is theAddress: Boka Restaurant.  I would def try it, but not tonight.  The “lambwich” sounded yummy.    Inside, our room was ready for us with a waterfall screensaver on the TV and two chocolates on the turned down bed. 

We chose this hotel for its unusual bathtub review.  Something different. This was a good choice.  It is a very short walk from anything, even if some of this walking is steep hills.  The concierge was excellent, the staff helpful and very friendly.  When we left our umbrella in the room, there is a rack to borrow.  My only complaint is the shampoo and bath gel.  It is abundant, but very harsh.  

Dinner decisions were upon us.  Man had a Food Magazine and I had the tour book and we compared reviews. Sadly several of the places we wanted to try were CLOSED for dinner!  As it was after 7PM, we headed to The Pike Brewing Company.  Good food and way too many beers to choose from.  Slow walk in the drizzle back to our room where the bed called to me.

A quiet place.

 Next day we were off to the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, built in 1911 and often nicknamed the Ballard Locks, provides a link for boats between the salt water of Puget Sound and the fresh water of the Ship Canal, which connects eastward to Lake Union and Lake Washington.

The locks also see an estimated half million salmon and trout make the journey from saltwater to fresh each year with the help of a nearby fish ladder. We are here at the wrong time of year for the fish but there is one single guy swimming for our viewing pleasure. I wondered if he was hired for the job. :-) We wandered a bit through the 7-acre Carl English Jr. Botanic Garden. 

Paleo People

Then off to the ferry dock and a 35minute trip to Bainbridge Island. We stood watching the land recede and then moved to watch it get closer.  The wind blew and the sun actually shined on us. On shore we wandered around but found not much of interest except the Stone Men at the marina and an old VW Beetle. All this wandering brought out the hunger and once again we tried clam chowder, this time at Doc's Marina Grill.  Once again it was good. On the way back to the ferry dock I spotted a handyman working and tried to get him to come work for me.  No luck…

The ride back was quiet as we sat inside and I wrote out postcards.  The ferry was empty. So WHY did the LOUD family have to sit in the NEXT BENCH BEHIND ME???   Up I got and moved to the other side.   Geeeez, they do seem to find me.  The man just laughs at me and ignores things like this. 

For the second night we regrouped in our room and looked for a place to eat dinner.  We finally asked the concierge and decided on pizza.  Serious Pie was a short walk away and we grabbed an umbrella and headed out.  Personally, it was overpriced for the small pie they served. A bit upscale for these New York pizza lovers. 

Plans of sharing that bathtub and a bottle of wine disintegrated as we flopped on the bed, exhausted.  We made a quick review of tomorrow’s touring plans and headed off to Z-land.

Next morning I checked our 11pm flight to find that it was already full!  Yikes!  The best laid plans… We need to pack, find breakfast, and head to the airport.  So many things left unseen. 

Looks  like Seattle is still on my list of Paces to See.

 Like a ship on the sea, a book can take you to far away places.