Aloha gents! Here it is just about 11pm, and many of you will be getting up and starting your day in just an hour or two. This whole time change thing bites at times... but at least it's just 5 hours from home right now - during the summer months it's 6 hours - and trying to work out when to speak with my brother on the phone is a bear! I ended up not being able to see him today, but tomorrow night we're going to dinner - so that's cool. And then he's coming over to Aulani on Friday to check it out and hang out for a while before we go off and do some sight-seeing.
Today I went to Pearl Harbor. I've never been there before, but had studied the attacks in years gone by. It was very, very moving. It's amazing how many men are entombed in those waters, and more amazing to see the list of names of survivors, who when they passed, requested that their remains be added to the site to be back once again with their fallen shipmates. And it's amazing to see the oil still leaking from the hull these 70+ years later. They said about 2 quarts per day still leak out, and removing whatever remains is not even an option since it is hallowed, sacred ground.
I'm attaching just two pictures tonight, the first from the excursion that I took this afternoon to Pearl Harbor. This view is from the boat ride back over to the Visitor's Center, after having been onboard the USS Arizona Memorial. The USS Missouri can be seen just to the left of the Arizona Memorial - and if you didn't know, is the ship on whose decks the Japanese finally signed the surrender documents with MacArthur.
The other picture is from my morning soak in the lower level of the "waterfall" hot tub - yes, there are two levels to this tub, because of course it is two separate tubs, but the upper sends water cascading down into the lower, which then also sends water cascading over the edge into a rock garden before being cycled back up to the upper tub. These two are some of the 5 different hot tubs at Aulani. They are also physically located right near the property's edge, and the walkway surrounding the lagoon. The view is spectacular, as you sit and soak.
This evening, I returned to soak in the hot tub, and was delighted by some aerial entertainment. It wasn't put on by Disney, but it surely could have been for the quality of it all. I have no photos, so you're going to just have to trust me on this one, (I know pics or it didn't happen - but I wasn't planning on anything exciting happening, and I was pictured out from taking over 400 shots today in my excursions). Anyway, right next door to Aulani, is the JW Marriott, and tonight they were hosting out on their lagoon-side lawn a luau for the various Pro Bowl athletes and their guests. As I sat in the hot tub, suddenly the sky lit up with a spectacular fireworks display. It was pretty darn awesome. No music or Disney schmaltz, but the colors and number of shells was very, very impressive. Marriott is one of the sponsors for the Pro Bowl, and was really putting on the ritz for their athlete guests. Everyone at Aulani was very excited thinking that it was a Disney show. Alas it wasn't, but when I stopped at the front desk asking about it afterward, I was told that the infrastructure is there (it was clearly an in-ground installation, not a temporary one - shooting up from the rock outcropping on the left side of the above picture near the ocean line), and there are possibilities that Disney will do something like it in the future, but for now, no plans are in place for Aulani fireworks displays. The infrastructure belongs to the overall Ko Olina resort, and they did do fireworks like these on New Year's Eve. So you never know... it could happen again in the future.
Alright - there will be some sort of an update to my blog tomorrow with additional thoughts, impressions, and yes photos - so check it out over there. Mahalo.
TTFN!
...that is if not for the fact I switch mid-stream from nights to days this week. 6am is way too close, do I'll call it a night.
Looks like we have snow again too this morning, at least it's not much. Taking DW out tonight for dinner to Tucker's Marketplace (We call it Mother Tuckers 
