Oahu

Visiting Oahu, where Eric used to live 30 years ago!

On the island of Oahu, we visited Eric's old neighborhood, Pacific Palisades, where he lived from age 5 to 10. It didn't change very much! Check out a map of the area.Pacific Palisades Elementary School.
This is the only teacher who was around when Eric was attending the school. She gave Eric and me a lei made of soda can pop tops that her students had made. Unfortunately, we forgot to write down her name.
Mrs. Alayon, who works at the school, used to babysit Eric. Notice the lei.Eric used to play marbles out here.
Here it is - the old house.
The neighborhood has a good view. Eric theorizes that he didn't notice it much growing up because he wasn't tall enough to see over things.Some the old neighbors were still there as well. Helga Trummel is operating a bed and breakfast in her home, with lots of antiques for atmosphere.
Apparently Eric's mom Anne used this shovel for a still life painting many years ago.Mrs. Trummel remembered Eric quite well.
These are the parents of Darrell, a childhood friend of Eric's. She actually remembered Eric's name!This is the ditch behind the Eric's old house that he remembers so well.
There's very bad traffic in Honolulul. We were stuck in traffic on the way back to our hotel, the Outrigger Reef.Everyone on the beach stops to watch the sunset in the evening.
This is the banyon tree in front of the Honolulu Zoo that Eric remembers very well.The pink flamingos put on a show for us. They also figured largely in Eric's memories of the zoo.
A volunteer was entertaining the gorilla with bits of food and toys.A turtle race.
Lots of elementary school classes were at the zoo when we were there. There were very few Caucasian kids in the classes, as Eric remembered from his time in Hawaii.This was all that remained of the old giraffe enclosure. Now you can't get as close to the giraffes.
We met this guy on the beach at Waikiki. He searches with his metal detector for lost rings on the beach, and operates a business in Oregon called Bearied Treasure to find people's lost rings. This summer he's going to New Zealand to look for gold there.Hanauma Bay. Very crowded, but great snorkeling
Along the coast north of Hanauma Bay.
The next day, we met Eric's childhood friend Darrell in the morning.Then we took a bus ride to Diamond Head, and got the bus driver from hell. She stomped back to a guy who was with his family and had a stroller, and wanted him to get off the bus because he couldn't keep his stroller completely out of the aisle. What a meanie!
If you take the bus to Diamond Head, you have to walk through this tunnel right alongside the cars. Not very safe.The inside of the crater. It was a long walk to the top!
One of the many sets of stairs up. This one was the longest, 100 steps.Waikiki Beach from the top of Diamond Head.
(taken through the binocular lens) This is the Royal Hawaiian, the first hotel on the beach.Some furniture I thought would be neat for my dad to make in miniature.
On our last day in Hawaii, we took a quick trip up to Waiamea Bay. The surf wasn't very exciting that day.
Still, some boogie boarders were out.Further south, we watched a guy surfing with a paraglider. Now that was impressive!
The Dole pineapple fields.Thinking we needed to leave plenty of time for traffic, we arrived at the airport about 3 hours early. Here I am twiddling my thumbs.